Saturday, June 22, 2013

Kuala Lumpur : Bintang Walk and Petronas Twin Towers

From our guesthouse in Pasar Seni, we rode the GOKL bus in going to Bukit Bintang. To further explore Kuala Lumpur, we started at Bintang Walk.  

  

Let's start our Bintang Walk journey...
 
the lucky kid...he can sleep anytime, anywhere
asking for directions

 
Bintang Walk is Kuala Lumpur's premiere shopping and dining.  It is located at the heart of the city's "Golden Triangle".  Bukit Bintang district begins with Jalan Bukit Bintang which starts at Jalan Raja Chulan and ends at Pudu Road.  The malls surrounding Bintang Walk includes Berjaya Times Square, Bukit Bintang Plaza, Imbi Plaza, Fahrenheit 88, Low Yat Plaza, Starhill Gallery, Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10 and Pavilion KL.
Bintang Walk has been regarded as KL's most fashionable and most trendy shopping district. If New York has Times Square, Kuala Lumpur has its own Bintang Walk.  It becomes very lively at night!  Major celebrations like New Year countdown and Merdeka eve celebrations as well as street concerts and fashion shows are celebrated here.  And what are we doing here?   Actually we just happen to pass by to reach Petronas Twin Towers.


We went inside one of the malls in Bintang Walk

nice car!


the air conditioned walkway...from Bukit Bintang to KLCC

artistic underpasses

Oh Yeah!!!

walls of underpass

a long walk...they decided to sit for a while =)

playing with their reflections while waiting for others who went to the restroom


We met a Pinay and ask for directions...it's really a long walk from Bukit Bintang to KLCC eh?

playtime!!!

Aquaria is located inside KLCC

at last we reached Petronas Towers by walking from Bukit Bintang...exhausting!!!

That's it!!!

Petronas Twin Towers has a world record of being the tallest towers from 1998-2004, until surpassed by Taipei 101.  But still they remain to be the tallest twin buildings in the world. Petronas towering height is 1,483 ft or 452 meters and has 88 storeys. It has a skybridge with a length of 58.40 meters.  The hollow space between the towers is linked by the skybridge at levels 41 and 42.
 

just the half of the Twin Towers

the cute tourists kids

James, my little photographer

buildings beside KLCC
Believe it or not, we walked again from Bukit Bintang going back to Raizzy's Guesthouse...so tiring!!! We just rewarded them with their favorite meryenda, refillable softdrinks, french fries, sandwiches and a toy at Mcdonalds!!!

Berjaya Times Square

at Mcdonalds

Pinays we've met along the way...See you again!!!

met Robin Padilla too!!!

Adriano Family in Petronas

We went back to Petronas the following day the easier way...From our guesthouse, we rode a GOKL bus from Pasar Seni to Bukit Bintang and rode another GOKL bus from Bukit Bintang to KLCC Mall. easy ei?
There's a free tour of going up to Petronas Towers everyday, you just need to be at KLCC Suria when it opens at 9am. They are giving away at least 1,800 tickets per day, so you'll have a great chance to get these free tickets if you arrive early.  For a detailed information on how to get these tickets, click here. The tickets can be bought online at RM80 (Php1,080).

the Twin Towers conquered!

For more info, visit Petronas Twin Towers official page at http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/

 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Kuala Lumpur: KL City Gallery

Our guesthouse in Raizzy’s is located at 165 G. Jalan Tun H.S Lee, Kuala Lumpur.  It is next to tourist spot Sri Maha Mariamman Temple.  From our guesthouse we just walked in going to KL City Gallery.
Walking towards City Gallery


in front of Textile Museum


map from klcitygallery.com
The great spot in taking a souvenir photo of KL outside the gallery


Welcome to KL City Gallery

Discovering Kuala Lumpur

There is no admission fee so there is no reason to pass it up. Visiting this place is so worth it.  You will learn a lot about Kuala Lumpur. 

KL City Gallery is located at the heart of Merdeka Square.  It is between the City Library and History Museum.  Its exact location is at ARCH Collection Sdn. Bhd., No. 27, Jalan Raja, Dataran Merdeka, 50050 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The closest LRT station are Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek.  It is just a 5 minute walk from the Central Market.  This amazing 115 year old heritage building faces the iconic 100-meter flagpole. 

The building was built in 1899.  It occupies the building which was formerly the Government Printing Press.  This 115 year old building is a must visit for everyone. The gallery will show you the past, present and future of Kuala Lumpur.  

 

A miniature model of Masjid Jamek
baby James is so interested in Kuala Lumpur's history huh!

Memories of Kuala Lumpur

The Gallery has 1500 visitors per day.  It opens from 9:00 am to 6:30pm daily, 7 times a week, 365 days a year.

The history of Kuala Lumpur behind us




showcasing the future of Kuala Lumpur


There's a short video presentation for tourists located at the 2nd floor of the Gallery...


KL seat upstairs


the making of Arch shows how The Arch souvenirs are being made

miniature model of Petronas Towers


the Arch

 Don't forget to take a photo with you the largest Kuala Lumpur skyline wood-veneer mural in the world! A 40ft x 50ft miniature model of the city, amazing isn't it?
souvenirs at the Gallery

photographed by my daughter, Janelle =)

Cool kids!!!




Adriano Family in KL









Thank You KL City Gallery


the Sultan Abdul behind us

We had a great time in visiting the gallery!  I've discovered when we got home in the Philippines that the gallery is offering a 2-hour free tour of the historic surrounding buildings every Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Sayang! There are a lot of free tours in Kuala Lumpur for tourists, only if we have known earlier.  Anyway this information can greatly help you to avail of those freebies when you tour Kuala Lumpur.



More information at their facebook page KL City Gallery

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Amadeo, Cavite : Coffee Capital of the Philippines

Amadeo, Cavite? Saan ba yun?  It's my hubby's hometown!!! I-feature muna natin ang sariling atin before any other destination...

We always hear our kababayans..."Let's go to Baguio!", "Let's stroll to Tagaytay!", especially every summer when most parts of the Philippines is experiencing an extra hot temperature.  Little is known about this quiet municipality that it also has freezing temperatures and sometimes colder than Tagaytay and Baguio.  I've experienced here two hailstones rain!  Hail is the precipitation in the form of pellets composed of ice and snow.  The water coming from faucets are extremely cold, we always have to boil water before we take a bath.  Wala kaming heater, hehe =)

When travelling to Tagaytay, why not take a peek at Amadeo, it is only 6 to 8 kilometers  from Tagaytay. 

Amadeo is a fourth class municipality in the province of Cavite.  Famously known as the Coffee Capital of the Philippines. It celebrates its Pahimis Festival every last weekend of February.





Jay (my hubby) and I have been married for 17 years (secretly =) and 12 years (legally).  When I go to their hometown I always see his lola drying these coffee beans in the vacant lot of their house.  I also help her in scattering the fresh beans for them to dry faster. The coffee companies are buying them at Php1200-Php1600/sack of dried coffee beans as of February 2013



 

We always take vacations in Amadeo, but we've never been to Balite Falls... and surprisingly it is just 5 minutes drive from Jay's house.  If coming from Pasay, take buses bound to Indang, Cavite, bus fare Php40.  Tell the conductor to drop you at Manggahan, Gen. Trias, Cavite.  In front of Mcdonalds cross the street and look for Amadeo bound jeepneys.  Tell the driver to drop you at Balite Falls in Brgy. Banay Banay, around 20-25 minutes jeepney drive, fare Php20.  Follow the signs in going to the falls and enjoy the super refreshing atmosphere of Balite Falls.  Entrance Fee Php75 for adults and Php35 for 6 to 18 y/o.  That would only cost you Php120 roundtrip fare and Php75 for entrance fee.  Just bring lunch with you para makatipid nang bonggang bongga!

Welcome to Balite Falls!!!


okay sa alright!

Janelle and Airish enjoying the relaxing view of Balite

Mom still in her pj's with baby James

fresh drinking water coming from the mountain


syempre family picture =)

feeling the cold water


waterfalls




no photoshops...just the real thing!


ang babae sa banga

ang mahiwagang pinto

still inside Balite Falls area...


Amadeo is also famous for its fresh fruits most especially their super sweet pineapples.  Have you tasted the MG3 of South Cotabato? Same sweetness with Amadeo pineapples. Super tamis talaga!!! mura pa!!! the big pineapple here costs only Php25, when in season it only costs Php10-15.

Amadeo Municipal Hall
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