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—->

Exploring Bersepadu Selatan Terminal

<—-Previous Story

Towards sunset, I arrived at Bersepadu Selatan Terminal after traveling eight and a half hours from Kuala Terengganu using the Arwana Bus service. Bersepadu Selatan Terminal is a giant terminal in the south of the city that replaces the role of Puduraya Bus Terminal which is located in the center of the city.

That night, I was going to stay at The Bed Station in the Pasar Seni area, but I didn’t need to be in a hurry because I’d reserved one bunk bed at that inn through a well-known inn e-commerce six days before I left my own home.

This wasn’t the first time I’d set my steps in Bersepadu Selatan Terminal (TBS). In March 2018, I stopped by for the first time when I was back from Melaka. Whereas my second visit occurred nine months later when I was back from Ipoh.

But on the last two visits, I’d been in a rush. So at that time too, I never had any intention of really exploring the biggest transportation hub in Peninsular Malaysia.

But in the late afternoon that night, instead of going to the inn.

My intention to explore TBS was growing at that time….

Finally, that evening, I decided to explore Bersepadu Selatan Terminal, which was an integrated hub covering an area of 2 hectares with a height of six floors, the pride of Malaysia.

That afternoon, the Arwana bus dropped off each passenger at the arrival hall on the 2nd floor, to be precise, on the west side of the terminal. As soon as I got off the bus, I was faced with five escalators in a row which would take each passenger up to the 3rd floor. Why was that?…. Because on the 3rd floor, was where the TBS’ connectivity point with other public transportation routes was located.

While passengers chose to continue their journey to their respective homes using private vehicles, of course, their vehicles were nicely parked on floors 4 to 6.

Entering TBS’ main lobby door on the 3rd floor, I was immediately faced with an arrival lobby on the right side of the door which was filled with rows of chairs. While in front of the arrival lobby, there was also the TBS executive lounge for passengers.

While several banking promotion booths appeared to have acquired several corners of the lobby, one of the bank’s brands was PTPTN (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Nasional). The Guidance & Information LED also displayed a directory about floors 1-6.

The remaining part was travel-related stalls such as telecommunications equipment shops (DiGi was one of them) and minimarkets (POINT and 7-Eleven could be seen in the corridor) completing the hustle and bustle of the 3rd-floor corridor.

West side of the terminal where the arrivals platform was located.
The arrival platform was visible from the 3rd floor.
3rd-floor arrival lobby.
Two sides of the departure gate.
Escalator to the departure hall on the 2nd floor.
Departure and arrival information LEDs.
Ticket sales counter seen from the 4th floor.

Before heading to the center of the hall, there was a departure hall gate that was divided into two departure gates. It was the two gates that would lead passengers to two parts of departure hall l, namely the departure hall with platforms 1-13 and platform 14-16. Meanwhile, right on the south side of the departure lobby, there was an exit to the connecting bridge which would take passengers to the commuter train line, Seremban LRT, and airport train (KLIA Transit). Apart from trains, of course, passengers would also be directed to be able to use city buses and airport buses.

Walk until you were right in the middle of the 3rd-floor room !, there were two giant LED boards to display departure and arrival schedules. Meanwhile, under the two LEDs, eighteen sales counters were visible in a row, acquiring almost half of the hall. And right at the very beginning of the ticket sales counter, six machines were part of the self-service ticketing system corner. And finally right at the very end of the hall, enhanced by the existence of an information center to facilitate the information needs of passengers.

From the elevator at the east end of the hall, I started to go up to the 4th floor. The 4th-floor corridor was dominated by a food court, and shopping center, and there was also hotel transit, as well as access to parking locations. From the 4th floor, I followed the stairs to the 5th floor. There was no longer a hallway on the 5th floor, but all floors of the building were dominated by car areas (parking areas). Likewise, the 6th floor was also used for the same function.

After half an hour, I was satisfied exploring the whole of Bersepadu Selatan Terminal. Now it was time for me to head to The Bed Station. I had to get closer to downtown before it was too late.

The 4th-floor hall of that 10-year-old terminal looked neat.
Food court area on the 4th floor.
Parking area on the 5th floor.
The connecting bridge to Bandar Tasik Selatan station.
The view from the connecting bridge to the east.
So that was the train station.

Finally, I rushed down using the escalator to the 3rd floor to reach the connecting bridge to the Seremban LRT.

Next Story—->

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.

Menjelajah Terminal Bersepadu Selatan

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Menjelang maghrib aku tiba di Terminal Bersepadu Selatan pasca mengarungi perjalanan delapan setengah jam dari Kuala Terengganu menggunakan jasa Bus Arwana. Inilah terminal raksasa di selatan kota yang menggantikan peran Terminal Bus Puduraya yang terletak di tengah kota.

Malam itu, aku akan menginap di The Bed Station di daerah Pasar Seni, tapi aku tak perlu terburu waktu karena satu  bunk bed di penginapan itu sudah kuamankan melalui e-commerce penginapan ternama pada enam hari sebelum aku pergi meninggalkan rumah.

Ini bukan pertama kalinya aku menjejakkan langkah di Terminal Bersepadu Selatan. Pada Maret 2018, aku menyinggahinya untuk pertama kali ketika kembali dari Melaka. Sedangkan kunjungan kedua terjadi sembilan bulan kemudian ketika aku kembali dari Ipoh.

Tapi pada dua kunjungan terakhir, aku memang terburu waktu. Jadi kala itu pula, aku tak pernah ada niatan untuk mengenal sungguh-sungguh hub transportasi terbesar di Semenanjung Malaysia itu.

Tapi sore menjelang malam itu, alih-alih langsung melanjutkan perjalanan

Niatku kini berkembang….

Akhirnya menjelang malam itu, aku memutuskan untuk mengeksplore Terminal Bersepadu Selatan yang merupakan hub terintegrasi seluas 2 hektar bertinggikan enam lantai kebanggaan Negeri Jiran.­­

Sore itu, bus Arwana menurunkan setiap penumpangnya di balai ketibaan (arrival hall) lantai 2, tepatnya di sisi barat terminal. Begitu menuruni bus, aku dihadapkan pada lima escalator berjajar yang akan membawa setiap penumpang naik ke lantai 3. Kenapa demikian?….Karena di lantai 3 inilah letak titik konektivitas TBS dengan jalur transportasi umum lainnya.

Sementara penumpang yang memilih melanjutkan pulang menuju rumahnya masing-masing menggunakan kendaraan pribadi, tentunya kendaraan mereka sudah terparkir manis di lantai 4  hingga 6.

Memasuki pintu main lobby bangunan TBS lantai 3, aku langsung dihadapkan pada sebuah arrival lobby di sisi kanan pintu yang dipenuhi dengan barisan kursi. Sementara di depan arrival lobby juga terdapat TBS executive lounge bagi para penumpang berduit tentunya.

Sedangkan beberapa stand promosi perbankan tampak mengakuisisi beberapa sudut selasar, salah satu brand bank tersebut adalah PTPTN (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Nasional) . LED Panduan & Informasi juga tak ketinggalan tertampil berisikan directory tentang lantai 1-6.

Selebihnya kios-kios terkait perjalanan seperti kedai peralatan telekomunikasi (DiGi salah satunya) dan minimarket (POINT dan 7-Eleven tampak di selasar) melengkapi keramaian selasar lantai 3.

Sisi barat terminal dimana platform ketibaan berada.
Platform ketibaan tampak dari lantai 3.
Arrival Lobby lantai 3.
Dua sisi gerbang pelepasan (departure gate).
Escalator menuju departure hall di lantai 2.
LED informasi pelepasan dan ketibaan.
Konter-konter penjualan tiket dilihat dari lantai 4.

Sebelum menuju ke pusat selasar, terdapat gerbang balai pelepasan yang dibagi dalam dua departure gate. Dua gerbang itulah yang akan mengantarkan penumpang menuju dua bagian departure hal l,  yaitu departure hall dengan platform 1-13 dan platform 14-16. Sedangkan tepat di sisi selatan departure lobby  terdapat pintu keluar menuju jembatan penghubung yang akan mengantarkan penumpang menuju jalur kereta komuter, LRT  Laluan Seremban dan kereta bandara (KLIA Transit). Selain kereta, tentu penumpang juga akan diarahkan untuk bisa menggunakan bus kota dan airport bus.

Berjalan hingga berada tepat di tengah ruangan lantai 3, terdapat dua papan LED raksasa untuk menampilkan jadwal berlepas (departure) dan ketibaan (arrival). Sedangkan di bawah dua LED tersebut, delapan belas  konter penjualan tampak berjajar mengakuisisi hampir separuh sisi selasar. Dan tepat di ujung awal konter penjualan tiket, tersedia enam mesin yang menjadi bagian dari pojok self service ticketing system. Dan akhirnya tepat di paling ujung selasar, disempurnakan dengan keberadaan pusat informasi untuk memfasilitasi kebutuhan informasi para penumpang.

Dari lift di ujung timur selasar, aku mulai naik ke lantai 4. Selasar lantai 4 ini di dominasi oleh food court, shopping centre dan tersedia juga transit hotel, serta akses menuju lokasi parkir. Dari lantai 4, aku menelusuri jalur tangga menuju lantai 5. Tak ada selasar lagi di lantai 5, melainkan semua lantai gedung didominasi medan kereta (parking area). Begitu pula lantai 6, juga digunakan untuk fungsi yang sama.

Setengah jam sudah aku puas mengeksplorasi seisi Terminal Bersepadu Selatan. Kini sudah saatnya bagiku untuk menuju ke The Bed Station. Aku harus segera merapat ke tengah kota sebelum kemalaman.

Selasar lantai 4 di terminal berusia 10 tahun itu tampak rapi.
Food court area lantai 4.
Area parkir di lantai 5.
Jembatan penghubung menuju stasiun Bandar Tasik Selatan.
Pemandangan dari jembatan penghubung ke arah timur.
Nah itu stasiun keretanya.

Akhirnya aku bergegas turun menggunakan escalator menuju lantai 3 rtuntuk meniti jembatan penghubung menuju ke LRT Laluan Seremban.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

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.

KL Sentral….Bangunan Berorientasi Transit yang Mengagumkan

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Entah berapa kali kusebut kata KL Sentral sejauh membidani 201 artikel kelayapan ini. Yang kuingat, aku telah lima kali menjejak bangunan fenomenal itu. Lima tahun pula, berbagai sisi dan momen menarik yang tercuri dari Kl Sentral mendekam dalam External Hard Disk terbungkus rapi dalam laci meja kerja di peraduanku….Kamar yang terus memberiku ilham dalam menaklukkan indahnya bumi.

Tak adil rasanya, jika kehebatannya tak terbagi kepada kalian. Karena aku yakin kalian akan menjejaknya jua suatu saat….Atau mungkin, kalian yang sudah menyambanginya tapi belum memahami detailnya.

Beroperasi 18 tahun lalu, KL Sentral memberikan peran penting dalam pariwisata Malaysia. KL Sentral berjasa menjadi penghubung antara gerbang pertama Malaysia (yaitu Kuala Lumpur International Airport) dan spot-spot penting pariwisata di tengah kota….Cepat, efektif dan efisien. Mungkin itulah yang akan dikejar oleh Stasiun Sentral Manggarai 2021.

Memberimu gambaran mendasar tentang KL Sentral. Inilah foto terbaikku di level 1 KL Sentral:

KL Sentral level 1 dilihat dari Nu Sentral mall di level 2.
KL Sentral level 1 dilihat dari platform LRT laluan Kelana Jaya di level 2.

KL Sentral Bus Station

Sebelum membedah level 1, aku akan mengajakmu menengok KL Sentral basement level. Kenapa?….Karena 100% kedatanganku ke KL Sentral menggunakan moda transportasi termurah….Yups, Skybus, Aerobus dan Airport Coach yang tiketnya hanya berharga Rp. 42.000.

Setelah melalui jalan Stesen Sentral, bus akan memasuki level Basement dan berhenti di shelter yang menjual tiket Aerobus/Skybus/Airport Coach/Resort World Genting Bus. Sementara dibelakang escalator (digunakan untuk naik ke level 1), kamu akan menemukan shelter Rapid KL Free Bus yang digunakan turis menuju wisata Batu Caves.

Kiri adalah konter tiket Airport Coach menuju KLIA dan kanan merupakan konter tiket Skybus/Aerobus menuju KLIA2
Airport Coach menuju KLIA (Terminal 1)
Skybus menuju KLIA2 (Terminal 2)
Bus menuju wisata Genting Highlands.
Petunjuk arah menuju Rapid KL Free Bus ke wisata Batu Caves.

Dua kali, aku turun di level basement KL Sentral dan langsung meninggalkan KL Sentral untuk menuju ke Westree Hotel (tahun 2018) dan Hotel M & M (tahun 2019) melalui koridor ini:

Koridor di level Basement menuju Jalan Tun Sambanthan.
Ini loh penampakan Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

Nu Sentral Mall

Jika kamu ingin meneruskan perjalanan menggunakan KTM ETS (Kereta Tanah Melayu- Electric Train Service), LRT laluan Kelana Jaya, KTM komuter Laluan Seremban, Monorail, kereta bandara (KLIA Ekspres dan KLIA Transit) kamu harus naik ke level 1 KL Sentral menggunakan escalator di dekat konter tiket Skybus/Aerobus.

Atau….kamu juga bisa naik ke level 1 sebagai akses untuk menuju Nu Sentral mall yang ada di level 2….Yuk lihat Nu Sentral mall.

Escalator penghubung beberapa train gate di lantai 1 menuju Nu Sentral mall yang berada di level2
Suasana Nu Sentral mall.
Suasana Nu Sentral mall.

Selesai berbelanja di Nu Sentral mall, maka carilah jembatan penyeberangan menuju jalan Tun Sambanthan. Jembatan penyeberangan orang (JPO) ini terhubung secara langsung dengan Nu Sentral mall.

Petunjuk arah menuju jalan Tun Sambanthan.
Inilah jembatan penyeberangan orang (JPO) yang kumaksud.

Transportation Area

Sebelum turun kembali ke level 1, kamu harus melihat dimana letak stasiun monorail. Floor plan menunjukkan bahwa stasiun monorail KL Sentral adalah bangunan terpisah dari KL Sentral itu sendiri. Tapi tidak perlu khawatir karena tersedia connection bridge dari KL Sentral menuju stasiun monorail.

Yuhuuu….Sudah di depan gate stasiun monorail.
Tuh dia, monorailnya…..Saat menuju Taman Tasik Titiwangsa.

Yukkkk….Kita bedah lantai 1. Lantai ini dialokasikan sebagai akses menuju berbagai moda transportasi kereta.

Dimulai dari kereta komuter. Ada dua line kereta komuter di KL Sentral yaitu KTM Laluan Seremban dan KTM Laluan Pelabuhan Klang.

Bersiap naik KTM Komuter Laluan Seremban menuju Batu Caves.
Itu dia platform KTM Komuter di basement.

Selain KTM Komuter, moda transportasi menuju ke pusat kota yang paling populer di Kuala Lumpur adalah LRT (Light Rail Transit). LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya lah yang beruntung karena menjadi satu-satunya LRT terpilih yang menyinggahi KL Sentral.

Yuks naik LRT ke pusat kota.
Ticketing vending machines….Tempat membeli token (tiket) LRT.
Automatic gates menuju platform LRT Kelana Jaya di level 2.
Tertangkap juga wujud LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya di Stasiun Pasar Seni.

Selain Skybus/Aerobus dan Airport Coach, Pariwisata Malaysia juga menghadirkan KLIA Transit dan KLIA Express yang merupakan kereta premium menuju Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Premium tentu identik dengan harga mahal tetapi pastinya menjamin sebuah kenyamanan.

Konter tiket KLIA Transit beserta automatic gatenya.
Tuh, KLIA Transit….Keren kan.
Sudah barang tentu…Super nyaman.

Eatery

Perihal makanan,….Sebagai transit hub terbesar di Malaysia, pastinya KL Sentral menyediakan banyak eatery.

Di level 1 terdapat beberapai food and beverage shop seperti La Cucur Express, Panettone (vegetarian food), Meals Station, I Love Yoo!, Chatime, Swiss Oven, Secret Recipe, Starbucks, Burger King, Ayam Penyet Express dan masih banyak lagi.

Makan Penang White Curry Bowl di Panettone (2018).

Di luar KL Sentral (sekitar jalan Tun Sambanthan) juga terdapat beberapa kedai makanan yang cukup murah dengan cita rasa jempolan. Aku mengunjunginya karena sering menginap di sekitaran KL Sentral.

ABC Bistro Cafe….Tempat nongkrongku di sekitaran KL Sentral.

Hotel Murah Terdekat

Jalan Tun Sambanthan adalah jalur penting di daerah Brickfields. Daerah ini menyediakan restoran, pertokoan dan tempat tinggal. Brickfields juga menyediakan banyak hotel dari bintang lima hingga hotel dengan budget bersahabat.

Hotel Westree saat trip Malaysia-Singapura 2018
Hotel M&M saat mengunjungi sebuah event internasional 2019

So….Kunjungi KL Sentral dengan baik dan nikmati saja fasilitasnya.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

7 Hours Enjoy Beauty of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

<—-Previous Story

It was sad If I met European tourists, because they had long leave schedule. When they asked to me about my leave duration…. yes, exactly just 12 days ….. I sad…. hahaha.

But I never give up …. with my little time I will be around the world.

Back to time matter …. Every I had short transit when abroad, I often spent time to short exploration to the city that I had transit.

This article also tells how I spent 7 hours in Kuala Lumpur down town between 10:00 – 17:00

1. Batu Caves.

The journey started from 10:30 am from KL Sentral. Using the combination of KTM 1 free bus and Sentul – Batu Caves commuter train.

KTM KOMUTER

Left: Free bus KTM1 (KL Sentral-Sentul Station)

Right: Commuter train (Sentul Station – Batu Caves Station)
 
on 12:06 I arrived at Batu Caves. It was second time I visited it. Nothing had changed since 4 years ago, there were only some renovations in some parts of temples.
 
Batu Caves

Top Left: Hanuman Statue

Top Right: I didn’t know what is the temple name…. it was precisely behind Hanuman statue

Bottom Right: Venkatachalapathi Temple

Lower Left: Murugan Statue

My trip in Batu Caves Gw was closed by lunch time at Dhivya’s Café – an Indian food stall on the front yard of Batu Caves -. I ate fried rice for 4 Ringgit.Dhivya's cafe

2. Petronas Twin Tower

At 14:42 I arrived at KL Sentral, I was using the same lane and mode of transportation when I was heading for Batu Caves. From KL Sentral I moved with LRT Kelana Jaya Line for 2.4 Ringgit and finally I arrived at KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre). I was out through Ampang Street KLCC Exit Gate. And finally I found Petronas Twin Tower.

The stinging heat of sun required me to took some photos of twin building when clouds were blocking the sun. When clouds have moved avoid the sun then I took shelter under the trees in front yard of twin building. Many tourists saw my oddity…. hahaha

 
 
Suria KLCC

Top Left: KLCC Exit gate to Ampang Street

Top Right: Ampang Street

Bottom Right: Suria KLCC mall is adjacent to Petronas Twin Tower

Bottom Left: Petronas Twin Tower.

After took some photos of Twin Tower and surrounding landmarks, I immediately moved to Pavillion in Bukit Bintang using GOKL City Bus.

3. Pavillion Bukit Bintang

Using the free GOKL bus, I had opportunity to revisited Pavillion, Bukit Bintang at 16:18. Easter theme made decorations in Pavilion courtyard was very eye-catching.

 
 
Pavillion2

Top Left: Fountain in front of Pavillion

Lower Left: Sephora Mall …. Cosmestic and skincare centre at Bukit Bintang

Central: Five star hotel JW Marriot Bukit Bintang

Right: Easter theme in the front of Pavilion

I was only 20 minutes in Pavilion and I wanted to went to Petaling Street at Pasar Seni soon. 

4. Petaling Street

Going to Petaling Street, Pasar Seni, I used again GOKL free bus. On 16:53 I arrived at Pasar Seni terminal.

I just asked to local people around Pasar Seni to showed Petaling Street directions. A middle-aged nicely man pointed to me the way to got there. By walking towards Petaling Street, My eyes swept Pasar Seni situation that had changed better than 2014. In 7 minutes I reached Petaling Street.

petaling street

Top Left: Pasar Seni MRT Station

Top Right: Petaling Street front gate

Bottom Right: Petaling Street inside

Bottom Left: Street situation in front of Petaling Street gate

Petaling Street didn’t crowded yet because I came there around 5 pm, traders were getting ready with their wares. I just bought keychains here.

And Petaling Street became last destination on this trip. Because I must prepare to flied to Singapore.

Saving Budget for 5,6 Ringgit with GOKL City Bus, Malaysia

<—-Previous Story

As a backpacker, I always try to minimize budget in every trip. For transportation budget, I will more walk or use the cheapest mode of transportation,  if possible I use free public transportation.

Like in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, I used tram for free or ….. in Kuala Lumpur, there are free buses that I can use to got around to city. it’s name is GOKL City Bus.

Well what I want to tell here is GOKL City Bus, guys….

GOKL City Bus has the following routes:

gokl_may2014002_e1

Consist of 4 line, there are GO Relax (Red), GO Work (Blue), GO Sightsee (Purple), and GO Shopping (Green)
Source: http://www.spad.gov.my/transport-operators/buses/route-map-gokl-city-bus

GOKL City Bus itself was launched by SPAD (Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat) on August 31, 2012 as a part of Malaysia’s Government Transportation Program to reduced congestion in Kuala Lumpur’s Central Business District (CBD) with user targets were private car users, users of public transport and tourists .

The operating hours of GOKL City Bus are 6 am-11pm for working day and 7 am-11pm for weekends and holidays. For working day, this bus will operate during peak hours (7 am-10am and 4 pm-8pm) every 5 minutes. And for  another day,  it will operate every 10 minutes.

I ever tried GOKL City Bus in 2014 when I visited Kuala Lumpur for first time. And the same traveling I did on March 2018.

Petronas Twin Tower – Pavillion Bukit Bintang

After satisfied to took some photos at twin building, I immediately moved to GOKL City Bus shelter in front of Petronas Twin Tower. Yes ….. this bus would take me to Bukit Bintang – a famous shopping center in Kuala Lumpur-.

GOKL 3

Left: GOKL City Bus (GO Shooping / Green Line) was waiting for passengers at Shelter

Top Right: GOKL City Bus interior

Bottom Right: Petrosains shelter, GOKL will wait for passengers near this shelter.

Bus waited about 10 minutes until space was full of passengers. It took 15 minutes until the bus reached Pavillion, Bukit Bintang. I tried to remembered landmarks in Pavilion to decided where I would stopped. I remembered and saw Pavillion parking gate, so I immediately got off  from bus.

Pavillion Bukit Bintang – Pasar Seni

I was only 20 minutes in Pavilion and I wanted to went to Petaling Street at Pasar Seni soon. Actually I would use Monorail combined LRT to Pasar Seni. But when break sitting in front of Pavilion, I saw GOKL bus with a destination board to Pasar Seni. I immediately ran to the bus that was taking some passengers. Exactly, I could got in and bus departed to Pasar Seni.

About 12 minutes, GOKL City Bus arrived at Pasar Seni terminal. Pasar Seni terminal was very different if compared to 2014-the time when I firstly came to Kuala Lumpur-. I saw MRT Pasar Seni station there. As far as in 2014, the MRT station was still under construction.GOKL Pasar Seni

GOKL City Bus at Pasar Seni


Using GOKL City Bus for moved to 2 venues could save budget about 5.6 Ringgit. Actually
 
It was a little money but it could use for my dinner……hihihi  

 

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