Morning Walk: We woke up early and took a walk up to the Petronas Twin Towers, stopping to see the KL Tower on the way. We were hoping to get tickets to ride up to the forty-first floor of the Petronas Twin Towers, the lower level of the skybridge connecting the two towers. We had thought the tickers were handed out starting at 7:00, but it wasn't until 8:30 before they were available. Since we were to meet our guide for the day at 9:00, we walked back to the hotel empty handed.
After eating breakfast, we met our guide. This was booked as a private tour, rather than a group tour, so we could catch all the sites we didn't get a chance to see the day before.
Masjid Negara: Our first stop was at the Masjid Negara, Malaysia's National Mosque. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, with approximately sixty percent of its population being Muslim. Other major religions practiced in Malaysia include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and, to a smaller degree, Confucianism, Taoism, Animism, Folk Religion, and Sikhism. The main prayer hall of the mosque can hold up to 15,000 worshipers.
Dataran Merdeka & The Sultan Abdul Samad Building: A short drive brought us to Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). Originally the cricket grounds for the colonial administrators club, the Royal Selangor Club, it was here that the British Union Jack was lowered on August 30, 1957 and the new Malayan flag was raised at midnight on August 31, 1957. It now serves as the venue for the annual Hari Merdeka Parade, or National Day Parade.
Overlooking Dataran Merdeka is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. The building was built by the British to house a number of their colonial government departments. Notable for its Moorish architecture, it is now the home of the Ministry of Heritage, Culture and Arts.
Batu Caves: Driving about thirteen kilometers (eight miles) outside the city, we came to the Batu Caves. Within the Batu Caves are Hindu Temples dedicated to Lord Murugan, the God of War or the God of Victory. A 42.7 meter (140 feet) tall statue of Lord Murugan stands at the bottom of a 272-step staircase leading to the Cathedral Cave, the largest of three main caves. In the cave, several Hindu shrines can be found.
Muzium Negara: We next drove back into the city and stopped at the Muzium Negara, the National Museum. Our first stop was at the Istana Satu, a timber palace located on the grounds of the Muzium Negara. We then entered the main museum building, paid our entry fee, and visited each of the four main galleries: Early History, the Malay Kingdoms, the Colonial Era, and Malaysia Today. It told the story of Malaysia's early history; its rise as an important trading post between China and India, and later with continental Europe; its existence as a colony of first the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and finally the British; its occupation by Japan in World War II and its eventual unification and independence.
Kuala Lumpur means muddy confluence and was founded at the spot where two rivers came together. It was originally settled in 1857 as a tin mining town and many tin barges traveled these muddy rivers since its founding. The decline in the tin mining industry in the region has led to the disappearance of the tin mining barges.
Kuala Lumpur Railway Station: After spending about two hours at the National Museum, we headed back to the hotel, stopping at the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station to take pictures of its unique fusion of Eastern and Western architectural styles.
After arriving at the hotel, we had some lunch and then headed up to the room to take a nap while escaping the afternoon sun. Next on our list of landmarks was the KL Tower, from which we wanted to catch views of the city both in the daylight and in the dark.
Menara Kuala Lumpur: Now on our own, we walked to the Menara Kuala Lumpur, also known as the KL Tower. We timed our arrival at the tower to be just before sunset. We ascended the tower in the elevator, arrived at the observation deck and donned complimentary audio tour headphones for an overview of the city. After completing the audio tour, we awaited the sunset. Following sunset, we saw the Kuala Lumpur skyline at night.
A couple of hours after taking the trip up the tower, we stepped back into the elevator for the trip down. Upon reaching the bottom, we headed for the Animal Zone, included with our tower admission. There, we saw snakes, turtles, monkeys and raccoons, among other animals. We skipped the Pony Rides, which were available only to children, and the F1 Simulator, instead heading over to the Petronas Twin Towers to get a few night snapshots of that famous landmark.
Petronas Twin Towers: In 1998 the Petronas Twin Towers became the largest buildings in the world. They continued to hold that distinction until the completion of Taipei 101 in Taiwan in 2004. The towers took seven years to build and were constructed on top of the deepest foundations in the world, necessary due to the depth of the supporting bedrock. There are 88 floors in each building (8 being a lucky number), and Tower One is fully occupied by Petronas, the Malaysian national oil and gas corporation, and its affiliates, while the offices of Tower Two are leased to other companies.
Hard Rock Cafe: After spending some time photographing the Petronas Twin Towers, we headed back to the hotel, stopping at the Hard Rock Cafe on the way for a late dinner.