Shah Alam - Chelsea Asia Tour 2013

It has been 5 years since I last saw Chelsea played live. Coincidentally it was also in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

The trip was planned and all tickets bought in a day. Air tickets, match tickets, hotel... And off me and YQ went on the adventure!

Blues magazine - It's blue. what else matters?

10:30am - Took a morning Airasia flight into Kuala Lumpur on match day (Sunday). Since kick off is only at 9:45pm, we decided to take our time before checking into the hotel.

11:30am - Landed at the budget terminal. *shocked* Didnt notice that when doing the booking... we figured out by asking for directions to KLIA. there's a shuttle to KLIA which is outside the departure area. RM2.50. *shocked* moment 2, the bus leaks water when it makes turns. Terrible ride but... We pulled through it.

12 noon - Finally at KLIA, we took the KLIA Express to KL Sentral. Quick and not too expensive. 70RM/2way.

Fountain outside KLCC

Being YQ's first time in KL (since secondary school days), first stop was KLCC. The sun was out in full force but we just had to get that touristy twin towers picture. Lunch was at Madam Kwan's - the Nasi Lemak did not disappoint.

2pm - It was only 2pm so we decided to cab over to Berjaya Times Square for some Krispy Kreme. Another must try when in KL. We walked around some more until we got really bored, we actually walked back to KLCC to take the train to KL Sentral.


5pm - From KL Sentral, it was a 30-40mins train ride to Shah Alam station at RM2.50! Cheap or what.. When we reached the station, we took a taxi to our hotel. Only 10mins away.

6pm - Finally we were here to rest the weary legs. Walked so much in the day... But as you'll find out later, the worse has yet to come.

7pm - Washed up, and went to the nearby mall for dinner. To our horror, it was Ramadan period and people are just breaking their fast. Which means all restaurants are filled to the max. Ended up ordering take out at Nando's to eat in the room. I love Nando's in Malaysia cos it's again so cheap. Same price as the menu in Singapore, but in ringgit. In case u're ordering take out, do check they packed in the utensils if not u'll end up eating with hands like we did.

8:30pm - All set and ready to go! A taxi was waiting just outside to ferry people to stadium. But they're charging a flat rate of RM20 which we thought was too high. Failing to negotiate, we decided to walk out to try flagging a cab. Bad choice. Because there were no empty cabs on the road! Now we wished we had paid that RM20 and just be done with it...

8:45pm - We were a little worried now. Just hoping to have any vehicle stop and we will pay that RM20 to go to the stadium. And like god sent, a car pulled up in front of us. The window shade at the backseat rolled down and a dark skinned (like African kind of dark) asked: You going to the stadium? You know the way?

Us: yes! Can we hop in your car? (*actually I don't. Hoping road signs would show the way!)

Him: come on in!

I was feeling relieved and skeptical at the same time traveling in a stranger's car. Especially when they claimed they're going to the stadium, but not wearing Chelsea jersey. Anyhow, we're already in. I tried to find out more about them by asking if they work here. And it was quite settling to hear that they are students... which i choose to believe. Although it seems weird that 3 Nigerian boys came all the way to Malaysia for studies. We stopped by a nearby gas station for some gas, and I took the chance to ask a local for directions. THANKFULLY, the stadium wasn't too far from where we are and I had the iPhone Map for guidance.

Along the way, we were reassured with the cars making their way alongside us.. So it's a sign we're on the right track. The 5 of us also talked about the latest transfer rumors e.g Reina leaving Liverpool... Rooney to Chelsea...
And our favorite Chelsea player. Had a good laugh when someone mentioned Torres. Turns out he's an Arsenal fan.

So after 5-10mins of driving, the stadium was finally in sight! *sigh of relief* we reached there alive. We parted ways after reaching the stadium because the 3 of them had to buy tickets to the game while we got ours. When they offered to take us back, I wouldn't want to take a second chance (although they seemed like good people) and thanked them for the ride and bidded goodbye.





There were other  interesting snippets that happened in the stadium:

- Man united fan being stripped out of his jersey

- An angmoh sitting behind us almost got beaten up after approaching a local to politely request him to stop smoking

- Bertrand Traore celebrating his opening goal in front of us

12am - So after game, we walked out of the stadium feeling really tired. And the best part is no available taxis, again. We ended up walking back to hotel. Mind you, it was about 2.5km away. Not too far, not too near either.

12:45am - Reached the hotel. What a crazy night. Thankful for the 3 kind souls who took us there, and also managing to get home safely.

Rested for the night and went back to Singapore the next afternoon. I'll want to do this again next time Chelsea visit, and lesson learnt.

I'll pay the RM20 taxi ride. It's definitely worth it.