Sightseeing and Celebrating, Kuala Lumpur

Oct 13 Kuala Lumpur, Sightseeing and Celebrating

Today is a veeeeery special day. Yes! Birthday time! It's nice to wake up in a luxury hotel and have a scrumptious breakfast buffet waiting for you.

Sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur is planned for the day with some nice dinner and drinks in the evening.

Since we just see the Hop On Hop Off Bus pull away when we walk there we decide not to wait half an hour but go straight to the Petronas Twin Towers for photo-op and then take the bus from there.

The disappointing fact is that the viewing platform in between the Towers is closed until December. The lucky part is that while looking around inside I saw a ticket for the Opera inside the Towers and they have a special Tribute to Sibelius (Finnish) on for this weekend. Since I like classical concerts occasionally and my Finnish friends like Sibelius we get some tickets for Saturday with a special student discount as well.

Tickets in hand we stroll through the attached mall, all super luxurious outlets. We get unlucky again at the Hop On / Hop Off stop since we just get to see the tail lights of the bus. So this time we really need to wait. When the bus finally arrives it's a big disappointment. The commentary isn't working, the staff is rude, the windows are dirty and covered with advertisement. We get off at the first stop, the KL Tower. Since we did not get up on the Petronas Towers we will enjoy the view from the KL Tower, I guess the 6^th tallest TV Tower in the world. Ticket prices are steep with 38 Ringgit (roughly 10 €). The views are great but unless you are under 10 years old they have nothing else to offer there (very much unlike the TV Tower in Shanghai) so we are quickly out again after taking our obligatory pictures.

Another wait for the bus, here's to hoping this one will be better. It is, but only marginally. We get stuck in a traffic jam and then decide to just get out at a stop near the shopping malls to look for another hotel. We need to move out of our 4 star place since it is a bit too expensive to be staying there for all the nights. We quickly find one, have some Lunch and back on the bus to continue the tour. There's a quick photo stop at the National Palace with the guards, very British copy-cat like. We do get out at the stop for the National Monument. But the National Monument is quite a while walk from the National Monument and since there are no reliable signposts and no one around to ask for directions we end up the wrong way so don't get to see the National Monument up close. We walk by the KL Bird Park and decide to just continue walking passing by 2 HO/HO stops to the National Mosque. This is the recreational area where a lot of things to do are. Bird Park, Butterfly Park, Observatory, Museums... so if you wanted to keep busy, there are plenty of options. We walk through the Islamic Arts Museum (kind of a shortcut) to the National Mosque. I had heard somewhere that it's nice to visit so we wait the 20 minutes till prayer time is over and non-muslim visitors are allowed in. We get to don a very sexy cover-all dress and headscarf and uniformly walk through the Mosque. By the main hall a Lady approaches us. She is a volunteer guiding people through the Mosque and if we are interested in a personal tour. Yes, but we do not have that much time. No problem, just follow me. She shows us how and where the people pray here throwing in comments how everyone in Islam is same and how great that is, but that the King has a separate entrance and women need to pray in separate areas etc. What's wrong with this sentence? We see the separate red carpets King entrance and she explains that during Friday prayers 12,000 people pray here legs and shoulders touching for all to fit in. More info on how great Islam is and that we are actually all born Muslims and she converted because Allah is our true god. There is also a muslim cemetery behind the National Mosque. As a special treat she leads us into the Prayer Hall and upstairs. This is were women pray, behind covers with small peepholes to look through. This area is off-limits to Non-muslims so it's nice to get in there. Since we've been following here for quite a while already I get a bit restless. There's still so much to do in the day. By now an Indian couple, a Australian guy and Polish girl have joined the 'tour' and ask plenty of questions. Now is the time to skip out and we politely excuse ourselves. She urges us to take some brochures on the way out and tell our friends about it. I didn't take any 'Hear the true story about Jesus Christ' brochures, but as you read this I am obviously telling friends about it :-)

It is so hot under the full length dresses and headscarves, I don't know how the ladies do it all day every day.

Sweaty we leave to wait again for the HO/HO bus. There would have been another one or two interesting stops but we are glad to skip them and just get back to the hotel to get ready for a nice birthday dinner. Since our hotel isn't good at recommending places we decide on the Hard Rock Cafe, Kuala Lumpur.

It doesn't disappoint. It's pricy but the quality is what you expect and true to form they sing Happy Birthday for you once dessert is served. A lady on the table right next to us is celebrating her 80^th birthday today, being married for over 50 years too and still going strong. Very cute Australian couple. I would have picked her for end 60s only. Let's hope that in 50 years time I will still have her energy and look 20 years younger.

I get wine and cocktails. Nachos for starters to share, a Burger each and then the Birthday Brownie to share for dessert. And damn are we stuffed. After the staff embarrassingly put me on the chair while the sing for me we happily divulge in the sinful Brownie and our cocktails. And damn are we stuffed. After getting some souvenirs at the Hard Rock Shop we literally waddle out of the Cafe. Since it is the birthday night we should go for cocktails somewhere else but right now we are too stuffed to even think about having a glass of water. We walk through a bar street past some clubs and bars that are surprisingly busy and happening. And after walking and walking and walking... still too full to have something else. Since you should do what you want on your birthday and not do what is expected... I wanna fall into bed and sleeeeeeeeep....