Mga Lakwacherang Doktora

Thursday, April 6, 2017

The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Climbing the Kuala Lumpur Tower

This is the eleventh part of our 6-days-5-nights Ultimate KL-Singapore Vacation Leave.

After the wonderful afternoon at Putrajaya, we went off to venture to the famous Kuala Lumpur Tower or Menara KL Tower. The ride from Putrajaya to KL Sentral was a bit long this time due to traffic, and because we left Putrajaya at a rush hour, so it took around 2 hours to get back to the city. Unfortunately, when we arrived at KL tower, it was already night time, though some people would prefer to view the city at night due to the lights, I prefer viewing buildings at day time. But, since we already purchased our tickets online, we had to really go to the tower. The tickets cost RM52 per person which was at around 585php.

Getting to KL Tower is quite easy since it's in the center of the city. One could opt to take a taxi, however, for those in a budget, here's how to get to KL tower coming from KL Sentral:

Get to the KL Monorail Station and board it to go towards Bukit Nanas Station (the 6th station from KL Sentral, fare of RM4.10/person)
Get off Bukit Nanas Station. Go down the stairs and look for the exit station located near a traffic light junction, turn right and walk straight. You would know you're on the right road if you see landmarks such as the Hard Rock Cafe on your left, as well as the Concorde Hotel.
Walk further down until you see the Shangrila Hotel on your right. Go straight until you see another traffic light junction and to your left is a police booth station, turn right and walk straight.
Prominent landmark is the Menara Hap Seng on your left. Once you reach the 3rd junction of Jalan P. Ramlee, corner of Jalan Punchak, turn right and walk up the hill.
Look for the guard house with the Menara KL Free Shuttle Service which will take you up the tower

Alternate route is as follows:

Get to the KL Monorail Station and get off the Raja Chulan Station (fare of RM3.70/person). The exit leads to Jalan Tengah.
Walk straight along Jalan Tengah until you reach the interception of Jalan P. Ramlee. Buildings along the way are ING Tower, MIDF Tower, The Weld, Hap Seng Tower.
When you reach the interception between Jalan Tangah and Jalan P. Ramlee, cross the street and continue walking into Jalan Puncak.
Walk up the hill until you see a guard house. Shuttle bus is located there.

KL Tower is the 7th tallest tower in the world. The tower stands 421 meters and also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners with a panoramic view of the city. The Observation Deck is at 276 meters above ground level and is open to the public to see the view of the KL city. It is open everyday from 9:00am to 10:00pm. The fee is RM52 for adults and RM31 for children. Exploring the deck has no time limit, so you could enjoy the view and rest for a bit if you want.

The Observation Deck

The reason why I didn't want to go at night was because taking pictures are a bit hard compared to when it's day time. My camera is just not good at night shots. It's a pity because I really wanted to take a picture of the Petronas Twin Towers from the KL Tower, I was able to, but it was a blurry shot. Also, featured on the observation deck is a really cool lighted up picture of the comparison of the tallest towers in the world. You can also rent headphones with audio commentary about the tower, but be sure to tell them that you want an english speaking commentary.

The Comparison of the tallest towers in the world

Blurry Petronas Twin Towers from the KL Tower

Another area in the KL tower is the Sky Deck, which is located at 421 meters above ground level. This is an open deck, meaning no glass around you to protect you from falling off haha. However, there is a rope tied to you to prevent that from happening. Not recommended for those with fear of heights, like us! It costs RM99 (1,110php) for adults. There is also the 360 Atmosphere Restaurant which is located 282 meters above ground level. You could have dinner here while the restaurant rotates 360 degrees for you to view the whole of KL. There is also the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve at the bottom of the tower which we weren't able to go because it was already closed, so if you are there earlier, don't forget to visit this place. It's for free, and it is reported to be very beautiful.

We explored for about 30minutes then decided to go down and have dinner with my friend. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the restaurant we ate at because it was at this time that a really painful migraine attacked me, coupled with nausea and vomiting. The only thing I could remember was the food looked really, really good, but I wasn't able to eat it because I was vomiting at the mall's restroom. So, yeah, that kinda sucked!

Up next, our 3rd day at Malaysia, the trip going to Singapore, and our Malaysia trip summary!

SUMMARY OF EXPENSES:
Entrance Fee at KL Tower: RM52/person (paid online)
Vomiting Medications: RM17

USEFUL WEBSITES:
Kuala Lumpur Tower Website
Atmosphere 360 Restaurant Website
Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve

Read more:
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Preparation Phase
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Arrival At KL
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting Lost at KL Sentral
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: First Glimpse of the Petronas Twin Towers
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Food Trip Galore at Jalan Alor
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: First Breakfast at KL and How to Go to Batu Caves
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Exploring Batu Caves
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Strolling Around Merdeka Square
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Central Market Food Trip
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting to know Putrajaya
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Bye Malaysia, Hello Singapore!

The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting to know Putrajaya

This is the tenth part of our 6-days-5-nights Ultimate KL-Singapore Vacation Leave.

Putrajaya is the federal administrative center of Malaysia. The seat of government was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya due to overcrowding in Kuala Lumpur. The place is enclaved within the Sepang District of the state of Selangor. In Sanskrit, "putra" means "prince" or "male child", and "jaya" means "success" or "victory". Getting to Putrajaya is quite easy, however, it is a bit far from KL Sentral. It is closest to the KL International Airport.

HOW TO GET TO PUTRAJAYA:
BY TRAIN:

From KL Sentral, take the KLIA Transit train (not the KLIA Express) going to the airport, the one with the stop in Putrajaya.
Train runs every 30 minutes, travel time takes 20 minutes.
One-way price is RM14 (158php).

BY TAXI:

Taxis from KL Sentral costs around RM40-50 (450-560php), but expect to pay more at night.

BY BUS:

Bus service is provided from 6:30am until 10:00pm to and from Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Serdang Commuter Station, Sinar Kota, and Pasar Seni LRT Station.. One-way bus fare is RM3.50 (40php), travel time is 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Rapid KL links KL Sentral to Putrajaya which costs only RM5 (57php) for an unlimited daily pass.

Or if you have a really nice friend who has a car, like us, then it's easy peasy going to Putrajaya haha. Our travel time took about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, there was a bit of a traffic, but, still a very smooth ride. Upon arriving, we were blown by how beautiful, how clean, and how peaceful the whole Putrajaya looks like. It's like the BGC of the Philippines, but way way better.

HOW TO GET AROUND PUTRAJAYA:
Putrajaya is a huge place, so walking around is not advisable, however, public transportation within the area sucks!
BY TAXI:

Some blogs stated that they rented a taxi to get them around the place, but it costs around RM30 (340php) per hour, sometimes bigger depending on the taxi you talked to, so that's a bit steep. BY BUS:

There are occasional Nadiputra buses that appears at random times and goes in random directions, which charges a flat fare of 50 cents for adults and 30 cents for child below 12 years old. BY PUBLIC TOURS (THE BEST OF PUTRAJAYA TOUR):

Available only during weekends at 11:30am and 3:00pm and departs from Putrajaya Sentral Station. Fare is RM20 (225php) per person. You can buy the ticket at the counter or in the bus itself. BY PUTRAJAYA SIGHTSEEING TOUR:

The tour lasts for 3 hours with 2 photo stops and 3 visit stops and includes an English speaking driver.

Price includes a return transfer on KLIA Transit train, a round trip on a dedicated tour bus and entrance fees where applicable.

From KL Sentral: RM47.00 (A) | RM21.60 (C)
From Bandar Tasik Selatan: RM35.00 (A) | RM16.20 (C)
From Salak Tinggi: RM28.40 (A) | RM13.20 (C)
From KLIA: RM37.80 (A) | RM17.40 (C)
From KLIA2: RM37.80 (A) | RM17.40 (C)

Putrajaya Sightseeing Tour

Schedule of the Tours

The first spot we went to was the Putra Mosque (Masjid Putra) which is the principal mosque of Putrajaya. It is located next to Perdana Putra which houses the Malaysian Prime Minister's office and the man-made Putrajaya Lake. There are also a lot of flagpoles flying Malaysian states' flags near the area. You would know that it is the Putra Mosque if you see a pink-domed roof and a building constructed with rose-tinted granite. We weren't able to go in, but seeing it from afar is just amazing. The whole building is beautiful, plus the fact that it is a pink mosque, it's just so very unique. Near the mosque is a mini restaurant serving various Malaysian delicacies where you can rest and eat. Outside it is a garden which has the view of the mosque from afar, as well as a view of the huge man-made Putrajaya Lake. From here, you can also see the Seri Wawasan Bridge, which is the longest bridge in Putrajaya. What is unique about it is it's sail ship appearance.

The Beautiful Putra Mosque

Note the huge pink-domed roof

Near the mosque is an area with benches and fountains

Seri Wawasan Bridge

Man-Made Putrajaya Lake

The next area we explored was just a walking distance away from the Putra Mosque which is the Putra Square or the Dataran Putra. It is a huge city square located near the Putra Mosque and the Perdana Putra. The square has been used for festivals. From here, you can see the two amazing buildings from afar. A short distance from here is the Perdana Putra, which is the office complex of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. It actually looks like a mosque as well, with a green-domed roof. It is huge, and you can go inside it every weekdays, from 8:00am to 12:30pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm, and on Saturdays at 8:00am to 12:30pm. We opted to just take pictures outside and in the surrounding area.

A Portion of the Dataran Putra

Perdana Putra

After exploring the area, we boarded our friend's car, and then went to the opposite side of the area we were just at. It really is a huge place! I don't know the name of this area, but there are a lot of huge buildings with really cool abstract-y designs. We walked around the place until we arrived at the Istana Kehakiman or the Palace of Justice. It houses the Malaysian Court of Appeal and Federal Court. It is said that the design incorporates influences of Classical Islamic culture like Taj Mahal in India, Moorish culture, like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur and Western Classical influence, like Palladian. Just across the Palace of Justice is the Perbadanan Putrajaya, which is a really cool, futuristic looking building. Also, in between these 2 place is a huge stretch of road where you can walk to and take pictures, and if you gaze at the far end, you can see the Perdana Putra from here.

Funky designed buildings

Amazing views all over

The Istana Kehakiman

Just beautiful

Palace of Justice

Perbadanan Putrajaya

Very cool futuristic design

Look! The Perdana Putra seen from afar!

The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Central Market Food Trip

This is the ninth part of our 6-days-5-nights Ultimate KL-Singapore Vacation Leave.

After a lot of walking around Merdeka Square, we were tired and very hungry. We decided to head on to Central Market to have our lunch there as well as meet up with my friend from KL. Chinatown was also nearby Central Market however we weren't able to really explore the area since time was a bit limited, plus we were really hungry!

You can walk from Merdeka Square to Central Market or you can opt to ride the train again. We chose to walk. For those who will decide to take the train, here's how:

Go back to the Masjid Jamek Station
Ride the Kelana Jaya Line
Get off Pasar Seni Station
Look for the big light blue colored building and walk towards there, that is the Central Market

For those opting to walk, it's also quite easy, here's how:

From the KL City Gallery, look across the National Textile Museum. The street beside it is where you should be heading

The street beside National Textile Museum

Then, just walk on straight. You will be passing a bridge with the view of the Masjid Jamek, walk pass it.
You will then find yourself in square like area with lots of stores all around and a lone clock in the middle, again, walk pass it.

The Square with a Lone Clock

The Stores around the clock

You will see a street on the right immediately after, turn towards it. The marker is a Hotlink branch

The Hotlink Branch

Then, just go straight until you see a lot of people, a lot of goods, and that beautiful rooftop display which signals you are near Central Market.

Watch out for this roof thingy!

Walk underneath the rooftop, shop if you want, and eventually you'll see the light colored blue building of Central Market.

Shopping and picture taking galore!

Map showing where we walked

Finally, Central Market!

Central Market is located at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and the pedestrian-only section of Jalan Hang Kasturi, and just near the famous Petaling Street. The market is arranged in a stall concept wherein travelers or locals can scroll through the many sections within Central Market. The whole first floor is dedicated to souvenirs, clothes, and a whole lot more! The second floor features a food court which has an array of malaysian food. The Central Market has been classified as a Heritage Site by the Malaysian Heritage Society and it is now a landmark for Malaysian culture and heritage.

The Central Market is huge!

Lots of assorted things to buy at a cheap price as well!

Upon arriving, we hurriedly went to the food section before exploring the market. We ate at a stall called Nasi Ayam which serves chicken rice. The food was OK, nothing special. After the short rest and lunch, we headed on to explore Central Market and find free wifi so that we could contact my friend haha.

Nasi Ayam

Fooooooddd!

Our chicken rice!

The most amazing thing we found in the Central Market are these assorted chocolates, candies, foods, nuts, etc which you could bring home to give to your family and friends. What is fun about this is the store owners gave us a lot of free candies and chocolates, and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT! So, in return, we brought A LOT of their stuffs.

Assorted candies!

Our loots!

After walking around, we found our friend, out of the blue! Yehey! We finished up the buying spree, brought some more souvenirs, I brought a wall charger (which I shouldn't have brought because, well, you will learn about it soon enough haha) and then hopped into our friend's friend car and they offered to drive us to Putrajaya and KL Tower, which is a blessing because Putrajaya is very far away from the city, but blogs have said that it is worth it to go there.

Initially, we planned on going first to KL tower then to Putrajaya. However, on the way to KL tower, a really strong rain pour happened and it was just cloudy everywhere! So going up the tower during that time would be worthless since there would be no view. So we decided to just head on to Putrajaya then go back to KL tower at night. So, read on for our Putrajaya Experience!

SUMMARY OF EXPENSES:
Central Market Lunch: RM12/person
Chocolate/Candies/Chips Souvenirs: RM180
Ballpen Souvenirs: RM20
Magnet Souvenirs: RM4
Beryls Chocolates: RM43
Wall Charger Adapter: RM10
Fruit Shake: RM10

USEFUL WEBSITES:
Central Market Website

Read more:
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Preparation Phase
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Arrival At KL
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting Lost at KL Sentral
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: First Glimpse of the Petronas Twin Towers
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Food Trip Galore at Jalan Alor
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: First Breakfast at KL and How to Go to Batu Caves
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Exploring Batu Caves
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Strolling Around Merdeka Square
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Getting to know Putrajaya
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Climbing the Kuala Lumpur Tower
The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Bye Malaysia, Hello Singapore!

The Ultimate Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Vacation Leave: Strolling Around Merdeka Square

This is the eighth part of our 6-days-5-nights Ultimate KL-Singapore Vacation Leave.

After the amazing morning we had at Batu Caves, we went back to the KTM Komuter Batu Cave Station and alighted the train once again. Our initial plan to go to Genting Highlands was scrapped, so we decided to explore Merdeka Square and then head on to Central Market to have lunch and meet up with my friend there.

HOW TO GET TO MERDEKA SQUARE FROM BATU CAVES:
BY TAXI:

Probably the easiest way but more expensive and it is a bit hard to look for taxi coming from Batu Caves. Also, not as fun as taking the train BY TRAIN:

From the Batu Caves KTM Komuter Station, we got off at the Bank Negara, 5th station from Batu Caves (fare: RM2/person).

The Bank Negara Station

You would see this peaceful view while walking towards the covered walkway

We then transferred to the Sentul Timur-Ampang Line and alighted at the Bandaraya Station of the said line. Just follow the signs, you would be going across a covered walkway. It's very easy to look for the station.

This is the covered walkway you would have to walk to to get to the other train station

Bandaraya Station

If you look at the view from the station, you would see this huge Sogo Mall

One station away from the Bandaraya is the Masjid Jamek Station, get off there (fare: RM1.20/person).
At the Masjid Jamek Station, follow the signs towards the exit. The exit station we got out of was along the road, near the Menara UAB Building. From there, you can cross towards the Masjid Jamek Mosque, however, during our time, it was under construction and to roads going towards it were blocked off. So we had to circle around it.

Masjid Jamek Station

Look for this exit area at the station

Just walk straight at this sidewalk, there is a corner there you could turn left, you could see the square from there

Masjid Jamek Mosque under construction :(

Look out for this road, this is where you would turn left to go towards the Merdeka Square. You would be passing a number of buildings while walking down this road.

Google map showing where we walked from the Masjid Jamek LRT Station

There are a lot of sights and buildings to see in this area. You could actually do a walking tour around it. I think there are some Heritage Guided tour available, but of course, we did not avail it as we want to walk around leisurely in our own time.

The first building we were able to pass was the Panggung Bandaraya or the City Theater. It is a historical theatre located across the Merdeka Square, at the junction of Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Raja. This formerly occupies the historic Old City Hall of Kuala Lumpur. Now, this was built for production stages such as plays and musicals. From here, you can already see the Merdeka Square from afar.

The exterior of the Panggung Bandaraya or the City Theater

Next up is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It is a late nineteenth century building located along Jalan Raja and is also across Merdeka Square. It was previously known as Government Offices but, later, was renamed after Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction of the building began. The building houses the offices of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture of Malaysia. Unfortunately, around the building was lots of construction going on so we weren't able to take pictures but, nonetheless, the exterior of the building was amazing. There are bricks all around the building and it looked kind of ancient but still very beautiful. And of course, top it of with the clock tower known as the "Big Ben" of Kuala Lumpur, this building is almost perfect. I say almost perfect because the view was ruined with the construction going on.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building view from below

"Big Ben" of KL

Darn constructions ongoing

Just walk on straight to continue the tour

Head on straight after the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and you would come across an intersection. Just across the street is another huge building with lots of bricks on it, called the National Textile Museum or the Muzium Tekstil Negara. It is a museum that showcases the process and technology of textiles, and it also houses a huge collection of traditional apparel, clothes, accessories, and textiles in Malaysia. Admission is free and the museum is open from 9:00am to 6:00pm. We opted to enter because it was free, and because it was air-conditioned inside and we needed a break from the heat of the sun.

National Textile Museum

Muzium Tekstil Negara

Hurray for freebies!

There are four galleries found within the two-storey museum. Of course, before entering the first gallery, register your name first in the registration area. The first gallery is the Pohon Budi Gallery which exhibits the origin of textiles from pre-historic times until the recent times. It also features the tools, materials, and techniques of textile-making.

The second gallery is the Pelangi Gallery. It houses different batik found in Malaysia, as well as extensive textile designs from Chinese.

The third gallery is the Teluk Berantai Gallery. It highlights the making of Malay songket called Teluk Berantai. It is made up of a scattering of individual flower designs that is stitched together into geometric patterns.

The last gallery is the Ratna Sari Gallery. It displays jewellery and accessories that are made with diamond, gold, silver, copper, beads, and plants.

During our time to visit, there was an ongoing head dress exhibition on the second floor.

We spent around 30minutes to an hour exploring the place. It was an interesting way to learn about the rich history of textiles in Malaysia and it was a welcome respite from the heat of the sun outside hehe. From the museum, just across the other side of the street, you would see the Restoran Warisan.

Exterior of Restoran Warisan

And right beside Restoran Warisan is the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery. KL City Gallery is a museum which houses miniature models of buildings and structures found in Kuala Lumpur. It tells the story of the development of Kuala Lumpur. This miniature models are done inside as well so you could view them also. In front of the building is the famous "I Love KL" sign in which your KL visit would not be complete if you do not have a picture with it haha.

Exterior of the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery

Galeri Kuala Lumpur

I Love KL. Don't forget to take pictures here!

Anyway, the gallery has an entrance fee of RM5 (57php) per person, however, this can be used in the souvenir shop found there, so you can buy anything worth RM5 with that ticket. Not bad. The gallery begins with banners outlining the history of Kuala Lumpur. Next are the miniature models of famous structures around KL such as the Masjid Jamek Mosque, the Twin Towers, etc. It was really amazing, the details on the miniature models were beautiful. I think you can opt to hire a tour guide to tour you around the gallery, but the models itself has writings on the history of each building so a tour isn't necessary.

Mini Jamek Mosque. Atleast even if it's miniature mode, we were able to see the mosque hehe

Miniature KL City Gallery

In the second floor is probably one of the most amazing things we have ever seen in KL. It is a 40x50 feet miniature model of the whole Kuala Lumpur! And not only that, it has a light and sounds show, showing how KL was developed, what other plans they have for KL, etc. It was amazing! It was like a 3D show coming alive right in front of your eyes. And the models are just so detailed, it was so beautiful. Definitely a must see when in KL!

Miniature Kuala Lumpur

Po Overlooking the Miniature Kuala Lumpur

After the show is the area where they make these miniature models. And then further on is the souvenir shop where you could spend your entrance fee of RM5 with whatever you want at the same price. We were able to buy some souvenirs and keychains here, as well as water and coke. The souvenirs are really nice looking, doesn't look cheap, but is not expensive also. They also have miniature models of the Twin Towers for sale here, a bit expensive though, but it's a really nice souvenir. There is also a mini cafe you could sit at and refresh for a while. You can also use your RM5 there.

These are all for sale

Mini Petronas Twin Towers. I wanted this but a bit expensive

The souvenir shop itself is like a gallery already

More for sale items!

We spent about an hour here, also, a positive note, the aircondition in the area is amazing! Such a respite from the heat outside! There is also a mini store infront of the gallery where they sell ice cream and drinks so purchase once to avoid dehydration! Anyway, after the gallery, and just right across, is finally the Merdeka Square!

Merdeka Square

or Dataran Merdeka

Merdeka Square or Dataran Merdeka is a square garden located in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It is literally the Independence Square, and it is in this spot where the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan Flag raised for the first time on August 31, 1957. Merdeka Square has been the usual venue of the Merdeka Parade (National Day Parade). It also has the 100-meter flagpole of the Malaysian flag which is said to be the highest in the world, and this is the spot where it was first hoisted up. Also in the square is the Victoria Fountain which was built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. On the other side of Merdeka Square is the St. Mary's Church which is the oldest catholic church in KL, unfortunately, we weren't able to go there anymore because it was very hot and due to time constraints.