Day 1

Having explored several Caves in some other parts of the world, this time we decided to visit our very own Cave in Kuala Lumpur. Ironically, we have not visited this cave even though we used to pass by when we travelled back to Kedah from Kuantan in the eighties.  

We set-off early after breakfast and headed straight to Batu Caves. After about 4 hour drive, we finally arrived at Batu Caves at around 12.30 pm. It was really congested as it was a public holiday. Traffic almost came to a standstill. We almost wanted to give up as it was almost impossible to go into the parking area. So we decided to go back but on the way we found some parking lots in front of the shop houses about 200m away from the Caves. So we decided to change our minds and got down. We had some Indian banana leaf lunch at an Indian Restaurant nearby before walking to the caves.

Actually we didn’t know there is a mini zoo and Cave Villa on the left side of the caves. Entrance fee is RM 7 for adults and RM 3 for kids.[Foreigner: RM 15/RM5] So we went in to explore. Kim was fascinated by the birds especially the peacocks. We also saw the Indian cultural dance performance at the same vicinity. But it was nothing spectacular. It lasted about 10 minutes only. We then proceeded to the Cave Villa. Inside this cave, there’s a reptilian mini zoo where you can see some snakes, turtles and arapaima fish. But the animals are kept in a deplorable condition. Worst still, visitors tend to throw coins as well as currency notes onto the turtles. You can see coins on the back of the turtles.  It’s better to turn this part of the cave into a museum than a mini zoo! Another part of the cave exhibits the history and different Hindu God sculptures, paintings and arts. This part of the cave is better. It’s cooling and not crowded. Outside the cave there is a water fall. But I am not too sure whether the water fall is man-made or natural.

We then walked to the main cave which is known as the Temple Cave. I climbed up the 272 stairs to reach the peak of the cave. Mum and Kim waited at the base as Kim might not be able to climb up the stairs. Inside the cave, there is an Indian shrine. There is another statue of Lord Murugan inside here.  Another 62 steps will take you to another level. The cave is not very big. It was over crowded with visitors. Entrance is free. I didn’t stay long and left after taking a few pictures.  It is sad to see a lot of trash at the staircase up the cave. There are a lot of monkeys looking for food on the way.  

For your information, you may take a train from KL Central to Batu Caves.

We then checked into Ibis Kuala Lumpur City Centre. We took a rest. In the evening, we took Kim for a swim at the infinity pool on the 31^st floor. The pool is very small and the water is a bit salty. You can’t swim with so many hotel guests at the pool. We only played for a while and left. We then walked to KLCC. It was a 10 minute walk to KLCC. We had Taiwanese food for dinner.  We then took a casual walk back to the hotel.

Day 2 

After breakfast, we checked-out and headed to KLCC Convention Centre. The next itinerary was to visit the Aquaria KLCC which is nestled in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur. Entrance fee is RM 39.00 for senior citizens and RM 35 for kids. It will be cheaper if you buy online before coming. At this Aquaria, there is a big collection of fish and other sea creatures like sea-horse, jelly fish, piranha, small clawed otters, horse-shoe crab etc. According to their website, there are total of 5000 species of marine and aquatic creatures displayed vividly in the aquaria.  The highlight is of course the 90m sea-tunnel where you can see stingrays and sharks swimming over your head!  This is also a place where the kids can learn about the conservation and importance of the marine ecosystem. The feeding shows are also one of the main attractions  at this aquaria as the professional staff members will tell you about the feeding habits of the sea creatures. Of course Kim enjoyed very much!

We stayed about 2 hours there before we proceeded to Zoo Negara which is the main itinerary for this trip to KL.

Sprawling over an area of 45 ha of land in Ulu Klang, Gombak District of Selangor,  this National Zoo is home to 5137 animals of 476 different species. Entrance fee is RM 45 for adults and RM 18 for kids. It’s RM 23 for senior citizens. Non-Malaysian is RM 82 for adults and RM 43 for kids. The highlight of this zoo of course is the pandas which are leased from China. The pandas are cute and so are the other animals like the giraffes and the elephants.  For young kids and elders, there’s a tram ride you can take to take you around.  It’s RM 5.00 for adults and RM 3.00 for kids. They will definitely like it.  This is an amazing place for kids and family. It’s educational and informative especially for kids to learn about animals. There’s an amphitheater where they have some performances by some animals like birds, bears and seals. There are some hilarious moments in the show. The zoo is clean and the animals are well-kept. It’s not very hot also as there are a lot of trees inside. All in, we spent about 4 hours at the zoo. It’s definitely worth a visit.

 In the evening we checked in Ibis Style Hotel at Fraser Business Park. Dinner was at the SRK Borneo Restaurant opposite the hotel. We had Sarawak noodles. 

Day 3

After breakfast, we checked out and went to Wisma Goldhill to send mum’s watch for repair. Then we started our journey back to Johor, ending our 3D2N tour of KL!

The post Batu Caves, Aquaria KLCC and Zoo Negara 3D2N trip August 2019 appeared first on My Story.