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Published: October 10th 2006
It's was our last day in Kuala Lumpur, at least for this visit, so we got up early for a change and made our way again to the Petronas Towers in the hope of securing some free Skywalk tickets. We arrived at about 9.15am and didn't have long to wait until our skywalk adventure at 10am. The sky was murky again from the infamous haze (which we discovered is caused in Indonesia by burning crops and the wind carries it over to Malaysia) but we were still looking forward to the view.
Before you go up in the lift to the viewing platform, there's a bit of an interactive display area telling you all about the tower's construction including what hapens if the towers get struck by lightning, although the demonstration turned out to be a major anti-climax. Hey ho. We were then called into the movie theatre to see a film about the history of the towers and their construction in more detail. Did you know that the towers are built on a former race course? We were bombarded with more facts and figures than an A-Level History exam and were relieved when our turn came to go up in the lifts. The skywalk is on the 41st floor of the towers which is only about a third of the way up. We weren't nearly as high up as when we were in the KL Tower a few days ago but it was still worth the effort even on a hazy day. We only got to spend 10 minutes on the platform before being ushered down again. I guess when it's a free service, you can't complain.
After a brief mooch around the mall, we went for a wander and let our feet do the walking. Before long, we found ourselves in a business district with some rather massive skyscapers looming down on us. One of them was particularly interesting as it was a round tower that gradually curved in at the centre and curved out again at the base. Glynn said it reminded him of a woman's figure. Next to it was a tiny little blue and white mosque that looked just like an
upside down shuttlecock! I love the architecture in KL!
Walking on, we ended up at a KTM train station and thought about heading over to the Lake Gardens for a walk but the automatic train system had failed and all trains were subject to massive delays, so that idea went straight out of the window. Instead, we continued on foot until we came across yet more shopping malls. The shops inside weren't anything out of the ordinary but in the Ampang Plaza we found a foodcourt with a purely vegetarian stand. For just 4 Ringgit we were treated to rice or noodles plus 3 vege dishes of our choice. The food was incredible - mock lamb, fake tandoori chicken, vegetable curries to die for - it was all so tasty. I even got to try a fake chicken drumstick which Glynn said tasted like the real thing. It was basically made of tofu wrapped around a lollipop stick and then covered in a crispy thin layer of fried tofu that looked just like a roast chicken leg.
We got back to the hotel around 6pm with aching feet but a real sense of accomplishment. It's always great to discover things on your own without the help of a guide book. In fact more often that not, we find really interesting things that aren't even mentioned in the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. A great way to end a very enjoyable stay in Malaysia's hospitable capital. We'll be back!
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Hijaz
non-member comment
KL
Its been great following your stay in Kuala Lumpur. It's really bad that the haze occurs during your visit. FYI, the haze is rare, it only ever occurred in 1997,2005 and recently this year.Hopefully, it will never happen again. Be back in several years and you'll be surprised of KL's skyline by then because as we speak there are 30 skyscrapers being built around the Petronas Towers.And do check out the skyscrapercity Malaysia thread for more info on KL.Cheerz.