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In this blog post, I would like to introduce to you the Petronas Twin Towers, the most remarkable landmark in the Federal Territories.

Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, officially launched it on Aug 31, 1999. The whole country was thrilled!

The Twin Towers are a tall symbol of Malaysia’s achievement and technological advancement. Petronas, short for Petroleum Nasional Berhad, is indeed proud to house its corporate headquarters here in these towers, which serve as a globally prominent base for the Corporation to operate and grow its business.

Designed by Argentine-American architect César Pelli, the Petronas Twin Towers were completed in 1998 after a hardworking 7 year build, at the cost of 4.1 billion ringgit (1.2 billion USD).

The stunning 88-floor towers (452 metres) were constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a splendid display of glass and stainless steel, glistening in Kuala Lumpur’s equatorial sun.

The Petronas Twin Towers symbolizes strength and grace through its use of geometric designs typical of Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia’s Muslim religion while possessing a modern overall character.

To Malaysians, the Twin Towers are indeed a vision realised symbolising Malaysia as a dynamic and progressive nation. As a new Malaysian icon and symbol of a great leap forward, it will surely stand there forever for our generation to be inspired as it was built on the world’s deepest foundations – 375 feet!

You can see it jutting into the skyline from just about anywhere in the city.
Day and night, it is constantly releasing its glorious silver glow for everyone to marvel.  The Twin Towers are exceptionally beautiful during the night. They are like twinkling diamonds in the sky.

You can view this diamond-like building from the KL Tower too! 

Skybridge

The Skybridge is between the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors. It is the highest 2-story bridge in the world. It is one of the main attractions for tourists because when everyone stands there, the fun is indescribable!

It symbolises a gateway to the visionary future of the brilliant Malaysia. It was originally built to facilitate movement between the two towers. It also can function as an escape route in case of emergencies.

The skybridge is open to all visitors, but free passes (limited to 1700 people per day) must be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis, so come early at 8:30 am or earlier, because the visitors are so numerous the tickets probably would all be taken before 11am!

You must pay a visit to the skybridge. It is such a wonderful experience standing there having a near-at-hand view of the city.The KLCC Park filled with abundant greeneries.
A paradise for children, the ‘butterfly shaped’ wading pool in the KLCC Park.
Lake Symphony in front of Suria KLCC. Isn’t it beautiful?
Don’t forget to bring your cameras, and show off to your friends how exhilarating it was! Below are (from left to right) Emily from Canada, Sheridon from Ireland, me from Malaysia, and Carolyn from England.

Petronas Twin Tower Exhibition Hall

Petronas Twin Tower’s exhibition hall is filled with captivating exhibits about the Twin Towers.

There is a comparison chart of the tallest towers in the world. It’s great to know that our KL Tower was the 5th in the whole wide world!
Our Twin Towers are the tallest twin buildings in the world. We Malaysians are really proud of it!
There is also a video of the history and the construction of the Twin Towers on a big TV. The builders were really hardworking and focused in constructing  this visionary building.
The builders were putting the sky bridge in place. It took almost 2 hours to lift it off the ground into place! That is why the skybridge is a really precious heritage for you to experience!
When you watch the video, you would feel that you are one of the builders that contributed to the nation’s pride.
You can also view a screen of a panorama of the city which was captured from the skybridge. But viewing it is not enough. You need to really go up there!

Suria KLCC

Below the Twin Towers is the Suria KLCC Mega Shopping Centre, one of the largest and most popular shopping malls in all of Malaysia. It has everything under the sun. For people who love to shop, this would surely be a shopping haven to them.

It is spread over 6 spacious floors, covering 1,000,000 (1 million) square feet. It houses over 300 specialty stores, including up-market restaurants, offbeat cafes, eateries, supermarkets and cinemas. Now… You can really shop until you drop!  Suria KLCC is full of vibrant and lively crowds!

Aseana

Situated at the ground floor, Aseana is the first largest luxury mixed-brand store of Malaysia and home to a supreme collection of premium designer fashion and accessories from all around the world, such as Italy, USA and Indonesia.
The boutiques there retails pure luxury and quality styles that exude universal glamour, timeless elegance and modern appeal. It is truly a rare gem of distinguished fashion with unique independent styles!

Lake Symphony

After a long day of shopping, sitting and eating leisurely at the cafes facing the beautiful Lake Symphony will really refresh your body and mind. 
You can also sit around the lake to enjoy the cooling breeze.
From 12 – 2pm, the fountains will turn on. With the beautiful animations, the fountains look like they are dancing. They are programmed to provide 150 magical dramatic “dances”, which will soothe your soul after a day’s tour.
I felt the reason the lake is called Lake Symphony is because of the “music” the fountains make.

A couple with their baby also wanted to enjoy the refreshing and beautiful fountain scenery too!
Seniors also like to enjoy the sights and sounds here. Below are (from left to right), Gun (cousin), Yuni (daughter) and Rosmar (mother, 78 years old), from Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia.

The fountains turn on again in the evening from 5 pm onwards.
What a great place to relax!
The night scene is really romantic.
The reflections from Lake Symphony at night is even more romantic!
The fountains looks very beautiful at night too! Watching them will cool your mind. (During drizzly nights, the fountain lights wouldn’t be fully turned on).The fountains show off gloriously when it is not raining.
Image by Tech N Tools

Christmas Season

At the centre stage ground floor, there are always majestic decorations during festive seasons, like Christmas.

During the Christmas season of 2009, the centre court was filled with beautifully decorated Christmas trees and a candy house with a lollipop stage with Gingerbread men dancing beside it.

The Christmas decorations filled the whole Suria building with Christmas Spirit, which is the spirit of giving, sharing and caring.
 There were many people posing for photos in front of it.
If you look closely, you can see Malays, Chinese and Indians, young and old, male and female, posing and taking pictures in a harmonious atmosphere.

There was also a Christmas performance by some violinists. You can enjoy the performance from the video below. Watching the performance, you would feel that the peace and joy is in the air!

   

New Year’s Day

Update: During two great days, Malaysia’s Independence Day (Hari Merdeka) (12 am, 31st August) and New Year’s Day (12 am, 1st January), thousands of people will flock to the Petronas Twin Towers to view the most exciting fireworks!

It is a really hot spot because there are various fun activities and concerts that welcome the New Year. Plus, the fireworks are truly splendid!

Image by TheStar.

  
Image by Nan Yang Siang Pao.

Other attractions at the Petronas Twin Towers

1. Petrosains

Just located at the fourth floor of Suria, Petrosains, The Discovery Centre, is a hotspot for kids. It is where children and also adults learn science in its most interactive, captivating and exciting way.

It occupies over 70,000 square feet! Imagine how many exciting science exhibits and activities await you!

To know more about it, you can view my post that gives you information on the most attractive parts of it – Petrosains – Where Science Comes Alive.

2. Petronas Philharmonic Hall

You can find the Petronas Philharmonic Hall below the Twin Towers, the home of the talented Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. It is where full orchestral performances as well as contemporary arrangements of the highest quality take place.

It was designed along the lines of a grand 19th century European concert hall, and has some of the finest acoustics available.

This is the entrance to the Petronas Philharmonic Hall.
You can view some of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra’s awesome performances on YouTube. Here is one of them. (If you are a Star Wars fan, you should view it because they performed the Star Wars theme song at the beginning of this video).

3. Petronas Art Gallery

“A city without culture and art is a city without a soul.”

The Petronas Art Gallery (3rd floor) is established in 1993 by Petronas to promote arts and culture from all around the world. It is reputed to be one of the most established art galleries.

 
The Gallery holds many seminars, discussions and forums discussing various art issues on a regular basis. It also holds exhibitions of artwork of artists and sculptors from Malaysia and also from around the world (So no photography is allowed, unless for exceptional reasons).

Below is Raja Shahriman Raja Aziddin, a very talented Malaysian sculptor leading the Artist Talk of his exhibition just recently on 19 December 2009.

 

Above 2 images are from the sculptor’s website.

His exhibition is held from 29 October 2009 to 24 January 2010.

This was a compelling exhibition that was really astonishing and amazing! Just look at how detailed and well-designed the sculptures are!

4. Pucuk Rebung Gallery-Museum

Just beside the Petronas Art Gallery is the Pucuk Rebung Gallery-Museum. It is mostly filled with old-world Malay civilization art forms and Malaysian heritage.

It is truly a world of timeless beauty and elegance of unusual, rare and precious finds.
At the museum, you can always find unique antique masterpieces that you can add to your collection.

5. Dynasty Antique Gallery

Just further down from the Pucuk Rebung Museum is the Dynasty Antique Gallery, where you can find finely specialized Chinese antique furniture and accessories.
Here you can experience the glamour of ancient Chinese arts and culture. Truly, the Petronas Twin Towers are filled with brilliant attractions!

KLCC Park

KLCC Park is an ultra-modern landscaped park in which you can feel the tropical garden ambience of Malaysia. It is also a place where city dwellers find retreat amidst the urban metropolis of Kuala Lumpur.

On the way, you will find people relaxing on the benches or taking photos. There are also jogging and walking paths along shady trees which provide ionic oxygen.
The KLCC park is very beautifully landscaped and so, you can see many visitors taking photographs of the nature and life-filled scenery.

Wading Pool

One of the popular places that parents and children should not ever miss is the children wading pool, where kids below 12 can indulge in playing water non-stop, if they want, from 10 am to 7:30 pm. Children of all ages, nationalities, and religion mix and play really well here.

Here is a video of how your child can play around the man-made waterfall.

SPLASH!

Let your children watch it (30 seconds). Surely they will want to go there.

While watching your kids have fun in the water, your family can have a picnic!

It’s really nice to enjoy seeing the happy environment.
You also can celebrate your birthday here. Below is Jenny Sororajah’s (from Klang) Birthday celebration at the KLCC Park. She is at the far right in the photo next to her son.It would surely go down Jenny’s memory lane .

I also met Pak Nik and his grandtwins, Iwani and Iwana, (and also his other family members) from Kelantan. They never miss visiting this ‘children paradise’ during the school holidays.

Children’s Playground

After that, you might also like to bring your kids to play in the playground.The playground is loaded with so many different types of playing instruments that children will be overjoyed at the sight of the playground.
Their joy will be beyond their imagination when they can actually play it and also play it with other children too!

Jogging Track

KLCC park is a favourite jogging spot for joggers because it is a great spot to enjoy the beautiful greeneries, with over 1900 trees and 74 palm species.
The jogging path, which is 1.3 kilometres long, is laid with EDPM, a special rubberized material to help absorb the shock of impact from running. It is laid next to the footpath.

Along the jogging tratracksck, there are benches and shelters for you to rest if you are tired. You are also welcome to picnic here!

Below (from left to right) are Chui Shuang, Lina and Dong Ning, 3 teachers from China posing at the man-made waterfalls. They teach Mandarin in Petaling Jaya.
The KLCC park also has beautiful flowers for you to admire and pose with.
Oh, what a wonderful park with a perfect blend the urban metropolis with greeneries! People who come to this park would surely become more eco-friendly, sensitive and appreciative to our mother nature.

How lucky we are that we can enjoy all the fun facilities and the wonderful environment that costs millions of dollars, for free!

KL Convention Centre

When you jog around the tracks, you will come across a uniquely shaped building.

It is the KL Convention Centre, a premier convention and exhibition centre that hosts exhibitions, seminars, meetings and entertainment. It has been awarded the "Best Convention Centre in Asia" by CEI Industry Award 2009. Malaysia Boleh!

The spectacular V-shaped KL Convention Centre viewed from the Skybridge.

Aquaria KLCC

Aquaria KLCC is a 60,000 square feet underwater park located beneath the convention center. It has the longest underwater tunnel in Malaysia, in which you can have a view that was previously only accessible to divers!

Please read my article about Aquaria here that highlights the most interesting parts of it. You will surely enjoy it!
- Aquaria KLCC – The Place That Makes You One With the Ocean

Asy-Syakirin Mosque

Adjacent to the park is the Masjid Asy-Syakirin (Also called KLCC mosque), an attraction for Muslims from all over the world.

It was built from the labour of love of a team of skilled Uzbekistan craftsman specially commissioned to render the intricate patterns and designs adorn the Mihrab, reflecting the beauty of the faith. It was truly a work of great art.

In short, Petronas Twin Towers, the skybridge, Petrosains, the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, the Petronas Art Gallery, KLCC park and Aquaria KLCC are the places you must take your kids to visit before they grow up.

Of course, if you haven’t got any kids, you still shall come to these all-in-one places to sightsee in awe how the multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious Federal Territorial population work, eat, live, visit, shop and enjoy leisure and cultural activities in the busy Metropolis lifestyle and a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere together with refreshing greeneries around the concrete jungle of high-rise buildings.

In fact, Petronas Twin Towers are a part of a 100-acre project called the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), which is ranked among the largest real-estate developments in the world. It was born from a vision to create an integrated mixed-use development of a city within a city.

KLCC now comprises Petronas Twin Towers, KL Convention Centre, the Esso and Maxis office towers, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Asy-Syakirin Mosque, Suria KLCC and the KLCC landscaped park.

I believe what you see, hear, smell, taste and feel here will surely leave a lasting and memorable impression in your heart forever.

Truly, Kuala Lumpur is warm, charming, friendly, inviting, fast-paced, exciting and above all, rich in its diversity and prosperous in unity.

The special sights and sounds of the unity of every race in our nation make this Federal Territory exceptionally exuberant.

1Legacy, 1Destiny, 1Malaysian Identity – This is 1Malaysia!

Surely, no one will miss enjoying this place!

Even the moon smiles upon it too. Come! Twin Towers welcomes you!

P.S. On September 1st 2009, French  Spiderman, Alain Robert, a famous urban climber, scaled the Petronas Twin Towers only using his bare hands! 

He successfully reached the very top of the Tower! He looked so gorgeous at the glorious top of the pinnacle of Petronas Twin Tower 2!

The Petronas Twin Towers are extremely attractive to everyone, especially this “Spiderman” .

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Here is the bird’s eye view of the places I have been by Google Maps. Enjoy!

View Larger Map

The easiest way you can come to the Petronas Twin Towers is by the Putra LRT (Light Rail Transit) Kelana Jaya line. Stop at station ‘KLCC’ and when you get out, you will be greeted by the tall mejestic Petronas Twin Towers .