Day 1
After taking an overnight flight with Malaysia Airlines from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur we arrived just after 6.00 p.m. local time. On reaching border control, the biometric fingerprint devices weren’t working properly so this slowed us down but eventually we were reunited with our luggage and on our way.
Before leaving home we’d purchased two return tickets for the KLIA Ekspres at RM90 (£15.17 each), a saving of 10% from buying them at the station. The rail journey into KL Sentral took just 28 minutes and was very comfortable with ample space to store luggage.
As we were already in possession of Touch ‘N Go transit cards from a previous visit, we went over to one of the ticket machines to top them up only to discover they had expired meaning that we had to buy new ones from the ticket office causing further delays. Each card cost RM20 (£3.70) including RM5 for the card and RM15 journey credit.
It was then slightly later than expected that we checked into the Ramada Suites by Wyndham KLCC where we received a warm welcome and were soon settling into our comfortable suite which boasted panoramic city views.
After freshening up, we took a stroll through the vibrant city centre reacquainting ourselves with the sights and sounds of Kuala Lumpur before enjoying a delicious meal at one of the many outdoor restaurants on the famous food street of Jalan Alor.
Day 2
We started the day with a hearty breakfast in the attractive surroundings of the hotel’s 9th floor restaurant which has an open-air infinity pool to one side. After tucking in to a vast selection of both Malaysian and western dishes we were ready for a day of sightseeing.
The KL Menara Tower was located quite near the hotel so we took a walk towards there first. The tower is the 7th tallest telecommunications tower in the world and the tallest in South East Asia standing at 421m high. There’s an observation deck and revolving restaurant at 300m but we just viewed the tower from ground level. The Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve (also referred to as the KL Forest Eco Park), surrounds the tower and is a tropical rainforest reserve covering 9.3 hectares.
From there we headed to the Telekom Museum (entrance free) which was nearby. The museum is housed in a beautiful old colonial building which was formerly the telephone exchange and has been open as a museum since 1985.
This fascinating museum traces the history of telecommunications in Malaysia from the 1870s up to the present. Exhibits include early Morse code equipment, telephones, switchboards, marine and railway communications.
Our morning walk then took us along to Merdeka Square (Independence Square) where the Union flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31st August 1957 on a 311ft (95m) flagpole, said to be one of the tallest in the world.
Surrounding the square are many buildings of historical interest, one of which being the Sultan Abdul Samad building now used as government offices. Opposite, lies the Royal Selangor Club which was founded in 1884 as a meeting place for high ranking members of the British colonial society with its cricket pitch still evident.
To the north of the square stands St. Mary’s Anglican Cathedral where we were able to look inside with a helpful guide pointing out two commemorative plaques of visits by the late Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The first of which was in 1989 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and more recently in 1998 when the Queen attended the official opening of the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Leaving the church we made our way to the southern corner of the square to take a look in the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery which is free to enter and relates the story of Kuala Lumpur past and present through scale models of the city. Outside is the iconic ‘I love KL’ sign where we paused to take photos.
Moving on, we took a stroll along the River of Life boardwalk. This colonial walk along the banks of the Gombak and Klang rivers features attractive cafes and seating. The river walk leads past some of the most significant buildings constructed during British rule, the pathways taking us past the Old Post Office, the Straits Trading Building and the rear of the Sultan Abdul Saman building which looked much more attractive from this side.
It was at the confluence of these two rivers, the point where the two meet, that the first settlements of the city sprang up as Kuala Lumpur actually means ‘muddy estuary’ in the Malay language. We continued across a wooden footbridge over the Gombak River that led us to the High Court.
This elegant building boasts distinctive cupola topped towers on each of its four corners. Twice an hour lots of jets along the boardwalk spray water into the rivers creating a fountain extravaganza for all to see.
The River of Life trail ends at the Central Market, an Art Deco style building which until the 1980’s functioned as a wet market. Nowadays it’s a warren of handicraft and souvenir stalls popular with tourists. We called into one of the cafes for cooling drinks of watermelon juice and coconut water.
Feeling refreshed, it was then just a short walk to Petaling Street, the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown. This covered street decorated with a canopy of red and gold lanterns contains dozens of Chinese shops and food stalls selling anything and everything.
After a rest back at our hotel we took the GO KL free bus across to KLCC Park from where we took photos of the famous Petronas Towers. Around the far side of the complex lies a park with fountains and a paddling pool which seemed popular with young children. We then spent some time looking around the upscale Suria Mall located beneath the Petronas Towers until darkness fell. It was then time to go back outdoors once again so that we could watch the 8.00 p.m. Fountain Light Show which is choreographed to music and very impressive.
The performance lasts approximately 15 minutes and during that time we moved around to different parts of the park to view the performance from various angles. We then glanced in some of the large stores in Bukit Bintang before returning to our hotel for the night.
