2007 South East Asia – Kuala Lumpur

Part 4: Kuala Lumpur

A short taxi ride to the airport, then an hour and a half flight to Kuala Lumpur, followed by another taxi ride and we had arrived at the Sheraton Imperial KL. Once checked in we took some time to enjoy the amazing view from our suite at the 32nd floor over the Petronas Twin Towers, which was in one word breathtaking. We unpacked our backpacks and stored everything for the next couple of days, a butler took care of the essential ironing ( 6 complimentary pieces) and just before we left to Chinatown a maid knocked at the door asking if she could turn our bed down. Now how posh can you get……

In Chinatown the busy streets and countless stalls filled with merchandise overwhelmed us. “Watch sir?” “Do you want a bag sir?” “New released DVD’s sir!!!…” “Wallet sir?” “This is a genuine copy sir, a real watch!” From everywhere salesmen tried to catch our attention and tempt us in their shop with ‘official’ products. It was difficult to find our way through the crowds and you won’t be surprised that some hours later both of us left Chinatown with a new, ‘genuine’ watch each. We finished the evening at a restaurant in the vicinity of the hotel after which we returned to our suite. By now it was completely dark and the Petronas Towers were totally lit up, creating a fantastic view of stainless steel and glass.

We decided to sleep with the curtains open so we would have a good view when we waked up the next morning. That turned to be a very wise decision!  We had set the alarm at 6.00 and around that time the sun was setting exactly behind one of the towers, creating a halo around it.

After breakfast we took the underground to the Petronas Twin Towers as we wanted to make sure to get one of the 1400 tickets to go to the bridge.

That worked out fine and as we had some time to kill before going up we visited the nearby shopping center. That was absolutely amazing, no fakes over here, only real Prada, Guci, Louis Vuitton and so on. The prices were also slightly different but that was to be expected.

Before we realized it was our turn to go up to the flyover bridge which was located at the 41st floor. First we saw a really interesting documentary on how the towers were built and then we took the high speed elevator to the 41st floor. We only were allowed 10 minutes on the bridge, far to short, so we made sure we enjoyed every moment of it. What a view!

Once back with our feet on ground floor we took a taxi to another ‘highlight’ in Kuala Lumpur, the KL-tower where we had lunch in a rotating restaurant. Whilst enjoying some nice food we enjoyed the skyline of Kuala Lumpur. It was so nice we almost forgot to eat….

In the evening we went to a nice Portuguese restaurant opposite our hotel where we met the owner. With them we had a fantastic conversation about our shared passion for food and he asked us to return on our last evening for a 6 course tasting dinner. Who were we to refuse….

The next morning we took the bus to the Batu Caves, just outside KL. We strolled around a bot before we started our ascend on the stairs in front of the cave, 272 steppes to go. It was a long ascend but there was enough to see, colorful people, monkeys begging for food, so we reached the entrance before we realized it. The Batu Caves house some very sacred Hindu temples so there are always ceremonies going on. We were lucky as we ended up in the middle of a filmset, a great experience.

In the afternoon went back to town as we had decided to have another treat, a high tea at Carcosa Seri Negara, the former British governors residence. Unfortunately it started raining so we arrived soaking wet but this did not stop us enjoying this very special splurge.

In the evening we went back to China town, did some more shopping, had dinner and finally returned to our suite where, not long after we fell asleep and dreamt about all the things we had done on this trip.

We could hardly believe it, it was already our last day of a four week trip. We started the day of well with a luxuries breakfast after we enjoyed Kuala Lumpur for the very last hours. In the afternoon we relaxed at the steam bath of the hotel after it was time to pack our cases for the very last time this trip. It was time to go home…

At 6 o’clock we left our luggage with the concierge and went back to the Portuguese restaurant. Our final dinner and what dinner it was. Absolutely fantastic! We spent a great time with the owner and his girlfriend. Time flew by far to quick but it our holiday was over, time to go to the airport.

A taxi was arranged, we checked in, hung around at KL International Airport and according to schedule we took of for our 12 1/2 hour flight home. Back at Schiphol Bart was waiting for us. Another nice breakfast with him, Jolanda and the kids after which we drove home to Hillensberg. Another holiday was finished but how fantastic it had been. A holiday of a lifetime?? One can never get enough of that…

Journeys