" KL "
Trip Start
Jun 07, 2004
1
48
50
Trip End
Nov 27, 2004
Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan,
Malaysia
Sunday, November 21, 2004
It's a comfortable bus ride and I find the ' Travellers Backpackers Guesthouse ' with no difficulty. It's located in the Chinatown area. My new bed is in a long dormitory, with a balcony. Locally there is a KFC and a very busy market selling all manner of snack food. Along with dorm mates Rob ( Holland ) and stuttering Tim ( English ) a cunning plan is hatched to go by metro train to the 452 meter high Petronas towers. The world's second tallest tower building.
Previously the tallest , it was recently overtaken by the 509m skyscraper Taipei 101, in Taiwan. That too shall be overshadowed soon by the not-yet- completed Burj Dubai, at 555m. The Petronas towers stand majestically in what is otherwise a pretty nondescript Asian city, I have to say
1 Petronas Towers
. Made from 88 floors of reinforced concrete and sheathed in steel and glass ( with Muslim imagery ), the towers are joined together by a 2 storey sky bridge. A glass walkway that bridges the gap between the towers at floors 41 and 42, a mere 170 meters above the ground. Today, we are going to visit that skyway - " a portal to the sky.. a door to the infinite " to quote the architect Cesar Pelli. Free passes are handed out to a maximum of 1700 people per day who must queue in the buildings lower lobby area. Stuttering Tim offers to wait in line, while Rob and I wander around the gargantuan Suria KLCC shopping mall at the base of the towers. There is a paved recreation area outside with jogging paths and wading pools ( ? ) We get some coffee from the Starbucks outlet there and sit gazing blankly at the 21st century cityscape around us. It reminds me a little of the corporate world I voluntarily left behind, namely the Canary Wharf development in London. Where bankers and businessmen occupy desks in high rise offices alongside vast retail parks, soothing water features and landscaped areas of green space. I smile to myself as I reaffirm my decision. This is not the kind of synthetic world I was destined to live in.
With our tickets in hand, Te-te-te Tim, Rob and I are guided to one of the shuttle elevators that zoom up and down to the staging post at floors 41/42. Beyond this are a second bank of elevators serving the top half of the building. Within the two halves, elevators are grouped into short haul and mid haul. If an elevator fails, another can be driven manually alongside it and a connecting door opened so passengers can step across and be whisked way with no fuss. But once inside the sky bridge, I must say it's all a bit of an anticlimax
2 Petronas Towers
. The floor is carpeted. I was hoping it might be glass. Such as in Toronto's CN tower. Where in addition to glass floors, visitors are actually allowed to experience what's its like standing outside the structure on a small circular platform at 447m. Never mind. I visit Kuala Lumpur's main post office to despatch some parcels by airmail. The postal rates in KL are very cheap, cheaper than Thailand. With less to carry, I make my way from the hostel to the central railway station and purchase a ticket on tomorrows express train to Singapore. I decide to travel first class, for a laugh. It's very cheap. Back at the Travellers Backpackers Hostel, I regret having to ask the front desk to do some of my laundry again, since it has not been done properly. My jeans still have mud on them which I feel I should not be expected to tolerate.
Next ; Shopping in Singapore
