Cherie’s Caper in Kuala Lumpur

Day 2

0800, 7 Dec 10, Port Kelang Jetty

Calvin greeted me with a toothy grin. Sporting a green NewUrbanMale tank top, a black haversack as well as a pair of stylish Havaianas, he looked well prepared for our caper in KL.

“Wow, stunning dress for a day trip out! I am happy to be your partner for the day!” He shot me another dashing smile.

“Come Calvin! Stop looking! It is time to get to the buses.” I turned on my heels and moved towards the jetty, with Calvin catching up swiftly and walking alongside. We headed for Bus 8 where we were warmly greeted by a plump and motherly lady who was to be our bus guide and a swarthy man with a grim face who I reckoned to be the driver of the day.

 

0900 – 1700, 7 Dec 10, Interesting Locales in Kuala Lumpur

We were discussing about places of interests in Malaysia when the bus rolled to the stop in front of a beautifully preserved heritage building. Calvin and I wandered about, taking photos of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building which was built according to Moorish architecture and style.

“Wow!” this is the tallest flagpole I have witnessed in my life. Standing at close to 100 metres tall, the massive flagpole at Independence Square, also known as Dataran Merdeka, made me felt miniscule. I found out that it was here that Malaysia first raised its flag in 31 August 1957.

♥

 

My thoughts of architecture broke off abruptly as I focused my attention towards my favorite dessert – chocolate. I stepped off the bus and was greeted by an odd piece of art – it was a statue depicting the implosion of a chocolate mixture as various fruits were dropped into it. At the base of the statue, a round proclaimed the following “Most Innovative Chocolate Award”. I had heard that this Cocoa Boutique was renowned for its chocolate products which came in an amazing variety of flavors and unique concoctions.

I noticed a beautifully adorned holly wreath before I stepped in through the dark-colored oaken door frame. Inside, I was impressed by the efforts the shop had made in connection with the Christmas season. A Christmas tree stood unobtrusively at the entrance, before the shop space opened up and I laid my eyes on a tantalizing array of chocolates displayed on the shelves and racks.

Well if it is so good, I got to give it a try!

“Mmmmm…” I moaned in joy as the chocolatey concoction exploded in my mouth. The feeling was exquisite. Silky soft durian paste rolled around in the recesses of my mouth, caressing my tongue, delivering tingly waves of pleasure down my spine even as the harder bits of milk chocolate created a sweet counter-taste and crunchiness which only served to accentuate the bittersweetness of the durian. If I had a brain at the moment, it must have been blown to bits by the quality of the Belgian Milk Chocolate filled with Rich Creamy Durian.

It was a struggle to bring myself to Earth from Chocolate Heaven. The Cocoa Boutique carried a mind-blowing array of chocolate treats and each was refreshing and unique in its own way. I licked my lips as I started on other new exciting pieces of chocolate. Whilst I breezed through piece after piece of Chilli Chocolate with aplomb to the amazement of the local staff, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Calvin who felt as if his tongue was set on fire and he went about fanning his injured tongue. I especially loved the Chilli Chocolate, Durian Milk Chocolate and Tiramisu flavours.

♥

Today I am not a Chinese.

Today, I am a sultry, fair-skinned, North Indian lady modeling the latest saree designs available in Little India. Indian ladies will look at me in jealousy before presuming that the same saree will do them the same justice and proceed to buy it off the shelves at Madras. Indian males will gawk and wish their day away, continually replaying the image they have just caught of me walking around in a saree around town.

I smiled to myself as I tested fabric of the saree. It was like silk, smooth to the touch. The light floral prints was agreeable to me but what truly caught my eye was the translucent centre. This was one sexy saree. As the lady proprietor of the shop assisted me into the traditional Indian garb, I found that it was a tad heavy, probably due to the pure mass and length of the fabric as there was definitely more cloth than my average dress. My first time in a saree was a pleasant surprise even to myself.

Calvin was smiling all the way as I tried on the garment. I guess he must have liked the saree.

A romp around Little India was decidedly incomplete if we did not order the requisite Indian Briyani. As the clock ticked towards 12pm, and our tummies started growling, Calvin found us a homely Indian restaurant, Insaf.

Our tummies found salvation when the food arrived. The fragrance of the spices such as turmeric, cumin and masala mixed into long-grain basmati rice lingered in the air together with the saliva-inducing aroma from the Lamb Shank, Masala Chickken, Papadum and accompanying curry on a platter. We tucked in with relish, thankful for the skills of the Indian chefs in the kitchen.

 

1800, 7 Dec 10, Anchors Aweigh Lounge

Tonight was the big night. Tonight was the Captain’s Night and everyone will have an opportunity to meet the Captain and his crew at the Anchors Aweigh Lounge followed by a formal dinner at the Romeo & Juliet Restaurant. It was essentially a gala dinner for everyone to dress up like princes and princesses. I had selected a sexy black dinner dress which hugged my curves at the right areas and also left a significant portion of my back uncovered. I grinned cheekily as I imagined myself to be the sexiest lady on board.

Captain Ryan cut a suave figure as he appeared at the front of the lounge. As I had rushed to the lounge earlier in order to grab the choice seats at the front, I was close enough to catch a close view of him. Moving with a sure gait towards the microphone, he exuded an aura of command and confidence. The heavily decorated shoulder epaulettes signaling his rank and mastery of sea craft which adorned his pristine white jacket only served to accentuate that aura. Even though I reckoned that Captain Ryan had to be older than 40 due to his seniority of rank, his broad shoulders, trim physique and ready smile made him seem as though he was not a day past 40.

I managed to catch Captain Ryan for a moment to chit chat and he gamely posed for a picture. I was over the moon to be able to get a photograph with him! Here I was with the man who was piloting my wonderful holiday with the Royal Caribbean!

 

2000, 7 Dec 10, Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

“I prepared this specially for you. Honey is for your throat.”

I was momentarily caught unawares when Dong Biao appeared at my side. With a flourish, he set down a glass of warm water and a few packets of honey.

A rosy flush came to my cheeks as the OMY group all glanced over at Dong Biao and myself in amazement. Apparently, Dong Biao had remembered when I told him the evening before that I had a sore throat and couldn’t take cold drinks. I was flattered to have him remember.

Here was one waiter who was delivering unparalleled service. This is the Gold Anchor Service promise which I had mentioned earlier on Legend of The Seas, Memories of a Lifetime. I was deeply touched to have experienced such superb service.

“Wow, Dong Biao is great! He remembers,” Catherine noted, and all others concurred.

As Dong Biao retreated to continue his normal duties, our group of 10 settled down to dinner. The food was marvelously prepared. I started with a rosy-coloured Lobster Bisque laced with whipped cream and Cognac, followed by Asian-style Duck glazed with Hoisin, medium-well masterfully flavored Fillet Mignon and Golden Seabass. The seabass was pan-seared to perfection, leaving the fish decidedly soft and tender despite a crisp exterior served on a mound of creamy black olive polenta and accompanied by fried capers and Spanish sofrito that lent the fish a tangy Mediterranean flavor.

 

2200, 7 Dec 10, That’s Entertainment Theatre

Our night continued with a captivating performance ala Broadway-style musicals by a team of 12 which wowed the crowd with their song and dance routine.

Alessandro stood out, mesmerizing the audience with his powerful vocals and vivacious moves. Yee Leong and myself enjoyed the performance so much that we started moving to the beat of the music for the entire hour.

 

 

2330, 7 Dec 10, Viking Crown Lounge

The night was turning out to be an even more enjoyable night than the first with “The Macho, Macho, Men” taking center stage. With a flamboyant move, he stripped off his shirt and started gyrating to the beat. His toned physique was pleasure to the feminine senses.

The ladies in the crowd were paying rapt attention to this sensual dancer. Muscles moved and rippled as he moved gracefully yet containing bursts of vibrant energy which displayed his undeniable masculine strength and endurance. He was hot.

♥

 

Sometime about 1230am, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself conversing with a charismatic man with dark tanned skin and short cropped hair smooth backwards. He was in fact Behram, Director of International Trade Support & Charters of Royal Caribbean! Bob, as he introduced himself to the OMY group, bought us drinks before settling down beside me. He was very well read and learned. We shared a long conversation across topics such as psychology, travelling experiences and even food. Here was a connoisseur of food who could have his pick of culinary arts onboard yet retained his appetite for more homely and common food in the areas he had travelled to as well as having a desire to try unique fare. Off the cuff, I recommended him to Valentino’s, a cozy rustic feel family run restaurant in rifle range where it’s head by Executive Chef Valentino, served up a variety of splendid Italian fare and also the Durian Milk Chocolate from the Cocoa Boutique.

The night carried on, there were drinks aplenty, and all of had a few glasses of champagne and wine to celebrate the night. In the end though, Darren got a wee bit tipsy and had us all laughing at his antics before we decided to return to our rooms for the night.

I’m so excited to experience the wonders of Thai Massage on Day 3!

 

♥

 

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Read all about my Royal Caribbean Experience

Legend of The Seas, Memories of a Lifetime

Cherie’s Adventure on High Seas

Day 1: Cherie Sailing Into The Sunset

Day 2: Cherie’s Caper in Kuala Lumpur

Day 3: Cherie’s Frolic in Phuket

Day 4: Cherie’s Castle on Blue Seas

Day 5: Cherie Disembarks with Grace