Day Two - Kuala Lumpur

Our last day in KL took us to the Petronas Towers, up the KL Tower and a visit to Chinatown.

We made the short walk to the Towers and it is undoubtedly an awesome structure, Its cladding appears to be made of stainless steel and it gives a great effect.

Tickets are free for the viewing bridge but to obtain one it is necessary to be in queue by 7 a.m. This we were not prepared to do and opted to pay the fee at the KL Tower instead.

The interior of the Petronas Towers was like Bluewater but multiplied by at least two and the trouble with KL and shopping is that it sucks you in and chews up your time. To be honest, whilst it is very classy it was a bit like John Lewis’ - a bit mundane after the first 20 minutes, unless you have pots of money to spend in very up-market, designer stores.

We walked to the KL Tower and at its foot there is a free shuttle bus that takes you to its entrance and we were glad of it as it is some hill to negotiate. On paying our fee we found that at the age of 55 we were classified as senior citizens and entitled to a RM3 (50p) reduction. Our first-ever OAP concession! The elevator whisks you up the 50-odd storeys to the viewing gallery at a speed that made my ears pop on the way down.

It was a clear day and we could see the sprawl of towering buildings for miles. Probably the only disappointment is that the Petronas Towers are viewed side-on which lessens their effect.


From the KL Tower we walked to Dang Wengi subway for a couple of stops ride to Chinatown where we alighted at Putra Seni. A kindly lady pointed us in the direction of Central Market and Chinatown itself as we peered into a map outside the station.

Central Market was a sort of mall of craft shops, a pleasant walk round, but we bought nothing. A Chinese warrior caught our eye but the RM1290 price tag certainly didn’t.

A short walk into Chinatown brought us a different dimension of shopping. Here was the hustle and bustle of the street sellers. The latest releases on DVD, all the top brands, Addidas to Reebok, shirts to shoes, luggage and watches, Rolex to Timex - all, of course, FAKE. But we have learned from Thailand that fake doesn’t necessarily mean poor quality. I’ve “Lacoste” shirts that have been washed endlessly for the past five years and are still in good nick. So armed with this confidence I bought half-a-dozen more at prices ranging from £3 to a scandalous £7, some flashy Lacoste sneekers for a tenner, whilst Ann indulged herself with a Gucci handbag and wallet.

It is rather to our shame that in the heart of Chinatown we spotted a Swiss Hotel and chose to eat burger and chips which was nice enough but hardly in keeping.

As said before, we got sucked in by the shopping and could have done with an extra day for more cultural sightseeing.

Overall we liked KL. Making a comparison with Bangkok it was far cleaner and less polluted. Chinatown was wonderful fun with its bustle and the Petronas Towers will live in the memory.