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Pasotti Family
- Blog
- Kuala Lumpur City Centre
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Location Date Mon, 15 July 2024 1720998000 Sun, 14 July 2024 
1720973239
- We woke up a bit later (I got up at 7:45 a.m., went to bed at 2 a.m., and Ethan slept in until 8:30 a.m.). I had breakfast while watching a storm come through.
- Checking out took a little while (as I had to pay for some water we didn't use, as I put it in the fridge to cool in case we needed it—we didn't, so I removed it and put it back where it was above the fridge—but apparently, by putting it into the fridge, I needed to pay… It was cheap, but it was funny having to pay to put water in the fridge…).
- Taxi (via bolt app) to the airport. Had issues again with online check-in (may relate to the webjet muck-up…) but at the airport went smoothly & reasonably quick (where despite the app telling me I could not check in & I had to at the airport, at the airport it told me I had already checked in… so while never actually checking in formally - we did manage to board). Interesting security here, which is central, required us to remove our shoes… first time needed to do that.
- The airport was not great (with no seats at the gate), so I was "forced" to get coffee & sit in a café (the coffee was terrible, but the seat was worth it).
- Ethan was interested in what we ordered for food on the plane, so I tried to look up our flight in the app, but it stated our flight can't be found… fortunately, we had a boarding pass!
- While delayed around 25 min, flight was otherwise fine.
- Arriving in Malaysia/passing immigration was challenging! Unlike other countries where given details to fill in form prior to departure, this was not the case (maybe an Air Asia thing….). The internet speed at the airport was painfully slow (both on my phone & Ethan's international roaming positively worked - in didn't in Thailand). This made for a very slow and tedious process to complete the less than intuitive online form (the airport immigration staff suggested lying on it and put out accommodation as being at the hotel… as it didn't matter and conceded it was difficult & confusing and just enter whatever it will accept to get through the auto-gate!). Comfortingly, we were not the only ones having issues; around 50% of non-Malaysia seemed to get caught.
- I had pre-booked transport to the hotel using the express train & VIP courier service. This was also confusing - it turns out the tickets they gave & I printed while valid contain the wrong instructions. i.e. the service is more comprehensive than I realised. While the tickets state (In bold and red) to go to the ticket counter, in practice, they send someone to the terminal to get you! (I queried this; apparently, all the tickets say this, but because it was "VIP" service, I should have ignored that). They actually had 3 people waiting (2 porters to take our bags & a VIP liaison officer..!). It was all a bit awkward and over the top. The 2 porters had a VIP section roped off for us on the train and travelled the entire trip for us - even scanning Ethan through the gates etc.… A bit uselessly, after the first stop, about 5 min in, they advised the next stop we would be getting off - so we got ready - it turns out the next stop was also the final stop over 20 min later! However, they ensured we got to our personal shuttle service & then to our hotel & ultimately got there all smoothly and fine (doing the same thing pre-booked going back!).
- We checked into the hotel (Traders Hotel), we're on level 15. Great view of the Petronas Twin Towers.
- We spoke to the girls for a bit, showing them our "fancy" bidet - which when we tried it just sprayed water into the toilet (no idea how this helps…). But on unknowingly pressing the leaver the other way managed to spray ourselves the bathroom completely.
- Walking into the park in front of the Twin Towers, we stopped to watch a fountain display. There were heaps of people! But the display could have been more interesting with no music and basic fountains with a bit of colour and moderate change. Looking at reviews, they were largely very positive but noting music etc… and others very negative on how plain and boring it was. We largely gave up after about 15 minutes of waiting to go look for food - on our way, the fountain display actually started (it turns out the online times are incorrect). The proper show was much better (not as good as Singapore, but impressive nonetheless - and a lot more viewing angles with 360 access around the lake.
- Finding food (that Ethan was also happy with) proved more difficult than expected. We were both very hungry (I didn't have lunch and Ethan only had food on the plane that was very small). It was complicated by struggling to find the floor things were on or how to cross a major road, and also, some good options were outdoors, but we were so hot we wanted to eat in A/C.
- Navigating the streets around Petronas Towers took a lot of work. Seems the best vantage points for photos are in the middle of a major intersection that we also needed to walk across. It was a mess of people taking photos plus heaps of "professional" photographers (with iPhones rigged up with bright lights and a battery pack) that were charging for photos (in some cases using the pedestrian crossing buttons to stop traffic so they could take photos on the road). Trying to avoid all the people posing for photos and photographers was quite a mission. Also, when the pedestrian crossing goes green, there is no audio cue & most people aren't walking but taking photos, so several times, we missed crossing as we were busy trying not to get in the way, only to see too late that the crossing had gone green (they have a cleaver animated green walking man, who starts running as the time starts to run out).
- We ended up in desperation trying to find McDonalds (for me, Ethan was fine with it) - while this was not successful (We got to the building - it's somewhere inside Petronas towers - we never found the "Concierge" floor) - instead we found a food court (also in Petronas Towers) that was good, although while busy many places had closed (frustratingly they did not have any signage and despite clearly waiting did not say anything until I asked!). We got Barramundi and Chips (Only $8 AUD each, and it was fantastic). We ran out of water, so we got Boost Juice which was a bargain at only $3.50 AUD each!
- Walking back to the hotel through the park, we noticed the Emergency pillars we has seen earlier (with speakers and buttons to get police assistance) were all flashing, and a pre-recorded message was being played. This was being ignored by all and wasn't in English (I don't think, was not overly clear). Presumably it was nothing important.
- Heading to Subway lagoon amusement park and water park.
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