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petronas towers

Menara KL tower top view Public Bank Petronas buildings

Malaysia 2010: Day 9 — Kuala Lumpur (KLCC Aquaria, Merdeka Square, KL Tower observation deck)

Date: 3rd October 2010

Today was going to be our  last full day in Kuala Lumpur, so we had to make the most of it. Some of us had shopping to do, and I wanted to see a bit more of KL.

But the first thing we did in the morning was get ready to go the Petronas Towers again. And when I say “we,” I mean Ramesh and I. Loi wanted to sleep in.

The reason why we were going back to the towers were to try and a get a ticket for the sky bridge/observation deck. Why “try”? Because that’s how the system is. You go there early enough, wait in line until the ticket counters open and whoever gets the tickets, gets to up at a pre-determined time. The earlier you are in the line, the sooner you get to go up. It’s free, but an inconvenient method. (EDIT: Turns out there is a much higher observation deck at the 86th floor for which you can pay RM40 and go. I didn’t know about it until much research after coming back from this trip)

When we did our research, we saw videos of the view from the 41st & 42nd floor and after having been to the top of Burj Khalifa, the view from the Petronas Towers wasn’t astounding or anything. Which is why I was more keen on going up Menara KL (KL Tower), something I was going to do later in the day anyway.

Still, since we didn’t have a whole lot planned for the morning, myself and Ramesh thought: “What the hell, last day in KL. Might as well try and get a ticket”.

So we set out, took the monorail and got down at Bukit Nanas  station.

Malaysia Tourism Centre Kuala Lumpur
The Malaysia Tourism Centre

Petronas Towers in the morning Kuala Lumpur

We walked towards the KLCC Suria and when we finally made it to the ticketing counter…

Petronas Tower skybridge tickets sold out timing
… it was 8:55am when I took this

Sold out. Oh well.

Not that we were sorely disappointed or anything, but if you are one who is very keen to visit the Sky Bridge, be in line by at least 7:30-8:00am.

Me and Ramesh then just decided to check out the mall.

KLCC Suria mall inside six floors MalaysiaSuria mall mostly caters to high end brands and luxury designer wear, most of which are on the lower floors. We checked out a few electronics stores, Ramesh checked out the Harley Davidson store, and then we decided to find out where the Aquaria was.

Ryan Seacrest Fly FM banner Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Oh Ryan Seacrest, there is no escaping you is there?

Way to KL convention centre from Suria mallWay to Aquaria KLCC basement parking

KLCC Aquaria entrance Malaysia
It wasn’t open yet

Ramesh was keen on checking out the Aquaria, the largest aquarium in Kuala Lumpur. I, on the other hand, wanted to see more of the city, so we parted ways. I inquired on how to get to Merdeka Square while Ramesh went in to Aquaria.

Here are a few photos from inside the Aquaria, all of which are from Ramesh’s camera.

KLCC Aquaria inside directory Malaysia
Entry is RM35 (Rs. 510/$11/€8) for adults

Inside KLCC Aquaria entrance MalaysiaKLCC Aquaria Piranha feeding show MalaysiaKLCC Aquaria piranhas Malaysia

KLCC Aquaria piranha closeup Malaysia
Wonder what they feed piranhas here
KLCC Aquaria electric eel Malaysia
Well, that’s a bit harsh on the eel isn’t it?
KLCC Aquaria Matamata Malaysia
This ‘turtle+croc+weird’ looking creature is called the Matamata
KLCC Aquaria coatimundi Malaysia
This one is called a Coatimundi
KLCC Aquaria fish tree glass cylinder Malaysia
Pretty cool

KLCC Aquaria diver fish feeding Malaysia

KLCC Aquaria diver playing around with tourist
Cheeky
KLCC Aquaria inside underwater tunnel
The Aquaria has the obligatory underwater tunnel

KLCC Aquaria sea turtle Malaysia

KLCC Aquaria Pincecone fish ikan Malaysia
Pinecone fish

KLCC Aquaria Jellyfish MalaysiaThe above are only a few of the photos Ramesh took. He took much more. There are sharks, lion fish, water rats and all sorts of other waterborne creatures. From his account, Ramesh said the experience was “okay” — so I don’t know how it compares to a similar offering I experienced in Dubai Mall.

When Ramesh stepped out, he saw a gathering of superbikes and stalls by Yamaha on the occasion of next week’s Malaysian MotoGP.

Yamaha superbikes booth KLCC Malaysia modelsYamaha superbikes Moto GP booth Petronas KLCCYamaha Petronas superbike display KLCCKLCC Petronas superbikes display parkedThat concludes what Ramesh saw.

Now back to me 🙂

When I left the Petronas Towers, I took the monorail to Hang Tuah station. From there I transferred to the RapidKL line, for which you need to buy another ticket/pass as the monorail card won’t work on this rail service. From Hang Tuah,  I headed towards Masjid Jamek station.

Stepping out of Masjid Jamek station Citin hotel
Once you come out of the station…
Jalan Melayu shopping Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
… you are on Jalan Melayu

Jalan Melayu restoran stores Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Jalan Melayu Endhiran poster ticket offer Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Luring customers with tickets to new Rajinikant film. Works wherever Tamilians exist 🙂
Jalan Melayu street market Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Nothing special in here. The usual street market stocking the usual goods.

Jalan Melayu entrance Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaI came here to go to Merdeka Square, which is a significant landmark in Malaysia’s independence from Britain.

Mosque Merdaka Square near LRT lineKementerian Penerangan Komunikasi Dan Kebudayaan buildingWay to Merdeka Square Kuala Lumpur

Merdeka Square lawn palm trees Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Merdeka Square literally means “Independence Square”
Merdeka Square film shoot Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
There was a film shoot happening
Merdeka Square film stars Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
No clue if this was a South Indian/Malay-Tamil/Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi production
Merdeka Square flag pole Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
This flag pole is nearly 312 ft high, one of the tallest in the world
Restoran Warisan Merdeka Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Merdeka Square is surrounded by old colonial buildings

Merdeka Square fountain Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Merdeka Square flag pole Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
It was here on August 31st, 1957, that the British flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time
Merdeka Sqaure old Dutch buildings lawn Kuala Lumpur
Not sure what these buildings were
Merdeka Square Sultan Abdul Samad building Malaysia
Plenty of tourist buses stop in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad building

Merdeka clock Wisma Lee Rubber headquarters Menara KL Malaysia

Merdeka Square Sultan Abdul Samad building bank headquarters Malaysia
Sultan Abdul Samad building in front, several bank HQs in the background

Merdeka Square Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaMerdeka Square Sultan Abdul Samad building clock towerDataran Merdeka Square Kuala Lumpur panorama

Merdeka Square highest flag pole Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Merdeka Square is the venue for Malaysia’s annual National Day Parade

Merdeka Square flag poles Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaMerdeka Square garden Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Merdeka square filming actress Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
The one on the right seems like the lead actress in this shoot; they were shooting with RED cameras (Yes, I’m a nerd, I notice these things)

It was time for me to move on.

Merdeka Square Rapid KL metro Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Merdeka Square bricked road Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Not that I knew where I was headed next
Kuala Lumpur city river stream banks
I just like to roam about and explore

Kuala Lumpur city river stream graffitiKuala Lumpur building art graffiti MalaysiaKuala Lumpur city river streamsKuala Lumpur old colonial building graffitiKuala Lumpur Medan Pasar junction ladyColourful old buildings Medan Pasar road Kuala LumpurRestoran Oriental Bowl Kuala Lumpur panoramaAfter passing by an area full of businesses serving Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, I found myself in an alley which housed what looked like a Chinese temple.

Sin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple entrance Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
So I went in

Sin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple Kuala LumpurInside Sin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple Kuala LumpurSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple caretaker Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple incense sticks Kuala LumpurSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple red letter Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple worship Kuala LumpurSin Sze Si Sze Ya temple incense Kuala LumpurSin Sze Si Ya statue temple Chinese god Kuala LumpurChinese temple lamp Kuala LumpurSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple inside Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple roof Kuala LumpurSin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple door art Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaSin Sze Si Ya temple compound Kuala Lumpur

Sin Sze Si Sze Ya Chinese temple parking Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
As I left the temple, I found out the name of the place
Jalan Tun Tan Cheng lock yellow building graffiti
I walked a bit further out…
Jalan Petaling street main road entrance daytime traffic
… and I soon realized I was in China Town

There was a shopping complex right opposite the entrance to Petaling Street and so I decided to check it out. I unfortunately couldn’t take any photographs inside because the security guard asked me not to. But inside were stores selling essentially the same goods I saw yesterday night in Petaling Street, but at far lower prices.

So word of advice, just because you see bags on Petaling Street with it’s street market appearance, don’t assume the prices are low. There are plenty of other places, like this not-so-fancy shopping complex right outside Petaling Street selling the same stuff at lower prices.

In fact when I called up Loi to tell him about bag prices here, he told me he found similar prices in the shops on the higher floors of Times Square shopping mall.

I had lunch from a burger joint and continued my ‘walk around town’. I asked around for where “Little India” was and was directed to walk towards KL Tower.

Institut Sal Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Mydin Wholesale Reject shop Kuala Lumpur
I stepped in but quickly found nothing worthwhile

Restoran Makanan Islam alley Kuala LumpurColonial Government building Kuala Lumpur

Brickfields Indian restoran Kuala Lumpur
Yes, to the right is a ‘chapathi house’ named Restoran Santa

Menara KL tower afternoon trees Malaysia

Brickfields Little India Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
I came across this street which looked more like “Little Chennai”

There’s a slew of silk shops, and plenty of pure-veg restaurants on this street.

Pigeons on wire KL Tower Kuala LumpurLittle India Tamil shops Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Masjid Jema' Bandaraya entrance Kuala Lumpur
I found myself back at Masjid Jemak
Masjid Jema' Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
Masjid Jema’ (mosque)
Masjid Jemak dress code etika Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
I didn’t qualify for any of the above, so didn’t bother going in

It was time for me to head back to the room and catch up with Ramesh and Loi.

Kuala Lumpur apartments Malaysian flags outsideKuala Lumpur apartment building Malaysian flags National DayKuala Lumpur monorail line near mosque

Beauty show Berjaya Times Square KL
Some beauty show at Berjaya Times Square

Once I got back to Irsia, the three of us decided to go to Midvalley Megamall, one of Kuala Lumpur’s largest malls.

KTV lounge Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaTo get to Midvalley Megamall from Berjaya Times Square, take the monorail from Imbi to KL Sentral. Then, you need to transfer to the Komuter train line, and Midvalley has a stop by itself.

Komuter station Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Midvalley Megamall Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
The mall is pretty huge

Midvalley houses a Carrefour, JUSCO, Toys ‘R’ Us, Harvey Norman and plenty of other brands. It isn’t ‘high street’ fare like KLCC Suria mall in Petronas Towers.

Midvalley Megamall Toys r Us Jusco store

Jigsaw puzzle world Midvalley Megamall KL
This store had a whole bunch of cool imports from Japan

After Loi’s shopping from Toys R Us, Ramesh’s purchases from Carrefour, we headed up to the top most floor.

Midvalley Megamall centre court Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
They have an exclusive ManU store and an 18-screen multiplex up here
Midvalley Megamall Anime Tech store
Went in here as well

Midvalley has a few nerdy joints up here, including video arcades and a store dedicated to board games. But we couldn’t hang out any longer, it was nearing 7pm. There was one last thing I wanted to do for our last day in Kuala Lumpur — head to the observation deck at KL Tower to get a view of Kuala Lumpur city at night.

To save time, we took a taxi… and got a driver with some pretty good taste in music 🙂

After an enjoyable ride, we reached Menara KL, which is perched atop a small hill called Bukit Nanas. Thus making it ‘taller’ than the Petronas Towers. Myself and Loi bought our tickets and made our way up, Ramesh stayed below to check out an F1 Zone.

Menara KL Tower elevator observation deck
Tickets cost RM38 (Rs. 550/$12/€8) for adults

I was more keen on visiting the observation deck of KL Tower than the Skybridge at Petronas Towers, simply because the viewing height at Menara KL is much higher.

View from Menara KL tower night Kuala Lumpur
And I was right…
Menara KL tower view of Kuala Lumpur city at night
… the view was great!
Menara KL tower observation deck glass reflection
But there was one annoying problem
Menara KL tower observation deck souvenir shop
The bright lights from the shops up here!

The whole experience of the view at night from up here is marred by the lights reflecting off of the glass — which also made for tricky photography. And because I didn’t have a tripod, it was tough for me to get steady shots.

Menara KL tower observation deck jewelry shop
Why on earth would you want to sell jewelry up here? ‘High’ prices?

Menara KL tower top view Public Bank Petronas buildings

Menara KL tower observation deck view city lights
We went around the observation deck
Menara KL tower World's Tallest comparison
They have a display showing you the other tall telecommunications towers around the world
Menara KL tower observation deck Petronas Towers at night
Menara KL is the fourth largest telecom tower in the world
Menara KL tower World's tallest towers comparison
The tallest is still the CN Tower in Toronto
Menara KL tower observation deck Times Square view
You can see Berjaya Times Square from up here — also ‘cos it isn’t that far 🙂
Menara KL tower observation deck view at night
I took one final shot of the Petronas Towers before heading back down
Menara KL tower observation deck restaurants
There are two ‘sky high’ restaurants at KL Tower

Menara KL tower inside lift lobby chandelier

Menara KL tower elevator lift lobby
This is the elevator lobby
Menara KL tower ticket counter
Timings are 9:30am to 9:30pm
Menara KL tower Malaysia cultural village
Your ticket also includes entry to the Cultural Village, which was closed by 8pm
Menara KL Tower F1 Simulator zone dummy cars
So we used our ticket to avail the one free ride around the (virtual) Sepang circuit
Menara KL F1 simulator zone dummy BMW car
In the small cars though, you have to pay to sit in one these life-size replica cars
Menara KL F1 simulator zone Sepang game
Ramesh paid to sit & play in the Ferrari car
Menara KL Tower F1 simulator zone Ferrari store Kuala Lumpur
There’s an F1 store here as well

Menara KL Tower R&D F1 Simulator Zone Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaMenara KL Tower pink lights underneathMenara KL tower at night pink lighting

Menara KL tower pony ride Malaysia
You can opt to use your ticket for a complimentary ride as well
Menara KL Tower free shuttle service
We waited for the free ride down to the base of the hill

Once at the base, we walked towards Bukit Nanas monorail station.

Menara KL tower lit up night
One final look
Hard Rock Cafe Kuala Lumpur bikes parked
Walked past the Hard Rock Cafe Kuala Lumpur
Hard Rock Cafe Kuala Lumpur Harley Davidson Club
Which saw a gathering of Harley Davidson owners that night
Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers surrounding buildings panorama
One final look at the beautiful twin towers
Kuala Lumpur monorail network station map Malaysia
This is the monorail network map
Inside monorail train Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
The monorail trains aren’t very big

Once back in the room, we decided to enjoy our final dinner of this trip, and sit somewhere nice. There are a few cosy eateries behind Berjaya Times Square, where we were and so, we sat down at Wings musicafe.

Wings musicafe Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
They have a live stage where artists perform every night
Wings musicafe Kilkenny beer Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Had Kilkenny Irish beer for the first time

It was a relaxing dinner to end our last day of sight-seeing in Kuala Lumpur. The musicians were mostly local artists, aspiring singers who performed mellow acoustic fare. Much needed for us tired souls.

Once back in the room, we packed up. And when I mean “we,” I mean myself and Ramesh…

Loiyumba bed Irsia
… this guy was too lazy to do any packing — and he had the most luggage!

Tomorrow morning, all we had to do was check out and head to the airport in the afternoon for our after Air Asia flight back to Bangalore.

So, it’s not over yet… there’s one more post left! 🙂


Other posts in this series:

Singapore & Malaysia 2010: Planning and preparing for the trip

Singapore 2010: Day 1 – Little India, CBD, Clarke Quay, China Town… and a lot of walking

Singapore 2010: Day 2 – Orchard Road, mall-hopping… and already shopping

Singapore 2010: Day 3 – Singapore Zoo, Marina Bay Sands; leaving Singapore for Penang

Malaysia 2010: Day 5 — Langkawi (Ferry ride from Penang, Cable car & Sky Bridge)

Malaysia 2010: Day 6 — Langkawi (Island hopping tour, Pantai Tengah beach, Night market)

Malaysia 2010: Day 7 — Kuala Lumpur (Low Yat Plaza, Petronas Towers, Jalan Alor)

Malaysia 2010: Day 8 — Kuala Lumpur (Batu Caves, Petaling Street/China Town)

Malaysia 2010: Leaving Kuala Lumpur… and about going back

Petronas Twin Towers top half

Malaysia 2010: Day 7 — Kuala Lumpur (Low Yat Plaza, Petronas Towers, Jalan Alor)

Date: 1st October 2010

After two wonderful days in beautiful Langkawi, it was now time for the last leg of our journey. We reached Langkawi airport for our morning flight to Kuala Lumpur. After having our breakfast at Kenny Rogers Roasters (not a whole lot of options at the airport), we checked in and waited for our 11:45am flight.

Langkawi airport runwayLangkawi airport flying school hills

Langkawi airport Air Asia morning flight
Our flight was on time (Above photos taken on Nokia E72)

We all sat together but Ramesh chose the window seat. The following are his photographs.

Leaving Langkawi Malaysia by flight

Langkawi wave breaker from plane Malaysia
That’s a wavebreaker

Langkawi islands from Air Asia flightLeaving Langkawi for KL Air Asia flightAir Asia Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur cloudsKuala Lumpur Malaysia river from skyKuala Lumpur Malaysia river from planeKuala Lumpur outskirts Malaysia from planeKuala Lumpur palm forest from sky MalaysiaLanding in Kuala Lumpur budget terminalAir Asia landing runway LCCTKuala Lumpur airport budget LCCT terminal

We landed at Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Terminal nearing 1pm and was out in 30 minutes. There were plenty of buses from KL LCCT to KL Sentral, which is the main transportation hub in Kuala Lumpur city.

KL LCCT to KL Sentral bus Manchester United believe
We got a ManU fan for a driver
LCCT to KL Sentral Kuala Lumpur bus journey
The bus ride costs RM8 (Rs. 117/$2.7)
LCCT to KL Sentral Kuala Lumpur heavy rain
Soon after, it began to rain heavily
Kuala Lumpur city highway powerlines
But halfway through the journey, the rain stopped

Kuala Lumpur airport to city roadKuala Lumpur city airport highway

Kuala Lumpur city highway Petronas in distance
Malaysia’s landmark in the distance
Kuala Lumpur construction near KL Sentral
After nearly an hour, we arrived at KL Sentral

After reaching KL Sentral, we then hired a taxi to where were staying.

Kuala Lumpur city Proton taxi
It cost us RM35 from KL Sentral to Berjaya Times Square

Kuala Lumpur city apartmentKuala Lumpur city overbridge

Kuala Lumpur luxury building
(Above photos taken on Nokia E72)

After a 15 minute journey, we reached Berjaya Times Square. There is a metro service from KL Sentral to Berjaya Times Square, but with our luggage, we decided to just take a cab.

Kuala Lumpur Irsia bed and breakfast hostel
The tiny white building was where we would be staying: Irsia Bed & Breakfast

We chose Irsia after much deliberation and researching on the location. We made our booking for a triple room.

Irsia bed breakfast hostel triple room Kuala Lumpur
Which by the way, looks like this

After freshening up and making our payments, we headed to Berjaya Times Square for lunch.

Berjaya Times Square is relatively old but still remains one of Malaysia’s biggest and popular shopping destinations. It’s pretty huge, with 7 floors of shopping — high ends brands in the lower floors and more affordable stuff in the higher up floors. There’s also a 5-star hotel, Berjaya Hotel — among other things.

Kuala Lumpur Berjaya times square mall info lobby

Berjaya Times Square hotel escalator floors
(Photograph by Loiyumba)

We headed all the way up to the 10th floor to the food court. We chose our meals from a place selling ‘mock non-veg’ food.

Kuala Lumpur Berjaya Times Square soya food court
Pick and choose

By that I mean, stuff that looks like chicken and fish but are actually vegetarian because they are essentially soya-filled made to look like non-veg items.

Berjaya Times Square mock chicken fish

Kuala Lumpur city SJK Julimbi building
The view from up here

When I mentioned “among other things” earlier…

Berjaya Times Square indoor roller coaster
… there’s also an indoor theme park with a rollercoaster inside the building

Berjaya Times Square indoor roller coaster ride

Berjaya Times Square indoor theme park
I tried to the get the whole theme park section of the building in one frame
Berjaya Times Square mall Kuala Lumpur
We stepped out
Kuala Lumpur Times Square monorail line
And decided to check out the area we were in

We chose to stay at Irsia because it was close to a lot of places we wanted to go. One among them being Low Yat Plaza, Kuala Lumpur’s famous IT mall.

After crossing the road, it was a short walk to Low Yat

Kuala Lumpur Plaza Low Yat side entrance
This isn’t the main entrance
Kuala Lumpur Low Yat Plaza five floors
6 floors of gadgets

I couldn’t get to spend much time in Singapore’s IT malls to pick up the things I wanted, so I consoled myself assuming I could get them at Low Yat.

Kuala Lumpur Low Yat Plaza IT store cafeSadly, the selection of camera tripods weren’t very exhaustive and I couldn’t really find everything I wanted. Also, more importantly, the prices we found for some items were far more than what we saw in Singapore. There isn’t an incentive for tourists either via a tax refund scheme like Singapore has with its GST refund and Thailand has with its VAT refund scheme.

Kuala Lumpur Low Yat Plaza stores
I checked out pretty much every floor

After lingering around for nearly 30 minutes, we left.

Kuala Lumpur Plaza Low Yat entranceKuala Lumpur street food hotel capitolWe were soon on Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur’s popular shopping district.

Kuala Lumpur Changkat Bukit Bintang streetA short walk from here is Jalan Alor, also nicknamed ‘Food Street’.

Kuala Lumpur Jalan Alor food street Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Jalan Alor evening
Not buzzing just quite yet

Kuala Lumpur alley near Jalan Alor

Kuala Lumpur city CBD traffic
Quite a lot of malls in Bukit Bintang

Kuala Lumpur Lot 10 mall junction

Kuala Lumpur monorail train
KL’s monorail service (Photograph by Loiyumba)
Kuala Lumpur monorail HSBC branch
We were walking towards Malaysia’s world famous landmark
Kuala Lumpur Hotel Istana Menara KL tower evening
It’s tall, but it isn’t KL Tower
Kuala Lumpur Petronas towers Monorail
That’s where we were headed — Petronas Twin Towers
Kuala Lumpur Menara KL Malaysia
I had plans to go to Menara KL too

Kuala Lumpur CBD road sign

Kuala Lumpur Menara Shangri La hotel Malaysia
Menara KL (or KL Tower) is in fact taller than Petronas towers, but that’s because it’s perched atop a hill
KL Petronas Tower Canon street ad
Even half of one tower is impressive to look at

Kuala Lumpur street to Petronas TowersPetronas Tower single tree shadow night

Kuala Lumpur Suria KLCC shopping mall
Suria KLCC is the shopping mall (KLCC is the convention centre I believe)
Public Bank AmBank headquarter building KL
Plenty of bank headquarters in and around Petronas Towers
Petronas Tower KL side angle
Stunning

We walked into Suria but there was a sign saying at certain sections of the mall, photography is prohibited. So we just kept our cameras in and walked through the mall and out the main entrance of Petronas Towers.

Petronas towers 1malaysia 1matlamat fullPetronas is the Malaysia’s national oil company — and one of Asia’s largest companies.  Petronas Towers is the company’s headquarters, thought I’m not sure if all 88 floors are Petronas’ offices.

Petronas Twin Towers bottom angle
But what an office to work in!
Petronas Towers building entrance lobby
The lobby is quite nice
Petronas Towers observation deck bridge at night
That’s the Skybridge observation deck. We planned to go check it out in the morning.

The reason why we we didn’t want to go up to the skybridge is because, one, we were already late as the skybridge closes at 5pm and two, there is a particular method to which you need to get the tickets to visit the observation deck — which I’ll get to in a later post.

Petronas Towers higher floorsPetronas Twin Towers top half

Kuala Lumpur Petronas Twin Towers Malaysia
I had to step back a bit to get the whole building in my wide angle

Petronas Twin Towers top floorsWe attempted a portrait shot of all three of us in front of the Petronas Towes, but because we didn’t have a tripod with us, Ramesh fit the tripod on his camera and used his Kata bag to stand the camera.

Petronas Towers glowing Mithun Loiyumba charity girl
Me donating some money to some Chinese school girl
Loiyumba Ramesh Mithun in front of Petronas Towers full
After a few attempts, we managed to get the shot

Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers fountainsPetronas Towers entrance fountainsPetronas Towers KL angle shotPetronas Twin Towers glow treeThe Malaysian MotoGP was happening the following week, and they had some competing superbikes on display.

Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha bike Petronas MalaysiaFiat Yamaha superbike MotoGP display Petronas MalaysiaPublic Bank head office in front Petronas TowersKuala Lumpur BSN Bank headquarters Menara KLAfter nearly an hour just staring at this beautiful building, we finally left the base of Petronas Towers.

Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers full shotThe Petronas Towers are a symbol of modern day Malaysia. Just like Burj-Al-Arab signifies Dubai, and now Burj Khalifa, the Petronas Towers are an architectural icon. Inaugurated in 1998, even to this day, the Petronas Towers design stands as ‘modern’ – and yet, truly Asian in its influence as it can be. No visit to Malaysia is complete without having seen what was once the tallest building(s) in the world.

Kuala Lumpur KLCC Suria parking entranceEven though Taipei 101 took over the throne of “Tallest building in the world” in 2004 (until Burj Khalifa did the same in 2010), the Petronas Towers are still one of the best looking skyscrapers in the world in my opinion. It shows how important good architecture is in creating a true global landmark. You can play the game of attempting to build the tallest structure in the world, but unless it looks good, the investment is futile.

If you disagree, just go around and ask people if they are aware of ‘Taipei 101’.

Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers night sky cloudsKuala Lumpur Convention Center building MalaysiaKuala Lumpur Prince Hotel Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur city TANGS store
TANGS is a department store

We walked back and through some of the malls in Bukit Bintang district.

Kuala Lumpur Pavilion Mall street musicians
Musicians performing in front of Pavilion Mall
Pavilion Crystal Fountain, the Tallest Liuli Crystal Fountain in Malaysia
Pavilion Crystal Fountain, the Tallest Liuli Crystal Fountain in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Uniqlo store Bukit Bintang
Japan’s UNIQLO is now in Kuala Lumpur’s Fahrenheit 88 mall
Ferrari F430 parked in front of Fahrenheit 88 mall Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
This Ferrari F430 was parked in front of Fahrenheit 88 mall

Ferrari F430 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Bukit Bintang street performers at night
There are a few street performers at Bukit Bintang
Bukit Bintang street dancers Kuala Lumpur at night
These guys were trying to perform street dancing but looked nervous when the crowd grew big
Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang monorail station
Bukit Bintang monorail station

From Bukit Bintang other KL landmarks

Bukit Bintang street KL at night
It was time for us to now figure out what to eat
Jalan Alor food street Chinese restaurant tourists
So we headed to Jalan Alor a.k.a ‘Food Street’
Jalan Alor food street Kuala Lumpur at night
Quite a change of scene from earlier isn’t it?

Jalan Alor food street KL Malaysia nightlifeJalan Alor food street beef street food

Jalan Alor food street water sprinklers
These restaurants even sprinkle water in the air to cool off its guests

Jalan Alor food street Vietnam food KL MalaysiaJalan Alor food street food courtJalan Alor food street Budget Inn Kuala LumpurJalan Alor food street Kuala LumpurWhile myself and Loiyumba found enough options for dinner, as was the norm on this trip, Ramesh didn’t. So I ordered what I wanted to eat, so that we could head to some place Ramesh could get his dinner.

Jalan Alor food street KL kitchen
I ordered some duck dish, forgot what it was called
Jalan Alor food street fried fish
Was tempted to order some seafood too
Jalan Alor food street Chinese restaurant
A lot of the restaurants on Jalan Alor are Chinese

Jalan Alor food street KL crowds at nightJalan Alor fresh fish seafood on iceIt maybe a bustling place by night, but if you feel like staying amidst all the food, here are some hotels on Jalan Alor:

Hotel Alor street restoran yan kuala lumpur

Jalan Alor food street Apple Inn hotel KL
Apple Inn (http://www.appleinn.com.my/)

Once I got my takeaway, we headed back to our rooms only to stop at the 24-hour Subway store on Bukit Bintang where Ramesh picked up his dinner. (There’s also a 24-hour KFC on the same road)

We also pick up a few drinks from a convenience store on the way and had our dinner outside our hotel, where Irsia had put up a few tables for its guests.

KL street food duck meat Anglia shandy
My dinner
Berjaya Times Square from behind at night
When I say we stayed right behind Berjaya Times Square, I’m not kidding

Dinner over, we hit the bed early. Our plans were to go see the famous Batu Caves tomorrow, which we knew were on the outskirts of KL… which meant getting up a bit early.

So what was our first impression of KL? Not so good, to be honest. In fact, after a whirlwind 3 days in Singapore during a buzzing F1 weekend, it’s understandable we were a bit disappointed with Kuala Lumpur. But the fact is, things are a lot cheaper in KL, so it’s no surprise Malaysia’s capital city isn’t as glamourous as glitzy Singapore. Unfair comparison I’d say.

Oh well, we still had two more days in the city to change our minds about the place.


Other posts in this series:

Singapore & Malaysia 2010: Planning and preparing for the trip

Singapore 2010: Day 1 – Little India, CBD, Clarke Quay, China Town… and a lot of walking

Singapore 2010: Day 2 – Orchard Road, mall-hopping… and already shopping

Singapore 2010: Day 3 – Singapore Zoo, Marina Bay Sands; leaving Singapore for Penang

Malaysia 2010: Day 5 — Langkawi (Ferry ride from Penang, Cable car & Sky Bridge)

Malaysia 2010: Day 6 — Langkawi (Island hopping tour, Pantai Tengah beach, Night market)

Malaysia 2010: Day 8 — Kuala Lumpur (Batu Caves, Petaling Street/China Town)

Malaysia 2010: Day 9 — Kuala Lumpur (KLCC Aquaria, Merdeka Square, KL Tower observation deck)

Malaysia 2010: Leaving Kuala Lumpur… and about going back

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