August 2019 [by Bill]
This morning I left Singapore on a 1 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I’ll be staying for the next week. Malaysia is the 127th country I have visited…so far!
On my first day in Kuala Lumpur, I took a local sightseeing bus to get an idea of what to do and where to visit over the next week or so. The cost was about USD $20 for 2-days of travel, which is very reasonable
There’s a number of mega skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, including the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower. Kuala Lumpur is one of the top 10 cities in the world with the most high rise buildings.
Malaysian flags everywhere, on the sides of buildings, lamp posts, public parks, preparation for National Day!
Many of the older buildings have visible mold on the outside.
Last night it rained heavily, so the humidity today is intense, dripping hot. My cell phone camera is being affected by the extreme humidity. Many of the photos I’ve taken appear to be foggy or hazy.
Kuala Lumpur factoids:
The total population of the city and the surrounding area is 1.7million, while the country of Malaysia has over 38 million people
Examples of the places of worship in Kuala Lumpur:
Today I walked amongst the giants in Kuala Lumpur. I visited The Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower.
You can not buy same day tickets to visit the Petronas Twin Towers, you need to book at least a day in advance (it is closed on Mondays.) The cost is roughly USD $22. You have a prearranged time slot. The time slots are 10 minutes apart and each consists of a 20 person group.
As you walk outside of The Petronas Twin Towers, you can’t avoid looking up in amazement at the sheer scale of these buildings. One tower was built by the Japanese, while the second tower was built by the South Koreans (2-years from start to finish). This morning, the top of the towers were covered in clouds or haze, which added to the overall sense of their height.
Before you go up to the observation decks, there’s a hologram virtual tour guide – pretty cool.
You take an elevator to the 41st floor, home of The Skybridge, 558 feet above the ground. It is actually not attached to either tower, but allows for movement caused by extreme winds or earthquake. The bridge sits on platforms from both towers, allowing up to 12-inches of shifting. It’s also a double decker sky bridge, with the upper level reserved for employees and service providers, while the lower bridge is dedicated to visitors. The AC is on high while the outside temperature is hot, so most of the windows are covered with condensation. A few small spots have a clear view.
The Observation Deck is at level 86, with the very top reaching over 1,400 feet tall.
The Petronas Twin Towers complex also owns a large amount of green park space adjacent to the towers, including 2 large water features (one with an outdoor concert venue and fountain show, the other with a large scale waterfall, and a shallow swimming area.) There’s also an oversized playground area for younger visitors as well. Finally, there are walking paths, jogging trails, and a dedicated mosque.
Part of the Sean Connery movie Entrapment was filmed under the Skybridge.
The Kuala Lumpur convention center is right behind the park area.
While the convention center wasn’t very far from the Petronas Twin Towers, another day of 90+ heat and suffocating humidity made the walk a slow steady trek.
The tip of the KL Tower antenna is at 1,381 feet, the 7th highest tower in the world. Since the top deck has an open viewing platform, I got much better photos looking down and off into the horizon. They also have 2 glass floor viewing mini decks. You can stand on the glass floor, and look straight down. I have to admit,I didn’t really enjoy this, but I sucked it up, and walked out onto the platform, shaking a bit.
The ticket cost USD about $20 and gets you both the sky deck and the observation deck.
- CNN’s restaurant recommendation
- Cheap eats: by Time Out, Guardian
- To Do: TimeOut, official guide
Small Wide World 