Some time ago, when my wife was pregnant with our son, she thought it’d be a good idea for us to take a break and enjoy ourselves. So we thought, why not head up to Genting Highlands? It’s a good place to have fun, and we haven’t been there in a while. Genting Highlands is a mountain top resort and holiday retreat, about 45 minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur. After battling through the traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur, the road starts to clear up, and soon we’re enjoying the view on our way up. Steadily, the temperature outside lowers, and soon it gets rather foggy.

The very colourful First World Hotel where we stayed.
Upon arriving to the top, we made our way to the hotel that we’re going to spend our weekend, the First World Hotel. There are several hotels up in Genting Highlands, all are run by Resorts World Genting, and cater to different themes. I picked the First World Hotel because I find it to be reasonably priced, and, okay I’ll admit it… it was the most colourful building there. Being the weekend at a popular tourist spot, the lines of people checking in were long. After that, we’re off to the room, which I must say is rather Spartan. Nothing fancy, just a room where you could sleep in. That doesn’t really bug me, because for the most part we’re going to be out and about anyway.

An aerial view of the park from one of the rides.
Genting Highlands is most popular for two reasons, its theme parks and its casinos. Since I’m not a gambling man, we headed for the theme park. The theme park has many rides that can make the heart beat that much faster, and some calmer rides as well. So if you’re planning to go crazy with the rides, try not to eat a heavy lunch. First up for me was The Corkscrew, which is a fun double-loop roller coaster. Its fun to be childish again and scream at the top of your lungs on a roller coaster, no? Then if you want to get flipped and turned inside out, I’d recommend you try out the Flying Coaster. The main idea is, you get strapped in a hang-gliding position on the ride and “fly” through the bends, twists and dips. This ride is brought to you by the cool guys at Zamperla of Italy.

Get turned upside down in the Corkscrew.
One of my favourite rides has to be the Space Shot. From the top of the ride at 185 feet, you get an amazing view of the entire theme park and hotels. Funny thing, before I strapped up for the ride, it was very foggy. I thought to myself “great, I couldn’t see anything from up there”. But lo and behold, as the machined cranked its way up, the fog cleared and I was smiling again. I was talking to my friend next to me about the nice view and how small people looked from up here, when suddenly the horn blared and next thing I know, we were pretty much free falling. Upon reaching the bottom, we were catapulted back up to experience pulling g-forces, and the process repeats itself a couple of times. After it was all done,I had butterflies in my stomach, and if you are so inclined, you can buy a copy of a picture of yourself wetting your pants while on the ride.

This is how my kidneys escaped my body... through my nose!

Pottering around on the bumper boat ride...
Taking a ride on the Skyway Cable Cars is also recommended. Riding on the Skyway gives you the opportunity to admire the beautiful views of the mountain and its surroundings, all in a relaxed pace. It doesn’t cost much, but do check out their schedules in advance. Within the course of the day, we tried out pretty much all the rides and games, and had a lot of fun. The indoor theme park was more laid back, as mostly were relaxing rides for you to check out the building. You can also do some shopping for souvenirs and trinkets while inside, and try out some shooting simulators or even bowling if you’re so inclined. Every so often, there will be some interesting events going on at the Arena of Stars. Many events have been hosted there such as concerts by highly acclaimed acts such as Deep Purple, Air Supply, Kitaro, Englebert Humperdinck and Andy Lau.
Taking the slow train ride to enjoy the cool air and nice views of the park...
After a day of enjoying the rides, we were starving. Thankfully there are plenty of choices when it comes to food. From proper meals to fast food, you can take your pick. But do keep in mind, food costs more up in Genting Highlands. I guess they have to factor in transportation costs to get it up there. Also, if you go there during the weekends, be ready to face big crowds at the hotel breakfast. You were warned.

Don't mess with us!
All in all, we had a wonderful time in Genting Highlands. Feeling like kids again at the theme park, enjoying the lovely mountain view and fresh air. Though many people say its warmer up there now (I guess global warming is to blame), I felt it was cooler than the last time I was there. So we went home feeling good and cheerful. Back to being grown-ups now.

Parting shot...























