Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Embark on an introspective journey back to where it all began. Follow travel writer Marky Ramone Go's very first international trip to Kuala Lumpur with his older brother, featuring budget flights, early blogging memories at the Swiss Garden Hotel, and iconic path traces across the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower.
Malaysia / Kuala Lumpur /

My First International Flight to Kuala Lumpur

By Marky Ramone Go May 2007

This trip was my very first trip out of the Philippines. Sending my gratitude to budget airlines such as Air Asia, blokes like me can now easily afford to travel in the South East Asian region and Kuala Lumpur presented the opportunity itself for me to experience out-of-the-country travel.

The silver metallic profile of the Petronas Towers
The shimmering metallic spires of the iconic Petronas Towers.

I traveled with my older brother who I shared a zest for traveling. We booked Kuala Lumpur Hotels on Traveloka two months advance and also fixed our itinerary by researching on the Internet. We ended up choosing Swiss Garden Hotel which is located right in the heart of Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur (Petaling Street). For about 5 thousand pesos, we managed to book a twin sharing room for 3 nights, making it a really great deal (also includes breakfast buffet for two).

The intricately designed towers of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple
The vibrant Dravidian imagery decorating the facade of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple.

We arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport (which is about an hour drive from the city) in the afternoon, upon arriving at the hotel we were greeted by a friendly hotel staff who processed our reservation. After resting for a while, we then explored the city afterward. First things first as we were already starving, we stopped by to eat at this Chinese hawker stall by the sidewalk. We ordered some Chinese dishes and yang chow fried rice, all in all it costed us 50 Malaysian Ringgit (about 7oo pesos ouch).

We took their LRT and went to our first stop on our short itinerary, the Petronas twin towers.

The Petronas towers illuminated brightly at night
The modern towers radiating brilliance against the dense night sky.

Illuminating the Night Sky

Going there during nighttime seems like a good idea as the lights and the skies put more emphasis on the towering Petronas dominated skyline of Kuala Lumpur. Next day, we started walking around Kuala Lumpur right after we got done with our breakfast. Places like Masjid Jamek, Dataran Merdeka, National Museum, Little India, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, KL Tower and then some are just some of the places we visited.

The cityscape view of Kuala Lumpur from the observation platform
Panoramic perspectives overlooking the vast structural layouts of the capital.

On the viewing deck of the KL tower, one will see a bird’s eye view of the whole city including a close up of the nearby Petronas Towers.

Looking up at the structural lines of the KL Tower
The commanding presence of the high-reaching KL Tower monument.

A Bird's Eye View and Ordered Streets

It was fun just walking around a new city, Kuala Lumpur seems much cleaner than most cities, I read somewhere – and It shows, there seems to be a sense of order in the way commuter busses and other motorists use their roads, pedestrians can walk better along a spacious sidewalks with nary a single sidewalk vendor.

The structural layers of building facades in downtown Kuala Lumpur
Walking past diverse architectural styles that trace the city's complex heritage pathways.

Along the way you’ll meet people of different races as Malaysian population consist of the Malay race, Chinese and Indian nationals, probably because in the early part of their history both Malaysia and India along with Singapore are all under British rule, thus the interchanges of their own people on this three countries.

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