TBJ TRAVELS: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Diaries 1: Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC Park and Batu Caves

Hi guys! Do you feel like going to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today and in the next two days? I'll be recounting my awesome trip in this beautiful city this week on the blog so hop on! :D

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is a 3 hours and 50 minutes ride from Manila-I went there for a blog collaboration and a birthday vacation. My ride was booked with Philippine Airlines, but strangely, PAL does not have direct flights to KL and their partner courier is Malaysian Airlines System so my MNL-KL-MNL trip was with the latter. I think this is the case with direct flights to KL, but if you want to do a stopover somewhere (like Singapore), you may choose another airline company.

So this is the HUUUUUGE Kuala Lumpur International Airport. There's KLIA 1 and KLIA 2: The former is for the luxury airlines and the latter for the budget airlines. My plane docked at KLIA 1. It's a gorgeous airport with a jungle tour area (as featured in the photo) where people can kill time while waiting for their departure. It was my first time in KL and I didn't have a hard time finding my way around as there were sufficient signs that led me to where I was supposed to go, not to mention it's so organized and almost every Malaysian can speak and understand English.

KLIA 1 and KLIA 2 are connected by a tram. How I wish we have this in the country so it wouldn't be a hassle to go around NAIA 1, 2, 3, and 4! Also, the LRT in the city has a railway that connects all the way to airport so you may take it if you don't want to spend so much on taxi fare (which is pretty expensive, btw).

The hotel I stayed in was Traders Kuala Lumpur, which is 45 mins.-1 hour away from the airport, depending on the traffic. Traders is located in KLCC, which is approximately 8 minutes away from the Petronas Twin Towers! It is also proximal to the main tourist spots such as Bukit Bintang, Pasar Seni, Merdeka Square, and Jalan Alor.

Here's my room. It's good enough for three people and it's fronting the Petronas Twin Towers! How lovely! During my stay, I would always wake up to the majestic view of the towers-such a dream come true. :D

Traders is also home to the famed SkyBar, a party place that offers a scenic view of KLCC. It's best to go here at night time!

Let's go to Petronas Twin Towers after the cut!

Traders also offers free Buggy rides to Suria KLCC and Petronas Twin Towers, but are limited to hotel guests only. It doesn't operate when it's raining or if there's a typhoon though. If by walking, Traders is approximately 8-10 minutes away from Petronas Twin Towers and Suria KLCC, and 4 minutes if by the Buggy ride. 

 I would suggest walking though because you'll pass by the gorgeous KLCC Park!

Public pool at the KLCC Park. KLCC stands for Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, which is right behind Traders Hotel too. :)

The beautiful Petronas Twin Towers. Don't you love the sexy details? The design of the building is inspired by Islamic architecture. It was once the tallest building in the world at 88 floors. The bridge that you see in the middle is called Sky Bridge, but you have to wait in line to go to that area and queue is pretty long, thus I wasn't able to visit it!

The mall right behind Petronas is Suria KLCC and right in front of it is a fountain that stages musical light shows every night!

 Petronas Twin Towers during the day.

A day after I arrived in KL, I scheduled a trip to Batu Caves, one of the famous tourist spots and must- visit sites in the capital.

Batu Caves is a limestone hill with a series of caves and is said to be over 400 million years old. It is a sacred place for the Hindu community of KL as they believe that this is the dwelling place of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War, Love, Victory, and Wisdom, and this is where they hold the Thaipusam festival every year as well. Distance between Batu Caves and KLCC is 13 km and travel time is around 30-45 minutes. I visited the area in the morning and good thing I did because the traffic situation going to Batu Caves around lunch time could get pretty bad. Also, it's best to go to this area during weekends as there's no work and school, therefore traffic is a little bearable. The best way to get to Batu Caves is by taxi-the train goes to Batu Caves, actually, but it could get delayed and you have to ride two trains to get here. If you don't mind getting lost in the city, then by all means, take the train! Well as I said, a majority of Malaysians can speak and comprehend English so you can ask around until you get to Batu Caves!

TIP: There are two kinds of cabs in KL: Teksi Exclusif (usually in color blue and are wagon vehicles) and the red cab. Teksi Exclusif's fare starts at 6RM (Approximately P70.00+) and the Red cab starts at 3RM (approximately P30.00+). For long trips, take the red cab! However, most taxis will give you a fixed rate (apparently, it's legal in KL), but the best part is, you can haggle.

 Entrance to Batu Caves. There's no entrance fee to access the caves, but there is a challenge…

You have to climb 272 steps to get to the cave! If you have a sedentary lifestyle, I would suggest warming up around the area by walking for at least 10-15 minutes, but I don't see any problem if you exercise frequently. 

There are monkeys that dwell in the area. They're pretty harmless, but they could get really mischievous and sneaky.

TIP: Hold on tight to your bags, cameras, smart phones, tablets, and food because if the monkeys snatch them from you, all you can only do is say goodbye!

The 200th step. That's how far I've gone!

Hah! Successfully got to the top of the steps! That was a good leg day! :D

Selfie at the caves to celebrate my triumph lol! Pardon the haggard look-272 steps was no joke, ha! :D

If you're daunted by the super long stairway or if you're wondering if it's worth the hike, here's a photo-the view is so worth it. You have to see it for yourself if you visit Batu Caves!

Statues of Hindu icons on the walls of the cave.

One of the temples inside the cave. You can experience the Hindu way of prayer by paying the temples a visit. They won't charge you for anything, but there are donation boxes within the temple area-please donate because it will help them maintain this place.

TIP: Temples are VERY sacred to the Hindu community so take it from me, when you see something like this, take off your shoes before stepping inside it-one of the caretakers of the temple got a little mad at me because I entered the area with my shoes on. It was an honest mistake though.

 This is the Dark Cave where most Bats and the endangered Arachnid Spider live.

There is an entrance fee to explore this cave, and price is anywhere between 6-10RM. (Approximately P70.00- P150.00+) I didn't visit it anymore because I had to go back to KLCC by 1pm for a meeting.

The Cave Villa where they have this huge pond. You also have to pay an entrance fee to enter this area.

A gigantic statue of Hanuman, one of the prominent figures in Hinduism. He played an important role in Ramayana.

A temple dedicated to Hanuman.

My final stop for the day was the Ramayana Cave, the newest tourist attraction in the area. Entrance is 2RM. (Approximately P30.00+)

At the entrance of this cave, you'll be greeted by the longest and biggest steel Hindu chariot in the world.

 As the name implies, this cave features the epic story of Ramayana.

The sleeping giant.

So that's all for today! We've already covered two of the top tourist spots in KL. Check back tomorrow and let's go shopping! :D