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Trip: Malaysia Kuala Lumpur (KL) / Sepang Formula 1 Race 2006

© by Patric Boelstler
March 22, 2006 on 12:37 am | In Aga's Blog, Malaysia, Patric's Blog, Trip
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Saturday: Bus drive to Kuala Lumpur / KL City sightseeing

We started our trip on Saturday at 7.30 in the morning. This time the bus was quite ok. We arrived at Kuala Lumpur at around 1pm. The first step out of the bus was a real shock! The air was so hot and dry, you could hardly breathe. They dropped us somewhere at a street where it actually didn’t look like a bus station.
The very first thing we were told to do, was to buy bus tickets back to S’pore on Sunday night. Since it was the “Formula One” weekend, most of the evening buses were sold out, and we managed to get only these at 11.30 pm. So at least we knew there was enough time to get back from the track at Sepang, which is near the KLIA (International Airport), and about 1-2 hours outside of KL (depending on the traffic).

After buying the tickets we took a taxi and headed straight to the hotel. Taxi driving in KL is always fun since 90 % of the taxi drivers refuse to use the meter. You need to bargain about the price every time and most of the times they fool you. There was no difference this time … we paid 10 Ringgit for a 3 minute drive which would have been 2 Ringgit on the meter if we had succeeded in convincing him.

We arrived at the hostel and the first impression was OK. You need to know that the hostel was only 50 Ringgit which is about 11 Euro. We left our lugguage there and left again to see the city!

Our first destination was China Town with the huge so called “night market”. You can buy there almost everything that is worth faking. From a faked Rolex to Louis Vuitton or Gucci purses. The fun part begins if you actually find something. They will tell you a price that is far too much. Lets say you want to buy a Gucci purse, they will start at 260 ringgit, after 30 minutes and 3 attempts to walk away the price is at 60 Ringgit. You would think that this was professional bargaining and you made a snip, but when you walk away the guy will smile at you with the money in his hand and you will notice that the purse is no more than 30 Ringgit worth … anyways it’s FUN !!!

The second sightseeing stop was at the Petronas Twin Towers. The night was already approaching and the lighted up towers looked amazing. I didn’t know that there is a huge shopping mall at the bottom between the towers.

It was already after 9pm but we decided to go up the Menara Kuala Lumpur TVtower. It’s a pity that you can’t go to the top of the Petronas Towers. From the Menara Kuala Lumpur TVtower you have a really nice view all over the city. There is a “11 stops” window tour with a headphone and a mini LCD-screen player. The tour is defenitely worth the 20 Ringgit, don’t miss it.

The last stop that day was a relaxing bar near our hostel. Everybody was really tired after that long day.

Sunday: Formula One race at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia

Sunday morning Formula One day !!! We headed to the track very early at around 10.30 in a corporate bus. Once arrived there after a one hour drive we proceeded to the ticket counter and bought the cheapest tickets you could get. Tremendous 50 Ringgit for the Hillstand C3 area with no roof, no giant and nothing else but plain grass.

We were so lucky that we took an umbrella with us because this thing, supposed to keep the rain away, saved us from the worst sunburn you could imagine. The show before the race wasn’t that good, but when we first heard the cars and then saw them everything was excused. The cars are soooo loud you can’t image if you have never been to a F1 race before. And here comes the second advise, don’t forget your earplugs

The first few laps you can keep track of the standings and who is leading, but after the first round of pitstops you are totally lost without a Giantscreen to look at.

Anyhow, this was an amazing experience and we could recommend that to everybody who has the luck to be there at that time. Even all the girls that came with us enjoyed the indescribable atmosphere.

See all photos here!