Skwala Lumpoor* in Kuala Lumpur

Around an hour into the bus ride, we found ourselves getting off at the border to go through Singapore's immigration and customs, and then on to Malaysia. I was amazed at how physically close the two countries were. When we got to Malaysia's immigration, Karly got through with ease but an officer saw my cousin's passport and announced to the entire room that those with Philippine passports should line up at a specific counter. WHATTHEACTUALFRACK? It was clearly discrimination right there but I let it go because I know that there are a$$holes in this world. It didn't end right there though. The officer actually asked my cousin how much money she has or is planning to spend in Malaysia. ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME?! Don't you have a form for that? I have visas from three different OECD countries and never in my entire traveling life have I been asked such ridiculous questions. It was really infuriating especially since I wasn't even that excited to visit Malaysia. If it wasn't part of ASEAN, I probably wouldn't even bother. Good job, immigration officers. You're doing your part in promoting your country's tourism. If this is what you mean by "Truly Asia," I am disgusted and insulted as an Asian. I wish the government would refrain from letting rude people work for them because they're not doing their country's image any good. And that goes out to all countries. Not just Malaysia nor the Philippines.

Oh well, moving on to the better parts of our Malaysia trip. I'm glad we decided to travel to KL at night. We were greeted by the magnificent view of the Petronas Twin Towers. We were taking pictures even while we're on the bus. So when the bus came to a halt, we decided to go straight to the majestic towers instead of our hostel. It looked so beautiful at night, we just had to take a closer look and take more pictures. Yup, even with luggage in tow!

The Petronas Twin Towers look even more magnificent at night.

We left our luggage in a seemingly secure place, visible to where we're standing while taking pictures. I don't think anyone would even attempt to take them as it would be too difficult to carry it around without being noticed.

After a couple of wacky shots, we decided to take a look inside to get an idea of what we'll be dealing with tomorrow morning. Entrance to the towers is limited to 200 people a day so you have to be there really early if you want to get in! We even talked to a guard who was really helpful in giving us tips on how to get tickets to the Petronas. Now that is what a true Asian is like!

A trip to the Twin Towers won't be complete without wacky shots!

Kuala Lumpur looked a lot like Manila which is pretty cool. We went to the nearest taxi bay and got on a cab (Innova). The driver didn't know the exact location of our guesthouse but he did know how to get to Chinatow where he dropped us off at an intersection and gave us instructions. Now, like most Chinatowns, it was crazy! The street turns into a night market on weekends so it was difficult to navigate around with our luggage. We stuck together though just to be sure. When we went around the block several times, we decided it was time to ask questions. We asked a lady who was pestering us about her guesthouse on how to get to OUR guesthouse. I'm glad she led us to the right place. Hehe

6-bed room at Fernloft KL

We were so tired by the time we finally got to Fernloft Kuala Lumpur. While checking in and talking to one of their staff, I noticed how similar Filipinos and Malaysians look. As if reading my thoughts, he suddenly started speaking in Filipino. Nge. Kaya pala kamukha natin eh! :)) After settling our dues, we asked him where the nearest money changers are since we need to exchange our USDs to RMs. It turns out, money changers close early (and open late) in KL! We literally have no RMs to spend for tomorrow's activities and we have to get to the towers by 6 AM. NAKAKALOKA!

So what did we do? We went to our room to settle in and then came up with a crazy plan. I asked Gwenn to come to the lobby with me. I need moral support. I mustered up all the guts (at kakapalan ng fez) I have and explained to the Filipino staff our situation. Finally, I asked if he could give us back the money I gave him because we didn't even have train money for tomorrow. I even called him kuya so he'll feel even more sorry for us. While he was thinking about it, I offered to exchange SGD 50 for RM 50 until I can pay him back tomorrow. Thankfully, he agreed. He even thought of lending us his own money OMG. Of course, I couldn't accept that. Just agreeing to our plan was enough. Now that's a Filipino for ya - not only was he accommodating, he's a good Samaritan as well!

Tickets are selling like hotcakes! And it's only past 8 in the morning!

So here's our plan: we get RM 10 each for the Skybridge entrance and RM 2 each for train money. Yup, we're running on a pretty tight budget alright. Challenge accepted! We woke up at 5 AM and got ready. Trains open at 6 AM so we walked towards the station. Lo and behold, the entrance to the station wasn't where it's supposed to be! The road was under construction so there was a re-routing. We tried to follow the signs but they weren't helpful at all! After circling the block a couple of times, we finally found a construction worker and asked him for directions. Thank goodness, we left early! We still managed to catch the first train.

Upon arriving at Petronas, there was already a long line waiting for us at the first floor that leads all the way to the ticket counters at the basement. A fellow tourist assured us that we're still in the running to be America's next top model within the 200 limit so all is well. The line finally moved when the counters opened at 8:30 AM. When we got to the basement, they allowed only 1 person from the group to fall in line. So Karly stayed behind while the rest of us went to get breakfast.

Funny story: While we were having breakfast by the stairs, we saw a beautiful woman dressed in a Sari-looking outfit. She moved with such grace and though she was clad in traditional clothes, she looked pretty modern. Sha had the opportunity to chat with her a bit and as they relayed their conversation to me, I was really surprised. No wonder she looked so put together. Weird how I was the only one amazed by it. It turns out, I thought I heard them say that she was a princess. Pranses pala! Princess?? WTF Annie!!! HAHAHA

I went back in line with Karly so I can do the transactions. They asked questions like how many people are in your party and from what country you're from. The person in charge of that looked a lot like my HS classmate and he knew we're Filipinos at first glance. I'm pretty sure it wasn't him though since he had a Malaysian accent.

If it's not obvious enough, I like to do tons of research before traveling. I'm OC like that. So imagine my horror upon learning that the Petronas no longer offers entrance to the Skybridge alone which means each person should pay RM 40 to get to the Skybridge AND Observation Deck. QUE HORROR! We only have RM 40 remaining in cash and that's only good for entrance of one person! I wouldn't want our efforts to go to waste so I kept praying to God that they'll accept credit card payments. And guess what? They do! Oh thank God for technology. :((

At the Skybridge.

We picked the 9:30 AM slot so we don't have to wait too long for our turn. After the guide made a little introduction, we had to pass by a laser/hologram gate which was pretty awesome. First stop was the Skybridge which connects the two towers. I'm terrified of heights but the sight up there was really amazing. Being at 170m above ground, I had to walk slowly to keep my tummy from turning. After a few minutes, we went back to the elevator to get to the Observation Deck.

I may not have the whole world in my hands but I do have a hologram of the Petronas Twin Towers in my hand. Cool!

The Observation Deck is located on the 86th floor, at a whopping 360m above ground. Whoa! The deck is full of binoculars scattered across the floor which tourists can use for free. There are also different exhibits featuring the towers. And obviously, the view from the deck was even more breath-taking. But my favorite part was definitely the line of interactive monitors that hang on the wall that allow you to hold parts of the towers in your hands by using your ticket's bar code. Ah-mah-zing! You can even do a Madonna if you're feeling a bit naughty.

Petronas Twin Towers in broad daylight.

By 11 AM, we were done with the tour (and souvenir-shopping). We went down the towers and took some day shots. Like most tourist spots, it's so hard to get a decent photo. Be it intentional or not, photobombs are the worst! But guess who got the perfect solution? Karly! He kept his cool and offered to take pictures of the other groups for them. Surprisingly, it worked and the other tourists left the towers all to ourselves. Talk about killing with kindness! Well, not really killing but you get what I mean.

At Malaysia Tourism Centre.

Since we had some spare time, we went to the Malaysia Tourism Centre where they have everything a tourist needs - maps, pamphlets, resting area, cold drinking water, and most importantly, free wifi! Do we have something like this back home? I hope we do! It's definitely a shelter for tired wandering tourists. Funny how we asked for directions on how to get to the Cocoa Boutique which was just beside the centre! HAHA

My favorite place in KL next to the Petronas. The Cocoa Boutique!

Now shall we talk about my favorite place in KL? The Cocoa Boutique is home to more than 300 varieties of  locally-produced chocolate products. If you haven't tried Malaysian chocolate, you should absolutely stop by and try them out. Not only are they really good, they also come cheap! Plus, the number of free samples the store offers is enough to make any chocoholic happy. We went home with literally a box full of chocolates (see photo above). We bought so many, they gave us lots of freebies. Oh and I think the man in charge of the packaging was flattered as we watched him do his thing with amazement. He even gave us a flower as souvenir. How sweet! Connected to the store is a gallery filled with even more chocolate! But this time, in the form of art. Too bad, photography wasn't allowed so you have to see it for yourself and prepare to be amazed.

After hoarding chocolates, we went back to Suria KLCC for lunch. Their food court has an amazing selection of food from all over the world. We settled for chopsuey, vegetable fried rice, beef teppanyaki, and chicken with fried noodles. For drinks, we settled for glasses of lemonade, Thai milk tea (cha-yen), and Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da). We were stuffed by the end of lunch, we had no room for dessert!

At Petrosains.

We were already feeling sluggish by noon. But since we were already in Suria KLCC, we might as well make the most of it. We decided to check out Petrosains, a Science Discovery Centre located within the mall complex. Entrance costs RM 25 per person. Our favorite part was definitely the hurricane simulator. Such fun! There is also an earthquake simulator if you're interested.

Nando's for dinner!

After our Petrosains trip, we headed back to our guesthouse to rest (and pay back our host). By this time, Gwenn has started to feel a little ill as well. So we decided to start packing for tomorrow's flight to Cambodia. We were so tired, we only left our room to check out the Sky Bus terminal at KL Sentral and to grab some dinner.

So I might have been a little obsessed with One Direction over the summer that I convinced my siblings and cousins to eat at the nearby Nando's (Hello, Niall! ♥). They agreed of course. After all, I'm the organizer! My sibs and I shared a full platter with Peri-sprinkle chips and Mediterranean rice on the side while Gwenn and Sha shared a bowl of Peri soup plus garlic bread. For drinks, we had Citra, Citrus Bliss, Sparkling Apple, and Crimson Cola. I say, it was a pretty good night to end our Malaysia trip.

*beki-speak (gay lingo) for being poor


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Traveling party: Gwenn, Karly, Nee-chan, Sera (organizer), and Sha
Travel date: April 7-8, 2012 [Day 2-3]
Photo credits: Karl