Summer Of Fun In Kuala Lumpur - Part 1
Summer Of Fun In Kuala Lumpur - Part 1
So, it's been a VERY long time since my last Blog post, with that in mind and the summer here I think it's time to start up again. My plan is to try and add in some bits and pieces about what the family have been up to over the summer, so hence the title. I'm also hoping that this is going to be a series of posts, so look out for parts 2 and 3.
First on my my agenda? The Kuala Lumpur Eco Park and the KL tower, both of which happen to be in the same place and are worlds apart from each other. The Eco park is mini rain forest haven in the middle of the city, where as the tower is one of the worlds top (And tallest) iconic towers from which you can see almost all of the city. You really couldn't get any more juxtaposed if you tried.
So, imagine that someone plonked part of the rain forest smack bang in the middle of London or New
York, you just about have got the idea of the KL Forest Eco Park. There are times when you really don't realise that you are actually in the middle of one of the worlds major metropolis, it's incredible. Not only is it at the base of one of the worlds tallest buildings (The KL Tower), but you can also see the Patronas Towers from a lot of it to boot.
There is far more to explore than simply some paths through some jungle, it's highlights include a canopy walkway and a series of trails all showing different aspects of the wildlife that is abundant in this part of the world. Seeing as we had our 4 year old with us, we weren't able to do all of the park as he ran out of energy (Fine, I admit, I also ran out of energy) so I'm only going to focus on the bits we were able to actually do.
Secondly, it's dangerous. I wish I had taken a photo of the sign that your greeted with as you walk into the park. It's basically telling you that the inhabitants can all kill you. Particularly if it rains as they all come out to play after a good downpour. I'm not saying this to put you off from going, far from it, just to those with children it is worth noting that there should be an emphasis on "Look and don't touch" if they find something interesting.
Once we had been along the canopy walk we then took one of the shorter trails at ground level, be warned, there is a lot of up and down here, and although they are very well maintained (Especially by Malaysian standards), you need to take care. The trail we took did a nice loop and took us past some really lovely parts of the forest and there were times when you genuinely forgot you where in KL at all.
So, on to the KL tower. We actually went twice to it (Sort of), once during the day and once at night.
Our visit during the day was more to try and work out a plan for an evening out we wanted to do with some friends we had staying with us. We didn't actually go up the tower during this visit at all, but had a bit of a nosy around the base of it and stopped for lunch. The shops and restaurants at the bottom of the tower are exactly what you might expect from a tourist trap, mostly slightly tacky and designed to squeeze some extra money out of you.
A few days later we went back for our night out and our trip up to the top of the tower. We had thought about having dinner in the revolving restaurant, but it was going to cost close to 300rm per person (At the time of writing that's just over £100 per person), so we gave that a miss. Just as a guide the prices for the tower are as follows (Again, correct at time of writing and for international travelers, locals get a discount):
We decided to only go up to the Observation Deck, the cheaper of the two options, but would like to
give the Sky Deck a go at some point during the daytime. We arrived at about 9pm and with the KL tower closing at 10pm, that gave us an hour to enjoy the city at night. This turned out to be just about right and none of us felt we needed longer.
The Kuala Lumpur Forest Eco Park
So, imagine that someone plonked part of the rain forest smack bang in the middle of London or NewYork, you just about have got the idea of the KL Forest Eco Park. There are times when you really don't realise that you are actually in the middle of one of the worlds major metropolis, it's incredible. Not only is it at the base of one of the worlds tallest buildings (The KL Tower), but you can also see the Patronas Towers from a lot of it to boot.
There is far more to explore than simply some paths through some jungle, it's highlights include a canopy walkway and a series of trails all showing different aspects of the wildlife that is abundant in this part of the world. Seeing as we had our 4 year old with us, we weren't able to do all of the park as he ran out of energy (Fine, I admit, I also ran out of energy) so I'm only going to focus on the bits we were able to actually do.
Firstly, you need to understand that the whole of the Eco Park is FREE!!! No entrance fee required, so great for anyone on a bit of a budget.
Secondly, it's dangerous. I wish I had taken a photo of the sign that your greeted with as you walk into the park. It's basically telling you that the inhabitants can all kill you. Particularly if it rains as they all come out to play after a good downpour. I'm not saying this to put you off from going, far from it, just to those with children it is worth noting that there should be an emphasis on "Look and don't touch" if they find something interesting.
The canopy walk was, for me at least, was the highlight as you get a
completely different view of the forest from up atop the suspension bridges. I highly recommend you bring your phone with you as there are a series of information points that will give you more information about the canopy via a simple QR code. A really nice way to use technology to help educate and make the walk a little more enjoyable.
completely different view of the forest from up atop the suspension bridges. I highly recommend you bring your phone with you as there are a series of information points that will give you more information about the canopy via a simple QR code. A really nice way to use technology to help educate and make the walk a little more enjoyable.
The KL Tower
So, on to the KL tower. We actually went twice to it (Sort of), once during the day and once at night.Our visit during the day was more to try and work out a plan for an evening out we wanted to do with some friends we had staying with us. We didn't actually go up the tower during this visit at all, but had a bit of a nosy around the base of it and stopped for lunch. The shops and restaurants at the bottom of the tower are exactly what you might expect from a tourist trap, mostly slightly tacky and designed to squeeze some extra money out of you.
There are of course a few exceptions to my statement above, including the Pizza place we stopped for lunch at. I know, Pizza in Malaysia not particularly traditional or local but when you live in a city like Kuala Lumpur some times you want something other than a Nasi Lemak, and we all just fancied Pizza. Well, as it turns out it was one of the best pizzas I've had in a long time and I really do recommend it to anyone one. Marie is Gluten Free and she went for a Salad that was equally good, with loads of fresh ingredients and was very good value.
- Outdoor Sky Deck - 105rm
- Observation Deck - 52rm
We decided to only go up to the Observation Deck, the cheaper of the two options, but would like to give the Sky Deck a go at some point during the daytime. We arrived at about 9pm and with the KL tower closing at 10pm, that gave us an hour to enjoy the city at night. This turned out to be just about right and none of us felt we needed longer.
I can really recommend the tower to anyone visiting Kuala Lumpur. The view you get is nothing short of spectacular and the night time view of the city is truly beautiful. The tower it's elf has been well looked after and there are the usual tourist shops and photo opportunities at the top if that's your cup of tea.
If you want any more information on either the KL Tower of the Kuala Lumpur Forest Eco Park then have a look at the links below.
As always feel free to leave a comment and Stay tuned for the next installment of 'Summer Of Fun In Kuala Lumpur'.
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