What's in Kuala Lumpur?

Very much homesick, exhausted and starved on a Monday, I came to Singapore from the week long Hong Kong trip at around 4pm only to face another arduous journey ahead! To be honest, I was so tired that I considered cancelling the whole thing while I was in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, I went on as planned because I know that my chances of meeting up with my college pals (Tina, Joy, Guia, Lotz) come too rarely. Besides, it was part of the vacation that I, for a long time, so longed for! Why not just be grateful instead of whining right?!  

Tina, who now works in SG, was gracious enough to prepare everything - from the itinerary to all the reservations and  bookings! Effort acknowledged. But, this came a bit new to me as on all my journeys, I was used to deciding for myself and not following ;) *Although I claim to be indecisive at times when there are other people involved - which is this case! ..Actually, Tina and Joy even filed a leave vacation for this. :)

As per the itinerary, we were bound to Kuala Lumpur by bus at midnight and were to arrive at around 5am in the city proper. Just a note: A common misconception is that taking the bus means you could save time when in fact it is, more or less, just as taxing as taking the plane - only economical! You have to find the stations; be there atleast an hour to check in; transfer buses at the boundaries; sleep uncomfortably sitting; and, go through a lot of immigration checks! But well, it was a new experience and I enjoyed the company anyways.

So, what's there to see and experience in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? Here you go!

The Petronas Towers.
Several years ago, the bridge was accessible for public viewing. 
As one can see in the picture, the bridge is only at the midheight of both towers.
Then, just two years ago, Level 86 was opened with a fee of 80MR
(1 Malaysian Ringgit ~ 14.5Php).
The time allowed for viewing, however, is limited to
approximately 45minutes (Level 86+bridge).
And yes, they were very strict about it.
Note: The tower just behind Petronas is another viewing tower.

The Petronas Towers, breaking dawn.
These towers are said to be the tallest twin towers in the world today.
Have you seen the national geographic feature of this? You must see it. Just google. 
By the way, because it was sort of a 'do it yourself' trip, finding our way to the tower was
a bit tricky. We tried to walk at first from Time Square (bus stop) since arriving 5am got us
plenty of time for walking (exercise :p). Unfortunately, asking directions wasn't that easy.
Ask where "Petronas" is and you get a confused look from the person you are asking!
And so, we assumed that maybe people there do not call it
'Petronas'..perhaps a local name? Strange.

The Petronas Towers, in broad daylight. Photo taken after the morning tour.
We took the 9am (first batch) viewing schedule and so,
this picture was taken at about past 10am.
The weather? Hot and humid. Don't forget your hankies.

Viewing queue. It was free until the last two years they said.
It was a weekday so the queue wasn't that long.
Also, we got there at about 7am so it was still quite early.
Police Officers shown are women. 

Playing around the interactive TV at Level 86. Petronas Twin Towers

Here's your view from the 86th level. Malaysia looks booming right?

Another view from Level 86 of Petronas Twin Towers

View from the bridge of Petronas Twin Towers

View from the bridge of Petronas Twin Towers

A pose with fellow travellers. Hello Ho Chi Minh! ;)
Like us, they said that they had planned this trip 6mos back!
They were bound to Genting Highlands- another Malaysian tourist spot, later that day.
We could not do that in our trip since our time was limited.
Genting Highland is situated quite far from the city.

Kuala Lumpur Street Scene
After Petronas, we head on to explore the streets of Kuala Lumpur.
Just like in HK and SG, taxis are colored white and red. Buses are plenty too.
Crossing the streets? Save your life ;p

One of Kuala Lumpur's public transport - Monorail.

A visit to the Central Market
It's a place to shop for souvenirs and everything else.

So there. Are you planning to visit Kuala Lumpur? Good luck! And, let me know! ;)