I found myself wandering around my neighboring countries again, savoring its magic&charm. W/ MJ, we strolled the streets of Singapore, KL, Penang, Bangkok, Lopburi and Ayutthaya, while I’ve gone solo in Vientiane. At the end of it all, I got sensory overload w/ new&exotic flavors, old&distinct scents, stunning architecture&historical landmarks, loud&quiet sounds, busy&serene air – but still I want MORE. I simply can’t get enough of Asia.
We planned to stay in Kuala Lumpur for just 24 hours.I thought it would be sufficient enough to be
able to see KL’s highlights or so I thought.
We arrived in KL from Singapore via Transnasional Bus, which
dropped us off at the bus station that we assumed was the main terminal.We originally planned to stay at the
backpackers’ area in Bukit Bintang but we decided on the last minute to just
stay within the area for convenience of buying our tickets for the next leg of
our SEA journey.So, we booked a room at
some hostel and slept for a couple of hours.
Before touring the city, we first arranged our tickets which
seemed easy, or, again, so I thought.When we got inside the station, it was chaotic.Lots of passengers, lots of fixers.
@ the Twin Towers...Photo credits: MJ
We had difficulty finding a bus for
Butterworth as tickets were sold out.When we found one, they wouldn’t accept credit cards and US dollars.The nearest money exchange counter opens at 9 A.M. and when the clock hit 9, still it
was closed.We couldn’t waste more time
so we got out of the station and roam around.We found one and although their rates were ridiculously low, we had no
choice but to get those precious Malaysian ringgits.We eventually got our tickets for Butterworth,
and when we were about to look for the booth where we would supposed to get out
reserved International Express Train tickets for Bangkok, it turned out that the train
station is in KL Sentral Station, and not this station.We hurried our asses to that Sentral Station
to claim and pay for our tickets.We
wasted so much time with purchasing our bus & train tickets that we weren’t
able to get tickets for the PetronasTwinTowers, which was the focal reason why we
stopped over in KL.
After getting our train tickets, we were still hoping to be
able to get tickets for the tower.
Petronas at night...Photo credits: MJ
When we were at the concourse level to collect our passes, our
excitement dropped when we saw a sign that says, “SORRY NO MORE Skybridge
Visits tickets available for today.”Aw.We settled for the mini
museum & souvenir shop near the entrance instead to learn more of these
88-storey TwinTowers that used to be the tallest
building in the world but still remains as the tallest twin buildings.
We may not be able to go up the Skybridge but this doesn’t
mean we can’t enjoy the towers.So we
went outside and camwhore with the TwinTowers as our backdrop.Come 12 noon, as our stomach growled for some KL
delicacy, it was time to rest our Nikons and looked for an authentic KL lunch.
As we only got a few hours left in KL, we joined KL’s Hop-On
Hop-Off, which was way cheaper than Singapore’s.
Petronas Twin Tower at night
However, when everything turned out well in our Singapore’s leg of touring, our experience
with KL’s Hop-On Hop-Off was a disaster.Traffic was very heavy in KL so we spent most of our time inside the
bus, only able to hop off in Istana and Merdeka Square.
When it became dark, we were mesmerized by the vision of the
TwinTowers.It is more beautiful at night, standing majestically and glistening like
diamonds.The sight of it was just
stunning.And when the tour bus stopped
at the Petronas station, we hurriedly got out and started taking photos of this
spectacular architecture.
As much as we would have loved to just stare at the towers, we
needed to move on as we planned to have dinner either at the KL Tower or at
some restaurant in Bintang Walk.Hopping
on to the next tour bus, I was excited to have dinner.So far, I was enjoying KL food.Unfortunately, we got stuck in the traffic…again.Afraid of missing our bus that’ll leave by 10 P.M., we ended up with burger &
fries at McDonald’s.After a quick bite,
we got our bags and hurried to the bus station, just in time before it left,
not for Butterworth but directly to Penang, which was great because we were planning of going
there anyways.
So,
it’s selamat malam KL.Though I did not
enjoy KL to the fullest, thanks to traffic, I still had fun in my 24-hour stay
in it.Those quickie moments will always
be treasured.
