Day 52 Tuesday April 28th (68 days to go) — A new country for us today Malaysia.
My Uncle RJ once was offered a position with Exxon to run a project in Malaysia. He and my Aunt Jean along with my cousins Valli and Reed moved to Malaysia. My mom and I think my two sisters Stacy and Gaye had the opportunity to visit them while they were in Malaysia. My Uncle used to always correct us and say it was Esso Exploration and not Exxon. 🙂 I sent Valli a text today and said she must have freaked out moving from Cut Off, where the tallest building in Cut Off was their two-story home to get to KL, where I don’t think many buildings were two stories or under.
We took an Oceania excursion where it was on your own in Malaysia. Jackie had two things in mind today: Visit the Petronis Towers and find some tennis shoes. The city is 90 minutes from Port Klang where we arrived. So, we had four hours in Kuala Lumpur to accomplish her goals for the day. We were able to get those things done. We got lucky and scored two tickets to visit the towers as these are sometimes hard to obtain. The towers are 86 stories high. I got up to floor 42 and walked across the bridge between the two towers and said OKAY, I am high enough and came back down. Jackie went up to the observation floors on 85 and 86. The photos and videos below show pretty much nothing but tall buildings as we did not have enough time to explore the city.
On the Currents below, pay close attention to the bottom of the first page as Oceania knew something none of us back home knew. Their prediction was correct!!!!!
Aiden was born on April 26th which was April 27th here in Malaysia!!!!
My niece Alaina and her mom (my sister) Gaye
CONGRATULATIONS to Austin and Alaina Adams!!!! Jackie and I both had tears in our eyes at the news and the photos. We hope and pray that he continues to thrive and keeps growing healthy
Pulling into Port Klang. I told Jackie if my Uncle RJ was still living, we would be sure to tell us he supervised the building of these tanks. 🙂
And he also supervised the building of this refinery 🙂
Starting to see the buildings of Kuala Lumpur
THE MAPLE RESIDENCES | THE MAPLE RESIDENCES – Prestigious Development By WCT
Menara Maybank (Maybank Tower) is a 50-story, 244-meter (801 ft) skyscraper in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, serving as the headquarters of Maybank. Completed in 1988, this concrete building designed by Hijjas Kasturi Associates was once the tallest in Malaysia before the Petronas Twin Towers. It houses the Maybank Numismatic Museum and is part of the iconic Kuala Lumpur skyline.
Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, is a massive 48-storey twin-tower landmark in Bukit Bintang featuring a shopping mall, indoor theme park, and hotel. Opened in 2003, it features 10+ floors of affordable shopping, diverse dining, and is directly connected to the Imbi Monorail station, providing convenient access to the city’s main attractions.
- Berjaya Times Square Shopping Mall: A vast retail space known for small, affordable fashion boutiques, electronics, and numerous food outlets.
- Berjaya Times Square Theme Park: One of Malaysia’s largest indoor theme parks, located on the top floors, featuring several rides, including the Supersonic Odyssey roller coaster.
- Berjaya Times Square Hotel: A high-rise hotel featuring 650 rooms, an outdoor pool, sauna, and direct access to the mall.
- Location & Transport: Centrally located in Bukit Bintang, it is easily accessed via the KL Monorail and offers easy access to major attractions like the Petronas Twin Towers.
Amoda Building is located on Jalan Imbi, opposite Time Square and is a state-of-the-art intelligent office glass tower. It is located in the golden triangle and walking distance to the shopping district of Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Bukit Bintang. It’s in a vibrant and easily accessible location being a hundred meters from the IMBI Monorail and 200 metres away from Hang Tuah LRT Station. With Melia Hotel adjacent to Amoda, accommodating international corporate travelers would be easy. Amoda Building is a 22-storey building and has a typical floor plate of 10,402 sq. ft.
Short video while we were stopped on the bus
Jackie got photos on this seafood restaurant on the side of the road during our drive in Kuala Lumpur
A restaurant in Kuala Lumpur
This is where the bus dropped us off for four hours on our own
Sungei Wang Plaza (Malay: Plaza Sungei Wang) is a strata title shopping centre in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[1]
The mall has an aggregate retail floor area of approximately 800,000 square feet (sq. ft.) and key anchor tenant includes Cold Storage (Formerly Giant Supermarket), JUMPA @ Sungei Wang, Blastacars, Camp5, Daiso and MR. DIY. The shopping center is accessible from Bukit Bintang MRT/Monorail.
This was a video Jackie took of the ceiling at the entrance to the mall
As soon as we got to the drop off point, we grabbed a Grab (like Uber in America) and headed off to Petronas Towers
Walking into the Petronas Towers Mall.
Interior of the mall
Beginning the walk of death for me 🙂
A model of the Petronas Tower
The Petronas Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas), also known as the Petronas Twin Towers and colloquially the KLCC Twin Towers, are an interlinked pair of 88-storey supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, standing at 451.9 m (1,483 ft). From 1996 to 2004, they were the tallest buildings in the world until they were surpassed by the Taipei 101 building. The Petronas Towers remain the world’s tallest twin skyscrapers, surpassing the original World Trade Center towers in New York City, and were the tallest buildings in Malaysia until 2021, when they were surpassed by Merdeka 118. The Petronas Towers are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with the nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower and Merdeka 118, and are visible in many places across the city.
The walkway connecting the two towers on floor 42. I was able to take this photo before people were walking around
Views from the walkway
The towers feature a double decker skybridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors, holding the record for the highest 2-story bridge in the world. The skybridge also functions as a crucial design feature facilitating movement between the two towers during high winds. The bridge is 170 m (558 ft) above the ground and 58.4 m (192 ft) long, weighing 750 t (830 tons). The same floor is also known as the podium, since visitors going to higher levels have to change elevators here. Dynamic analyses were performed and iterated to support the final design by studying the structural behavior of the twin towers to time-varying loads such as earthquakes and wind. The skybridge is open to all visitors, but tickets are limited to about 1,000 people per day, with around half available to be purchased online, and the other half obtained on a first-come, first-served basis. Petronas began selling tickets in 2010, eliminating free visits. Visitors can choose to opt for package one which is just a visit to the skybridge or go for package two to go to the skybridge and all the way to level 86. Visitors are only allowed on the 41st floor as the 42nd floor can only be used by the tenants of the building.
The skybridge also acts as a safety device, so that in the event of a fire or other emergency in one tower, tenants can evacuate by crossing the skybridge to the other tower. The total evacuation triggered by a bomb hoax on 12 September 2001 (the day after the September 11 attacks destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City) showed that the bridge would not be useful if both towers need to be emptied simultaneously, as the capacity of the staircases was insufficient for such an event. Plans thus call for the lifts to be used if both towers need to be evacuated, and a successful drill following the revised plan was conducted in 2005.
There is a two hinged arch that supports the skybridge with arch legs, each 51 m (167 ft) long, that are bolted to level 29 of each of the towers. After being constructed on the ground, the skybridge was lifted into place on the towers over a period of three days in July 1995. Residing on the 41st and 42nd floors, the skybridge connects a conference room, an executive dining room and a prayer room.
Looking up towards the top of the towers
I took three photos and zoomed in on the other two photos
The looks of happiness and terror
These photos are from a small section that sticks out on the walkway
The rest of these photos were taken by Jackie on the 86th floor while I was safely on floor one
The bar sticking out the building is used for window washing
On the morning of 1 September 2009, French urban climber Alain “Spiderman” Robert, using only his bare hands and feet and with no safety devices, scaled to the top of Tower Two in just under 2 hours after two previous efforts had ended in arrest. In his first attempt on 20 March 1997, police arrested him at the 60th floor, 28 floors away from the “summit”. His second attempt, on 20 March 2007, exactly 10 years later, was also stopped on the same floor, though on the other tower.
Personally, I think they just should have shot him because something is seriously wrong with this dude
Petronas Tower model on floor 86
The “balls” at the top of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur are known as Ring Balls or Pinnacle Rings. They are part of the spires, consisting of 14 rings of varying diameters, designed for structural stability, maintenance access, and aesthetics at the very top of the 452-meter towers.
- Design & Structure: These spherical ring structures sit near the top of the pinnacles and are part of the 23-segment spires.
- Purpose: Beyond enhancing the futuristic, Islamic-inspired design, they serve as crucial structural elements and support systems for maintenance workers accessing the highest points of the towers.
- Location: These are not to be confused with the 41st/42nd-floor skybridge, but rather are situated at the very peak, reaching 452 meters into the sky.
- Appearance: They are visible from ground level and appear as stacked ring structures around the main spire structure
Jackie sent me a message while taking this picture and asked if I thought it was a cemetery. I could have been buried there after going up 42 floors and walking on the skybridge
Videos that Jackie took from the 86th floor
Video of the inside of the cruise terminal at Port Klang after we returned
Before getting back on the bus for the return trip to the port, we picked up some items at this little market area.
As we sailed away, it was raining and I got a photo of this boat sitting in the harbor
Got back to the ship and told Jackie I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news is we still have $15 Malaysian money left, good news it means we have to return one day to spend it 🙂
Tomorrow we are in Phuket, Thailand. Not sure what are the plans as we did not book anything, so possibly a day on the ship?
