KL Tower, a must go in Kuala Lumpur....

Being someone who has a passion for travel and discovering new places, I have of course been to KL Tower before since the time it was opened to the public in 1996. I have been there 4 or 5 times to the observation decks and also the revolving restaurant, where you can watching the view of the whole of KL pass slowly in front of your eyes while you enjoy your meal...

Thing is, I have not actually been to the KL Tower for the past few years, so when I was given the opportunity to visit it again, I was both mesmerized and impressed by the changes there was there... There is so much to do now at the KL Tower...

Most of my friends and the people I know will know that I am an overgrown child, a kid at heart (probably something to do with not being able to really enjoy my childhood when I was a kid) and I just love having fun and discovering new things despite my advanced age... besides, I find animals fascinating...

I also heard this was a renovation from the previous animal zone . At the entrance I was welcomed by two beautiful parrots who readily jump or climb on your hand and shoulder for a photo or two for just a minimal fee of RM5. 

The animals here are quite well kept and the enclosures are clean. It was interesting getting to see meerkats, prairie dogs and bat eared foxes. I got a chance to feed the adorable squirrel monkeys who snatch the food offered to them in a flash through the very spacious cage. You are not allowed to feed them with outside food...The food is provided by the keepers...

One of the highlights there would have to be the albino crow as well.. Everyone knows that crows are black... and to see a snowy white crow is a real novelty. Albino crows are some of the rarest birds in existence. These kind of creatures are thought to be more mythology than reality so seeing on up close was definitely fascinating......

Well, this gorgeous crow isn't the only albino in this mini zoo... there is also a couple of albino monkeys and a huge albino python , however the albino python is not as huge as its Burmese companion in the same enclosure which was even more gigantic !!

I also got a chance to feed some colourful Conures (small parrots) who were bold and sociable enough to hop on your hand or even your head if you let them... I got one of them on my head ruffling my hair... LOL

There are also emus, mini ponies, monkeys and be sure to check out guinea pigs and rabbits enclosure which you can pet and feed at leisure... 

And oh, do not forget to say hello to the absolutely adorable raccoons as well.....

Before ending your little sojourn to the  Mini Zoo, take the chance to recapture your childhood and try your hand on some longkang fishing/ 'drain' fishing though it is not really a drain....and browse through the gift shop for some gifts or interesting souvenirs to bring home...

You can visit the Mini Zoo on its own for RM19 per adult or RM16 per child or go ahead with the KL Tower Package, which I highly recommend....

The Blue Coral Aquarium at KL Tower is the second aquarium in Kuala Lumpur, and smaller then Aquaria, but if you just like a walk through to see local rainforest / freshwater fishes as well as gorgeous corals and their inhabitants, you might like to check this out...

You will definitely find it interesting as the Blue Coral Aquarium engages local Tropicana Rain Forest interior design in an innate way, indicating the Natural Design Concept. 

What’s better of having both forest and sea view environment all in one... Among the fishes you can see would be the giant garoupas, sharks, sand sharks, sea cucumbers / gamat, clown fish, lion fish, puffer fish, parrot fish, a lone moray eel , 'Kalui' and many more.....

However do not expect too much out of this as this is definitely considerably smaller then Aquaria or SEA aquarium and so on... this is just a small cozy aquarium..

pic credit to Effendee, KL Tower

After we have finish visiting the Blue Coral Aquarium, we headed up to the Open Deck of the KL Tower but we manage to briefly meet KL Tower's CEO Mr Meor Shahril Anuar Ahmad Rathuan before he went for his Friday prayers...

Do not miss the chance to visit the Open Deck area of the KL Tower if you can.. It is amazing looking down on KL City... 

The Open Deck is 300 metres off the ground....and is the highest floor of the tower, and is open air, with no obstructions in the way. For those with a fear of heights might get a case of the vertigo. But it is amazing!!! 

The views from the open deck is more thrilling as there are no “protection” glass around you. The breeze is amazing and it is a breath taking moment just to walk around or stand there and look down in awe...

Thanks to Effendee from KL Tower for this pic

KL tower stands on top of a small hill, so it is no wonder it offers excellent views of Kuala Lumpur and the surroundings. For your info, KL Tower's views are thought to be more spectacular than those from the Skybridge at Petronas Twin Towers!!

Picture credit to Effendee of KL Tower

Usually most tourists to KL would probably head for the Petronas Towers but I have to say that KL Tower  offers better views. You can also see and take photos or even selfies with the famous Petronas Towers. 

picture credit to Effendee of KL Tower

It is also from this Open Deck where there are a lot of extreme sports that happen such as bungee jumping, base jumps and so on.....

I left the Open Deck feeling humbled by the extraordinary views of Kuala Lumpur....It is definitely an amazing opportunity not to be missed if you are there....

The observation deck is completely indoors. While air-conditioned, the view can be obstructed, depending on where you stand. And there are souvenir stalls there for you to buy gifts or souvenirs from friend or family.

One of the best things about KL tower is that it has panoramic views, as the circular observation deck extends all the way around the building. This means that you can see further and much  more than when you go up to the sky bridge in the Petronas Twin Towers. With it's 360 degree views, it can be fun trying to  spot Kuala Lumpur’s famous landmarks…..

And well, according to some friends,  you can spot  Batu Caves if you look closely in the right direction and  see the golden statue (though it's tiny from this distance!) through the binoculars/ viewers...

KL Tower is the 7th tallest telecommunications tower in the world with a height of 421m .

picture credit to Effendee from KL Tower

A little group picture of a few of us blogger pals  who visited KL Tower...

After coming down from the KL Tower, we headed to FOM or Flavours of Malaysia ... this is like a mini cultural village...

If you are not from Peninsula Malaysia, you might like to just pay RM32 for the whole package which includes admission, a cultural show and a local Malay meal...

We went for the package thingie and we were pleasantly entertained by the Semai  

Aboriginal people  who were sourced from the rainforest about 7 hours trek from Kuala Lipis, Pahang, according to one of the staff member there....

We also got to indulge in local Malay favourite dishes...

There are ulams (some kind of healthy greens the Malay people like to eat ) with sambal belacan ...

 A variety of roti canai, noodles, kueh and even ABC or Air Batu Campur / shaved ice with an assortment of ingredients and syrup and milk...

After our lunch, a few of us were ushered up the stage to dance with the natives as well.. which was half embarrassing in the beginning but lots of fun...

 

Here are some pics of us.....after the dance with the native women.... 

After all the laughter and a full stomach, we wandered around the mini cultural place...For some people, they might say it is nothing much and nothing to shout about, but I have to beg to differ as there was something charming about the area. 

It had a village feeling, probably made so with the goat, ducks, chicken and baby 'beruk' or  southern pig tailed macaque/monkey, normally trained by East Coast Malaysians and Thais  to pluck coconuts... And there are these interesting  model houses of some different states of Malaysia. Each state have a different way of building their wooden houses.. and you can see it here... It is interesting .

There are also other activities like feeding the animals , batik painting and so on which you can participate in....

Ok... now the question is how can I get there.....Well, you can take a  cab directly here, like I did... LOL

Or get on the free purple Go KL Bus (take the one that stops at the Weld). There is a van service that picks you up at the gate to bring you to the foot of the tower. 

You can also take the Hop On Hop Off bus that stops here as well. 

If you like wandering around KL you can stop at Bukit Nanas monorail or the Dang Wangi LRT and walk to the tower(passing Hard Rock Café, Concorde Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel and turn right after Shangri-La). 

Another alternative is to walk to KL Tower from KLCC along Jalan P Ramlee as it is quite near. I think it should take about 15 minutes walk on the straight road...

Address : Jalan P Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

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For more info, check out KL Tower's official Website  or KL Tower's official Facebook