Batu Caves Got A New Look

If you have never been to Batu Caves, then this is the time to visit with the brand new look of the colourful 272 steps stairs leading up to the top of the cave with a temple inside the cave. Let the photos do the talking...

Photo credit: Seenivasanrajoo

Photo credit: rojakdaily.com

For all the Instagrammers and professional/amateur photographers out there, this would be your new place to get those beautiful, colourful, vibrant shots for your profile.


HOW TO GET TO BATU CAVES

From KL Sentral, take the KTM Komuter Train towards Batu Caves. Batu Caves KTM Komuter Station is located on the left side of Batu Caves across the car park area. Upon arrival, just walk across the car park to get to the main entrance.

DRESS CODE

No short pants or skirts above knee-level is allowed as the temple is a holy, religious site for worshippers.


ADDITIONAL NOTES

There are wild monkeys romaing freely around the area and they can be aggressive. Do not try to play or tease them. Do not give them food as the whole bunch of monkeys will all come to you and follow you around.


UPDATE!!!

NO DIRECT KTM KOMUTER TRAIN OPERATIONS TO BATU CAVES STARTING FROM 3 FEBRUARY 2018.

STEP-BY-STEP HOW TO GET TO BATU CAVES FROM KL SENTRAL BY BUS & KTM KOMUTER

• Get to KL Sentral Railway Station 
• Get a FREE Shuttle Bus Ride to Sentul Station 
• Buy a ticket to ‘Batu Caves Station’ from the KTM Komuter Line 
• Look for the Sign ‘Batu Caves’ on the Platform 
• Batu Caves Station is the 4th Station from Sentul Station 
• Exit Batu Caves Station & find the Lord Murugan Statue

Are Travel Guidebooks Still Relevant?

I used to buy travel guidebooks whenever I am planning to visit a particular city or country but over the years, I have come to some realisations about researching and getting information about my travel planning.

For a starter, travel guidebooks are a good start-up point for those who are new or inexperienced in planning their itinerary. It has everything from what to see, where to stay and eat, and lots of information about each destination but it might be costly as you travel more and more as travel guidebooks don't come cheap!

After travelling to over 30 cities around the world, I have had enough experience when it comes to whether or not to buy more travel guidebooks to places I want to travel in future. For my first Europe trip, I brought three travel guidebooks with me as I was travelling across Germany, Austria, and Italy. The result? It was not only heavy and add weight to my backpack, I realised that I didn't really need to rely on the books when I'm actually there.

If I'm lost, I would just approach strangers to ask for directions. As for food, I would just eat wherever it's cheap (I'm a budger traveller). And for accommodation, I would search online at home before flying and booked the room, so I don't really need to use the guidebooks.

The only time I need to refer to the guidebooks is the city map but I soon realised that most cities around European countries would have free map for tourists and if you're staying in Airbnb homes, your host would probably give you free city map and subway/metro map.

Another factor I come to realise is that even though I have the guidebook of a particular country, I won't be reading the entire book from cover to cover because most of the time, I would only be interested in visiting one or two cities and I won't be reading about other cities from that guidebook, so I felt that it's kind of a waste if I purchase so many travel guidebooks only to read and refer about one or two cities, and remember that travel guidebooks are NOT cheap!

Other than that, I am also considering about the space, when it comes to put all those travel guidebooks I have collected over the years of my travelling. After I reached home from my travel, I won't be needing that guidebook anymore, so it's gonna be a "white elephant" on my bookshelf.

With the Internet, you can now search for anything online for free and look up the images/photos of the places you want to visit. I would search for travel blogs to read, google images on interesting places to visit and read about it to see if I'm interested to visit before adding it into my itinerary.

As for map, I am using Google Maps on my smartphone when I'm travelling to get to the places of attractions and also to get to the nearest subway/metro station and after I'm done sight-seeing, I would use it to get myself back to the hotel without wasting time trying to find your way in a foreign city.

Lastly, information on travel guidebooks may change such as the admission fee for museums, palaces, the food price, so don't trust what you read because once it's published, things can change and that is why most of the travel guidebooks publish a new edition every two years to keep up-to-date information. With the Internet, you would get the actual price if you visit the official website of the museum you are interested.

So, if you're planning to replace your travel guidebook when you travel, I recommend you to get connected to the Internet with your smartphone when you're travelling. Make sure your telco gets you connected or you could buy a SIM card when you're in that country, or purchase the pocket Wi-Fi device to get you connected everywhere you go.

In my recent travel, I didn't bring any travel guidebooks. All I brought was a notebook and a pen. Inside, I have written all the places I want to visit and its admission fee and I also researched on how to reach each place (which subway/metro to take, which station to stop, how much is the fare). All you got to do is do your homework months before you fly and write it all down in a notebook.

But if you still need your travel guidebooks, I can teach you a trick. Snap a pic of the pages from your travel guidebooks with your smartphone. With that, you can read about it from your phone and don't have to carry that heavy book around. Everything is in your phone.

In conclusion, I am going to stop buying travel guidebooks and just do my research online for my future trips. What about you?

Malaysians Entering EU Countries Need To Apply For Visa From 2021

Starting from 2021, Malaysian citizens who plan to visit Europe will need to apply for an ETIAS visa online. ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) was created to improve the screening of travelers to the region. The system was designed by the EU to strengthen border control and to protect both Europeans living in the Schengen zone, and visitors traveling to it.

Up until 2021, Malaysians do not need to apply for a visa to enter Europe for trips up to 90 days, however, this will change starting from 2021 when this new immigration rule is implemented. Why is there a new visa rule, you ask? Well, the ETIAS is an effort to curb the recent terrorist attacks and uncontrolled migration flows in the EU.

The ETIAS will thoroughly check every application using various EU security databases like the Schengen Information System, the Entry/Exit System, Europol, and Interpol databases before approving an applicant. So, this will prevent any dangerous or unauthorized people from entering the EU.

Apart from Malaysia, this system only applies to 60 countries.

Is your country listed in this list?

Source:ETIAS Visa

HOW TO APPLY ETIAS VISA?

Applicant needs to have:

• a valid passport
• an email address (the approval or rejection of the visa status will be sent to this email you provided)
• a debit or credit card (to pay for the application fee which is estimated at 10 Euros which is roughly RM48) *applicants under the age of 18 do not need to pay the fee 

The ETIAS application requires applicant to complete the following details:

• full name
• date of birth
• country of residency
• home address
• contact information
• travel document information
• security questions (Inform authorities of any convictions for serious criminal offences. Examples: include terrorism, sexual exploitation of children, trafficking in human beings or drugs, murder and rape.)
• health-related questions

If your application is approved, you will receive an authorisation directly by email and in case of denial, you will receive an email explaining the reason for refusal so you will know why your application was rejected. Once approved, it is valid for 3 years from the date of issuance or until the expiry date of the passport, whichever comes first.

Currently there are 26 countries in Europe that will require an ETIAS Visa authorization as an added security measure.

If you're entering any of these country, you will need ETIAS Visa

NOTE: EU countries Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus and Irelandare not part of the Schengen Area and have their regulations regarding visa authorizations.

The ETIAS visa is a travel authorization for business or touristic purposes, and will not be a substitute for a student or working visa.

Any third country nationals who wish to live, study, work, or remain in Europe longer than 90 consecutive days, will have to apply for a different type of visa.


WHAT YOU SHOULD DO AFTER YOUR APPLICANT IS APPROVED?

1. Make sure you carry a printout of your ETIAS authorisation, even though it is linked to your passport.
Without the email printout, you might be denied boarding at the airport.

2. Do check the status of your ETIAS few days before your departure date as it can be revoked and annulled if the conditions for issuing it no longer apply.

3. If you're visiting multiple EU countries, you will have to pass through the first country you have stated in your application. For example, if you're planning to visit Portugal, Spain and France, and you have written in your application that the first country you will visit is France, then you must go through France before visiting Spain and Portugal.