It’s another exciting trip again we had in Malaysia.
As usual, we booked our hotel using booking.com. We booked our stay in Hotel Transit, 45 minutes away from
Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It was a nice hotel and it is close to KLCC,
Chinatown, Bukit Bintang, LRT stations and Pudu Sentral UTC (KL’s main bus
station). I recommend this hotel based on my personal experience.
Actually, we didn’t have much time to plan in this trip in Abu Dhabi. I
thought that we can plan better when we get home for vacation in the
Philippines but it wasn’t the case. We don’t have internet connection and the
mobile internet is too slow. We were able to check out some places that some
bloggers recommended and included it in our itinerary.
We visited some places that you might want to check out when you are in
Malaysia. Actually, I don’t have many things in mind when Malaysia is being
mentioned but it turned out that there are some interesting things to do in
this country.
1. Visit
the highest tower in Kuala Lumpur, The Petronas
Tower. The
Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers are twin
skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia making it the most popular tourist
destination in Kuala Lumpur. The 88-storey twin tower was the tallest building in
the world from 1998 to 2004 (before Willis Tower and after Taipei 101) and remains
the tallest twin towers in the world.
We were amazed by
the towers structure which also features a double decker sky bridge connecting
the two towers on the 41st & 42nd floors. It is the
highest 2-story bridge in the world. The sky bridge is not attached to the main
structure, but instead designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it
from breaking, as the towers sway several feet in towards and away from each
other during high winds. The same floor is also known as the podium, since
visitors going to higher levels have to change elevators here. The sky bridge
is open to all visitors, but tickets are limited to about 1,000 people per day,
and must be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis. Initially, the visit
was free but in 2010, the tickets started being sold by Petronas (source,
Wikipedia).
We visited the
Petronas Towers while it was day time and went back again at night time to see
the difference, as some people suggested that it is nice to view it at night,
which I think they are right.
How we got there: Rode the Bus No. 300 from Jalan Pudu
By
LRT: Take the Kelana Jaya Line to KLCC
Station
2.View
the Petronas Tower and the City lights in KL Tower’s (Menara Kuala Lumpur) Sky
& Observation Deck. From Petronas towers, we walked towards the Kuala Lumpur Tower or Menara KL Tower while
enjoying the view. We reached the place approximately after 15 minutes. I
thought that it was near since we are seeing it from Petronas Towers. The
weather was nice but we were perspiring when we reached it because we have to
walk uphill.
KL Tower
is used for communication purposes and features an antenna that reaches 421 m
(1,381 ft) and is the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world.
The roof of the pod is at 335 meters (1,099 ft). The rest of the tower below
has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains
revolving restaurant, the Atmosphere 360,
providing diners with a panoramic view of the city.
Tourists visit KL
Tower to have a 360-degree view of the city. The lift takes only 54 seconds
going up to the observation deck and takes 52 seconds to come down.
Menara KL’s
viewing deck is at 276 meters, at least 100 meters higher than the Petronas
Towers’ Skybridge; the view is marvelous during the day and even better at
night when you can see the entire sparkling city centre.
We availed of the
package being offered at the entrance of the KL tower. It cost us RM 152.00
package for Sky Deck and Observation Deck (and by far is the expensive package
we availed).
We were able to
take a picture at the glass cube where you can have a view underneath the
tower. It was quite scary but it was a wonderful experience.
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 10:00pm
How we got there: By walking from Petronas Towers
By
LRT: Take
the Ampang line to Dang Wangi Station
3. Buy
some souvenirs in Chinatown. Chinatown
is just 5-10 minutes’ walk from Hotel Transit. So
after getting information from the hotel receptionist, we headed on to Chinatown.
It was easy to locate the place and as we were already famished, we tried one of
the street food stalls across the street. As expected from Chinese, cuisine, it
was delicious.
Chinatown is one of the oldest
streets in Kuala Lumpur where the hustling and bustling never comes to an end
that cuts through Jalan Pudu and Jalan Sultan. For a small area largely
dominated by the city’s Chinese community, Chinatown is a famous tourists spots
crowded with some of the city’s best cultural sites including the Central
Market, Sri Mahamariamman Temple and Chinese temples that are hundreds of years
old. Petalling street is also a well-known bargain hunter’s paradise and
renowned for selling imitation goods like handbags, wallets, watches and shoes.
It was the first area that we
were able to check out to see some souvenir items so that we have an idea of
the place/items to buy. We were able to buy cheap t-shirts of 3 pieces for 20
Ringgit. The t-shirts texture is not bad at all and looks nice. Just look for a
nice quality fabric and bargain on it. Just an observation, I noticed that in
every country we’ve visited, there is always a Chinatown.
How
we got there: 5-10 minutes walking distance from
Hotel Transit
By
LRT: Take
the Monorail line to Pasar Seni Station
4. Visit
the Central Market. Established in
1928, Central Market it is a short walk from Petalling Street, along Jalan Hang
Kasturi. Also called Pasar Seni, it is used to be a wet market, but in the
early 1980s was refurbished into a handicrafts outlet.
We were able to
check out and buy more souvenirs in this area and it was more cheaper and
organized compare to Chinatown. We went on the evening where we don’t need to
rush and there are less people.
Operating Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Operating days: Daily
How we got there: 10 minutes walk from Hotel
transit
By
LRT: Take the Monorail
line to Pasar Seni Station
5. Go to Genting
Highlands & ride the Awana Sky Cable. Genting Highlands also known as Resorts World Genting is a hill resort
in Bentong, Pahang developed by Genting group. The hill resort is at an average
elevation of 1,740 metres within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between
the states of Pahang and Selangor.
It is
approximately 1 hour & 30 minutes Bus ride from KL Central Station.
Initially, we want to buy the tickets on the Bus counter in UTC near the Hotel Transit,
but the next available trip is at 1:30 while it was like 10:00am. We thought
that maybe it is different in the KL station, but it turns out to be later. We
later regretted not purchasing it in the UTC. But all things have its purpose;
we were able to check out KL Central and purchase some souvenirs while waiting
for boarding J
You should note
that you need to buy a bus ticket going to Genting Highlands as early as
possible because there is a chance that it will be fully booked. When we bought
the ticket at 11am (KL Station), we were booked for the 2:30pm bus. When we
arrived we immediately booked for the return but it is all fully booked on the
area we want to go down, we ended up going to the LRT station going to Masjid
Jamek.
To be able to get
to the Resorts World Genting, Grand hotel, Maxims hotel and other areas, you
need to ride the Genting SkyWay or Awana SkyWay. We were able to experience the
Awana SkyWay, a monocable gondola lift serving the Genting Highlands Resort.
It was a bit
chilly & foggy when we reached the Grand Hotel. We were able to have a
glimpse of the Maxims Hotel & First World Hotel but most parts are being
enveloped by fog/mist. I was also able to have a glimpse of the Casino de
Genting (the only legal land-based casino in the country), but gone out once I
checked it out.
We didn’t visit
any attractions here, we just want to check out the place and experience the
Gondola.
Bus Fare:
RM
4.80/person (one-way only)
How we got there: We
boarded the LRT in Masjid Jamek Station, got down in KL Central Station, went to the Go Genting ticketing booth and boarded
the bus going to Genting Highland. The bus is equipped with seat number so you
don’t need to get ahead.
5. Climb
the 272 Steps in Batu Caves.
Batu Caves is a limestone hill that
has a series of caves and cave temples in Gombak, Selangor. It receives its name from the Sungai Batu
(Batu River), which flows past the hill. The cave is one of the most popular
Hindu shrines outside India, and is dedicated to Murugan, a Hindu deity.
When we reached
outside the Batu Caves, we were greeted with the world’s tallest statue of
Murugan, standing at 42.7m (140 feet) high. It was huge!
Rising almost 100
m above the ground, the Batu Caves temple complex consists of three main caves
and few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, have a very high ceiling and
features ornate Hindu shrines. To reach it, we have to climb a steep flight of
272 steps. It was a little bit scary as the steps are steep so we have to climb
little by little.
The weather was
hot and you need to be in your best and comfortable climbing dress and shoes.
Also ready your handkerchief and water because you will need it big time.
When we got
there, we were amazed on the rock formations inside the Temple Cave, the
largest and best known cave in the site.
The Ramayana Cave is situated to the extreme
left as one faces the sheer wall of the hill. On the way to the Ramayana Cave,
there is a 15m (50 feet) tall statue of Hanuman and a temple dedicated to
Hanuman, devotee and aide of Rama.
Below the Temple
Cave is the Dark Cave, with rock formations and a number of animals found
nowhere else. In order to maintain the cave’s ecology, access is restricted.
There are regular educational and adventure trips to the Dark Caves and there
were people waiting as we take pictures. We were unable to enter deep into this
cave as we were running out of time. We need to catch the train going back to
our hotel or else we will be late for our flight.
Operating Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Operating days: Mondays through Sundays
and Public holidays
Entrance Fee: Free (Main Cave)
How we got there: From our hotel, we took the LRT
from Plaza Rakyat Station going to Bandaraya
Station, from Bandaraya to Batu Caves
(please note that there are timings on LRT going to Batu Caves)
That’s it. I hope that I have given you an idea on how to plan your anticipated
visit in Malaysia. Enjoy planning your trips J
God bless us more J
And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans
8:28).
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