Guide to Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

by Hosh
Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore are very similar places, in terms of the booming economy and skyscrapers dominating the city area, but there are a few places still worth a visit here.

Petronas Twin Towers First and foremost is the Petronas Twin Towers, which was once the tallest building in the world, until Taiwan came up with their own 1O1, and now Dubai also in the picture with their still-under-construction tower building. Here, long queues are always forming from 8.30am onwards for the free passes up the tower viewing gallery. But be warned that they would only issue around 800 free passes per day for the guided tour, so make sure to reach there early. The guided tour will take visitors all the way up to the sky bridge on the 41st floor.

I was there early queuing in the morning but the timing for my guided tour was scheduled in the afternoon due to the high demand for the free passes. So a good way would be to shop at the mega Suria KLCC shopping mall just next to it while waiting for your scheduled timing up the tower. You can pay a visit to the Petrosains over there, a discovery centre about petroleum manufacturing. At Petrosains, visitors will start with a ride in the dark which covers details on oil manufacture and the science of it.

At a dizzying height of 458 meters, Petronas Twin Towers, a pair of 88-storey buildings, is the best place to take in the view of Kuala Lumpur. There is also the Philharmonic Theater, which surrounds one with wonderful music from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Menara Kuala Lumpur Another icon representative of KL is the Kuala Lumpur Tower (Menara Kuala Lumpur). Located on a hill called Bukit Nanas, this tower has an observatory platform which is easily accessible by high speed lifts. Taking the lifts up clocks less than a minute, and the view from the observatory tower is spectacular. You can get a bird's eye view of the Twin Tower and other magnificent buildings nearby. There's also a very cosy, revolving restaurant at the top of the tower, offering excellent buffet and great service for a reasonable price. Live music, excellent food, splendid views of the city, this is the place to be in. You might even be able to see Genting Highlands on a fine day!

Sunway Lagoon Sunway Lagoon is probably one the best integrated resorts in Malaysia. Within the holiday resort itself is a shopping complex with over 300 shops, an amazingly large lagoon, an Extreme park, Zoo, archery range, bowling alley and a water theme park. Alongside the shopping mall and the resort is a first-class hotel. Several restaurants offer excellent cuisine as well. It's self sufficient, and indeed a well-worth trip to make.

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque In Shah Alam (about 45 minutes from KL) lies one of the largest mosques in South-east Asia, the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque (In Malay: Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz). This impressive building is often nicknamed the "Blue Mosque", for its blue aluminum dome covered with verses from the Quran. It is huge and magnificent, and surrounded by the great lake of Shah Alam in the center of Shah Alam town. It incorporates modern architectural style with Malay architecture in its design.

Batu Caves About 13 km north of KL is the Batu Caves, a place of worship for the Hindus. Large and imposing, it consists of three main caves and a number of smaller ones. The caves are made of limestone and discovered in 1892. You've got to climb up a long fairly steep flight of stairs to enter the caves. A comfortable pair of shoes will work wonders. The surreal carvings and paintings on the walls of the caves will impart a sense of spiritual feel to all who enters.

Merdeka Square, Central Market and Chinatown Back to KL city centre, the Merdeka Square houses the tallest flagpole and has an ancient fountain. It is always crowded with tourists and a visit at night would be much cooler. The Merdeka Square is between the majestic Court House and the Selangor Club. The Central Market and Chinatown are also a mere 10 minutes walk away. Chinatown, also known as Petaling Street is one of Kuala Lumpur's most popular tourist destinations. In the evenings, a beehive of stalls comes alive on the streets.

You can easily find a large variety of food ranging from roadside stalls to restaurants in Chinatown, offering plentiful choices from dumpling noodles, claypot chicken rice, bbq chicken wing, seafood to steamboat and more. Though it might get a little difficult to move around due to the crowds, the historical shop houses add to the ambience. This is also the place to get cheap t-shirts, souvenirs and almost any other things, but prices haven risen considerably in recent years due to the tourism effect. Bargaining is highly recommended.

Hotels are considered cheap in this modern city, and good hotel deals can be found almost any time of the year. A holiday trip to this city can be a wonderful experience, not mentioning easy on the pockets.
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Discover the Perfect Vacation in Hong Kong and China

Spending yearly vacation in a fantastic country would be the dream of every vacationer. But, for an enjoyable vacation, an effective plan must be devised, which should include everything vital to make a vacation memorable. In other words, you should ask yourself a number of questions before devising an effective plan for vacation, such as which destination would you like to go for vacation, what are the activities you are planning during your vacation, whether you are interested in exploring new places or culture of a place, or would you like to enjoy adventure trips, and so on. However, it would be quite confusing for a common man to plan a vacation. Here comes the importance of tour agents. No matter what your tastes are, they will take all steps to make your vacation an enjoyable as well as a wonderful experience.

With umpteen destinations to choose from, one of the best destinations preferred by most of the people across the globe is Hong Kong/China destination. China is the world's third largest country, with great cultural and ethnic diversities. As per the records of the World Tourism Organization, China is the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world, and is estimated to become the first in the next 15 years.

In addition to being home to the Great Wall - one of the Seven Wonders of the World, China has to its credit a continuum of tourist attractions, with 23 provinces, four municipalities, five autonomous region, and two administrative regions. Beijing - the capital city of China - comes with such renowned attractions as Temple of Heaven Park, the Summer Palace, and the Imperial Palace Museum within the Forbidden City, which in turn is the world's largest palace complex. Along with cities such as Macau, Shanghai, and Lhasa - Hong Kong is also one of the much famed tourist places in China.

Now we will discuss some of the top attractions in the city of Hong Kong. The city boasts of such a great number of attractions that it takes months to explore all of them. Just few among the Hong Kong attractions are the peak tower with Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and rooftop observation area; Man Mo Temple; Wong Tai Sin Temple, an ancient shrine famed for its fortune-tellers; the Bank of China Tower, one of the tallest building in the world that is noted for its architecture; the Avenue of Stars, which is graced and illuminated with tons of twinkling lights; the Clock Tower - one of the oldest landmarks that is situated on the site of the old Kowloon Station; Hong Kong Park, featuring a 1400 sq mt conservatory, air-conditioned sports center, and Olympic Square; and Statue Square, a popular pedestrian in the central district. Equally important are such attractions of Hong Kong as Hong Kong Disneyland, Central District that is home to many government buildings, Ladies Market, Repulse Bay, and Mongkok that is much favored for its teaming activities.

Hong Kong also offers excellent opportunities to enjoy a range of activities. Taking a helicopter ride, riding the peak tram, riding the cable car, riding the century-old tram, and taking a harbor cruise are just few among them. In addition, superb facilities are made available to enjoy exciting and interesting sport activities like sedan chair race, horse racing, swimming, and wind surfing. Also, worth mentioning is the night life in Hong Kong, with its British as well as Irish themed bars, dance clubs, and modern bars offering live music shows and fun. Nightlife in Hong Kong is mainly spread throughout three areas in Kowloon: cocktail bars in Tsim Sha Tsui, pubs on the Ashley Road, and clubs on the Prat and Chatham Roads. Apart from this, Hong Kong boasts of a chain of music clubs and theaters, each of them ensuring fun and entertainment in a relaxing environment.

Above all, Hong Kong hosts a great number of festivals and events, such as Chinese New Year; Birthday of Che Kung, dedicated to Che Kung - the general of the Sung Dynasty; Spring Lantern Festival; and Hong Kong International Film Festival, which is to honor Asian film festivals as well as eminent film makers. Also, great is the gastronomy of Hong Kong. Hong Kong's hall mark is perhaps its world-class cuisine, covering regional, English, continental, and western. An array of restaurants, pubs, bars, and eateries can be seen here.

So what all to dream? Just plan your vacation with us and feel relaxed. All you have to do is to logon to our website and share your interests and likes and dislikes with us.

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