Kuala Lumpur in 24 hours

After my vacation in Koh Lipe, Thailand, I had to go back to Langkawi in Kedah Malaysia to catch my flight going to Kuala Lumpur.  I waited at the beachfront and bid farewell to the beautiful island of Lipe. It was another two hours ride to the port of Langkawi.

From Langkawi port, I hailed a taxi going to Langkawi airport and waited for my scheduled flight going to Kuala Lumpur. KL was my last stop from the 10 days of my Penang – Langkawi – Koh Lipe – KL trip.

Kuala Lumpur

I arrived at 7 pm in KL and my friend Rae picked me up at the airport. We boarded a bus going to KL Sentral, the central transit hub of all connecting stations in Kuala Lumpur. The KL International airport is 45 mins to 1 hour away from the city center called KL Sentral. You can also ride Klia Ekspres for a shorter time going to the city.

Petronas Twin Tower and KL Tower

I booked my hotel in My Hotel in Brickfields, 5 mins away walk from KL Sentral. After checking in and dropping off our bags, we went to the KLCC or Petronas Twin Tower. We took the train from KL Sentral by Kelana Jaya Line LRT and alighted at KLCC. The KLCC LRT Station is connected underground to Suria KLCC Shopping Mall and Petronas Twin Tower.

We tour the Suria KLCC Shopping Mall and walked going to the famous landmark of Petronas Tower in which we took photos of the night view of the Twin Tower. After which we went to Hard Rock Café in which we also had a view of KL Tower.

 

From the nearby stalls, we bought food and brought at the My Hotel where we had our late dinner.

Batu Caves

In the morning, we had our breakfast at the hotel. After an hour we went to Batu Caves.

Batu Caves is located at  Selangor Malaysia and is 40 minutes by train. From KL Sentral, alight a train going to Gombak. The caves are located at limestone hills and one of the top destination in Malaysia. There are series of caves and cave temples across Batu Caves.

There are 272 steps going up to the main cave. But because I am dressed with above knee-level, I was not allowed to go up so I decided not to explore the stairs and just enjoyed the park below with the birds.

From Batu Caves, we went to Merdeka Square or Dataran Merdeka. It is a square or Independence square situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

There are so many notable places around Merdeka Square like the Kuala Lumpur City, the open field for Royal Selangor Club, and Cop’s Fountain.

For other posts about Malaysia, please check: What to see in Georgetown, PenangGeorgetown, Penang, Malaysia Penang Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

What to see in Georgetown, Penang

The historic city of Georgetown is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Penang, Malaysia. The following places are the different popular and famous destination around Georgetown.  I walked all over the streets and also found tourist doing the same.

What to see in Georgetown

Goddess of Mercy Temple

Located in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling and also called Kuan Yin Temple.  The popular temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The first foundation was laid in 1728 by Chinese settlers and completed in 1800. This is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang.

City Hall

Located in Lebuh Light.   Built in 1903, this is the headquarters of Penang Island Municipal Council.  The first World War monument for fallen soldiers is located here.

Town Hall

Located in Lebuh Light in between City Hall and Penang Art Gallery

Penang Art Gallery

Located in Lebuh Light and was officially launched in 1964. The gallery showcase outstanding works by international artists including from Japan and Thailand.

Esplanade

A seafront promenade bordering an open field where festivals and events are often held.  Located along the stretch are a War Memorial to fallen soldiers, a hawker food court and the ancient Fort Cornwallis.

Fort Cornwallis

Built when Captain Francis Light first landed in Penang, this ancient sentinel of George’s Town guarded over the island’s cape.

Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower

The 60 feet clock tower, commissioned by the wealthy Cheah Chen Eok was built in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  Each foot represents a year in the Queen’s reign.

St. George’s Church

Located in Lebuh Farquhar.  Built between 1817 and 1818, it is said to be the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia.

Penang State Museum

Located in Lebuh Farquhar.  Almost destroyed in World War II bombing, this building houses a plethora of Penang historical artifacts.

Cathedral of the Assumption

Located in Lebuh Farquhar. The history of the church is as old as Penang itself.  It was set up not long after the landing of Francis Light and the arrival of Eurasians from Kedah on the eve of the Feast of Assumption.  In 1995, it was awarded the status of Cathedral.

State Assembly Buildings

Located in Lebuh Farquhar and Lebuh Light. These exquisite 19th century buildings were formerly the Police Court and are now the venue for State Assemblies.

Little India

This little quarter of South Indian culture is the place where early Indian immigrants first settled down in Penang.  It is the island’s epicenter of Indian music, savory cuisine, exotic spices and authentic goods.

Mahamairamman Temple

Located in Lebuh Queen.  Built in 1883, it is the oldest Hindu temple and was dedicated to Muthu Mariamman. A distinctive feature of the temple is its gopuram with 38 exquisitely carved Hindu deities.

Teochew Temple

Located in Lebuh Chulia. A prime example of Teochew architecture, the temple was built in 1855 and move to its present site in 1870.  In 2006, the temple received the Award of the Merit of UNESCO Asia-Pacific for Culture Heritage Conservation.  The temple is also known as the Han Jiang Teochew Ancestral Temple.  It is the first Malaysian Chinese temple to use fiber optic and LED lighting for its decorative details.

Kapitan Keling Mosque

Located in Lebuh Chulia.  Founded in 1801 by Kapitan Keling Kadir Mydin Merican, is the largest mosque in George Town.  Designed in Moghul architecture, it features beautiful minarets and domes.

Seh Tek Tong Cheah Kongsi

This clan temple features classic Chinese architecture and the surprising addition of British lion heads on the temple.  The lions symbolise the Straits Chinese loyalty to the British colonial powers. The Cheah Clan is one of the oldest Hokien clans in Penang,

Khoo Kongsi

Located in Lebuh Armenian.  Completed in 1906, the temple belongs to the Khoo Kongsi clan.  This temple features fine Chinese architecture and craftsmanship.

Masjid Malayu Lebuh Acheh

Located in Lebuh Acheh.  The mosque was founded by Tengku Syed Hussiah bin Abdul Rahman Hussain in 1808 for the early Hadrami Arab settlers.

For other posts, please check: Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia Penang Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

 

Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Langkawi is located the northwestern of Malaysia and also known as Jewel of Kedah. Langkawi is a district and an archipelago with 99 islands near the borders of Thailand.

How to get there

I booked my ticket going to Langkawi from Penang for the Super Fast Ferry Ventures.  I met a solo traveler from Toronto Canada named Inga.  We went together to the ferry for a three hours travel from Penang to Langkawi.  The Ferry was to leave at 2PM.

When we reached Kuah Jetty in Langkawi, I went to a money changer first to change for Baht.  It was a Friday and I would be going to Koh Lipe, Thailand on Sunday and I was making sure that I got a Baht currency.  Inga and I were hungry and we checked the food court in the Jetty.  We went to the taxi information and availed the Langkawi taxi.

Langkawi is somehow a very touristy island.  The main problem here is the transportation in which there’s no bus and no train except for taxi and tourist guide vehicles.  The taxi information counter is found just outside the taxi stand on the other side of Kuah Jetty along with the 7-11 store.  There’s a matrix for the Langkawi taxi on where you’re going.  I was booked in Pentai Cenang, the fair is 30 RM.  It was a thirty minutes ride going to Pentai Cenang and the taxi dropped us to Sandy Beach where I was staying.

Sandy Beach Resort

Inga was checking the resort first before she decided to join me.  When I checked in at the resort, I was told that my room was along the road.  We had to go inside some establishment before seeing the hotel and the building looked old and it felt like there were no visitors around.  Inga decided to check another hotel.

After Inga left, while checking the hotel,  I decided to go back to the receptionist and asked if I could transfer to the beachfront.  And luckily there was a room for me on the beachfront so I got my things back and went to the room at the beach front.  I paid an additional 40 RM for two days since there was a difference between the room I booked and room at the beachfront.  I was solo traveling and I felt not safe in the first room I availed.

Sandy Beach Resort is located along the Pantai Cenang Road with a beachfront.  There were stores and shops in the area like massage parlors, 7-11, bazaar, mall, restaurants and other hotels and resorts.  Sandy Beach has a restaurant called Grilled.  When I was settled in my room, I immediately went outside, stayed at the chairs in front of the resort and enjoyed the sunset.  At night, I walked along the Pantai Cenang Road and checked out the stores.  I bought a ring in one of the accessories stores and had a massage in Le Baron.

Pentai Cenang

The following morning after having my breakfast at the resort, Inga and I met up in Sandy Beach and started exploring the beach area.  We walked from Sandy Beach going towards the long stretch of the Pantai Cenang Beach.  Sandy Beach was in the middle and we went left to check the crowded beach of Langkawi.  It was 9 in the morning.  It was a very hot morning in March.  When we reached a not so crowded area of the beach, we enjoyed swimming in the water.

We then went to the end of the beach near The Cliff Bar and Restaurant.  We went outside the Pentai Cenang Road and checked the different hotels and resorts.  There are malls in the area, Cenang Mall and The Zon Duty-Free.

Pentai Tengah

We entered the Sunset Beach Resort to check their facilities and we then end up at the beach where we stayed for a while and once again swam to the waters.

We walked again towards the beach and found a rock formation between the beach to Pentai Tengah.  We went to the main road of Teluk Baru as we enter a resort Frangipani.

We ate at the restaurant it was already past 12 in the afternoon.  We also had coconut juice.  Then we walked from the restaurant to the Teluk Baru road going to Pentai Tengah.  We checked different restaurants, hotels, resorts and inns along the area.  Pantai Tengah is less crowded than Pantai Cenang.  There were stores but you have to walk a little before you reach the establishment.  The road was not busy with passing cars and taxis.

We entered Pentai Tengah Road to go to the beach.  We stayed for about 30 minutes in the beach before going back to Pantai Cenang Road.  Inga and I separated here while she went back to her hotel and I went back to Sandy Beach.

I normally stayed at the restaurant area of the beachfront because the wifi connection didn’t reach my room.  I ordered a Watermelon shake while enjoying looking at the people and at the beach.

Inga and I went to see each other again and I waited for her in McDonald’s.  I ordered an orange burst sundae which was popular in Langkawi.  Inga and I went to Sawadee Restaurant.  Inga said she would have a massage.  I told her I checked out the rest of the Cenang Beach going right from Sandy Beach.

Cenang Beach

It was already past 6 in the evening.  It gets less crowded going there.  I love the sand in this area because it was whiter and powdery.

I reached the curvaceous area of the beach and found the  Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort.  I stayed at the sand bar in front of Rebak Island and waited for the sunset.

I went back to Sandy Beach resort and stayed outside for a while enjoying the stars at night.

Please check my other posts about Malaysia: Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia Penang Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour