2011 - NZ To SF - Day 67

Day 67: (19 July 2011):
- Decide not wake up early for Petronas, so woke up naturally.
- Take subway/elevated train to Petronas. Very nice blds. Nice gardens & mall at base. Get lost after station, pop up at other side of garden. Walk over.
- large Q for tickets. Take photos outside. Meet girls: Q at 5am, get tickets ~10am, sold out shortly after. Nice mall & atrium around. Skybrigde not that high.
- Walk to tower. Hectic crosswalks (absent some times). Cross light button not work.
- Crossing road in KL difficult, as noted by LP. Some sidewalks missing, others are blocked by mystery barriers. Cars park on it, see truck dump dirt on it, etc.
- Sweaty walk up hill. Small stores area.
- Islamic tiling at entrance. People welcome & hand on chest. Realise didn’t look for the cheap 20RM tickets. Cost 45RM. Decide not go to the skybar happy hour that was recommended. Nice audio/video tour. Petronas seem stubbier than I expected. Batu Caves looks cool in distance.
- Chose the animal display: 3 choices: animal display, F1 simulator or pony ride. Some cool things, mostly snakes. Large geckos. Monkeys, tortoise pen. Animals are cramped together and place does not look happy at all.
- Free shuttle to entrance. Realise could have avoided the walk up. Chat with shuttle person while waiting, as I had to wait for next shuttle as is full.
- Walk to Jalan Alor, as rec’ed by Wikitravel. Lots of restaurants, some street food (less than expected).
- Ate at busy restaurant. Due to order confusion, had chance to chat with a person who worked at Scotiabank (I walked past bld. on way here). He ask how I find this place, say is famous. Rec’ed a green bld with lots of food under it. Had fish head noodle soup & juice of something like a feijoa.
- Walk back to hostel. Cool down in AC.
- Walk by train station to look for tourist info on map. However, was just a construction site. Continue to national museum.
- Best of the Malaysian museums, but still a lack of genuine artefacts. Assumptions of knowledge also made. Poor organisation. Some cool houses, models outside. Visit some of the small adjascent “museums.”
- Go to park. Parking guy offer drive me for 7RM. I say want to walk through park. Response: “If you want to waste your time, go.”
- Baffling sign on shut down escalator on pedestrian bridge.
- Meet Swiss guy as enter park, us both look at map, etc.
 -Explore park together. Nice park, locked gates some places & open elsewhere.
- Walk towards National Monument. Difficulty crossing a main road.
- National Monument nice, but some parts poorly maintained: tiles missing in fountain, etc. Have to walk up hill. See parliament: remind me of Temple on NOD.
- Long walk back to town. Some cool buildings, grass parks, large flag.
- Swiss decide not to go to tower anymore. Back ~6, 5:30. Decide will meet at 7:30 for dinner. Cool off, Internet.
- One shirt blown off to tree on one floor below, use broom handle to get. No big problem as floor is owned by hostel. Lucky did not rain.
- Noodles for dinner. Have durian: cheap one this time (5RM instead of 15), can’t tell diff. First time Swiss have durian.
- Arrange to meet for Batu Caves next day.
- Have mango (very good) & Lychee. Expensive. Fruit seller tell me no negotiating when buying fruit. >20RM for fruit.
- Meet Felix the German in my room.