I promise I won't start every blog post about beer. Just most of them.*
This morning I woke up in Kuala Lumpur and headed off to the Petrona Towers nice and early. My plan was to beat the queues and head up the iconic sky scrappers. My plan worked and I was on my way up at around 10:15. You go up the towers in a group of around 20 other people and there are three stages to the tour. First of all you are given an introduction to the towers by a woman displayed as a holographic. Cool story bro.
Second, you jump in a lift that takes you up at a speed of 5/6 meters per second and before you know it you are at the first stop - level 43. This is the level of the Sky Bridge, the bridge that connects the two towers together. We had about 10 minutes here to walk along the bridge and to take in the views of Kuala Lumpur.
After we were done we entered the third part of the tour. Back in the lift we went and we were shot up to floor 83. This is very close to the very tip of the tower. Here the views were nothing short of spectacular. It was a clear day and you could literally see as far as what was possible. The only thing stopping you from seeing further were the mountains that bordered the horizon. It was fascinating to see the other tower from the windows of the tower we were in. It gave a great opportunity to see the design up close and in person. Pictures are below.
We then parachuted back down. **
I then decided to get some Kimchi from the Korean stall I went to yesterday. I had heard of Kimchi before but didn't really know what it consisted of, all I knew was it was a soup. What I didn't know, that I wish I did know, was that it was spicy. I am not good with food of spicy nature. The actual flavours of the soup were amazing but the spiciness is not for me. I tried to battle through it though much to the amusement of the young girl who was sat on a table opposite me. She was most likely an expert spicy food eater and was probably thinking what an idiot the English guy is who can't handle the mediocre Kimchi. My head was hung low as I tried to embed myself in the Asian culture.
After the shame of the Kimchi I headed back to the hostel to freshen up. It's very hot here at the moment with temperatures around the 30C mark. A quick rest was needed. Reenergised I walked over to Chinatown in Petaling Street. This place was mental. So much going on with every street seller busy selling, tidying the stall or trying to lure in customers. The street wasn't massively long but a huge variety of goods were being sold, from sunglasses to handbags, to scarfs to footballs, to traditional Chinese ornaments and onto various types of wonderfully smelling food.
I then tried to find the Sri Mahamariamman temple that, according to my map, was close by. Instead I stumbled upon a different Chinese temple that was simultaneously mind-opening and mind-blowing. It was only a small temple that was partly open roofed but it was packed full of Chinese devotees practicing there religion. As I observed from the side of the temple, along with a few other tourists, I noticed each person followed the same routine. Enter the temple, bow and close hands together in the praying symbol, ring the gong at the entrance, and then go and light some incense and put it into these domineering bronze pots scattered around the room. I also noticed people picking up pieces of paper with Chinese scripture printed on them, literally setting them alight and then throwing them into this large furnace. I didn't understand the motives behind each act but I am sure that they are ancient traditions.
That's enough for today. The Capital One Cup final starts in about 45 minutes which will be midnight for me. Here's hoping Chelsea win and the game only lasts the 90 minutes!
I hope you enjoy the photos, of which you can click on to make larger.
* I am not an alcoholic.
** We did not parachute back down.
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