Our first foray into Kula Lumpur III

Soon enough, we left the sanctified premises of Pavillion for the real KL - Jalan Alor. Jalan Alor was formerly a red-light district. Today, it has gone through a series of makeovers and has been touted as a gastronomical heaven -read- tourist trap - read -rip-off.

Our Asian bodies blended well with the Malaysian crowd and we were spoken to in Cantonese and subsequently charged Malaysian prices.  YAY!

The quality of the food was slightly disappointing though. For something that had received so much hype, we had expected a more tasty experience. Our stomachs were too full for barbecued chicken wings, but we hear that the wings at the end of the street have a cult following. Tired and very full, we headed back to our five star palace for the night.

As soon as day broke, we made our way to the KL tower. Since we missed the opportunity to visit the Petronas Tower, we paid for a ride up the KL tower.

Kl's Cityscape in 2008.
a mess of skyscrapers

Our next stop was Batu Caves - 15KM away from central Kula Lumpur. This is one of the best attractions here in KL and not to be missed!

Dedicated to Lord Murugan, this Hindu Limestone cave is said to be around 400 million years old. In order to reach the shrines held inside these caves, we had to climb up a whopping 272 steps!

Last but not least, we visited the merdeka square. Although the sun was relentless, I really liked the Merdeka Square because it had a fountain next to it and it was clam and tranquil, almost taking us back to a time in the past, where things where Kula Lumpur was not so busy.

our first foray into Kula Lumpur II

After more than an hour of waiting at the terminals, an old rickety white van pulled into the parking lot and we were herded into the back of the van together with ten other tourists. Swerving dangerously through KL traffic, our white van deposited us at our five-star accommodation within the hour.

Berjaya Times Square standing majestically in the clouded smoky sky

Our baking bodies still moist from the antique van, we were ushered through automated doors and into a swanky reception area for check-in. The fifth largest building in the world had glitzy, shinning marble tiles, potted plants, plastic flowers and a lacklustre air-conditioning. Our rooms although a far cry from a back packer's hole, were tired and worn-out.

the swanky reception area

Fortunately, there were floors upon floors of shopping to keep us entertained. All the usual suspects were here - Mango, Zara, Borders etc. If you could possibly name it, Berjaya Times Square has it! :)

G however was quickly bored. So we snuck into Modesto for a quick lunch pizza break.

floors of shopping that will leave one spoilt for choice.

The lower levels house luxury boutiques, while the upper levels house are crammer with smaller stalls conspicuously fronting pirated version of luxury products. Following the trail of hand-written signs, we were also led us to small makeshift kiosk  selling pirated DVDs.

Borders opened their largest franchise here in Berjaya Times Square!

Berjaya Times Square also houses an Indoor Theme Park. Tickets are cheap and include all rides :)

After a quick-bite, we made the decision to (em)brace the effing hot city. Our first scheduled stop was the Petronas Towers - a 20 minute walk from Bukit Bintang.

the crowds at Bukit Bintang

Aloha - a popular nightclub.

But alas, the tickets were all sold out! We hear that one has to brave the queues in order to snag tickets to the Petronas Tower. As the tower was closed on Mondays, we would not be able to climb the bridge on this vacation.

G and I monkeying around

must take as many shots as possible since we can't go up the tower!

Our spirits still high, we trekked back to Bukit Bintang and found yet another splendid mall to cool down at.

The malls in KL are definitely bigger and posher than the malls along Singapore's Orchard Road, yet the people of KL prefer to stay outside in the sweltering heat rather than take comfort in the air-conditioning.

WHY?!

Perhaps it is the architecture of the shopping malls. The big and airy walkways of Pavilion gives one the sense that one would not be able to afford anything behind the fragile glass panels - they are nice for viewing and display; certainly not for buying! The streets of KL are a lot more chaotic  and disorderly - bright neon lights fronting tiny shop houses and a million people crowded round bikini-clad pole girls, thrusting beer bottles into the air.

our first foray into Kula Lumpur.

In the summer of 2008, G and I booked a tour to Kula Lumpur via transtar buses. G had just finished a short internship with a government school here in Singapore, while I was wrapping up a module called "Understanding the Universe".  We had been working very hard that summer and decided to book ourselves on a short getaway to neighboring Malaysia. Kula Lumpur came immediately to mind as we are the kind of tourist who shun beach vacations, preferring to experience the locale rather than a sunburn!

Our first stop was Lavender Street (Singapore). All the huge coach companies operate out of this predominantly Thai shopping complex. After some contemplation, we made a deal with Transtar because they not only had the most competitive pricing but also value for money. We highly recommend this company! For only SGD230 per person, we were booked on 3D2N stay in Kula Lumpur inclusive of taxes, accommodation for 2 nights at Berjaya Times Square, complimentary breakfast, complimentary indoor theme park tickets and pick up from bus terminal to hotel and a return ticket on Transtar Premium coaches.

Since this was our first time to Kula Lumpur, we planned to visit as many places of attractions as possible.

Here's my extremely ambitious pre-trip list of things to do! :)

1) Get on the sky-bridge of Petronas Twin Tower
(2) KLCC shopping mall
(3) Sunway Lagoon
(4) Batu Caves
(5) EYE of Malaysia
(6) Jalan Alor-the famous/notorious food street!
(7) Bukit Bintang- The Golden Triangle
(8) Mid-Valley Mega Mall
(9)Chinatown/petaling street
(10) Central Market
(11) KL tower
(12) Merdeka Square
(13) play bumper cars in the theme park!
(14) the deer park
(15) The lake Gardens

In retrospect, I regret not having planned our trip round the amazing food available in Kula Lumpur! The tourist sights are nothing to shout about and I've bold the ones worth visiting.

Premium class seats on Transtar

These seats were rather comfy though dated. They also double up as massage chair but that function didn't really work. G's massage gave our a low rumble each time we hit "ACTIVATE."

We each also had small personalized screens with on demand entertainment - pretty useful for the long 6 hour drive to Kula Lumpur.

We left Singapore at 8am and arrived in the heart of Kula Lumpur slightly after noon.

the long road to kula lumpur - coming up!

Hold your Horses!

I'm about to embark on a new string of posts on Kula Lumpur. G and I recently returned from a visit to Kula Lumpur, our second visit. Our first visit was made in 2008.

Stay tune to read about our KL adventures!