Kuala Lumpur Full-Day City Tour – Part 3

Malaysia Travel Blog: Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 6

National Mosque (Continued from Kuala Lumpur Full-Day City Tour – Part 2)

There were many reflecting pools and fountains throughout the mosque. A sense of tranquillity and peacefulness existed throughout the complex.

I noticed there was a point up to which non-Muslims can go inside the mosque. The employees were not letting visitors inside, which seemed to be the main prayer room, unless they were Muslims. 

Some of the Kuala Lumpur skylines were visible from the mosque. I saw 2 buildings connected on top, which looked like a boat, next to the St. Regis hotel. This building complex kind of looked like the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. I was not sure if these 2 buildings were a part of the St. Regis hotel or separate.

Independence Square & The King’s Palace

From the National Mosque, I headed to Independence Square. This is also known as Merdeka Square or Dataran Merdeka. Independence Square features a panorama of long-stretch, fascinating buildings in an array of architectural styles. Here the remnants of the British Empire are clearly visible.

The King Palace is the official residence of the Malaysian supreme king and a symbol of Malaysian sovereignty. The palace is made of many golden domes and structures influenced by Islamic-style architecture.

The palace complex was huge and tourists only can come close to the entrance gate. The main palace was far from the gate, but still visible.

I stopped at a few more locations here and there. I will be heading to the Batu Caves, which are located north of Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur Full-Day City Tour – Part 2

Malaysia Travel Blog: Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 5

Kuala Lumpur Cocoa Boutique

My tour guide took me to the tour vehicle, which was a car. It appeared that I was the only one on the tour, which was not a bad thing. Our first stop was at the Cocoa Boutique, the largest chocolate boutique in Malaysia.

There were more than 300 varieties of chocolate or chocolate-made art works. Some of them were really big, like a big dragon made of chocolate.

The personal chocolate guide there gave me a tour of the store, providing details on the history of chocolate and even how some specialty chocolates were made. Everything seemed to be overpriced and I didn’t buy anything. That place was crowded even in the early morning.

National Mosque

The next itinerary on the list was the National Mosque. This place was huge. I had to enter my name and country of origin and remove my shoes before entering the mosque. All of a sudden a man came out of nowhere, running towards me and trying to tell me something. I eventually discerned that he was saying Justin Trudeau was a very, very good man. He saw Canada next my name and came running to me just to tell me that.

The National Mosque architecture reflects contemporary traditional Islamic art with the help of calligraphy, ornamentation, and other past and present art works.

The roof of the mosque was the most strikingly designed and unique. It looked like a multi-fold umbrella that symbolizes the aspirations of Malaysia as an independent nation. The minaret is 73 metres high (240 ft) and the main roof has a 16-pointed star. 15,000 people can pray in the mosque together and it is situated among 13 acres (53,000 m2) of gardens in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Travel Blog: Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 4

Kuala Lumpur Full-Day City Tour – Part 1

On the 18th of December 2018, my first full day in Malaysia was scheduled to start with the Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour. The tour starts at 9, but I was expected to be at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTic), No. 109, Jalan Ampang by 8:45 AM.

I took a taxi from the hotel to reach the Malaysia Tourism Centre. The Uber version of a taxi was called Grab. I had to install the app the night before, as Uber no longer operated in Malaysia. It was morning rush hour with moderate traffic.

After reaching the destination, I got a little confused because the Malaysia Tourism Centre was a big area and I was not sure exactly where to wait for my guide. I went inside the building and asked a few people I saw. They pointed me to a spot outside the building, but within the boundaries to wait.

After waiting for a while, the guide appeared. He directed me to the tour car we would be using for the tour. It seemed like I was the only one on this tour – not a bad thing.

The Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour was a full-day, six-hour tour which would cover contemporary and ancient attractions in the greater Kuala Lumpur. We would be visiting the Petronas Twin Tower, the Batu Caves, Royal Selangor pewter factory, KL City Gallery, and the National Mosque.

Malaysia Travel Blog: Hotel Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 3

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur

After reaching DoubleTree Hilton, I gave the taxi driver a very good tip and entered the hotel building.  DoubleTree by Hilton is located in an office complex and a shopping mall building called The Intermark. Located in the heart of downtown Kuala Lumpur, its location couldn’t have been better. Everything was within walking distance, including Petronas Twin Towers.

Hotel reception was on the 2nd floor. The check-in receptionist acknowledged my Hilton Honors elite status and welcomed me to the hotel. Upon checking in, I was offered a welcome cookie that was huge. I found the lobby area spacious and impressive. Artworks adorned the walls and the lobby arrangement of lounges and various sitting sections were eye-catching and gave a sense of tranquility.

DoubleTree Hilton has one dedicated floor only for Hilton Honors members. I liked that it gave us special treatment, but I had one more surprise waiting in my room.

My stay was based on points redemptions and this was my best Hilton experience by far. My room was spacious and I had a full city view out the window. Even the bathroom area was huge. There was a motorized rolling screen to open or close the shade.

The king-size bed was luxurious and its mattress, pillows, and everything else stood up to the standard of Hilton. I had difficulty finding anything to complain about.

I finished taking videos for review on YouTube. After settling down and finishing my shower, I’d have to go out to eat. The advantage was that this was inside a mall, so I could just go to the mall food court to eat.

Malaysia Travel Blog: KUL Airport to Hotel Hilton

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 2

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Airport immigration was smooth and fast; the immigration officer did not ask a single question. Once I was out, it was time to arrange my taxi.

I researched before going from the airport to the hotel and I decided to take a coupon taxi. The process is fairly simple. I went to the taxi counter located right before the airport exit. At the counter, they asked for my address and what type of taxi I needed (luxury, budget, etc.). Once I paid for my budget taxi, they gave me a coupon and asked me to go to the transportation hub-specific gate to get the taxi.

Somehow, I ended up waiting at the wrong gate for the taxi. One nice lady helped me and pointed out the right gate. Once I was there, an attendant asked me to wait while he sent a cab from the queue.

I didn’t have to pay or even tip the taxi driver anymore. I still gave him a good tip, though.

The drive was about an hour long and it was raining a lot. Still, I noticed right away that Kuala Lumpur was very green. It’s hard not to notice. It looked like Malaysia cares about the environment and wants to decorate the whole city by nature’s way – lots of green trees everywhere as much as possible.

And they succeed. To maintain the greeneries everywhere, the city definitely had to continue ongoing maintenance for these trees.

The closer I was reaching my destination in downtown Kuala Lumpur, the roadside scenes were changing to citylike with lots of skyscrapers and highways. But still, the presence of green was everywhere, even in the heart of downtown.