There is normally a midnight fireworks show at the iconic Petronas Twin Towers to ring in the new year, however that was cancelled this year as they unfortunately politicized the event due to the war in the middle east. They said we should not be celebrating while others in the world are suffering. However, some private enterprises here in Kuala Lumpur stepped up to the plate and we got to ring in the new year with fireworks anyhow.
But of course we still went to the Petronas Towers area. There are a lot of activities in KLCC Park right beside the towers, as well as a light and sound fountain show in the evening. And of course the variety of photo opportunities showcasing the downtown skyscrapers.
And all of this is located only a ten minute walk from our condo!
There is a lot of interesting architecture in Kuala Lumpur.
Our first view of one of the towers included this window washer!
There is a shopping mall located under the tower complex with a big Christmas display,
And a beautiful fountain in KLCC Park.
The Petronas Towers Complex.
We decided against spending the money to go up to the skybridge on the 41st floor, or the observation deck on the 86th floor. Seniors (over the age of 61) price is actually reasonable at RM50 ($10.90 USD, $14.50 CAD), but we have spent enough this month!
Close up of the skybridge.
KLCC Park has an "Art in the Park" exhibit going on.
Ruth took part in the spin art... for free!
Ruth's artwork, ready for spinning.
You spin it yourself... bicycle powered!
Ruth, with the finished product.
Whale fountain in KLCC Park.
They have a big splash park for kids.
It's hard not to take too many photos!
Reflection in another building.
Despite Christianity being only 10% of the population (63% are Muslim), Christmas is celebrated and Christmas Day is a national holiday.
There are a lot of other interesting buildings near the towers.
A downtown cemetery.
This new pedestrian bridge has become a popular photo spot.
Looking east.
There are a lot of other towers as well!
The Malaysian flag.
There are a lot of fountains in Kuala Lumpur, and they are all operational!
We walked to a shopping mall food court to find some lunch.
Now that's an ice cream cone!
We ate at this duck restaurant.
Back to the condo for some relaxation because we actually planned to stay up past midnight! I had an afternoon nap, and we didn't go out again until about 7:30pm. We went and got some dinner, and then took in the sound and light fountain show at KLCC Park. Then walked over to the new TRX Exchange Shopping Mall where they promised a new year fireworks show at midnight.
Busy streets on New Years Eve in Kuala Lumpur.
We got spoiled with the price of eating out in Thailand. Kuala Lumpur is quite a lot more expensive so we're having a hard time adjusting! We ended up at a cafeteria style place and shared three dishes, along with a couple of glasses of lemonade.
Some kind of spicey mango salad.
Rice with chicken and seafood.
Vegetable stir fry.
Not bad, for total RM54 ($11.75 USD, $15.60 CAD) for the two of us. I know... still cheap compared to most of you, but certainly more expensive than Thailand.
Where we had dinner.
No other westerners around.
Back outside the crowds were gathering.
Kuala Lumpur is busy on New Years Eve!
Another shopping mall Christmas display.
We made it back to KLCC Park for the sound and light fountain show.
The towers are all lit up.
Fountain show started right at 10:00pm.
I took a video for you... turn up your volume...
KLCC Park fountain show.
Lots of people watching the fountain show.
KL Tower lit up in the distance.
The fountain show finished and we walked over to the Exchange TRX. This brand new shopping mall only opened three weeks ago and when they found out that KLCC Park had cancelled their fireworks show, they stepped up to the plate with one of their own.
This guy went all out for New Years Eve!
The sides of this tower are a giant video screen!
The fireworks are about to begin!
Countdown to midnight... one second left!
Not as spectacular as I imagine the show with the towers in the background would have been, and it was all over in about five minutes... but still nice to have fireworks on New Years Eve!
Walking back to the condo through the clubbing area. Lots of partying going on!
What a day we had, as you can tell by the abundance of photos! Didn't get to bed until after 1am. Haven't done that in a long time. But we enjoyed the festivities and had a lot of fun.
Slept in a bit this morning, but we are headed out January 1st exploring again... with a bit of a late start!
Happy New Year to you all!
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Happy New Year, Kevin & Ruth! Wow, that's quite a city. I wouldn't have cared for the crowds, but it was all quite festive. I particularly liked Ruth's painting (bicycle powered, cool!) and the whale fountain.
ReplyDeleteThank you and Happy New Year to you both.
DeleteYes, Kuala Lumpur is a huge city but thankfully not as chaotic as what Bangkok was and to be honest so far we have actually been enjoying our stay here. Mind you we wouldn't want to spend a lot of time here all at once but it is a city that we could easily return to because there is a lot here that would keep us occupied.
We prepared ourselves mentally for the crowds on New Year's Eve and just went with flow. It was nice to see everyone in such a festive mood. The fireworks were fun to watch but they didn't last too long. We were certainly glad we were walking though because we thought those who drove down were crazy as it would take them forever to get out of the downtown area with the crush of people and traffic.
I had fun making the painting, just not sure what I will do with it because it isn't coming back with us, lol!
That was one heck of a New Year's Eve celebration! The window washer pic was a great shot. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteIt sure was, the amount of people in the streets all over that downtown area was crazy, it felt like we were in New York City for New Year's.
DeleteWe love that shot, it looks like the guy is Spiderman!