Malaysia: Petronas Towers

I think one of the reasons people visit Kuala Lumpur is because of the Petronas Towers. The reason: it's tall and indeed picturesque.It is one of the many recognizable emblem of Malaysia. For a while it has been the tallest buildings in the world until 2004 when the Taipei101 beat it.

There is a mall beneath it where one can shop or even just have lunch before or after viewing the structure.

Apart from just viewing it from afar, there are some activities within the structure like riding up until reaching the skybridge. It is in between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.It is not directly bolted to the main structure, but is instead designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it from breaking during high winds. The bridge is 170 m (558 ft) above the ground and 58 m (190 ft) long, weighing 750 tons.The same floor is also known as the podium, since visitors desiring to go to higher levels have to change elevators here. The skybridge is open to all visitors, but free passes (limited to 1700 people per day) must be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors are only allowed on the 41st floor as the 42nd floor can only be used by the tenants of the building.

But still, I think the challenge here for any shutterbug or traveler is take that ultracool and amazing Petronas Towers shot. Here are some of the best Petronas Towers shot I found from the net (wikipedia)!!! Amazing!!!

 

 

 

 

and my shots of course using Holga my lomocam =)

 

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur City Scenes

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One can sure have a love-hate relationship with this place.
For one, my arrival in Kuala Lumpur was not a good experience at all. Maybe it was the schedule or the time, since it was already the wee hours of the morning, plus the added stress of having slept inside the airport and the stress of having to travel to Kuala Lumpur and arriving to yet another terminal and the fiasco with an Indian Haggler. Read below and you'll know.

Now I want to ask, if there are other travelers viewing my site...if youve been to Kuala Lumpur and honest to goodness enjoyed every minute of it? I really want to know. Maybe I needed some perspective.

So anyway, the Malaysia trip is relatively short since I went straight to Singapore, and only came back and stayed at a hostel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur called Haven Hostel. Finding Haven Hostel is yet another lost and found story...spent a good hour walking around the area trying to find it.
Let's focus on the nice things about Malaysia.

1. Malaysia is truly asia!!! Because of super diversified populace. Chinese, Malays, Indians, Arabs peacefully cohabiting. Interesting! If not a bit surreal.I think Malaysia is the grittier sister. Singapore is more Westernized.

3. Food! Singaporean and Malaysian food are both savory. But Malaysian food...one of the best!!!Peanut sauce and chicken and lamb satays the best!! And Jalan Alor is the bomb.It is a street where a lot of hawker food stalls are installed. Hawker food is what's typical turo turo or carinderia (small eatery) to us Filipinos. Malaysian food is yum yum yum.

4. The Kuala Lumpur Monorail. I took this ride to be able to get to Bukit Bintang, Malaysia where my hostel was located. Riding it is a novelty. Since of course the train runs on only one wheel, or attachment as opposed to the local Metrorail system.

5. The City Scenes. Bukit Bintang sort of looks like the middle class neighborhood of Makati and Jalan Alor looked like the back sides of Ortigas and Makati. Seriously, but it's a weird feeling. It's a city of course, what would one expect. But there are lots of weird yet interesting things going on like the a gold man on the street, stalls selling durian, and a lot more. There's a vast amount of energy in the place.

 

5. The Petronas Towers. I went to the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Then to the mall beneath the structure. It was hot and tiring.But a trip to Petronas is something one should really experience. Well it used to be the world's tallest buildings before being surpassed by Taipei 101 in 2004 However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world.