Heading to KLIA2 from KL Sentral

<—-Previous Story

It would take a little longer to take a free service to the inn than riding the LRT “Laluan Kelana Jaya”. But in order to get around for the lack of Ringgit, I still decided to just take the free service of Go KL City Bus.

Hurrying to leave KLCC Park, I headed towards the KLCC bus stop which is located right in front of Suria KLCC. Arriving under the bus stop auspices, the green line of the “Free Bus Service” had been waiting for its passengers.

I rode it to reach the interchange point between lines, namely the Pavilion bus stop. From there I would catch the Go KL City Bus purple line to reach the Pasar Seni Bus Hub, the closest bus stop to my accommodation, namely The Bed Station.

—-****—-

Cheating underhandedly, I stepped up The Bed Station stairs, hoping not to be spotted by the receptionist when I crossed the inn’s front door. It was because I had checked out that morning, but that time, I forced myself to take a shower in the inn’s shared bathroom on the 3rd floor.

I made it through the reception room on the 2nd floor, at a glance I saw the reception staff were busy serving the inn’s guests who seemed to only just be arriving, indeed I arrived when the check-in period had opened.

Quickly moving, I immediately took a shower to clean all the sweat after walking around town that morning.

As soon as I finished bathing, I immediately went down to the reception desk to pick up the backpack I had left since morning.

The long queue at the reception desk made me invisible when I just came down from the top floor which wasn’t my right to enter it again, let alone to do any activity on that floor….Damn, Donny.

—-****—-

Succeeding to get a backpack, I rushed to Pasar Seni LRT Station which is only 200 meters from the inn.

When I arrived, I rushed to the automatic vending machine to exchange 1.3 Ringgit for a round blue token. That token would guarantee me to move toward KL Sentral.

The LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya with four wagons arrived to pick me up on the second-floor platform, and then I was following its spinning wheels heading to KL Sentral, which wasn’t even one station apart.

Within 15 minutes, I arrived at KL Sentral….

Down the escalator, I arrived at the first floor, and without long thinking, I immediately rushed to the basement level. I had an advantage in that I memorized the whole layout of KL Sentral, at least I had visited that famous transportation hub seven times. That was what made that so easy for me to reach the Aerobus ticket sales counter.

Aerobus is transportation from KL Sentral to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) which offers cheap travel when compared to using taxis, the KLIA Transit train, or the KLIA Ekspres.

I handed over 12 Ringgit to get a ticket to the airport.

—-****—-

A quarter of an hour past four in the afternoon….

After traveling for 45 minutes, I arrived at the 1st floor of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. I was dropped off at one of the platforms at the transportation hub at Gateway@klia2.

Even though my flight would take place at nine in the evening, that didn’t stop me from going straight to the 3rd floor to see more detailed flight information. As usual, I was always detailed and strict about flight schedules, at least that afternoon I had to find out the number of the check-in desk I would exchange my e-ticket for a boarding pass and at what gate my plane would take off.

I couldn’t hide a slight smile from my lips when I managed to get that information on the giant LCD on the 3rd floor.

“17:20, it turns out….”, I thought when I found out when the check-in desk would open.

I decided to do the last congregational prayer in the mosque on the 2nd floor and of course, planned to have dinner afterwards.

Not as usual when I was looking for food at KLIA2. That afternoon the regular restaurant serving cheap Indian food was closing. Was NZ Curry House whose location was covered by renovation boards.

But I don’t bother….

In 2015, I ate at a food court located on the 2M floor. I slightly forgot the position of the food court. But I intended to look for it until I found it. There was a padang-typical restaurant that offers cheap food in the food court.

“That’s it….”, I cheered inside when I saw the food court from a distance.

“Quizinn by RASA….”, I recited the name of that food court.

“Restoran Padang Kota Group….”, yupzzz I saw the restaurant I was looking for.

Presumably not able to linger, I headed for the Padang-typical restaurant and then looked for a menu according to the condition of my wallet. That was when my Ringgit would run out.

Fifteen minutes before checked-in, I was finally able to enjoy a portion of rice for 5.9 Ringgit. That was the rice I ate after I last ate it a day before.

Level 2 Gateway@klia2.
View from Gateway@klia2 Floor 2M.
Several restaurants at Gateway@klia2.
So, that was Quizinn by RASA food court.
My menu that night: White rice, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.

Taking a seat, I enjoyed the dinner and then got ready to take my flight.

Was I going home?….

No….The real adventure was about to begin.

I would fly to a city in southern India….KOCHI.

KL Tower: The Second Visitation

<—-Previous Story

Breakfast in the front of the store….Just enjoy..

Tuesday….After Dawn….

Eyes were still haggard…My body felt weak.

All night my sleep was interrupted by the snoring of a guest who was fast asleep to the right of my bed. Not only myself, but I could also feel the protests of a guest who slept right under a snoring guest’s bunk bed. Over and over again I could feel him hitting the bottom of the bunk bed where a snoring guest was sleeping. Maybe he felt the same way. Upset….Because he couldn’t sleep well.

Feeling unwell, I decided to just wash my body under the hot shower in the shared bathroom. A splash of warm water could at least relax every inch of my body which wasn’t one hundred percent fresh that morning.

That morning, I had to pack all the equipment back into my backpack and then leave it at the reception desk. My stay ended at noon and at that time, I was still downtown.

After taking a shower and tidying up my backpack, I headed to the reception to check out, returned the locker key, and took the deposit. Luckily, the reception staff from Egypt was already at his desk making it easier for me to speed up the process because I had to catch the Go KL City Bus departure as early as possible.

My backpack had been neatly stored and I rushed down the stairs to get out of the inn. Once outside, I immediately looked for a seat on the terrace of shops that were still closed for breakfast. Breakfast this time was still the same as last night’s dinner menu….Yup, I could still rely on oat powder. To be honest, I already ran out of Ringgit that morning, I only had Ringgit left to take the airport bus this afternoon and have a modest dinner at KLIA2.

From this, it could be concluded that I would go around the city without spending even the slightest bit of money….Yes, I would never spend it.

Luckily, the streets were still quiet. This situation certainly reduced the burden of embarrassment when I had to sip spoon after spoonful of oat powder wet with a splash of mineral water.

Thank God breakfast was over….The adventure began.

I headed to the Pasar Seni Bus Hub to look for the Go KL City Bus Purple Line. The free purple line bus would take me to the KL Tower complex.

KL Tower is a telecommunication transmitter tower, broadcasting tower, altitude culinary tour, and city viewpoint from above.

From a distance, I saw clearly that the bus was already in position. So as soon as I arrived at the platform, I just got on it from the front door. Only a few passengers were already occupying the seats. This was what makes me have to wait about ten minutes….At least to fill the empty seats with passengers who were slowly arriving.

At eight in the morning, the Go KL City Bus Purple Line finally departed….

While sitting, I thought that KL Tower was a tall building, so I just relaxed. Of course, I only needed to stop at any bus stop near the KL Tower building which would be visible from a distance because it was so high.

The Go KL City Bus slowly ran in Sultan Street to leave the Pasar Seni area. As soon as I arrive along Raja Chulan Street, KL Tower was visible from the bus window. I just needed to make sure when to get off at the nearest bus stop. Several times the Go KL City Bus stopped at the bus stop, but I still couldn’t get off. I still hoped that the bus would stop at a shelter that was closer to KL Tower.

That was the bus with free service.
The interior was nice and clean of course.

There was an exception, instead of getting closer, the Go KL City Bus was getting farther and farther away from KL Tower. “Ahhhh, damn….I’d gone too far and instead of slowing down the bus was getting faster and faster”, I leaned against the bus window. Due to that stupidity, I just gave up following where the Go KL City Bus went. I decided to return to the Pasar Seni and repeated the journey from scratch….Too bad.

After 40 minutes of travel, the Go KL City Bus finally arrived at Pasar Seni.

“Ridiculous….”, I cursed myself.

Now I got off the Go KL City Bus and moved to the bus in the front which was ready to depart. Luckily for me, the Go KL City Bus left immediately when a few seconds earlier I stepped inside.

Now I put on a wary attitude when sitting on one of its seats. I would decide to just get off when I saw that KL Tower could reach within walking distance.

That moment has arrived….

The bus stopped at a bus stop and I jumped down from the middle door.

“THE WELD….”, I read the signboard on a skyscraper that stood right behind the bus stop where I got off.

Now I was on Raja Chulan Street and THE WELD itself is a 26-story office complex located 800 meters east of KL Tower.

From THE WELD, I cut off P. Ramlee street to then took fifty steps into a smaller street, Puncak Street. This was the main road to get to the KL Tower which was built on higher ground.

Panting for a quarter of an hour, finally I arrived at the courtyard of KL Tower. Back in 2014, I had the opportunity to cross this tower when I tried the KL Hop On Hop Off to get around the city. Only, at that time I went down for less than five minutes to see it. This was all because KL Hop On Hop Off rushed to explore the city.

THE WELD….Besides offices, there is also a modern supermarket.
Taking the Peak Road.

That time I would be a little longer in enjoying the charm of this communication tower that wasn’t less than a quarter of a century old. How could I not be happy, when I finally had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of a tower whose height was included in the ranks of the ten tallest towers in the world?

The uniqueness that could be seen for the first time was the roof of the basic building which used a series of tapering patterns. My mind then referred to the roof of the Sydney Opera House. Meanwhile, at the upper end between the mast and the antenna, there was a round building that was the center of broadcasting, telecommunication, restaurant, observation deck, and sky deck activities.

As far as I knew, to enjoy the observation deck, visitors must pay 49 Ringgit….While the sky deck tour price reached 99 Ringgit….Woouuooww.

I stepped towards the KL Tower entrance gate to see the activity there up close. Of course, I won’t go up to the top for a tour, it’s too expensive for a visitor like me who just stopped by in Kuala Lumpur.

It wasn’t that crowded, so far only a few European tourists decided to buy tickets and went up to the top of the tower, while I just watched the remnants of the programming competition that was held the day before yesterday. The competition was titled HR Hackathon.

Shifting to the right of the tower, there was another attraction. On that side stood a ticket sales counter for visiting the KL Tower Mini Zoo (KLTMZ). Existing information boards said that KLTMZ contains no less than fifty native and exotic species. And to see these unique species, visitors needed to spend up to 30 Ringgit.

Move again towards the front of the tower. There was a KL Tower F1 Zone which provided a Formula One simulator for the public. Visitors could feel the sensation of driving the land jet by paying 20 Ringgit for six minutes of driving in the simulator. The walls of the KL Tower F1 Zone were bright red, in harmony with the colors of one of the leading racing teams in Formula One’s premier racing event. It’s just that, when I visited KL Tower, the KL Tower F1 Zone was still closed. Maybe I arrived too early.

Oh yes, the KL Tower F1 Zone was also equipped with a Formula One Cafe & Mart…

But just looking at the cafe & mini market from outside for a moment, I saw the arrival of the white KL Hop On Hop Off with the upper deck partly open. Suddenly I ran towards it, it’s been six years since I’ve ever met up close with that tour bus. It turned out that in the courtyard of the tower, there was a KL Hop On Hop Off shelter. No wonder the tour bus stopped to drop off the tourists.

The Entrance gate of KL Tower .
The Ticketing Counter of KL Tower Mini Zoo.
KL Tower F1 Zone.
It was at this spot that I took some pictures of tourists from Surabaya.
Foreign tourists often called it the KL Forest Eco Park.

It didn’t take long to stop, dropping only 5 tourists, the bus stepped on its gas pedal again. But not long after, there was a familiar accent when the five female tourists were talking to each other after getting off the bus. “That’s the Surabaya accent….”, I concluded. I decided to say hello and spoke for a while. I hadn’t met Indonesians for four days, so there was nothing wrong with speaking for a moment. Because of that incident, I knew that the five were female workers who were traveling to Kuala Lumpur. From our conversation too, I knew that they were working in Penang.s

As usual, Indonesians always have their characteristics. They finally asked me to take a photo with the KL Tower as a background.

I? ….Yes, of course, I also asked to be photographed….I was originally from Indonesia….The Republic of Indonesia exactly…Hahaha

I was at the end of a visit to KL Tower. To close this short visit, I entered the front half area of KL Jungle Eco Park. Formerly known as the Hutan Simpan Bukit Nanas, it was one of Malaysia’s oldest permanent forest reserves. To enter this forest reserve visitors must be willing to spend 40 Ringgit.

After my adventure at KL Tower.

It was time to leave it.

Next Story—->

Hot Burger in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

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Arrived at International Concourse.

The time marker showed half past eleven when Malaysia Airlines MH 724 landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. I took a deep breath when the plane was perfectly parked in the apron, it was because the connecting flight Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 would only fly to Kuala Terengganu on 07:25 hours next day. That means, for the next nine hours I had to spend all night at KLIA.

Overnight at KLIA2….Have you ever?….Yes, I was twelve times already, I tasted the “hard mattress” of KLIA Terminal 2

 Overnight at KLIA?….Have you ever?….Nup, this was my first time staying at KLIA Terminal 1.

While walking in arrival hall, I took a boarding pass which I got from Soetta airport’s check-in desk. After I looked at it, the boarding pass I was holding didn’t show the gate number. Therefore, I tried to find flight status information in Flight Information Display System (FIDS) located at arrival hall….Finally, I got the gate number….Yupz,A5.

So that was…. There was already a gate status.

So that tomorrow morning I won’t have to find the gate, I also intend to rehearse to find a way to the gate in question. From the International Concourse at level 4, I went down one level to Domestic Concourse. Please note that domestic flights at KLIA are flown from gate A and gate B, while international flights are flown from gate C, gate G and gate H.

My rehearsal was forced to end in front of the immigration counter, but at least I understood how I had to go to the gate tomorrow morning.

Domestic Concourse atmosphere.

From in front of the immigration counter, I was forced to climb back up to International Concourse to find a place to close my eyes.

Meanwhile, a few minutes into the middle of night, I was sitting on one of International Concourse’s seats when a couple of middle-aged tourists approached and took the empty seat to my left.

“Helloo, Sir, where are you come from?”, I ventured to say hello.

“Hi, I’m from Algeria”.

“Oh I know, it’s a country in north of Africa”, I tried to make the conversation warmer.

“Ohhhh….yeaaa….yeaaaa, you know that. I will go home tomorrow and will transit in Doha”, he started to tell about their travel plans.

“Oh, Doha will be the last destination in my traveling this time”, I started to relate my trip to their trip so that the conversation would be more intense.

“Oh, good. What is your traveling for?….Business?”

“Oh, no. it’s just for tourism. I’m Donny from Indonesia and Oh yeaaa, what is your name, sir?”

“Oh, I’m Younes and she is my wife”

“Hi, Donny, nice to meet you”, Mr. Younes’ wife also greeted me

“Hi, Madam. Nice to meet you too”

“Donny, let’s we have dinner together!” Mr. Younes took out four burgers from a paper bag that his wife had brought with him.

“Thank you, Sir. I had dinner since from Jakarta”, I gently refused.

“No No No…. It’s different, It’s to accompany us while talking about our traveling”, he forced me to accept a piece of burger that was still warm.

As a result the three of us were talking to each other while enjoying a burger together. And when we finished eating the simple dish, they said goodbye to go to the gate.

But…..Before the two of them left their seats, Mr. Younes’s wife handed me one last burger.

“It’s for you, Donny. Just take it, we are moslems, we are family”

“It’s really, I think you need it more in your journey, Mam”, I subtly declined.

“No, Donny, It’s for you”, she came closer sticking the burger in front of me

“Thank you, Mam. Allah is always with you”, finally I couldn’t resist it.

“Amen, Good night, Donny, Assalamu’alaikum”.

“Wa’alaikumsalam”

Very pleasant meeting in the early hours of that morning. I put the warm burger in my backpack. I’d better save it for breakfast tomorrow.

After the meeting, I decided to change places to find a row of empty seats to sleep while straightening my body so I could close my eyes comfortably.

Come on….Found a place to sleep.

Next Story—->

Nine Hours Stopover in Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2

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Landing at KLIA2.

For most travelers, Kuala Lumpur International Airport becomes the most fantastic point to jump into other Asian countries. Of course, the existence of Air Asia’s Low Cost Carrier (LCC) makes it so. Since 2001, Air Asia has been providing travelers with low-cost access to travel around Asia. Thanks to Air Asia, I have stopped at KLIA for 21 times when exploring Asia.

But in this story. it was eighth stopover….Yup, this was the eighth time I set foot in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

After ten o’clock at night, the giant wheel of Air Asia D7 505 gently touched against KLIA2’s runway. The 5 hour 50 minute journey from Seoul was over. My first impression of tasting the wide body Airbus A330 was really pleasant. Flying across Yellow Sea and East China Sea took place with virtually non-existent turbulence, calm and smooth without a hitch. That was probably one of the advantages of riding a large plane when exploring sky.

After taxiing for a few minutes, Air Asia D7 505 was stopped in apron and as soon as the plane door opened, I entered KLIA2 building via aerobridge. I returned to KLIA2 after ten days before stopping by at it before jump to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It was such a happy feeling that night because I was already close to home, only 2 hours 15 minutes away by air.

And for me, stopping at KLIA2 would be more convenient if I left immigration counter, because I could find many culinary offerings at Gateway@klia2 mall instead of just sitting in transfer hall.

“Transit, Sir. I want to find food for dinner”, I lightly greeted an immigration officer in front.

“Where are you going?”, he asked while checking my green passport.

“From Seoul, want to go back to Jakarta, Sir”

“Oh…”, He briefly answered and then ordered me to face the camera and do fingerprints. By midnight that night, actually my stomach was already filled with wind because the dinner schedule had long passed. But to complete the schedule, I chose to hasten my steps towards a restaurant. It was NZ Curry House which was an Indian restaurant located at Transportation Hub level 1 Gateway@klia2 mall.

Subscribed restaurant.

(On my last visit at KLIA2 at the end 2019 when I was about to fly to Kochi-India, this restaurant area was undergoing renovations, either closed or just being repaired).

The mainstay menu which I often order when I stopped at this restaurant was “Nasi Lemak” with boiled eggs and a cup of hot O tea. For that menu, I usually only spend 6.5 Ringgit.

While tasting spoon by spoon of Nasi Lemak, I understood that after that I would only spend the night on the 1st floor while waiting for tomorrow to arrive. Therefore, I wasn’t in a hurry to eat my simple dish.

After eating, I took the time to change into a t-shirt in the toilet near restaurant and then went up for a while to level 2 to look for souvenirs at Jaya Grocer. For me, KLIA2 was also a favorite place to look for souvenirs if I didn’t have time to stop by in downtown, the halalness of Malaysian products, which were 61% of its citizen was Muslim, was a guarantee in itself. My main shopping target was the packaging of “Teh Tarik Aik Cheong” so I could enjoy it in my working days in my homeland’s capital. A package of Teh Tarik Aik Cheong contained 15 sachets I redeemed for 13 Ringgit that night.

After I got souvenirs, I immediately looked for a spot to lay down in 1st floor because that time had touched the dawn and my eyes had also turned red as if asking me to immediately close them.

Shortly after choosing, there were rows of empty seat in 1st floor in a corner of hall. After acquiring it, I felt half asleep on it until dawn.

However, I deserved to be grateful for KLIA2’s presence in my long history of traveling around Asia.

Next Story—->

Menuju KLIA2 dari KL Sentral

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Akan sedikit lebih lama menempuh jalur gratis menuju penginapan dibandingkan menunggangi LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya. Tetapi demi menebus ketiadaan Ringgit, aku memutuskan untuk mengeteng saja dan memanfaatkan jasa Go KL City Bus.

Bergegas meninggalkan KLCC Park, aku melangkah menuju halte bus KLCC yang terletak tepat di depan Suria KLCC. Tiba di bawah naungan halte, deretan armada “Perkhidmatan Bas Percuma*1)” jalur hijau  telah menunggu para penumpangnya.

Aku menunggangnya untuk menggapai titik pertukaran antar jalur, yaitu halte bus Pavilion. Dari situlah aku akan menangkap Go KL City Bus jalur ungu demi menggapai Pasar Seni Bus Hub, halte bus terdekat dari penginapanku, yaitu The Bed Station.

—-****—-

Mengendap-endap curang, aku menaiki tangga The Bed Station dengan penuh harap tak terpergok resepsionis ketika melintas di depan pintunya. Itu karena aku sudah men-check out masa inapku tadi pagi, tetapi kali ini, aku memaksakan diri untuk mandi di kamar mandi bersama lantai 3.

Aku sukses melewati ruang resepsionis di lantai 2, sekelebat kulihat staff resepsionis itu sedang sibuk melayani tamu-tamu penginapan yang tampak berdatangan, memang aku tiba ketika masa-masa check-in telah dibuka.

Bergerak cepat, aku segera mandi untuk meluruhkan segenap keringat setelah sedari pagi tadi berkeliling kota.

Begitu selesai berbasuh, aku segera turun ke meja reception untuk mengambil backpack yang telah kuititipkan sedari pagi.

Penuhnya antrian di meja resepsionis membuatku tak terlihat ketika baru turun dari lantai atas yang sebetulnya sudah bukan menjadi hak bagiku untuk menaikinya lagi, apalagi untuk beraktivitas apapun di lantai itu….Dasar, Donny.

—-****—-

Berhasil mendapatkan backpack, aku bergegas melangkah menuju Stasiun LRT Pasar Seni yang berjarak hanya 200 meter dari penginapan.

Begitu tiba, aku bergegas menuju automatic vending machine untuk bertukar 1,3 Ringgit dengan token bulat berwarna biru. Token itulah yang akan menggaransiku untuk bisa berpindah menuju KL Sentral.

LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya bergerbong empat tiba menjemputku di platform lantai dua, untuk kemudian aku larut dalam putaran roda kereta menuju KL Sentral yang jaraknya tak berselang satu stasiun pun.

Dalam 15 menit,  aku tiba di KL Sentral….

Menuruni escalator aku tiba di lantai satu dan tanpa berfikir panjang segera bergegas menuju basement level. Aku punya satu keuntungan bahwa segenap denah KL Sentral telah kuhafal di luar kepala, setidaknya sudah tujuh kali aku menyambangi transportation hub kenamaan Negeri Jiran tersebut. Hal itulah yang membuatku dengan mudah menggapai konter penjualan tiket Aerobus.

Aerobus adalah transportasi dari KL Sentral ke Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) yang menawarkan perjalan murah jika dibandingkan menggunakan taksi, kereta KLIA Transit ataupun KLIA Ekspres.

Aku menyerahkan 12 Ringgit untuk mendapatkan selembar tiket menuju bandara.

—-****—-

Seperempat jam lewat dari pukul empat sore….

Setelah menempuh perjalanan 45 menit, aku tiba di lantai 1 Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. Aku diturunkan di salah satu platform di transportation hub di Gateway@klia2..

Walaupun penerbanganku akan berlangsung pukul sembilan malam, hal itu tak menyurutkan langkahku untuk segera menuju lantai 3 untuk melihat informasi penerbangan lebih detail. Seperti biasa, aku selalu detail dan strict perihal jadwal terbang, setidaknya sore itu aku harus mengetahui di check-in desk nomor berapa aku akan menukar e-ticket dengan boarding pass serta di gate berapa pesawatku akan di lepas.

Senyum tipis tak bisa kusembunyikan dari bibir ketika aku berhasil mendapatkan informasi itu di LCD raksasa lantai 3.

Jam 17:20, ternyata….”, aku membatin ketika mengetahui kapan check-in desk akan dibuka.

Aku memutuskan untuk melakukan shalat jamak takhir di surau lantai 2 dan tentu berencana mencari makan malam setelahnya.

Tak seperti biasanya ketika aku mencari makan di KLIA2. Sore itu restoran langganan yang menyajikan makanan murah khas India sedang tutup. Adalah NZ Curry House yang lokasinya tertutp oleh papan-papan renovasi..

Tapi aku tak ambil pusing….

Pada 2015, aku pernah makan di sebuah food court yang berlokasi di lantai 2M. Aku sedikit lupa posisi food court itu. Tapi aku berniat mencarinya hingga ketemu. Ada restoran ala padang yang menawarkan makanan murah di food court tersebut.

Itu dia….”, aku bersorak dalam hati ketika melihat food court itu dari kejauhan.

Quizinn by RASA….”, aku melafal nama medan selera*2) tersebut.

Restoran Padang Kota Group….”, yupzzz aku melihat restoran yang kucari.

Kiranya tak bisa berlama-lama, aku menuju restoran ala padang itu kemudian mencari menu sesuai dengan kondisi dompet. Inilah saat dimana Ringgitku akan habis.

Lima belas menit sebelum check-in akhirnya aku bisa menikmati seporsi nasi seharga 5,9 Ringgit. Inilah nasi yang kumakan setelah terakhir aku memakannya kemarin siang.

Lantai 2 Gateway@klia2.
Pemandangan dari Gateway@klia2 Lantai 2M.
Beberapa restoran di Gateway@klia2.
Nah, itu dia Quizinn by RASA food court.
Menuku malam itu: Nasi putih, telur rebus kandar dan sayuran.

Mengambil sebuah tempat duduk, aku menikmati makan malam itu dengan khusyu’ untuk kemudian bersiap diri melakukan penerbangan lagi.

Apakah aku akan pulang?….

Tidak….Justru petualangan sesungguhnya baru akan dimulai.

Aku akan terbang menuju sebuah kota di selatan India….KOCHI.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Keterangan kata:

Perkhidmatan Bas Percuma*1 = Layanan Bus Gratis

Medan Selera*1) = food court.

KL Tower: NKRI Harga Mati

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Sarapan di emperan toko….yeeeileh.

Selasa….Usai Subuh….

Mata masih kuyu…Badan serasa lemas.

Semalaman tidurku terinterupsi oleh dengkuran seorang penginap yang terlelap pulas di sebelah kanan ranjang. Tak hanya diriku, aku pun bisa merasakan protes dari seorang penginap yang tidur persis dibawah bunk bed. Berkali-kali aku bisa merasakan, dia menghantam dasar bunk bed yang kutiduri. Mungkin dia merasakan hal yang sama. Kesal….Karena tak bisa tidur dengan nyenyak.

Merasa tak enak badan, kuputuskan saja untuk mengguyur tubuh di bawah shower air hangat di kamar mandi bersama. Guyuran air hangat setidaknya bisa merelaksasi setiap inchi tubuh yang pagi itu sedang tak seratus persen segar.

Pagi itu juga, aku harus mengepack kembali semua perlengkapan ke dalam backpack untuk kemudian harus menitipkannya ke meja resepsionis. Waktu menginapku purna tengah hari nanti dan saat itu pula, aku memastikan diri masih berada di pusat kota.

Usai mandi dan merapikan backpack, menujulah aku ke resepsionis untuk check-out, mengembalikan kunci locker dan mengambil uang deposit. Beruntung, staff resepsionis dari Mesir itu sudah berada di meja kerjanya sehingga memudahkanku untuk menyegerakan proses karena aku harus mengejar pemberangkatan Go KL City Bus sepagi mungkin.

Backpack telah tersimpan rapi dan aku bergegas menuruni anak tangga untuk keluar dari penginapan. Sesampai di luar, aku segera mencari tempat duduk di teras pertokoan yang masih tutup untuk bersarapan. Sarapan kali ini masih saja sama dengan menu dinner semalam….Yups, serbuk oat masih bisa diandalkan. Jujur saja, aku sudah kehabisan Ringgit pagi itu, hanya ada Ringgit tersisa untuk menaiki airport bus sore nanti dan makan malam sekedarnya di KLIA2.

Dari sini bisa diambil kesimpulan bahwa aku akan berkeliling kota tanpa keluar biaya sedikitpun bahkan seringgit sekalipun….Ya, tak akan pernah kukeluarkan.

Beruntung sekali, jalanan masih sepi. Keadaan itu tentu mengurangi beban malu ketika harus menyesap sendok demi sendok bubuk oat yang basah oleh guyuran air mineral.

Alhamdulillah sarapan usai….Petualanganpun dimulai.

Aku melangkah menuju ke Pasar Seni Bus Hub untuk mencari keberadaan Go KL City Bus Purple Line. Bus gratis jalur ungu itulah yang akan mengantarkan ke kompleks KL Tower.

KL Tower adalah menara pemancar telekomunikasi , menara penyiaran, wisata kuliner ketinggian dan wisata sudut pandang kota dari atas.

Dari kejauhan, aku melihat jelas bahwa bus itu sudah berada di posisi. Jadi begitu tiba di platform, aku langsung saja menaikinya dari pintu depan. Baru sedikit penumpang yang sudah menduduki bangku. Hal inilah yang membuatku harus menunggu sekitar sepuluh menit….Setidaknya untuk mengisi bangku-bangku kosong dengan penumpang yang perlahan berdatangan.

Pukul delapan pagi, Go KL City Bus Purple Line akhirnya berangkat jua….

Dalam duduk aku berfikiran bahwa KL Tower adalah bangunan yang tinggi, jadi aku merasa santai saja. Tentunya aku hanya perlu berhenti di halte manapun di dekat banguan KL Tower yang akan tampak dari kejauhan saking tingginya.

Go KL City Bus perlahan menyisir Jalan Sultan demi meninggalkan daerah Pasar Seni. Begitu tiba di sepanjang Jalan Raja Chulan, KL Tower sudah terlihat jelas dari kaca bus. Hanya saja aku perlu memastikan kapan harus turun di halte terdekat. Beberapa kali Go KL City Bus berhenti di halte pemberhentiannya, tetapi aku tetap saja bebal tak kunjung turun. Aku masih berharap bahwa bus akan berhenti di halte yang lebih dekat dari KL Tower.

Itu dia bus dengan layanan percuma*1)
Interiornya bagus dan bersih tentunya.

Terjadilah pengecualian, bukannya tambah mendekat, Go KL City Bus semakin lama semakin menjauhi KL Tower. “Ahhhh, sial….aku sudah kebablasan dan bus bukannya melambat tetapi semakin kencang”, aku bersandar lemas di kaca bus. Akibat kebodohan itu, aku hanya pasrah mengikuti kemana Go KL City Bus pergi. Aku memutuskan kembali ke Pasar Seni dan mengulang lagi perjalanan dari nol….Parah.

Dalam perjalanan 40 menit, akhirnya Go KL City Bus tiba kembali di Pasar Seni.

Konyol….”, aku mengutuk diriku sendiri.

Kini aku turun dari Go KL City Bus dan berpindah ke bus terdepan yang sudah siap berangkat. Beruntungnya diriku,  Go KL City Bus langsung berangkat ketika beberapa detik sebelumnya aku melangkah masuk.

Kini aku memasang sikap waspada ketika duduk di salah satu bangku. Aku akan memutuskan untuk langsung turun saja ketika melihat KL Tower bisa dijangkau dengan berjalan kaki.

Pucuk dicinta ulam pun tiba….

Bus berhenti di sebuah halte dan aku pun melompat turun dari pintu tengah.

THE WELD….”, aku membaca signboard pada  sebuah gedung pencakar langit yang berdiri tepat dibelakang halte tempatku turun.

Kini aku berada di Jalan Raja Chulan dan THE WELD sendiri adalah kompleks perkantoran 26 lantai yang berada 800 meter di timur KL Tower.

Dari THE WELD, aku memotong Jalan P. Ramlee untuk kemudian dalam lima puluh langkah masuk ke sebuah jalan yang lebih kecil, bernama Jalan Puncak. Inilah jalan utama untuk menuju KL Tower yang dibangun di tempat yang lebih tinggi.

Terengah-engah selama seperempat jam, akhirnya tiba juga di pelataran KL Tower. Sebetulnya pada tahun 2014 silam, aku berkesempatan melintas di menara ini ketika menjajal KL Hop On Hop Off untuk berkeliling kota. Hanya saja, kala itu aku hanya turun kurang dari lima menit untuk melihatnya. Ini semua karena KL Hop On Hop Off terburu-buru untuk menjelajah kota.

THE WELD….Selain perkantoran, ada pasar swalayan modernnya juga loh.
Meniti Jalan Puncak.

Kali ini aku akan sedikit lebih lama dalam menikmati pesona menara komunikasi yang berusia tak kurang dari seperempat abad itu. Bagaimana tidak bahagia, ketika akhirnya aku berkesempatan menikmati keindahan menara yang ketinggiannya masuk ke dalam jajaran sepuluh menara tertinggi di dunia.

Keunikan yang pertama kali bisa dilihat adalah atap bangunan dasar yang menggunakan deretan pola meruncing, pikiranku lalu merujuk pada runcingan-runcingan atap Sydney Opera House. Sedangkan pada bagian ujung atas antara tiang dan antena terdapat bangunan membulat yang merupakan pusat dari kegiatan broadcasting, telekomunikasi,  restoran, observation deck dan sky deck.

Sepengetahuanku untuk menikmati observation deck, pengunjung harus mengeluarkan biaya sebesar 49 Ringgit….Sedangkan harga wisata sky deck mencapai 99 Ringgit….Woouuooww.

Aku melangkah menuju entrance gate KL Tower untuk melihat aktivitas di sana dari dekat. Tentu aku tak akan naik ke atas untuk berwisata, terlalu mahal untuk pengunjung sepertiku yang hanya sekedar singgah saja di Kuala Lumpur.

Tak begitu ramai, sedari tadi hanya beberapa turis Eropa yang memutuskan untuk membeli tiket dan naik ke atas menara, sementara aku hanya mengamati sisa-sisa kegiatan kompetisi pemrograman yang diselenggarakan kemarin lusa. Kompetisi itu bertajuk HR Hackathon.

Bergeser ke kanan menara, ada atraksi lain ternyata. Di sisi itu berdirilah konter penjualan tiket untuk berkunjung ke KL Tower Mini Zoo (KLTMZ). Papan informasi yang ada mengatakan bahwa KLTMZ menyimpan tak kurang dari lima puluh spesies asli dan eksotis. Dan untuk melihat spesies-spesies unik itu maka pengunjung perlu merogoh kocek hingga 30 Ringgit.

Berpindah lagi menuju arah depan menara. Tersedia KL Tower F1 Zone yang menyediakan simulator Formula One untuk umum. Pengunjung bisa merasakan sensai mengendarai jet darat itu dengan membayar sebesar 20 Ringgit untuk enam menit mengemudi di simulator. Dinding KL Tower F1 Zone ini berwarna merah menyala, menyeleraskan diri dengan warna salah satu tim balap terkemuka di ajang balapan premier Formula One. Hanya saja, saat aku mengunjungi KL Tower, KL Tower F1 Zone itu masih tutup. Mungkin aku tiba terlalu pagi.

Oh ya, KL Tower F1 Zone ini juga dilengkapi dengan Formula One Cafe & Mart loh….

Tetapi baru sejenak melihat seisi cafe & minimarket dari luar ruangan, aku melihat kedatangan KL Hop On Hop Off warna putih dengan deck atas sebagian yang terbuka. Sontak aku berlari menujunya, sudah enam tahun lamanya aku tak pernah bersua dari dekat dengan bus wisata itu. Ternyata di pelataran menara terdapat shelter KL Hop On Hop Off. Pantas saja bus wisata itu berhenti untuk menurunkan para wisatawan.

Entrance gate KL Tower.
Ticketing Counter KL Tower Mini Zoo.
KL Tower F1 Zone.
Di spot inilah rombongan Surabayan itu aku foto.
Wisatawan asing sering meyebutnya dengan KL Forest Eco Park.

Tak lama berhenti, hanya menurunkan  5 wisatawan, bus itu tancap gas kembali. Tetapi tak lama kemudian, ada sebuah logat yang tak asing di telinga ketika kelima wisatawan wanita itu saling bercakap usai menuruni bus. “Itu logat Surabaya….”, aku menyimpulkan. Aku memutuskan diri untuk menyapa dan bercakap sejenak. Sudah empat hari lamanya aku tak bersua dengan orang Indonesia, tak ada salahnya untuk berbincang sejenak. Atas peristiwa itu, aku tahu bahwa kelimanya adalah Tenaga Kerja Wanita yang sedang berwisata ke Kuala Lumpur. Dari percakapan kami pula, aku tahu bahwa mereka sedang bekerja di Penang.

Seperti biasa, orang Indonesia selalu memiliki ciri yang khas. Mereka akhirnya memintaku untuk mengambil foto dengan latar KL Tower.

Aku? ….Ya tentulah aku meminta juga untuk dipotret….Kan aku orang asli Indonesia….NKRI harga mati.

Aku sendiri sudah berada di ujung kunjungan ke KL Tower. Untuk menutup kunjungan singkat ini, aku memasuki setengah area depan dari Taman Eko Rimba KL. Dahulu taman ini dikenal dengan sebutan Hutan Simpan Bukit Nanas, yang merupakan salah satu cagar hutan permanen tertua di Malaysia. Untuk memasuki cagar hutan ini pengunjung harus rela merogoh kocek sebesar 40 Ringgit.

Usai sudah petualanganku di KL Tower.

Saatnya pergi meninggalkannya.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Keterangan kata:

percuma*1) = =Gratis.

Burger Hangat di Kuala Lumpur International Airport

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Tiba di International Concourse.

Penanda waktu menunjukkan setengah sebelas malam ketika Malaysia Airlines MH 724 merapat di Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Aku menghela nafas panjang ketika pesawat telah terparkir sempurna di apron, itu karena connecting flight Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 baru akan mengudara menuju Kuala Terengganu pada pukul 07:25 esok hari. Artinya, selama sembilan jam ke depan aku harus bermalam di KLIA.

Bermalam di KLIA2….Pernah kah?….Yes, dua belas kali sudah, aku mencicipi “kasur keras” KLIA Terminal 2

Bermalam di KLIA?….Pernah juga kah?….Nup, kali ini pertama kalinya aku menginap di KLIA Terminal 1.

Sembari berjalan di arrival hall, aku mengambil boarding pass yang sudah kudapat dari check-in desk Soetta. Setelah kuamati, boarding pass yang kupegang belum mencantumkan nomor gate. Oleh karenanya, aku berusaha mencari informasi status penerbangan di Flight Information Display System (FIDS) yang terletak di arrival hall….Akhirnya, aku mendapatkan nomor gate….Yupz,A5.

Nah itu….Sudah ada status gatenya.

Supaya esok pagi aku tak keteteran mencari gate, aku pun berniat melakukan rehearsel untuk mencari jalan menuju gate yang dimaksud. Dari International Concourse di level 4, aku turun satu level menuju Domestic Concourse.Perlu diketahui bahwa domestic flight di KLIA diterbangkan dari gate A dan gate B, sedangkan international flight diterbangkan dari gate C, gate G dan gate H.

RehearseI yang kulakukan pun terpaksa usai di depan gerbang konter imigrasi, tetapi setidaknya aku telah memahami bagaimana aku harus melangkah menuju gate esok pagi.

Suasana Domestic Concourse.

Dari depan konter imigrasi, aku terpaksa naik kembali ke International Concourse untuk mencari tempat demi memejamkan mata.

Sementara itu, beberapa menit lagi memasuki tengah malam, aku duduk di salah satu bangku International Concourse ketika sepasang turis setengah umur mendekat dan menduduki kursi kosong di sebelah kiriku.

Helloo, Sir, where are you come from?”, aku memberanikan menyapa.

Hi, I’m from Algeria”.

Oh I know, it’s a country in north of Afrika”, aku mencoba membuat percakapan lebih hangat.

Ohhhh….yeaaa….yeaaaa, you know that. I will go home tomorrow and will transit in Doha”, dia mulai bercerita tentang rencana perjalanannya.

Oh, Doha will be last destination in my traveling this time”, aku mulai mengaitkan perjalananku dengan perjalanannya supaya terjadi percakapan yang lebih intens.

Oh, good. What is your traveling for?….Business?

Oh, no. it’s just for tourism. I’m Donny from Indonesia and Oh yeaaa, what is your name, Sir?

Oh, I’m Younes and she is my wife

Hi, Donny, nice to meet you”, istri pak Younes turut menyapaku

Hi, mam. Nice to meet you too

Donny, let’s we dinner together!”, pak Younes mengeluarkan empat potong burger dari kantong kertas yang sedari tadi dibawa istrinya.

Thank you, Sir. I had have dinner since from Jakarta”, aku menolak lembut

No No No…. It’s different, It’s for accompany us while talk about our traveling”, dia memaksaku untuk menerima sodoran sepotong burger yang masih hangat.

Alhasil kami bertiga pun saling berbincang sambil menikmati burger bersama. Dan ketika kita usai menyantap hidangan sederhana itu, mereka pun berpamitan untuk menuju ke gate.

Tapiiii…..Sebelum mereka berdua meninggalkan kursi, tetiba istri pak Younes menyodorkan satu potong burger terakhir kepadaku.

It’s for you, Donny. Just take it, we are moslems, we are family

It’s really, I think you more need it in your journey, mam”, aku menolak halus.

No, Donny, It’s for you”, dia semakin dekat menjulurkan burger itu di depanku

Thank you, mam. Allah is always with you”, akhirnya aku tak kuasa menolaknya.

Amiin, Good night, Donny, Assalamu’alaikum”.

Wa’alaikumsalam

Pertemuan yang sangat menyenangkan di dini hari. Aku memasukkan burger hangat itu di dalam backpack. Lebih baik aku menyimpannya untuk sarapan esok hari.

Usai pertemuan itu, aku memutuskan berpindah tempat untuk mencari deret bangku kosong untuk tidur sembari meluruskan badan sehingga aku bisa memejamkan mata dengan nyaman.

Yukz….Cari tempat untuk tidur.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Sembilan Jam Singgah di Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Mendarat di KLIA2.

Bagi sebagian besar pengelana, Kuala Lumpur International Airport menjadi titik paling aduhai untuk melompat ke negara asia lainnya. Tentu keberadaan maskapai Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Air Asia yang membuatnya demikian. Sejak 2001, Air Asia telah memberikan akses murah bagi para pejalan untuk berkeliling Asia. Berkat Air Asia pula sudah 21 kali aku menyinggahi KLIA selama menjelajah Asia.

Tapi dalam kisah ini adalah delapan….Yups, ini kali kedelapan aku menjejakkan langkah di Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Lewat jam sepuluh malam, roda raksasa Air Asia D7 505 berdebam lembut menyentuh KLIA2. Perjalanan 5 jam 50 menit dari Seoul pun usai sudah. Kesan pertamaku mencicipi pesawat berbadan lebar Airbus A330 sungguh menyenangkan. Terbang melintasi Laut Kuning dan Laut China Timur berlangsung dengan turbulensi yang bisa dianggap tiada, tenang dan mulus tanpa hambatan. Itu mungkin salah satu keuntungan menunggang pesawat berbadan besar ketika menjelajah angkasa.

Usai taxiing beberapa menit, Air Asia D7 505 pun merapat di apron dan sesaat setelah pintu pesawat terbuka, aku pun memasuki bangunan KLIA2 melalui aerobridge. Aku kembali menjejak KLIA2 setelah sepuluh hari sebelumnya menyinggahinya untuk melompat ke Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Sungguh perasaan yang membahagiakan malam itu karena aku sudah berada dekat dengan rumah, hanya 2 jam 15 menit jauhnya lewat udara.

Dan bagiku singgah di KLIA2 akan lebih afdol jika keluar dari konter imigrasi, karena aku bisa menemukan banyak sajian kuliner di Gateway@klia2 mall daripada hanya berdiam diri di transfer hall.

Transit Pak Cik, ingin cari makan malam”, sapa ringanku pada seorang petugas imigrasi di hadapan.

Dari mane mau kemane?”, tanyanya sambil memeriksa paspor hijauku.

Dari Seoul, mau pulang ke Jakarta, Pak Cik

Oh…”, jawabnya singkat lalu mempersilahkanku untuk menghadap kamera dan melakukan sidik jari.

Menjelang tengah malam itu, sebetulnya lambungku sudah lebih dahulu dipenuhi oleh angin karena jadwal makan malam sudah lama lewat.Tetapi untuk melengkapi jadwal itu, aku memilih untuk menyegerakan langkah menuju tempat makan langganan. Adalah NZ Curry House yang merupakan restoran India yang terletak di Transportation Hub level 1 Gateway@klia2 mall.

Restoran langganan.

(pada kunjungan terakhirku di KLIA2 di akhir 2019 saat akan terbang ke Kochi-India, area restoran ini sedang mengalami renovasi, entah tutup atau sekedar diperbaiki).

Menu andalan yang sering kupesan ketika singgah di restoran ini adalah adalah nasi lemak dengan telur rebus serta secangkir teh O panas. Untuk menu tersebut biasanaya aku hanya mengeluarkan uang sebesar 6,5 Ringgit.

Sembari mengecap suap demi suap nasi lemak itu, aku faham bahwa setelahnya aku hanya akan menghabiskan malam di lantai 1 sambil menunggu esok tiba. Oleh karenanya, aku tak terburu-buru dalam menyantap hidangan sederhana itu.

Usai makan, aku menyempatkan berganti t-shirt di toilet dekat restoran dan kemudian naik sebentar ke level 2 untuk mencari oleh-oleh di Jaya Grocer. Bagiku, KLIA2 juga menjadi tempat favorit untuk mencari oleh-oleh jika tak sempat menyinggahi kota, kehalalan produk Malaysia yang 61% berpenduduk muslim menjadi jaminan tersendiri. Target utama belanjaku adalah kemasan Teh Tarik Aik Cheong untuk bisa kunikmati pada hari-hari bekerjaku di Ibu Kota nanti. Satu kemasan Teh Tarik Aik Cheong berisi 15 sachet kutebus dengan 13 Ringgit malam itu.

Setelah oleh-oleh kudapatkan, aku segera mencari spot untuk merebahkan diri di lantai 1 karena waktu telah menyentuh dini hari dan mata juga telah memerah seakan memintaku untuk segera memejamkannya.

Tak lama memilih, terlihat deret bangku kosong di Lantai 1 di sebuah pojok hall. Usai mengakuisisi, aku tertidur setengah lelap diatasnya hingga subuh nanti tiba.

Bagaimanapun itu, aku pantas berterimakasih pada keberadaan KLIA2 dalam sejarah panjang perjalananku berkeliling Asia.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Agosto Inn: Mencari Penginapan Dadakan

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Sebentar lagi pukul dua siang, kondisi awan semakin tebal di atas sana, aku pun telah merangsek turun dari kuil utama Batu Caves, menuruni 272 anak tangga dan kemudian bergegas menuju Stasiun Batu Caves.

Sesampai di stasiun aku langsung membeli tiket Kereta Komuter KTM Laluan Seremban seharga 2 Ringgit (Rp. 6.800) demi menuju KL Sentral. Sepanjang perjalanan pulang-pergi, aku tak tahu kenapa jalur ini selalu sunyi. Gerbong kereta yang masih tampak bersih dan baru, stasiun-stasiun yang dilewati pun masih terlihat bagus.  

Menempuh jalur kereta sejauh 16 kilometer, aku tiba di Lantai 1 KL Sentral’s Transit Concourse hanya dalam waktu setengah jam. Aku segera menaiki escalator menuju KL Sentral’s Main Concourse untuk berburu token menuju Stasiun Pasar Seni, kali ini aku harus menaiki LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya. Perlu mengeluarkan ongkos sebesar 1,3 Ringgit (Rp. 4.500) untuk mendapatkan akses menaiki LRT itu. Inilah pertama kalinya bagiku menggunakan ticket vending machine di Negeri Jiran itu. Tetapi kali ini tak butuh banyak waktu untuk memahaminya.

Geblek….Sandal….

Mendapatkan tiket berwujud token berwarna biru, aku segera melewati automatic fare collection gate menuju lantai dua untuk menaiki LRT Kelana Jaya. Hanya perlu menunggu tiga menit hingga kereta itu tiba lalu aku segera melompat ke dalam gerbongnya.

Tak berjeda satu stasiun pun untuk menuju Stasiun Pasar Seni. Aku tiba dalam sepuluh menit sejak memasuki LRT empat gerbong itu. Stasiun Pasar Seni yang berwujud stasiun layang itu menampilkan pemandangan kawasan Central Market beserta  aliran Sungai Kelang yang mengalir deras karena hujan. Rupanya sungai-sungai di Kuala Lumpur juga belum sepenuhnya lepas dari masalah sampah, terlihat beberapa sampah hanyut dibawa arus sungai itu.

Hujan lebat membuatku harus berdiam beberapa saat di platform Stasiun Pasar Seni. Tak ada pilihan karena aku tak memiliki payung ataupun jas hujan. Aku baru tiba di Kuala Lumpur pagi tadi sebelum memutuskan mengeksplorasi Batu Caves terlebih dahulu sebelum memasuki pusat kota. Kini aku memiliki satu tujuan ketika memasuki daerah Pasar Seni….Yups, mencari penginapan.

Kala itu aku masihlah backpacker amatiran yang tak berhasil menyiapkan satu penginapan sebelum berangkat. Beruntung aku tak ditanya perihal hotel oleh petugas imigrasi, mengingat inilah pertama kalinya aku mengunjungi Kuala Lumpur. Tadi pagi, petugas imigrasi KLIA2 hanya menanyakan tiket kepulangan yang tentu sudah kusiapkan jauh hari.

Menunggu beberapa saat, hujan tak kundung reda, masih menyisakan gerimis lembut. Kiranya aku tak boleh kehilangan banyak waktu hanya untuk menunggu hujan reda. Kupaksakan diri menembus gerimis, menyusuri Jalan Sultan, melewati lokasi proyek pembuatan jalur MRT di sisi kanan dan berbelok ke kiri untuk menyisir Jalan Tun HS Lee untuk mencari penginapan. Setelah beberapa waktu mencari, aku tertarik pada logo Trip Advisor yang terpajang di sebuah pintu kaca penginapan kecil. Agosto Inn namanya. Maka, aku tak ragu memasukinya.

Halo, Pak. Apakah Anda masih memiliki satu kamar untuk dua malam?”, aku bertanya dalam Bahasa Indonesia yang seharusnya dia faham.

Can you speak English, Please?”, resepsionis sekaligus pemilik penginapan itu ternyata tak bisa berbahasa Melayu.

Oh, sorry. Do you still have a room for two nights?”, aku menjelaskan pertanyaan yang sama.

Oh, of course. But I don’t have a bed in the dorm. Would you like to use a single room?”.

Can I see the room?”.

Oh, sure….Follow me, Sir!”, dia beranjak dari meja resepsionis dan memimpin langkah menuju lantai atas.

Aku mengikutinya menuju ke ujung koridor untuk melihat kamar terakhir yang dimaksud. Kemudian bersambung menunjukkan kamar mandi bersama di ujung yang berlawanan.

Hallo, Sir”, seorang staff yang sedang membersihkan kamar mandi bersama menyapaku. Nanti aku akan mengenalnya sebagai sosok asal Bangladesh yang ramah.

Hi…”, aku membalas senyumnya.

Aku tak akan berfikir panjang dan memutuskan mengambil kamar itu. Hari sudah sore, tak ada waktu lagi untuk mencari penginapan. Aku harus segera menuju KLCC untuk mengunjungi menara kembar kenamaan Negeri Jiran.

Yes, Sir….I’ll take your last room….How much?”, aku mengambil keputusan.

Sixty Ringgit, Sir (Rp. 208.000) for two nights….Come on follow me, I’ll give you the room key”.

Kamar single milik Agosto Inn.

Transaksi itu selesai di meja resepsionis. Aku bernafas lega, karena telah menemukan penginapan untuk dua malam ke depan.

Saatnya berburu destinasi.

KL Sentral….Awesome Transit Oriented Building

I don’t know how many times I’ve said KL Sentral as far as publishing this 221 traveling articles. I remember, I have five times traced this phenomenal building. Five years also, various sides and interesting moments which I stole from Kl Sentral languishing in external hard disk which neatly wrapped in a desk drawer in my bedroom….Room which continually give me many inspiration in conquering beauty of the earth.

It’s not fair, if its greatness isn’t shared with you. Because I’m sure that you will visit it someday….Or maybe, you have visited it but you don’t understand yet its details.

Operating 18 years ago, KL Sentral has played an important role in Malaysian tourism. KL Sentral meritorious in being the link between Malaysia’s first gate (i.e Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and important tourism spots in city center…. Fast, effective and efficient. Maybe that’s what will be pursued by Manggarai Central Station in 2021 (It’s a station central in Jakarta).

Gives you a basic view of KL Sentral. Here’s my best photo at KL Sentral level 1:

KL Sentral level 1 which seen from Nu Sentral mall on level 2.
KL Sentral level 1 was seen from Kelana Jaya Line platform on level 2.

KL Sentral Bus Station

Before exploring level 1, I will invite you to look at KL Sentral basement level. Why?….Because 100% of my arrivals to KL Sentral use the cheapest transportation mode….Yups, Skybus, Aerobus and Airport Coach which its tickets are only worth USD 3.1.

After passing through Stesen Sentral Street, bus will enter basement level and stop at shelter which sells Aerobus/Skybus/Airport Coach/Resort World Genting Bus tickets. While, behind escalator (is used to go up to level 1), you will find Rapid KL Free Bus shelter which is used by tourists towards Batu Caves.

Left is Airport Coach ticket counter to KLIA and right is Skybus/Aerobus ticket counter towards KLIA2
Airport Coach towards KLIA (Terminal 1)
Skybus towards KLIA2 (Terminal 2)
Bus towards Genting Highlands.
Direction sign to Rapid KL Free Bus to Batu Caves.

Twice, I went down to KL Sentral basement level and immediately left KL Sentral towards Westree Hotel (2018) and M&M Hotel (2019) through this corridor:

The corridor at Basement level leads to Tun Sambanthan Street.
This is appearance of Tun Sambanthan Street.

Nu Sentral Mall

If you want to continue your trip using KTM ETS (Kereta Tanah Melayu-Electric Train Service), Kelana Jaya Line LRT, Seremban Line commuter KTM, Monorail, airport train (KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit) you have to go up to level 1 KL Sentral using escalator near Skybus/Aerobus ticket counter.

Or….you can also go up to level 1 as access to go to Nu Sentral mall on level 2….Let’s look at Nu Sentral mall.

Connector escalator between several train gates on 1st floor to Nu Sentral mall which is on level2
Nu Sentral mall situation.
Nu Sentral mall situation.

Finished shopping at Nu Sentral mall, then look for pedestrian bridge to Tun Sambanthan Street. The pedestrian bridge is directly connected to Nu Sentral mall.

Direction sign towards Tun Sambanthan Street.
This is the pedestrian bridge which I mean.

Transportation Area

Before going back down to level 1, you should see where the monorail station is. The floor plan shows that KL Sentral monorail station is a separate building from KL Sentral itself. But not to worry because there is a connection bridge from KL Sentral to monorail station.

Yuhuuu….It was in front of monorail station gate.
Here it is, the monorail….On its way towards Titiwangsa Park.

Come on!….We explore 1st floor. This floor is allocated as access to various modes of train transportation.

Starting from commuter train. There are two commuter train lines in KL Sentral namely KTM Laluan Seremban and KTM Laluan Pelabuhan Klang.

Preparing to take KTM Komuter Laluan Seremban to Batu Caves.
That’s KTM Commuter platform in basement.

Besides KTM Commuter, the most popular transportation mode to city center in Kuala Lumpur is LRT (Light Rail Transit). LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya was the one which was lucky because it was the only chosen LRT which visited KL Sentral.

Let’s rides LRT to city center!
Ticketing vending machines….Where to buy LRT tokens (tickets).
Automatic gates menuju platform LRT Kelana Jaya di level 2.
Finally caught a picture of LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya at Pasar Seni Station.

Besides Skybus/Aerobus and Airport Coach, Malaysia tourism also presents KLIA Transit and KLIA Express which are premium trains to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Premium is certainly synonymous with expensive prices but certainly guarantees a comfort.

KLIA Transit ticket counter and its automatic gate
See, KLIA Transit!…Cool right?.
Of course….Super comfortable.

Eatery

Regarding food….As the biggest transit hub in Malaysia, KL Sentral certainly provides many eateries.

At level, there are several food and beverage shops such as La Cucur Express, Panettone (vegetarian food), Meals Station, I Love Yoo !, Chatime, Swiss Oven, Secret Recipe, Starbucks, Burger King, Ayam Penyet Express and many more.

Eat “Penang White Curry Bowl” at Panettone (2018).

Outside KL Sentral (around Tun Sambanthan Street), there are also some reasonably-priced food stalls with topnotch taste. I visited it because I often stayed around KL Sentral.

ABC Bistro Cafe….My hangout place around KL Sentral.

Nearest Cheap Hotels

Tun Sambanthan Street is an important road in Brickfields area. This area provides restaurants, shops and residences. Brickfields also provides many hotels from five-star hotels to budget-friendly hotels.

Westree Hotel during my Malaysia-Singapore trip on 2018
Hotel M&M while visiting an international event on 2019

So….Visit KL Sentral well and just enjoy its facilities.