Kuala Lumpur

The first time we flew to KL it was on the way to Japan right at the start of this amazing journey, we only had a 4 hour layover so never left the airport. The second time we flew to KL was part of the final stretch of this incredible journey and this time we got to explore this amazing city.
KL is another place that just comes to life at night, and I am completely biased though as I believe every city is better at night. I love how different the buildings look under artificial light and the way things sound differently, yeah I am a little strange but if you don't know that by now you've apparently not been reading my whole blog.

We only had seven night before we flew to Bali so chose a hotel that was nearly halfway from the airport and halfway from the main area where Petronas Towers are situated. The Leo Express Hotel it was nothing special but was not bad either for seven nights it cost us less than £100 so not too shabby.

We wasted the first couple of days as we were not able to access our money on our Claxton Card. For the first time this trip for some reason we were not able to transfer money from our UK bank accounts to the card with we have used all over the world. It sorted its self out within 48 hours though so we stopped being hermits and headed out on the short walk to the centre of KL. I always prefer walking as to getting taxi's or trains or buses when I am in a new place because you get to see more, you find awesome little bars, cafes, restaurants, markets, shops, etc. that you don't see or get to go into when using public transport. The walk took us through several different parts of town until we came to the KLCC Pedestrian Walkway. If you are ever in KL make sure when you can get on the walkway Bukit Bintang - KLCC Pedestrian Walkway is a 1.173km-long pedestrian bridge that connects Pavilion KL to Impiana KLCC Hotel and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The pure pleasure of being in an air conditioned walkway all the way to the centre of KL is a welcomed relief from the humidity in KL was outrageous when we were there.

The area surrounding The Petronas Towers is surprisingly relaxing for a busy, bustling part of town, the park with a public swimming pool, fountains, play areas, and public amenities its great to walk around and the views of the towers and surrounding high-rise buildings are breathtaking. The shopping mall at the base of the towers is huge, and we got some of the best food we have had on this trip in the food court. For just £2,60 this was half of the food we ordered KLCC Food Court Meal. We finished the afternoon with a couple of beers during happy hour and headed back to the hotel. I wanted to return to see the towers lit up at night but didn't want to cram everything into one day. We put the Apple TV I bought in Bangkok to good use on the flat screen TV we had in the hotel room, Lauren was loving having Netflix again after eight months of withdrawals, wow that's the first time I have used the word withdrawal since leaving Springbok Properties!! Not that I had many withdrawals haha.

I thought the Petronas Towers were spectacular during the day until I saw them after dark. The are honestly one of the best sights I saw while on this trip. The KL skyline is one of the most impressive so far and one I am extremely pleased to have seen. KL comes to life at night the area around the towers is always bustling with people, and the water fountain show is decent. As I said before the whole area just feels relaxed, there are hundreds of people in and around the park and towers but it never feels cramped, or you never feel rushed it is like you are walking around on your own without a care in the world. It's a strange feeling to have in such a big bustling city, but it is a welcomed change to the standard concrete jungle you get used to.

We refrained from doing the touristy things in KL simply on the basis I am tired of going to these tourist spots that have been ruined by locals with stall after stall of said attraction in a snow globe. Also after reading several reviews from recent visitors all advised they wasted money which as a Manc I hate doing. We didn't pay to go onto the bridge at The Petronas Towers because the beauty is the building itself that you see for free. The more I have travelled, the more I have ventured away from the tours and attractions and found excellent little places that are not the typical tourist spots. I have found sitting and drinking and eating with locals a lot more liberating than paying £50 to be taken on a guided predetermined tour of the attractions. My whole concept of travelling has changed since we left the UK at. First, we were jumping head first into anything and everything, but I guess that's the initial excitement of being on the road. Once we calmed down a little, we sat back and chose what we wanted to do that would get us the best experience of the said town, city or country we were in. 

I would like to revisit KL and maybe do it on a higher budget, stay at one of the hotels that have a view of the towers and experience the shopping centres as a holiday maker, not a backpacker. As a movie buff, it was awesome to be in the same place as Sir Sean Connery was pretty epic. If you have not seen Entrapment then give it a watch, it is a great film.

I enjoyed KL and regret not having more time there, but it is certainly on the list to return. Malaysia was the tenth country we have visited since we left the Uk in February, we still have four more to go so the travelling part of the trip is almost over and the new life in New Zealand will begin. We have seen so much and the time has flown by as I am writing this I am sat in my best mates house in Brisbane Australia I am still to write about Bali, Gili T, Perth and my East Coast Driving tour. As we have had a camper van for the last week, WiFi has been sporadic so I will be catching up over the coming days. 

I have also surpassed 300,000 page views which are something I never imagined would happen, and I can not thank people enough for the support. I am entering my blog into the TOP 50 TRAVEL BLOGS 2016 so I am hoping between first June and thirtieth September I have had sufficient views to place. I will keep everyone posted as per usual.

Take Care

Richard :)