Climbing the Sky in Kuala Lumpur

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Today began early. After admiring the Petronas Towers from afar today was the day we were able to go to the top and admire its view. But in order to do this one must begin to queue for tickets early. So we bounded (well groggily) out of bed early, organised our backpacks and threw them on and walked out the door. Our first challenge of the day was to master the public transport in KL. After failing at the bus terminal (where we told that the bus would not be going to KL Sentral -Malaysian spelling even though plastered across their sides it indicated that their destination was KL Sentral) we headed for the train station to learn about automated ticketing machines. So with me following Dan who as usual was at an extremely fast pace we found our way to the train station. We bought our ticket for a huge thirty cents and jumped on the train to KL Sentral. Once at Sentral we boarded another train to get to the Petronas Towers. Once we stepped off the train we found ourselves in yet another huge shopping centre (how many can one city have?) and we set off to find the ticket queue. To work out where we actually were and to work out which direction we needed to head in we found the nearest exit to poke our heads into the sky to find the towers. After gazing at the city skyline we soon realised that we were already in the building and with a quick scramble we found a long line of other tourists waiting for free tickets to the Skyway Bridge of the Petronas Towers.

We waited in line and finally made it to the front of the queue. Before we knew it we had two tickets to the Skyway Bridge of the Petronas Towers for 2:15 pm. So what to do before then?
Of course Dan was hungry so we made our way to the Tourist Information Centre with food in mind. Along the way we found some traditional Indian/Malay breakfast of roti and curry dipping. Do as the locals do as they say. So we found ourselves a seat and with lots of pointing and smiles we managed to order ourselves some breakfast. Traditionally I am a vegemite and toast girl but I am getting used to the noodle and curry thing for breakfast. But good coffee is becoming hard to come by. So Carole, please have one for me.

With a fully belly we found our way to the Tourist Information Centre where we were given a reasonable map and a few things to do over the next few days. It seemed we had the sky in mind today so we made our way to the Kuala Lumpur Tower which stands at four hundred and twenty one metres. Thirty eight RM later we were zooming our way up to the top. Once we got to the top we were greeted with an amazing view of the city of Kuala Lumpur. Luckily for us it wasn’t too cloudy today so we could see for kilometres. We wandered around looking at the magnificent view and we found the staff were giving out electronic tour guides (only in Asia). Armed with our new found tour guide we walked around again this time with earphones pointing out the significant features of Kuala Lumpur City. The electronic guides wasn’t a huge success, it would have helped if we could actually hear what was being said instead of turning to one another and saying “can you hear what they are saying?” but, we did learn a couple of things.
Complimentary to our KL Tower tickets we were allowed entry into the Animal Park inside the complex. Inside we found a bird aviary (of course I wanted to take them all home) home to a cockatoo who was affectionate like Pheobs (for those of you who know Phoebs imagine the head but she gives you when she wants a head rub - this cockatoo had a similar character)and glass case after glass case of snakes and lizards. Dan being a boy decided that he wanted to feed a snake and with the exchange of five RM he was allowed to feed a live rat to one of the snakes. It made my stomach churn hearing the tiny squeals coming from the poor rat (I can’t believe I feel sorry for the rat, it is an animal I despise) but I am sure the snake’s stomach churned with a different intention. With a sniff from its flickering tongue the snake quickly striked and permanently quietened the squealing rat. Enough of the Animal Park

By this time it was nearly time to wander back to the Petronas Towers to make yet another climb to the sky. We reached the complex and welcomed the cool air conditioning as we made our way to the Skyway bridge meeting point. Once there we wandered through the educational/information centre where we explored how the Petronas Towers came into being. After being educated about how the towers came together like a jigsaw puzzle we were soon hustled into a small theatre with 3D glasses to learn more about how the towers were built. Fifteen minutes later and confused about why we were given glasses (3D? What 3D?) we were again hustled towards security where we sat and watched a video about what we could and couldn’t take with us up to the Skyway Bridge viewing platform. Finally with an x-ray of our bag we stepped into the lift and for the second time that day we zoomed skyward.

Once on the viewing platform we were allowed ten minutes before we had to go back down. So we made the most of it and wandered up and down the platform taking photos of a very similar view to that of the KL Towers before we were herded like cattle again into the lift to put our feet back on terra firma. After lots of walking and climbing towards the sky we decided to head to Chinatown in search of good food and bargains at the markets.

We got to Chinatown and with a quick walk through of the markets we found some food and sat down to eat. But we had enough for the day and decided to head back to the unit via the train...

Dan:
We headed back to KL Sentral station to get our last ticket back to the unit. We must have just missed the train as the platform was empty and we had to wait thirty minutes for the next train. Slowly the people started to roll in and it got quiet crowded. The train finally turned up after being ten minutes late so we headed for the crowd and lined up ready to get in. We couldn’t understand why everyone crowded around the door of the train when there were people trying to get off. It seemed logical to just wait and let everyone off first and then get on. People started to exit the train and Jacinta and I got bottle necked between a column and the train. We then got separated as people were trying to exit and split the crowd, Jacinta made it around the column out of sight from me as the crowd started to really pack in to enter the train. I started to push my way through to at least make eye contact with Jacinta as she was no more than one metre away from the entrance of the train. There was a look of horror as she was slowly getting squashed closer to the entrance as the crowd pushed harder to get in but there was no room in the train. We were only two metres apart but it was impossible to move as the crowd packed tighter and tighter. The whistle blew and the crowd slowly realised its grip of death as the doors closed on the train and the realisation that we had just missed out on our ride home. We looked at each other confused. So we ended up having to wait forty five minutes for the next train. With determination and some idea of what was in front of us, we lined up well in advance of the train turning up. Our feet were already hurting from a big days walk, and standing on them for another forty five minutes was tough.

The whistle blew letting everyone know that train was coming. I positioned Jacinta in front of me so I could keep an eye on her, she had a tendency to blend into the Asia crowd really well and her short stance and dark hair was the ultimate camouflage. The train started to slow down and there were as many people crammed inside the train as was out. What I had not counted on was the train doors being in the right position for us as the train started to stop. The doors roughly spanned 5 to 6m apart and if we were in-between those doors there were many determined people that also wanted to get on the train. I heard Jacinta say “oh no” as she realised the same thing I had, and the train had almost come to a complete stop with a door not even close to us.

Just when we thought all hope was lost the train was still slowly rolling and the train stopped with one single entrance door right in front of us, we both couldn’t believe our luck as the doors opened and we started to push our way in the train as people were trying to get off. By this time we didn’t care about the people trying to get out as we were determined to get on no matter what. We finally cleared the entrance as I could start to feel the pressure from behind as the crowd started to really push. It got that tight that there was no way I could get my arms up as they were packed in as well. I heard a small muffled voice coming from the wall beside me, I managed to glance down and saw a small grey hair coloured head. A tiny old lady was jammed in between me and the wall and there was nothing I could physically do about the pressure that that was being exerted on her frail body. She was so tiny that the top of her head came up to my hip and I could feel her being squished against the wall.

The whistle blew and the doors started to close, the pressure from the crowd was fractionally released and I laughed at Jacinta as she looked squashed as well.

The train started to accelerate and the whole weight of the crowd trusted towards me, there was nothing you could do to hold yourself upright, you were basically leaning on the next person who was leaning on the next person etc etc. the only thing I could do was to use the little old lady as a pillow as she got squashed further and further into the wall. I looked towards the front of the train and could see every bump and track wobble snaking its way through the forward carriage towards us. The bumps and wobbles reached our carriage and carried its journey through the rest of the train. It was almost hypnotic to watch a sea of heads swaying backwards and forwards in unison, it was almost like we were under water and everyone’s heads were affected by the waves washing backwards and forwards through the carriages. I had a clear view of the very first carriage as the train straightened out and slowed to negotiate a track change. I heard a large clank as the wheels jumped from one track to the other, it was followed by a violent shiver in the front carriage. The same thing happen to the next carriage and the next, it was our turn and with one big massive jolt and a huge shutter to the left and right everyone let out a gasp as the breath was forced out of everyone. The little old lady beside me got grinded into the wall and I’m sure she had no breath in her lungs to start with. Within minutes we were pulling up in the station and the pressure was off the little old lady as all the weight fell forward from braking. I heard a sigh of relief as she adjusted herself and took a valuable breath of stale air.

Her ride from hell wasn’t finished yet. As the train slowly stop and took the pressure off her frail crushed body the brakes locked on to come to a complete stop, everyone was thrown forward, and with Newton’s theory never being more prevalent, the same force thrown forward also came back. All the weight felt like it came back on me and then transferred through the little old lady, she let out a terrible gargled grown as she got squashed again against the wall again.

The doors opened and I couldn’t believe that people were trying to get on, I yelled out “lookout we’re coming through!” The crowd just gave us enough time to make a break for it as we were squeezed out like toothpaste through the doors. As I was getting squeezed out, the plastic shopping bag I was holding at the whole time had mashed fruit and had got wedged in the remaining crowd. I was getting stretched horizontally out the door like someone holding an umbrella and getting blown away. The plastic bag started to stretch and I could feel it getting close to the breaking point, I yelled out “whoa!” And like a rubber band the fruit sling shot back at towards me. I had to get out of this crowd and have some of my own space again. I found Jacinta and we both laughed at what we had just experienced. My only concern was the little old lady who’s face I never saw, was still on the train and a crowd of people were pushing their way back into the train to take up what little space there was. She was somewhere in that train and I watched in horror as the train released its brakes and everyone got shunted backwards again as the train speed off. I took a big breath of fresh air for her and wished her a safe trip home.

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Photos

The Skyway Bridge
The bridge is suspended between the two towers