After a short half-hour flight from Penang, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Once again we were able to use Marriott Bonvoy points to get six free nights at the Renaissance Hotel near the Petronas Towers. They decorated the hotel beautifully with red and gold for the Chinese New Year.
A good amount of our time at the hotel was spent watching the kids swim in the spacious pool. They have both become so much better at swimming as our trip has progressed. We also ate a few meals at the hotel’s restaurant. The buffet was amazing and the pricing was nice. It was supposed to be free for Mason (children under 6) and half off for Cooper, but they let Coop have it for free as well. What a deal! The adults ordered something small and loaded the kid’s plates up with crab, shrimp, lobster, and Peking duck as well as some fabulous desserts. We may have snuck a bite or two 😉.
In search of food on our first day in town, we walked over to the Suria KLCC mall located beneath the Petronas towers. The mall was enormous and was extremely busy even for it being the afternoon on a Monday. We had a quick pretzel snack and then headed out to check out the towers from the outside. It truly is an amazing structure and we were all excited to go on a tour later in the week. Later that evening we grabbed dinner at the KL Hard Rock Cafe across the street.
Petronas Twin Towers
The Petronas Twin Towers are a symbol of Kuala Lumpur they rise over the city. Our tour started down at the ticketing office in the lower level. After a quick video, we took an elevator up to the 41st floor to the sky bridge walk. We crossed over the walkway in the center of the towers and had about ten minutes to take photos.
From there we went up to the observation deck on floor 86 (even though Mason insisted that we should be going up to floor 88 because he had read that there were 88 floors). At the top, there was a magnificent view with binoculars and a large model of the building and city plan. The space was huge and you could walk from one side of the tower all the way over to the other side. And even though it was an overcast day, you could truly see the whole scope of the city. The boys bounced around and checked it all out.
KLCC Mall and Park
After finishing our tour of the towers, we went down to the Suria KLCC mall and had some delicious pastries that were very affordable. The prices in Malaysia were very nice. We usually paid only about half of what we would pay in the U.S.
Located on the top floor of the mall is The Discovery Center, an interactive children’s museum. There was a small ride that brought you into a prehistoric past, complete with dinosaurs. Then you travel toward the future through different learning exhibits like building/construction, circus, sound, movement and speed, and light. There was also an exhibit on space where the kids could watch videos of astronauts doing experiments in space like brushing their teeth and eating food. Mason’s favorite exhibit was a bottle rocket with air. Cooper liked the dinosaurs the best.
The rain started to lighten up, so we decided to check out KLCC Park behind the towers. We were the only ones there in the light drizzle. The boys ran around and and explored the playground. We walked back by the pond and watched the dancing fountains by the giant Chinese pagoda.
School Visit
Chelsea had a wonderful opportunity to visit The International School of Kuala Lampur. Her friend and colleague from The University of Minnesota, Lindsey, is currently teaching second grade there. She was able to see both the elementary and high school settings and meet another Minnesota teacher, Heidi. The school hosts children from all over the world. Many students have parents in foreign government, the tourism industry, and large corporations. Some elements that were interesting were an elementary science lab, maker spaces, an outdoor art classroom, outdoor lunch and recess up high, unique high school scheduling, IB 11th and 12th grade, and EAL programming and delivery.
Later that evening we met up with Lindsey for dinner, so she could meet Tom and the boys. It just so happened that she suggested Din Tai Fung our new favorite restaurant from Penang. We arrived a little early to check out the Pavilion Mall. Micky and Minnie Mouse decorations were all over for Chinese New Year. Apparently the year of the rat also means the year of the mouse. And Disney has definitely used the year 2020 and the mouse to promote the company here in Asia. After a wonderful dinner, Lindsey introduced us to Japanese shaved ice at Kaki Yuki. It was fun for Chelsea to catch up with an old friend and learn about life how she has been working in international schools and back home.
Batu Caves
We arrived at the limestone caves at about 9 am. The drive was only about 20 minutes from downtown. Hindus have built temples in these caves. The caves are one of the most visited Hindu shrines outside of India. While we were there, many people were dressed in bright marigold/yellow and there to pray. Other people were there to take photos and selfies with the brightly colored stairs, and some were there to feed the monkeys. Watch out for the monkeys. We had to tiptoe around them to move up the stairs and on the path. The kids are learning to be cautious and aware when navigating wild animals.
Whatever the reason for visiting the caves, this site is incredible, and it’s free! The 272 stairs were originally wooden, but now they are now made of concrete. We climbed them all and kept cool in the shade. As we went down, the sun began to peek out, and it warmed up quickly. We walked along the path and saw a huge monkey-like statue and some more small temples. We recommend going early if you are visiting the caves.
KL Tower
Coming in at 421 meters (1,381 feet) the KL tower is the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world. We decided it would be a fun treat for the kids to have lunch at Atmosphere 360, a revolving restaurant located at the top of the communications tower. Our lunch was a nice buffet with all kinds of food. Mason ate 3 dinner rolls and Cooper really enjoyed the ice cream. The food was alright, but the view was spectacular, we could see the whole city. The city is growing and investing in buildings and infostructure. You can see construction cranes towering around the city. KL is making a name for itself as a major player in Asia.
When we started planning this trip, Malaysia was not on our list of countries to visit, but we are so glad that it turned out that we could see it. The people, the food, and the wonderful blend of cultures has been a blessing. Planning is necessary, but it is also important to consider how you can live in the moment and be open to experiences that you never would have dreamed about. Keep following us as we zip around South East Aisa in the next couple of weeks.