Batu Caves, Merdaka Square and the Sleepy Train Ride to Padang Besar

On this day we visited Batu Caves. Getting here took several transfers. From Bukit Bintang monorail station, we alighted at KL Sentral station. In our trip, the connecting railway (Monorail-Kl Sentral) was still under construction so we walked about ten minutes to reach the interior of Sentral station. From KL Sentral, we rode the line going to Batu Caves, fare at MYR 1. The train we rode in was long and white and cold inside. We noticed it was fairly new and if you are travelling alone you might end up at la-la land.

There were few passengers in between stops and this made the ride much longer than expected. We arrived at Batu Caves station at about 10 am. It is a great convenience for tourists and locals alike that the Batu Caves is just within walking distance from the station.

Larger than life

You should take breaks in between set of steps

After Batu Caves, we planned on visiting Masjid Jamek and Merdeka Square. We were unable to see Masjid Jamek in full view. We could hear the prayers from the inside and this prompted us to just proceed to Merdeka Square. It was lunch time and it was scorching hot. We had an instant sun-bathing session here since the area was open and wide which convinced us to still take snap shots of the surroundings.  Imagine, we were there gleefully taking pictures at twelve noon! Talk about sunburn!

I saw the textile museum round the corner but the newly opened Kuala Lumpur City Gallery attracted me instantly. Just outside the building stands an ‘I<3 KL statue’ painted in bright red. People were lining up to pose beside it.  It was a colorful addition just off Merdeka Square.

A visit to KL City Gallery is a must for future visitors of Kuala Lumpur. One, the air-conditioning is really cold  and admission is free. Yep! Free and they allow taking of pictures inside which made me smile.

No entrance fee. Newest tourist attraction. Picture-taking is allowed.

I absolutely loved the mini Masjid Jamek, the short AVR presentation and the souvenir store. A quick visit here is a already a souvenir of sorts.

Mini Masjid Jamek

The audio-visual presentation inside KL City Gallery should not be missed!

After the tiring day tour, we went back to our hotel and stole a quick nap. At around 8 PM we were on our way to KL station and we were bound for Thailand that night.

Our travel to Thailand consists of two transfers. We took the InterCity train from KL to Padang Besar (Malaysia) which is the town south of Thailand and Malaysia’s border. We took an overnight trip which departed from KL Sentral at around past 9 PM. Fare at 56 MYR per person – sleeper couch. We were a bit apprehensive at first since this was the first time we both experienced travelling by rail at night. The night trip was relaxing and fun and safer than we initially thought. There are actually lots of people patronizing this mode of transportation in this part of the region. After 11 hours we found ourselves at the Padang Besar train station. Padang Besar is located in Perlis State in Northern Malaysia.

The train was not new nor too old. But the air-conditioning was in perfect shape. Our sleeper couch were entitled to their own worlds with curtains and your very own window. I remember saying goodbye to the Twin Towers, gazing at them until they were were smaller than my thumb and could see them no more.  At first I thought, sleeping in a train would be very uncomfortable. However, I was lulled to sleep by its surprisingly gentle rocking.

Enjoying the view from my window

Breakast in bed

We did not experience any problems upon our departure from Malaysia and arrival in Thailand. The immigration procedure was housed in just one building and within just steps of each other. The buildings were actually undergoing a thorough face lift and I am sure on my next visit, a much fresher border station will greet us.

Arrival at Padang Besar train station

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Day 5: Itinerary and Expenses

Batu Caves
MYR 1.00 –  KL Sentral to Batu Caves
MYR 2.00 –  Batu Caves to Kuala Lumpur

FREE – walk to Pasar Seni station

Masjid Jamek | Merdeka Square | Kuala Lumpur City Gallery
MYR 1.00 – Pasar Seni station to Masjid Jamek station
MYR 8.50 – Lunch at McDonald’s
MYR 2.40 – Masjid Jamek to Bukit Bintang

MYR 7.15 – Dinner at KFC
MYR 2.40 – Bukit Bintang to KL Sentral

KL Sentral to Padang Besar
MYR 56.00 – train ticket from KL Sentral to Padang Besar 

Total: MYR 80.45 or Php 751.012

conversions done via oanda.com