Month: February 2022

Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers, which have since become an iconic symbol of Malaysian development.

Hotel in Kuala LumpurThe hotel in Kuala Lumpur where I stayed at.

Caught in the rain

After an 1.5-hour flight from Surat Thani I arrived at the airport of Kuala Lumpur. I remember the huge amount of palm tree forests that I saw upon landing and while transferring to the city centre. Once I got out of the city train, a heavy rain started to fall - I was caught by the tropical rainy season. I had to wait for half an hour near the station before proceeding further, even though my hotel was just around the corner a few yards away.

Eventually, I checked in into my hotel room on a higher floor with a nice view over the main street. I was ready to explore the city and didn’t expect that this would become a very eventful and exciting week. I remember walking around my neighbourhood that evening after settling in the hotel. I discovered a street market nearby and dived straight into it.

Illuminated Menara Tower in Kuala LumpurIlluminated Menara Tower.

Petronas Twin Towers in KLPetronas Twin Towers.



Petronas Twin Towers

The main landmark of Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Twin Towers in the very city centre. It is surrounded by a huge shopping mall and a park. It’s a stunning area to visit. What’s even more impressive is going up inside the towers and enjoy the magnificent view over the entire city from the enclosed bridge that connects the two towers. I did exactly that and it was worth the price.

Hubi in front of Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala LumpurMe in front of the Twin Towers.


Fantastic view from the Towers.

One of the Petronas TowersView of KL with one of the Twin Towers.



Merdeka Square

In the western part of the city centre there’s the Merdeka Square, also called Independence Square, where the Malaysian flag was hoisted for the first time in 1957. The picturesque late-nineteenth century Sultan Abdul Samad Building stands next to the square. Originally it housed the offices of the British colonial administration. Now it enhances the overall looks of the Merdeka Square. I remember visiting the square several times.

Theatre Performance

There's also a theatre where I attended an exciting performance about the Story of Kuala Lumpur. It was a show full of dancing and colourful clothing. I enjoyed it a lot, although it was a bit short. At the end of the performance viewers could go onto the stage and join the performance team for a group photo. Obviously, my friend and I did just that.

Group photo in Kuala LumpurGroup photo with the performance team.

The Story of Kuala LumpurThe Story Of Kuala Lumpur promo poster.

Inside the Batu CavesInside the Batu Caves.



Batu Caves

Apart from the Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur is also known for Batu Caves. It’s a limestone hill in the northern part of the city and inside the hill there’s a series of caves and temples. The cave is one of the most popular Hinde shrines outside India. To get to the caves you arrive at a spacious square at the foot of a long staircase which leads up to the entrance into the cave. The staircase and the entrance is guarded by a giant statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity, which is 42.7 m (140 ft) tall.

The whole area outside and inside the caves is filled with monkeys which run around freely. I climbed up the stairs and visited the interior of the caves. I must admit that their size was impressive. The rocky walls go high up and the whole cave is gigantic.

Statue at Batu Caves in Kuala LumpurA mythic statue near Batu Caves.



At the entrance to the cave.

Ramayana Cave

You'll find Hindu temples among the rocks of the Batu caves. I was very impressed by the Ramayana cave which is very close to the station. You cannot miss it when you get out of the train. It's not the main place you come to visit the Batu Caves, but I think the Ramayana Cave was as impressive as the Batu Caves. It tells the story of Rama, a famous Hindu hero, prince and god.

The whole cave is filled with statues that show scenes of the different stages in life of Rama from the Hindu epic Ramayana. All the scenes are beautifully illuminated and the cave is quite big, with lots of niches and stairs. You definitely should not skip the Ramayana Cave if you ever come on a visit to Batu Caves.


Colourful inside the cave.

Socialising

Quite early during my stay in Kuala Lumpur I knew that I would want to meet new people. Using the couchsurrfing app I found a meet up and went to the bar where the meet up was taking place. I arrived as the very first guest, so I didn’t have big expectations about the meet up. At the end we were quite a big bunch of people and we went for Karaoke later that night. It was fun and I got to know Addy, a newly made friend who would guide me around Kuala Lumpur for the rest of my stay in this vibrant and exciting city.


Enjoying Karaoke.


Stunning view from Menara Tower.

Menara Tower

Addy worked for the Menara Tower, or more commonly known as KL Tower, which is a communications tower of Kuala Lumpur. It’s the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world and is 421 metres (1,381 feet) tall. The upper area contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners with a panoramic view of the city. The tower is the highest viewpoint in Kuala Lumpur that is open to the public and I went up there together with Addy to enjoy the view and the photo session with my new friend.


Taking a sightseeing bus from Menara Tower.

Forest Eco Park

Below the Menara Tower there’s the Forest Eco Park, a small rain forest area with several nature trails and a forest canopy walkway. I went to that small hill Bukit Nanas where the only virgin tropical rain forest left in the heart of Kuala Lumpur is located and walked along those jungle trails. There’s also a visitors centre, and a forestry museum. I really recommend this peaceful, quiet place among the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Canopy in Forest Eco ParkCanopy walk in Forest Eco Park.


Walking above the forest canopy.

Night life in Kuala LumpurLooking at the shining Twin Towers.


On the rooftop pool above Kuala Lumpur.

Night Life

Thanks to Addy I had a chance to visit some stunning sky bars with an impressive view of the Petronas Twin Towers. Addy took me to at least two bars where one had an indoor swimming pool. We chilled by the window enjoying the nightly atmosphere. At another venue he took me to a more seclusive area much closer to the towers where we drank some delicious cocktails and enjoyed the impressive view of the landmarks.


Gorgeous night view of the skyline.

Enjoying night life in Kuala LumpurEnjoying the night life in a bar in Kuala Lumpur.


Me enjoying the pool and the nightly mood.

Taman Burung Birds Park

There’s two more stunning places that Addy took me to in the final days of my stay in Kuala Lumpur. One was the Taman Burung birds park. It's a part of the huge green area along with the botanical garden and butterfly park. We watched colourful and gorgeous species of birds in a beautiful outdoor scenery with rocks and waterfalls. We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the magnificent natural surroundings.


A beautiful parrot taking his time to eat.

Inside the mosque of Kuala LumpurInside the heart of the mosque.

National Mosque of Malaysia

The final venue I visited with Addy was the National Mosque of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. I’ve never been to a mosque before, so I didn’t know what to expect in there. As this is a place of veneration you had to be covered properly when entering the mosque. As I was wearing shorts I had to put on a purple cloak to cover my legs. We walked together around the columns and spacious halls and I had a very interesting and positive conversation with Addy about his faith.

Me inside the mosque in KLMe in a purple robe inside the mosque.

After an exciting week in the city of Kuala Lumpur it was time to move on, say good bye to Addy and prepare for the next phase of my trip around Asia. I booked myself into a coach and continued southwards to Singapore as my next exciting destination.

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