Wednesday 9 March 2016

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

                    
Singapore to JB over the causeway where we had to clear customs both to leave & also to enter within the same building.  We had the choice of immigration officers as we were the only ones passing through!! Then train number two to Kuala Lumpur!    

    

               Our beautiful ride through the Malaysian countryside.  



First POI for us had to be the Patronis Twin Towers.  We were not disappointed, they are fantastic examples of modern day architecture.  Tall, shiny, beautiful in all their splendour in the KL sunshine! 


                 

                                        


Our tour begins with a lift to the bridge that joins the two towers.  It is a double decker bridge with the top floor being used by the occupants of the buildings to move between towers without being hounded by tourists. It is a floating bridge that can move up to 10cm I'm the wind. We were given 15 minutes here to enjoy the view & take some pictures while getting used to the height! After our 15 minutes it was into another lift almost to the top.  The views were spectacular and the floor has telescopes and 360 degree views of the city & beyond.  


                                                   

            

      


                                    


Out the back of the building is a beautiful garden area including dancing fountains, picnic areas and a huge play park with a number of climbing frames and play areas.  Obviously Josh tried every one of them! 

       

Within the tower we discovered a fabulous science centre, 'Petrosains Discovery Centre'.  It had exhibits about space, dinosaurs, magnets, technology, weather, sound, also including some very cool experiments and if that wasn't enough it had a moc oil rig in the middle!!!! Josh just had to try the emergency exit chute!! 


                             

                                                          Sleeping in space. 

            

                                                                 Tornado time!!!! 

                                                         

        

                                                   Who is having the most fun here?

                                     


        

        

                       

                                      Emergency exit from the oil rig!!! 

    

Off to Batu Caves.  It was a 15 minute train ride from the city and the train station is right at the entrance to the caves & yes you have to climb up ALL those steps to get in.  It is a Religious site so you are required to cover knees & shoulders before climbing the steps.  Word of warning not to carry any foot or drinks when visiting the caves as they have very cheeky monkeys who will have them off you in a blink, we even saw one try to pinch a selfie stick so hold on to all valuables securely!! They are friendly and there are lots of them but nothing to be scared about. There were also some chickens wandering around inside the caves.  

         


                 


                 

           



                       

                                                       


Halfway up the steps you will come to 'Dark Cave'.  In here you need to purchase a ticket and you & 10 others are given a hard hat and a torch and taken on a guided tour of the cave.  The guide will point out some pretty big spiders, long legged centipedes, bats, stalagmites & stalegtites.  Only once you are well into the cave does he tell you about the snake that also lives in the darkness!!! Our guide was very knowledgable with a great sense of humour.  It was a great experience although a bit creepy when we were all asked to turn our torches off!!!! The tour lasted about 45minutes and is an easy walk up specially laid pavement & steps.  


          Scared of the dark? No way!!!! 

                    

                            

                                              
                                  This is the last section we went too. 
                                  Such a pretty sight to see the sun finding its way into the darkness! 

              

                       

Such a beautiful place to visit with all its glittering gold paint & intricate sculptures both inside and out. It is a hike up the stairs but with three sections there is plenty of space to take at your own pace.  We had a great visit to the capital city & found it very easy & inexpensive to get about using the trains, underground & monorail.  There were a number of beautiful shopping centres which also contained a large selection of restaurants. 

















































Chingay Festival Parade Singapore 2016

Chingay means 'the art of costume and masquerade'.  Chingay parade has been held yearly since 1973, when it was originally used as a substitute for firecrackers which were band by the prime minister.  Firecrackers were previously used to ward off the evil spirits in the coming year.  It is held the first week of the Lunar New year and is full of dragons, stilt walkers, dancers, floats, fire, music and even motor bikes!  The parade is collectively made up of children and adults of different countries, cultures and race all celebrating the new Lunar Year as one.  There were even some kilt wearing pipers.  It is the largest street float parade in Asia, this year there were more than 60 floats.

The parade was fantastic with so much to see and hear we were glued to the spot.  We originally looked at buying tickets for it but once the week panned out and we knew what we were doing there were no tickets left.  The ticketed area is like the Edinburgh Tattoo set up but after making its way through the seated areas the parade follows a route along the banks of the river with viewing absolutely free!!!! So if you don't mind standing then pick a spot and watch the yearly spectacle for free!  A definite must if you happen to be in Singapore at this time of year!  The photos don't do it justice, it was very magical!