Asia – Life, Love, Safari by Natalia Ivashkina

April 1, 2022April 1, 2022

Places to visit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s China Town

The top places I recommend that you visit whenever you are in China town in Kuala Lumpur are namely Petaling Street Flea Market, the Hindu temple Sri Maha Mariamman, Guan Di Temple (also known as Kuan Ti temple or Kwong Siew temple), Central Market, and Sin Sze Si Ya Temple. I briefly described each of these places below:

Petaling Street Flea Market

It is a pedestrian shopping flea market with multi-racial sellers or hawkers. In this market, you can buy clothes, souvenirs, class A bags, watches, clothes, flowers, fruits, and many more. There are also various restaurants serving Chinese cuisines.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple

This Hindu temple was originally a private shrine established in 1873 by a Tamil Indian family who originated from southern India. The five-tiered entrance gate of the temple is decorated with intricate carvings of Hindu deities.

Guan Di Temple Chinatown or Kwong Siew Temple

Guan Di Temple was built in 1888. It is one of the oldest temples in Kuala Lumpur’s China Town. Presently the temple is housed inside the premises of Kwong Siew Association located on Tun H.S.Lee Street. The association was built by Chinese people from Guangzhao Province who came to Malaysia a long time ago. Today, Guan Di Temple remains to be a crucial center where Chinese Malaysians celebrate festivals, remember their ancestors, practice their beliefs and continue to educate the next generation.

Central Market

This market was originally a location for selling fresh produce. The Central Market art deco building we see presently dates back to the 1930s. During the 1980s Central Market was transformed into a shopping complex and today tourists visit this market to buy all sorts of souvenirs such as traditional clothes, batik, modern souvenirs, pewter products, paintings, and many more. Visitors can also dine at restaurants serving Indian, Malaysia, and Chinese cuisines and during festivities, there are cultural presentations being held on the market’s stage.

Zakir Crafts, one of the souvenirs sellers in Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

Sin Sze Si Ya Temple was built in 1864. It is the oldest temple in Kuala Lumpur’s China Town. It is also located on Tun H.S.Lee Street. This temple dedicated to two deities (Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya) was built on the instructions of Yap Ah Loy, an immigrant from Kwangtung Province, China who later became one of the founders of Kuala Lumpur.

October 20, 2019March 21, 2022

Chinese Visa Application for the Philippines and Ukraine Passport Holders

This post is about our Chinese Visa Application experience. We are Philippines and Ukraine Passport holders (Filipina and Ukrainian) who are temporarily residing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Chinese visa application here in Kuala Lumpur was done through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center. It is currently located in the address below:

Level 5 & 6, Hampshire Place Office, Jalan Mayang Sari, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

We applied last July 2019 and entered China in September 2019. Philippines passport holders need a tourist visa Category L to enter China if he or she is going to tour the country for a few days and not just transiting there. Ukraine Passport holders also need a Category L visa to enter China and to be able to spend more than 72 hours in the country. Out reason for travelling to China at that time was because we needed to support the Philippines national basketball team in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup Basketball 2019.

February 2, 2019March 21, 2022

Bukit Lawang Orangutan tracking, trekking and tubing

Bukit Lawang Orangutan Tracking and Tubing

I ordered the Bukit Lawang Orangutan tracking, trekking, and tubing activities from the owner of my hotel, Wisma Leuser Sibayak. This was part of my Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba Itinerary. Ricky, who was the representative of the hotel, was also my guide during the three hours activities which cost me 45 Euros ($52). Ricky, arranged everything, including the fruits for our snacks and the permit to enter the Gunung Leuser National Park. In the afternoon of January 14, after lunch, we started the trekking. Ricky’s associate or colleague Nuria joined us.

Read the full report: “Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba Itinerary.“

What do you wear and bring in the jungle trekking?

February 1, 2019March 21, 2022

Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba Itinerary

Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba DIY itinerary

This article is about my Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba five days and four nights Itinerary. The start point and endpoint of the trip were Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) in Malaysia. Philippines Passport holders do not need a visa to enter Indonesia and are eligible to remain in Indonesia without a visa for 30 days.

Day One.

I departed KLIA2 via Air Asia flight number QZ 129 at 08:40, Malaysia time. The flight duration was more or less an hour. At 8:45, Indonesian time, I arrived at Kualanamu International Airport. Indonesia is an hour behind Malaysian time. The flight cost me RM 52.55 (Malaysia Ringgit) or roughly $13 based on today’s rate.

The immigration officer asked me if it was my first time in Indonesia and if I was alone. He also asked where I’d go.

February 11, 2018March 21, 2022

e-VISA to India for Philippines Passport Holders

I travelled to India’s golden triangle last February 5 to 9. It is the beaten path which is composed of New Delhi which is the capital of India, Agra which is part of Uttar Pradesh State, and Jaipur which is the capital of the Rajasthan State. Before going to India, for ordinary Philippine passport holders like me, it is vital to apply for e-VISA to India. In this post, I will share the steps based on my experience and situation.

Update: As of August 10, 2018, the eVisa fee cost $80.

A. Photo and passport copy preparation.

Prepare a clear front-facing photograph with a light coloured background (e.g.: white). The photo format must be a jpeg. Its size must be a minimum of 10 KB and a maximum of 1 MB. The dimensions are minimum of 350 pixels by 350 pixels. You may use a photo editor to accomplish this.

The passport page with your personal details must be scanned and saved in pdf format. Its size must be a minimum of 10 KB and a maximum of 300 KB.

January 4, 2018March 21, 2022

e-Visa to Georgia for Philippines Passport Holders

Last September 11 to 16, 2017, my husband and I visited Georgia, a country in the Caucasus region. My husband does not need a visa to enter Georgia but for ordinary Philippine passport holders like me need to apply for eVisa. In this post, I will share the steps I’ve been through based on my experience and situation. I will also share suggestions and my border crossing experience.

A. Travel Insurance, accommodation booking and return ticket.
It is important to purchase travel insurance (e.g. World Nomads) that is valid throughout the period of stay in Georgia. It is also a must to book a hotel or in Airbnb for the accommodation just in case the immigration officer will ask for it.

B. Photo and passport copy preparation.
Prepare a scanned passport size photo and scanned passport page with the personal details. The photo size is 472×610 pixels. The passport can also be in .jpg format.

January 3, 2018March 21, 2022

Tourist ETA to Sri Lanka for Philippines Passport Holders

On February 2017 I visited Sri Lanka, an island nation located in the south of India. Before going to Sri Lanka, ordinary Philippine passport holders like me need to apply for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). In this post, I will share the steps based on my experience and situation.

A. The Sri Lankan ETA application process.

Steps:

Go to Sri Lanka ETA System. Read the visa exemptions and choose which one is applicable to you.
Click the Apply tab and it is important to read thoroughly the Terms & Conditions before confirming the ETA application. Click the “I Agree” button and then click Apply for an Individual under Tourist ETA.
Fill all mandatory fields like applicant’s information and travel information. You need to enter your intended date of arrival. You can hover your mouse to the question mark icon for a hint. It says the ETA is valid up to three months from the date of issue. Then you need to enter your contact details and answer the declaration questions. The address in Sri Lanka can be the hotel’s address. The copy and paste keyboard functions are disabled in the website so you really must type in everything to the form.

Review your application and confirm. Double-check all entries. Then the VISA Application Fee Summary will be displayed too.

Select the desired payment option to pay the $35.00 VISA Application Fee. After Paying it you will get an email (Department of Immigration & Emigration Acknowledgement of ETA application). It contains a reference number and it says you will receive a response to your application within 24 hours. Make sure you check your Inbox and Junk folder if you did not get the email immediately.

B. ETA application, Approved.
You will receive another email (Department OF Immigration & Emigration Sri Lanka. ETA Approval Notice.) It says that you must ensure that the particulars of the same travel document used for applying online visa are used for entering into Sri Lanka. In the event, if you produce a travel document other than the one used for applying for an online visa, you are compelled to pay again at the port of entry to Sri Lanka to obtain a fresh ETA.

C. Print the approved ETA.
Just print the email and carry a hard copy with you before flying to Sri Lanka.

D. The border crossing experience in Bandaranayake International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka
The experience was smooth. A question was not asked. The officer attached a small sticker on my passport that shows “1st visit,” the allowed duration of visit, a barcode and a stamped date of arrival.