Malaysia | The Towering Towers of Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower, at night!
For those who have visited Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur specifically, I'll bet that the towering structures of KL were part of their itinerary. I guess, no visit to KL would be complete without seeing and taking photographs of at least the Petronas Twin Towers or the KL Tower, if not both. And of course, we are no different; KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers are part of our KL Summer Adventure itinerary.

After our tiring climb to the Batu Caves, we headed back to the city's central district, this time via KTM Komuter train (there is a KTM station in Batu Caves). We alighted at the KL Sentral Station, first lost but later found our way to LRT Kelana Jaya Line. According to the rail map we have, one can transfer from one rail line to another via the KL Sentral Station; sad to say, we didn't find our way to the LRT line. We asked for directions but maybe because of some misunderstanding, the locals inadvertently led us to the exit so we ended up leaving the KL Sentral station and walking our way to LRT Kelana Jaya Line - Pasar Seni station. One station away from KL Sentral, on foot, imagine that!

At the LRT Pasar Seni station, we bought tickets for Dang Wangi Station. At the Dang Wangi exit, we caught a glimpse of the KL Tower, our next destination. Again, we asked for directions going to the tower. The local whom we asked for directions said that KL Tower is just around 500 meters away so instead of taking a cab, AGAIN we walked our way to the tower; we don't get tired, we are superwomen...hahaha!

Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower)

KL Tower - daytime!
Menara Kuala Lumpur, more popularly known as Kuala Lumpur Tower or KL Tower is a communications tower located in Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve. The tower stands at 421 meters (around 1,381 feet), it is the sixth tallest telecommunications tower in the world and the only tower situated in a forest reserve, a reserve located at the heart of the city. (source: KL tourism flyers)

KL Tower has an observation deck where one can have a 360-degree view of Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding regions. To get to the deck, one has to avail of one of several packages available. For us, we bought just the basic package worth RM45 (PhP612, as of posting date) which includes a visit to the observation deck and a choice between pony ride or KL animal zone (there are 3 choices actually but I forgot the other one); we chose KL animal zone.

We rode the elevator going to the observation deck; the elevator was so fast, we reached the observation deck in no time. I didn't time the ride though, but I remember focusing on the height-indicator of the elevator and I saw the number changing so fast, a few blinks and we're already on the deck. ;)

At the observation deck, we were welcomed by the staff and were given an audio player and a headset that we can listen to while watching and seeing the breathtaking view of Kuala Lumpur outside. The audio player talks about the view that you would see in every window of the viewing deck.

It's sunset time when we reached the deck. As the sunset creeps in, the golden color of the sky and flickering lights of the city below add to its charm, the view is simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the reflecting light from inside the tower prevented me from taking more photos.

Kuala Lumpur, as seen from the KL Tower observation deck
Menara Kuala Lumpur, as seen from the Petronas grounds
KL Tower souvenir photos ;)
After the viewing deck, we went to KL animal zone, an enclosure area that serves as mini zoo where several types of animals can be seen. If you have kids, this zone is a perfect add-on to a KL Tower package.

We're all tired and hungry after our visit to KL Tower. On our way there, we saw KFC, so we traced our steps back and went there for our dinner. We're supposed to go straight to the hotel after dinner but as we left KFC, we saw from afar the amazing twin towers. I'd like to photograph the twin towers during the night so I asked my friends if we could go there. Though tired, they all agreed. And again, we asked a local for directions going to Petronas. As the local tells us the direction, a man appeared and overheard our conversation. Guess who the man is? A Filipino! Yes, we met a Pinoy in KL, an OFW, who gladly pointed us to the right direction. And since he's Pinoy, we spoke in Tagalog; thus, we didn't have a hard time understanding his instructions. And off we went to Petronas, on foot AGAIN, I should add (we're superwomen remember, we never get tired, hahaha!).

Menara Berkembar Petronas (Petronas Twin Towers)

Petronas Twin Towers - nighttime
Menara Berkembar Petronas or more popularly known as the Petronas Twin Towers symbolizes innovation and progress in Malaysia; it epitomizes that of luxury and grandiose. And though not the world's tallest building now, Petronas, standing at 1,483 feet, remains to be the world's tallest twin structures (source: KL tourism flyers).

Standing high and mighty from afar, I can't help but be captivated with its beauty. I'm tired, me and my friends were all tired, but the magnificent beauty of these towers seemed so inviting, we can't help but get close to it like moths to a light. However, unlike moths that could get burned whenever they get too close to a light, these towers, with its bright light, seemed to guard and keep us on its watch. Until 11PM, we sat there at the corner of Jalan Ramlee and Jalan Ampang, looking at them, constantly clicking our cameras, captivated and in awe of its majestic beauty. Only when we realized that it's already too late did we get up and started to leave for our hotel.

We're supposed to go up the Petronas observation deck the next morning but since we already had a view of Malaysia from the KL Tower, we opted to rest some more and just explore more of Petronas before our visit to Aquaria the day.

Anyway, here are some photos of Petronas Twin Towers, the building and its interior, taken during our next day visit.

Petronas Twin Towers
 
magnetic
Mercedes' Formula 1 racing car (prototype)
suspended Petronas Mercedes Formula 1 cars, real prototypes

~ oo00oo ~

KL Tower Observation Deck, Schedule and Fee
Schedule: 9:00AM - 10:00PM daily
Fee (for non-Malaysians): all parks entrance - RM55 for adults, RM45 for kids; basic package - RM45 for adults, RM30 for kids; guided tour - RM70 for adults, RM60 for kids
Note: You can't get good enough photos at night, if you want to capture Malaysia from the KL Tower, visit during daytime.

Petronas Observation Deck, Schedule and Fee
Schedule: 9:00AM - 7:00PM, everyday except Mondays
Fee (for non-Malaysians): RM50 for adults, RM25 for kids
Note: Need to be at the ticketing center on or before 5AM to secure tickets, only a limited number of tickets were sold per day, this according to our tour guide.

~ oo00oo ~
KL Summer Adventure Series:
  * Street Dining at Jalan Alor (Day 1)
  * Accommodations at Hotel Alpha Genesis
  * The City Tour (Day 2)
  * 272 Steps to Batu Caves Temple (Day 2)
  * The Towering Towers of Kuala Lumpur (Day 2)
  * Shopping in Jalan Petaling - KL Chinatown (Day 3)

~ oo00oo ~

Date of Visit: May 7 - 8, 2012
Total Expenses: RM61.40 (around PhP835, as of posting date)

The Red Crab Alimango House: Crabby Nights Buffet

Thai Chili Crab
It's no secret here that I love seafoods. And of all the seafoods out there, crabs and prawns are the ones I love the most. So don't even try asking me out to dinner in a restaurant with crabs/prawns in their specialty, I would definitely say yes! *wink* 

Last Friday, me and my office friends decided to eat out in one of the seafood restaurants under the umbrella of Red Crab Group of Restaurants - The Red Crab Alimango House located on the second floor of Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center. It's been a while since we're planning to dine here but it's only last Friday that it happened. We left the office at past 6PM and walk our way to Greenbelt 3 instead of taking our officemates' offer of a free ride (we were starving ourselves for the buffet dinner ahead eh...hehe!).

Malaysia | 272 Steps to Batu Caves Temple

140-ft Lord Muruga statue in Batu Caves
After our KL city tour, we asked our driver/guide to drop us off at our hotel so we could freshen up a bit before our next adventure - the Batu Caves. In this adventure, we're on our own, no driver/guide to help us and bring us there. So before we left the hotel, we check out some flyers and ask the receptionist for directions going to Batu Caves.

From our hotel, there are several ways to go to Batu Caves - we can take a taxi going there, take the KL Monorail and KTM Komuter, or simply avail ourselves of a Batu Caves tour from tour operators in the hotel, which of course is more expensive. In the end, we opted for a taxi ride since we thought we could save time by taking a taxi rather than spending time looking for and transferring from KL Monorail to KTM Komuter Train; anyway we are four in the group and the comfort of just sitting inside a taxi cab without worrying about directions could compensate for the higher fare. (in short: maarte lang...hehe!)

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur City Tour

Kuala Lumpur, or simply KL, is Malaysia's capital city, the country's hub for commerce and finance. It is the home to breathtaking modern mega structures; a home to about 1.6 million people of different races and cultures. (source: KL tourism flyers) When I set foot on KL last summer, it feels like I am still in Metro Manila, our country's capital region; except that it's more densely populated here and that they, of course, have that towering twin towers! :D

Anyway, I've mentioned in my previous posts that our KL-SG adventure last summer was on a package tour; and just like any other package tour, it includes a free half day tour to some of the city's interesting attractions. In KL, our city tour includes a visit to the Istana Negara (National Palace), Tugu Negara (National Monument), Masjid Negara (National Mosque), leather factory/store, batik (a cloth printed with various patterns) shop, and chocolate factory.

Istana Negara (National Palace)

Istana Negara or National Palace is the official residence of the Yang de-Pertuan Agong, the king or head of state of Malaysia. Located along Jalan Duta in Kuala Lumpur, this Istana Negara is the newly-built official residence of the King, replacing the old Istana Negara along Jalan Istana. It has an imposing gateway which is guarded by the Malay Regiment and palace guards. The palace is not open for tourists though, so people just flocked the main gate for photo-ops. ;)

Istana Negara (National Palace)

Malaysia | Accommodations at Hotel Alpha Genesis

For our 3-days/2-nights adventure in Malaysia, we stayed at Hotel Alpha Genesis, a business boutique hotel located at No. 45, Tengkat Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. The hotel is just a few minutes walk (15-20 minutes, they say) to the two famous attractions in Kuala Lumpur; the tallest twin towers and the sixth tallest telecommunications tower of the world - the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower, respectively. Also, the hotel is just 10-minutes walk to the KL Monorail - Bukit Bintang Station. It is also just 2-blocks away from the famous Jalan Alor where we had our first dining experience in KL. Also near the hotel is a 24-hour convenience store (just in front of the hotel) and several bars and restaurants.

Hotel Alpha Genesis - Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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