Malaysia - Exploring Kuala Lumpur Day 2

Our second day in KL was supposedly Genting Highlands day. 'Supposedly' because we never made it to Genting! Hahaha

Wondering why? Well, we  were warned by our friend that we may not be able to get an early ticket for Genting at KL Sentral since it was Chinese New Year and a lot of people would surely be heading to the popular tourist spot. Still we tried and true enough when we got to the Bus Terminal we were only able to secure tickets for the 12noon trip. If we go the following day it would still be the same.

So after buying the ticket we decided to explore KL Sentral instead. The bus terminal was on the ground floor of  KL Sentral Station. If you go up you will find your self on the train platform levels. KL Sentral Station is actually one of the main stations where 4 of the 6 Train lines of KL meets. There are several fast food shops and other boutiques on the upper levels. They have:

• McDonalds
• Burger King
• Subway
• KFC
• Dunkin Donuts 
• Secret Recipe
• Kenny Rogers

to name the more popular ones. So I'm sure you will never go hungry. :)

After looking around we decided to have breakfast at Burger King. It was okay. Then we went around some more. There was actually little to see except the Malaysian Tourism Center which we discovered the following day.  After going round we ended up at McDonalds to conserve our energy and had ice cream. My sister was actually eyeing on their Prosperity Burger which seemed yummy but we never got to eat for some reason. 

My sister craving for McDo's prosperity burger.

By noon we were on our way to Genting Lower Station. The bus ride was comfortable and allowed us to see another side of KL. The bus ride took almost an hour to get to Genting Lower Station. Here we needed to take a lift to the upper floors to get to the Skyway where we needed to ride on the cable car to get to the Highlands. 

But before we did that we decided to buy our return ticket in fear that we may not be able to get a ride home at the right time since it seemed that there were a lot of people going to Genting on that day. True enough when we reached the upper floors, the line leading to the Skyway was snaking like crazy. And it was going on a turtle's pace. My sister's spirits and I went down. My Malaysian friend already warned us that there will be a lot of people going to Genting. But we didn't expect the lines would be so slow. 

While waiting  in line we weighed our options. We agreed that if we get to ride before 3pm then we will push thru but if not then we will just explore the building (there are quite a number of shops here as well). However as we were nearing the the escalator the other tourists became a bit rowdy and started pushing the others towards the escalator. My sister and I got alarmed because there was a possibility that we will get crushed amidst the crowd.

The crowd just before the escalator.

Eventually we gave up and spotted a nearby shop. Tidbits galore! More like Chinese fruit preserves galore! Hahaha I just love kiamoy and stuff. So we bought some then went around. 

When we have finished exploring the place we decided to go back to the bus terminal and waited for our bus ride to Putra Terminal (Gombak Station) which is on the end of the pink line. We were supposed to wait for the 5pm bus but decided to ask the dispatcher if we can take an earlier bus. Good thing he agreed but we had to be placed on the waiting list. 

The cable car that we did not get to ride.

The ride is much shorter. But the ride on the train was longer. We went down Dang Wangi station and walked towards Bukit Nanas (blue line). 

Petronas Towers from Dang Wangi Station

An interesting shop

We had to cross the street to get to the Bukit Nanas stations. Unlike in Singapore or Hong Kong interchanges are located in the same building but in KL sometimes you need to walk across the street to get to the other line.

On our way to Bukit Nanas we passed by the only virgin forest left in the city. From Bukit Nanas we went down Imbi. Walked back to Capitol Hotel to rest. 

My sister wanted to stop by and try the local street food. I think we paid 1 RM for a stick of 3 fish balls. Expensive huh? But the fish balls were so big too.

Dinner was at Berjaya Times Square just beside Imbi Station. I expected a lot from the places since they say there are levels and levels of stores in it but aside for a few good shops it was more like going to Greenhills. Tiange stores left and right. The structure looked grand but the stores I did not enjoy much. Or maybe because some stores were closed due to the holiday.

We went round and ended up eating at Tepanyaki (I know not so local food right?) but our dinner was great. 

Seafood Teppanyaki - my dinner

Chicken Teppanyaki - Cat's dinner

Forgot to post the Maki. See it's in the middle ;)

Malaysia - Exploring Kuala Lumpur Day 1

My sister and I left Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal by 5 in the afternoon and arrived at Bukit Jalil Terminal past 8pm. Unfortunately the rain poured just as the bus parked inside the terminal. It was hard to find the Bukit Jalil LRT Station since it was getting dark and it was raining. The terminal was actually only a car park with make shift tents. So we decided to ask the bus driver who was happy to show us the way. 


So from Bukit Jalil we took the train going to Hang Tua LRT (Malaysia Transit Network Intergration Map) then walked  towards the direction of Berjaya Times Square since our hotel was located near it. It took us a good 10 minutes walk from Hang Tua which was okay since we were sitting for 3 hours in the bus. 


I booked with Capitol Hotel based on a recommendation of an online friend. The hotel was nice and just right for its price since the room especially the bathroom was clean. The location was great too since it was in the center of the shopping district! :) I'll write more about the hotel after I finish with our trip. 


So anyway, check in was okay though the staff needs to go more customer service training. I think she was lucky I used to work in the front desk so I was more patient with her. Other guests would have a hard time. Story later. 


After checking in and settling down, I called up my Chinese Malaysian friend who is an ex - colleague. She and her husband picked us up and droved us around town. First stop was Jalan Alor - a street near by our hotel which was famous for their hawker center. True enough we had mee goreng and chicken and pork satay for dinner. 

Jalan Alor                                              

People from all races can be seen here

the place was really crowded

me with my friend, Angel

but i think my sister loved the pork and chicken satay
there were only two pieces left
when we realized we haven't taken any pics of our food.

we were hungry so we just digged in
i love singapore's mee goreng more though and the thing
looks different too.

After dinner, we went to see the Petronas Twin Towers. It was funny to find out that my friend though she was now based in KL for a few months have never taken a picture with the Petronas Towers as the background at night. She was just like a tourist as me and my sister were! The building was really a site to behold. Lucky we still had time to take pictures before the lights were turned off since my friend's hubby said that they turned it off by 12 midnight.

Since it was Chinese New Year, my friend also took us to the Thean Hou Buddhist Temple. The temple is one of the biggest in Kuala Lumpur and a lot of the locals visit the place during the Chinese New Year. True enough when we got there the place was full even if it was already past 11. I think this is the most red set of photos I have taken to date. A real experience for me and my sister.

As it was already getting late, Angel took us back to the hotel. But it did not stop us from taking more pics. :)

the KLCC Tower from a far

Menara Public Bank which is directly across the Petronas Twin Towers.