Asia Travel Guide

One of the most interesting places to visit in Asia is Kuala Lumpur and one of the major attractions there is the Petronas twin towers. These magnificent structures stand 458 meters tall and have 88 floors. The foundation of these towers stretches 120 meters underground. The towers themselves are made primarily of reinforced concrete and steel with a glass façade. Construction on these towers was finished in 1996.

Visitors are allowed to go to the 41st floor to see the sky bridge. From this vantage point you can see the park below and on a clear day all the surrounding cities of Kuala Lumpur. In order to get into the sky bridge it is necessary to get a pass. These passes are given to about 1400 people every day, and usually they are all distributed before noon, so make sure you get there very early to ensure that you manage to get one.

In a building this massive it would seem logical that the elevator system be huge and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. There are 3 groups of elevators that together service all the floors in the building. The elevator cars are two stories, so one story handles the even floors and the other handles the odd floors. These elevators are also specially equipped with a number of safety devices. The one that is the most interested is the way that one elevator can go up beside another elevator and evacuate people from it if it gets stuck or jammed between floors.

The petronas Company is the one and only tenant of tower one. The other tower called Tower 2 is available for rent to other tenants’. Currently Accenture, Bloomberg, Boeing, IBM, Microsoft, Reuters, and a large number of smaller firms all call this tower home.

At the base of the towers there is a shopping plaza called Suria KLCC. It has a large number of shops featuring all kinds of different merchandise. On the 4th floor you will find the petroleum development centre.

Just outside the plaza is the KLCC Park. This park has jogging and walking paths, a wading pool, and a children’s playground. It has a very large water fountain with built in lighting that puts on a fantastic show, as the water blasts high into the air. Getting to the towers is easy. Take the Putra train right to the towers.

If you are planning on taking a vacation in the near future, I recommend that you travel to Malaysia. Malaysia is a beautiful place to really enjoy yourself. There are plenty of places that you can visit while you are there if you are traveling to site-see. If you prefer to just relax, there are plenty of places devoted to that past time as well.

In all actuality, Malaysia is a place that all nature lovers should visit because it has pristine beaches, tropical islands, haunting caves and untamed jungles. The natural beauty of Malaysia will open your senses and capture your heart.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the hub of Malaysia and is often overlooked by tourists. This is a mistake as there is a lot to see that will take your breath away including:

1) Petronas Twin Towers

2) Sultan Abdul Samad Building which is full of Victorian and Moorish architectural styles.

3) Tasek Perdana Lake Gardens which is a perfect place to have a picnic with your family or enjoy a nice walk.

4) Parliament House

5) National Monument

6) National Museum which is the home to many historical exhibits and also houses craftwork from many different parts of the nation and a wide variety of architectural styles that make it so unique.

7) National Mosque which is surrounded by spectacular lawns and elegant fountains that decorate the lawn like a Christmas tree, as strange as that may sound. The National Mosque was built in 1965; the dome on the Mosque is in the shape of an eighteen point star to represent the thirteen states in the country and the five central pillars of Islam.

Old Chinese Clan House where Chan See Yuen lived.

9) The Friday Mosque which is located in the middle of the Klang and Gombak rivers is the most popular place to visit in the city. A great place to watch the sun set.

Kuala Lumpur also offers many eating and shopping opportunities.

Magnificent Caves and Parks

1) The Batu Caves are located north of the city of Kuala Lumpur. They can be reached by climbing two hundred and seventy two steps. Wow, that is a lot of steps, isn’t it? These caves house the Hindu Shrine of Lord Subramanian.

2) The Museum Caves are full of brightly colored statues and murals from Hindu mythology.

3) Templar Park is nothing but all natural rainforest that is bubbling with beauty for everyone to see. It is full of jungle paths, swimming lagoons and waterfalls that all lie within the park boundaries. A magical place, indeed.

4) Malaysia’s agricultural park which is located in Shah Alam, Selangor at Cherakah has a large play area for all the skateboarders and roller skaters out there. If you have teens with you, this is the place for them.

Overall, Malaysia is a wonderful place to take a vacation. It is still considered exotic, but is becoming more of a mainstream destination as it gains in popularity.

Rick Chapo is with Nomad Journals - makers of travel journals to preserve your travel experiences. Great Gifts!

One of the most popular Borneo destinations is undoubtedly Kinabalu National Park, where Mount Kinabalu resides. Each year, thousands of visitors visited Kinabalu National Park for either a refreshing National Park Vacation to escape the hot tropical sun and catch a glimpse of the highest mountain in South East Asia, or to conquer the mystical Mount Kinabalu.

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Khoo is the surname (family name). Kongsi means clan (family) house.
The Khoos were among the the wealthy Straits Chinese traders of 17th century Malacca and early Penang.The Khoo Kongsi is a clan association of the Leong San Tong (Dragon Mountain Hall) clan who came from the Sin Kang clan village in Hokkien province, China. The Leong San Tong of the Khoo Kongsi in Cannon Square is the most picturesque clan-temple in Malaysia.

It was built as a clan-house for people with the same surname,when the Khoo clan was at the height of wealth and eminence in Penang society.
The building of this ornate temple was commissioned by the Khoo clan, which migrated from China in the late 18th century. The clan temple underwent a RM4.2 million restoration between 1999-2001.

In the 19th century, the clan complex resembled a miniature clan village, with its own self-government as well as educational, financial, welfare and social organisations.

A reduced version was later built in 1902 which features a magnificent hall embellished with intricate carvings and richly ornamented beams of finest wood bearing the mark of master craftsmen from China.
The temple building is in three parts: The two storey temple is fronted by a mid-level porch called the prayer pavilion.

It opens at 9am to 5pm.You have to purchase an entrance ticket.

Technorati Tags: khoo kongsi, penang

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was the favourite home of Cheong Fatt Tze (1840-1916), a rags to riches Hakka entrepreneur who become a powerful Nanyang industrialist, a Ching dynasty consul-general representing the Overseas Chinese and a first class mandarin.

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The City Hall was officially opened in 1903,with the Town Hall next to it.
Its a meeting place for the Council Chamber of the Penang Municipal Council.The building is light up during the night.It looks majestic with the colonial architecture.

Opening Hours :
8am-4.15pm Mon-Fri; 8am-12.45pm Sat

The Address:
Jalan Padang Kota Lama
Penang
10200

You wont miss the building.Its next to the Esplanade field.