Shah Alam and Klang City - Magic in the Klang Valley

Blue Mosque in Shah Alam, Malaysia photo courtesy of flickr's lloydi


On a whim, I decided to go on a day trip to Shah Alam, a city 20 kilometers west from Kuala Lumpur, situated in Klang Valley at the province of Selangor. I took the KL Komuter train from KL Sentral, then the Rapid KL Bus from the Shah Alam station to the city center. The highlight of this little adventure would be this enormous Blue Mosque located around a serene park and lake. I loved being able to see what was inside. As midday drew on, hundreds and hundreds of faithfuls began trooping inside the mosque. Non-muslims weren't allowed inside the huge Prayer Hall but I was able to sneak a peek from the door. I was even able to photograph what was inside, which wasn't allowed.
CARMEN WHO?

Later that day, while shopping for DVDs at the spiffy SAC Mall (at a video shop called Video Ezy), I caught a film that starred the Malaysian guy who completed the Jericho Rosales-Carmen Soo triangle in the telenovela "Kahit Isang Saglit" (Just For a Moment). I asked them if they have films starring Carmen Soo, this spectacular Malaysian actress. After consulting some other shop staff, they arrived at a concensus - they didn't know who she was. They're familiar with the Malaysian actor though, as well as the boxed set series of the Jericho-Kristine telenovela "Pangako sa Yo" (My Promise for You) which is prominently displayed on their shelf. The very same thing happened back in KL.
Carmen Soo isn't actually a household name in Malaysia, which is not to say that she isn't a great actress. It took ABS-CBN to actually discover her. I can only be proud that it happened on Philippine shores. Carmen is a darn good actress! She will be sorely missed now that the series has come to an end.
On my way back to KL, I took the wrong minibus which actually travelled to Klang City (instead of the Shah Alam station)! This was 2 train stops farther away from the Shah Alam station. I did ask the driver but it must have been lost in translation. He was just nodding away probably to get rid of me.
I found myself at a new city outside my itinerary. Medium sized malls, a bus garage, a mini-plaza, a post office that doesn't sell postcards, a towering white mosque from a distance... I knew I was lost. I just had to get to the nearest KL-bound train station. And this had me walking from Klang's small plaza and through a 10-minute leisurely stride crossing a bridge. Fun times getting lost.
This is the Eye in the Sky.