#AboutKL with Tourism KL and Gaya Travel

Hello readers ..

This entry is #AboutKL, a special project by Tourism Malaysia KL in collaboration with Gaya Travel Magazine. KL is well known worldwide and ranked number 9 on the list of the World's 100 leading cities for international tourist arrivals. The city is a melting pot of multi-ethnicity and diversity, offering a wide variety of interesting places to visit and fun to do. 

I recently spent 3 Days 2 Nights with other Social Media influencers from 3 countries ~ Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to discover what are the new things that KL has to offer it visitors.

We started our #KLTour by boarding the KL Hop On Hop Off bus

I would love to recommend this 'Free and Easy' bus for your #KLTour as it has 23 stops and cover more than 70 attractions. My 3rd KL tour with this bus .. It is always fun to board the bus! 

Our first stop was at the new Istana Negara

Istana Negara is the official residence of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, the monarch of Malaysia. This was my first visit to the new Istana Negara, which was opened on 2011 replacing the old palace which is situated at the other part of KL.

Then we headed to the most epic cafe in KL, COLISEUM CAFE for our #KLFood exploration. Back to this place, it was a walk down memory lane for me as I used to visit this Cafe during my younger days.  

Established in 1921, COLISEUM CAFE is one the oldest in the country. It was the favorite among the British for coffee and movie. Stepping into the Cafe will give you a wonderful nostalgic feeling, everything was well preserved, from the dark wood salon doors, the bar layout, the delightfully worn tiled floor and the antique furniture. 

We were served with the 95 years of Heritage Colonial Hainanese Cuisine. Yummy!

A group photo before we left the Cafe. COLISEUM CAFE is definitely a unique place to dine in KL, where a beautiful and beloved iconic building is still being maintained and used as it always was.

We continued our #AboutKL exploration to Panggung Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur for #KLBroadway experienced, which is only 6 minutes walking from the COLISEUM CAFE.

Panggung Bandaraya, situated across the Merdeka Square is part of the #KLHeritage as this colonial architecture building is gazetted as a heritage building under the Malaysian Antiquities Act in 2007. Built in year 1896 for production stages such as plays and musicals and today, this Malaysia's 112 year old historic theatre is a venue for MUD - THE STORY OF KUALA LUMPUR THE MUSICAL.

With twice show daily, I enjoyed MUD THE STORY OF KUALA LUMPUR very much. This lively musical extravaganza showcases the diversity of its inhabitants and the people who built and made Kuala Lumpur what it is today. Began in the year 1857 until the mining boom of 1880, Mamat, Meng and Muthiah came to KL in search of opportunities and new life. They lived and faced the Kuala Lumpur challenges together. The performance was so LIVELY, colourful and entertaining. I cried when Kuala Lumpur was burnt by a great fire in 1881. They united to rebuilt the city but then they faced another tragedy. The great flood in December 1881 washes away what is left for Kuala Lumpur. They were left with decision ~ to leave or to rebuilt the city. It touched my heart more when they united to built a stronger KL but still retaining some semblance of its humble roots. It was an amazing broadway performance, reminded me that the success of Kuala Lumpur today came from the hardship of those predecessors. Kuala Lumpur is my city. I was born and grown up here. I love Kuala Lumpur. 

Then we walked to the KUALA LUMPUR CITY GALLERY, the best place to discover about #KLHeritage. 

See the Past and the Present Kuala Lumpur through an interesting collections of prints, miniatures and photoraphs and the Future of Kuala Lumpur at the Spectacular City Model Show. Interesting!

And bring home your Made in Malaysia gifts, the official souvenir of Kuala Lumpur. 

The Cafe served the best durian cake in town too.  Check it out, k.

Our #KLStay was at SWISS GARDEN RESIDENCE KL, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur between bustling Bukit Bintang and the colourful Chinatown. 

The hotel is ideal for leisure and business with 296 guest rooms in warm earth tones, equipped with modern amenities for the ultimate ambience. Look at our luxury suite - Spacious and comfy .. feel like home *love*

We walked later in the evening to Changkat Bukit Bintang for our #KLDinner. Changkat Bukit Bintang is a famous spot for foodies. From the hawker stall to the restaurants, the bars and the amazing night life. We were here for GOURMET SAFARI KL experienced - Enjoy gourmet food, precious wine, whiskies and cocktails and celebrate the intimacy of socialising at  the dinner table by guided tour to 6 F&B concept (Muslim can opt for 4 outlets only), all conveniently located few steps from one another. The first outlet that we hopped in was OPIUM, the best Asian Restaurant in Changkat Bukit Bintang.

We were served with Mango Asam Boi, Cajun Prawn with Mango Salsa and Sauteed Black Pepper Dumpling. YUMMY!! Great appertisers to kick start our GOURMET SAFARI KL experience *so excited!*

Then we were ushered to another Outlet called DINING IN THE DARK. We are going to dine in the dark! Completely dark! We were nervous plus excited too!

We entered the dining area by putting our hands on each other shoulder .. *like a long human train* The room was completely dark. We closed our eyes and started walking using our sense. We were guided on how, where to seat, table arrangement, what to touch, feel, taste and Ohmy  .. it was such a wonderful experienced. We were served with four appertisers. For the first in my life I trusted a person so much *the guide* and for the first time in my life, I used 100% of the sense gifted by God to me. I learned about listened, focus and trust. DINING IN THE DARK is definitely worth to visit when you are in KL.

Our GOURMET SAFARI KL experienced continue at the STEAKHOUSE where the main course was served - The Beef Medallion on Garlic Mashed and Black Pepper Sauce was perfect. Soft, juicy and delicious.

The dessert was served at THE WHISKY BAR. Another awesome experienced!

And we ended our night at the one of the best bar in town for #KLHangout called THE FORBIDDEN CITY, chilling around listening to some catchy Jazzy music before we say Good Bye to the wonderful GOURMET SAFARI KL experienced.

Day 2 of our #AboutKL exploration started by visiting the #KLNature ~ Canopy walk at KL FOREST ECOPARK BUKIT NENAS (formerly known as Bukit Nenas Forest Reserve), the oldest permanent forest reserve in the country located in the heart of city centre . Fresh, clean, green, cool air .. I love the nature here. Can we call this place "Bank of fresh Oxygen"? 

Out from the forest feeling fresh and excited for our #KLFun exploration. The other best thing #AboutKL is we have sunshine that greeted us with smile every morning 365 days a year. Great, right!

KL TOWER MINI ZOO, another #KLfun that you shouldn't miss while in KL, located within the proximity of the KL Forest EcoPark. 

Lovely, colourful friendly birds 

Heyyy... Sang kancil!

The latest addition in the KL TOWER MINI ZOO's family - Alapaca, a domesticated spesis of South American Camelid. Say Hello to Chocky, she is so lovely and friendly.

Ayam pun ada lah!

Our next #KLFun exploration was KUALA LUMPUR UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE. The highest Upside Down House in Malaysia, was opened officially on August 2016  and received a tremendous support from the visitors. We were excited to explore it too!

The best place to challenge your creativity and have fun! How to pose?

Oopsss .. everything was Upside Down!

Hahhh ?? How to eat?

KUALA LUMPUR UPSIDE DOWN is another recommended destination for #KLFun Dont miss It!

Our #KLLunch experienced for Day 2 was at Oasia Cafe, OASIA SUITES KUALA LUMPUR.

Time to Refresh, Refuel, and Recharge ourselves 

Classic Caesar Salad, Organic Ayam Percik with Cucumber Acar & Pineapple Rice, Organic Tofu Cheese Cake, Organic Tea and Honey ~ Healthy and Yummy!  

After recharging and refueling our energy, we went to LASER BATTLE KUALA LUMPUR for our #KLPlay session.

The Laser Battle located at 7th floor Berjaya Times Square is a World class arena design and an official partner of the largest laser tag manufacturer in the world - Zone Empire from Australia. The game is held in a maze arena which is dark and equipped with sound and lighting system. Dont get shot or you will die but dont worry you will get you life back in 6 seconds so that you can join the battle again. Laser battle is fun and thrill! I suggest you try. 

We had our #KLDinner later at Sino Scene Chinese Restaurant located at Level 6 of Swiss Garden Hotel & Residence.

The Dinner were also attended by the Domestic Promotional Division Director of Tourism Malaysia, Mr. Iskandar Mirza, Director of Tourism Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Mohd Akbal Setia, The Group General Manager for Swiss-Garden International, Mr. Izudin Merican and the key personnel of Tourism Malaysia and Swiss Garden Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur.

We were served with 9 course Chinese Dinner *A special entry will be on the blog, soon*

We had a great fun and amazing experienced spending our 3 Days 2 Nights exploring #AboutKL. KL is rich with its culture and heritage. KL has a lot of attractions - the varieties of food from all over the world, the green nature, the night life, the thrill and the fun. KL is definitely unique and amazing. If you have not been to KL or wish to know more #AboutKL, visit the places mentioned, and be prepared to fall in love with my beloved city.