FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 42

March 24, 2016 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 42 

Monday, March 7th

  • Quoted from Reflections, our daily printed shipboard update “Crystal Cruises is pleased to provide complimentary shuttle service from the pier to the Bukit Tinggi Shopping Mall in downtown Port Kelang (sic). Service begins at 9:30 am and is scheduled to run every 30 minutes on the hour and half-hour. The drive to the Bukit Tinggi Shopping Mall takes approximately 30 minutes. The last shuttle leaves at 4:30 pm. Please note that the Bukit Tinggi Shopping Mall doesn’t open until 10:00 am and there are no other points of interest in that immediate area.”

Borobudur,Indonesia 2016 78

  • So who wants to guess what we are going to do today? Certainly not that! The movie is Avengers: Age of Ultron. So I am pretty sure it’s “read a good book day!” Or maybe some smoochy, smoochy?

FUN-fact – Petronas Towers is closed on Monday and so glad I booked it ahead of time and knew that!

Komodo Island, Indonesia 2016 64

More FF – Any idea what this is? A mushroom on a downed tree trunk with the sun doing its best to peek through the heavy tree canopy in Komodo.

FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 41

March 23, 2016 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 41 

Sunday, March 6thKuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2016 27

  • Technically we docked at Port Klang and it took over an hour by bus to get to KL (as it is lovingly referred to.) Thank god it was Sunday and the traffic was light!
  • Welcome to Kuala Lumpur officially known as “The Knockoff Capital of the World.” That’s right. You can buy any high end, name brand item for only $50 and $10 if you’re really, really, really good at bargaining!
  • And these here on your left are the “Big Boys”– Petronas Towers and KL’s claim to fame. They were the official titleholder of the Tallest Building in the World from 1998 to 2004, until that nasty Taipei 101 took over the top spot. That was a big blow! But for the record – they still hold the #1 title for – Tallest Twin Towers.
  • And this is where you don’t want to be if you are claustrophobic and/or acrophobic. Never wanting to concede to fear, and actually having both of those phobias, I took on the towers! What I wasn’t expecting was what happened inside the elevator. As it began to rise, all three walls transformed into a movie screen, simulating a glass elevator with the outside view. I kept my eyes fixated on the floor. And focused on not panicking!Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2016 11
  • Fortunately it was a really, really fast ride to the top. But then the doors opened and all I could see was floor-to-ceiling glass in all directions. YIKES! Thankfully floor 86 was large enough that I could stand in the middle and not totally freak out.
  • These side-by-side soldiers stand tall at 452 meters with 88 floors in total. The design of each tower is based on simple Islamic geometric forms of two interlocking squares, creating a shape of eight-pointed stars in steel and glass. Too bad for us as the double decker 42nd floor glass Sky Bridge that connects the two towers was closed for renovations.
  • Like New York’s SoHo flea market the 120 year-old Central Market is filled with everything from clothing to carvings and food to fabrics.
  • Just outside from the market and down a couple of blocks is the small colonial district that dates to the 1880’s. And the city is filled with a wide variety of temples that range from Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, and Mosques.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2016 3

  • Petaling Street is the China Town of KL, a colorful and bustling market with rows and rows of stalls hawking everything you can imagine, even Rolex watches! Hey, there was even a guy roasting chestnuts over an open fire! In March. In 100 degree weather. In Malaysia. Who knew they even ate them?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2016 31

FUN–fact – KL is working very hard to be in the same league as a Singapore or Hong Kong (but it’s still a 3rd world country.)

Not so FF – S & S (stand & squat) toilets are the norm. I was really, really, really lucky to find ONE handicap stall with a western toilet at the mall where the bus dropped us off.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2016 2