The Petronas Towers

The PETRONAS Towers are found in the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and are the centerpiece of the KLCC city center renovation program of the late 1990’s.  The towers are located in the middle of the Golden Triangle district, which is an area surrounded by the Kuala Lumpur Inner Ring Road and filled with numerous hi-rise buildings, shopping malls, international businesses and luxury hotels.

The city of Kuala Lumpur is located within the borders of the Malaysian federal state of Selangor, but the city is actually a special federally owned district.  Selangor’s main city is Klang, located on the coast about forty kilometers miles west of inland Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian peninsula stretches down from Thailand and Birmania, coming very close to the large island of Sumatra to the west.  The stretch of water between the peninsula and the island is known as the Malaccan Straits.  This area is a frequent passage on the route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and the famous Malaccan pirates frequently attached shipping vessels in this area for the many centuries when wind-powered wooden vessels travelled between Europe and the islands on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean.  Thankfully, pirate attacks in this area are quite rare these days.

Malaysia itself occupies the lower portion of the peninsula and portions of some neighboring islands to the east.  Malaysia is bordered on the north by Vietnam, Thailand, and Birmania, to the south by Indonesia, and the Philippine islands to the northeast.  Singapore is located on the very tip of the Malaysian peninsula, but is not a part of the Malaysian Federation.

India and Sri Lanka are 2,500 kilometers to the west, Australia is 2,500 kilometers to the southeast, and Beijing, China is about 2,500 kilometers to the north, northeast, and the Philippine islands are a bit closer, and more southerly.  Korea and Japan are about 5,000 kilometers to the north, and Africa is a bit more than 5,000 kilometers directly west.

Getting to Kuala Lumpur is usually a matter of flying into one of the two international airports that serves the city.  Once in Kuala Lumpur, a network of modern trains, monorails and metro systems makes moving about easy.  Driving a car is possible, but the numerous taxis are easier and fairly inexpensive.  An official tourist website asserts that “Semua pemandu teksi tahu ke KLCC” or “all taxi drivers know how to get to the KLCC” which is how the PETRONAS Towers complex is referred to locally.  Busses are also common in Kuala Lumpur and serve the large local population that commutes from surrounding suburbs into the city center.

When the official opening ceremonies for the PETRONAS Towers were held on August 31, 1999, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad signed a memorial plaque and his signature was beamed up to a giant screen hanging from the Skybridge.  In no small consequence of that ceremony, the number of foreign tourists travelling to Malaysia since the construction of the PETRONAS Towers has increased dramatically from 5.5 million tourists a year in 1998 to 22 million in 2008.  The Skybridge is an inspiring location that has enchanted the world and inflamed their imaginations.  Both major films shot on site called for the protagonists to take a breathtaking walk on top of the structure and for most tourists a visit to Kuala Lumpur would not be complete without a walk on the Skybridge.

Getting to the PETRONAS Towers is easy from anywhere in Kuala Lumpur and the metro station is quite close by.  Getting tickets is not always so easy however, and on many days long lines start forming as early as 6 AM for people hoping to get tickets for admission to the tower f bridge for that day.  The ticket office opens at 8:30 AM and the line, which often weaves back out onto the street, begins to move fairly quickly at that point.  There are only 1700 tickets given out for each day, so late arrivals are sometimes frustrated.  Once in front of the ticket window, visitors are given a choice as to the time for which they would like their appointment.  Each person is allowed to obtain up to five of the free tickets, and the 6PM time slot is preferred by some as it is the last tour of the day and therefore lasts a bit longer.

Once ticketed visitors arrive for their appointment they are given a badge and ushered into a room where they are given 3D glasses and shown a short promotional film about the PETRONAS Company and the towers.  After the presentation they are loaded into one of the shuttle elevators that travel very quickly up to the 41^st floor, arriving in less than one minute.  The group is then guided out onto the lower of the two decks of the Skybridge and allowed to remain for ten minutes, at which point the next group arrives.  Unfortunately there are no explanatory signs pointing out landmarks, but most visitors do report that the tour staff is uniformly friendly and polite.

As one would expect, the view from 170 meters off the ground is notable.  The massive greenery of Kuala Lumpur is mixed among attractive groupings of other high rise structures and older buildings.   There is often a slight haze and other skyscrapers do in fact block a fair amount of the view.  It is general knowledge that the best view aerial in Kuala Lumpur is from the top of the nearby KL Menara, where there is no time limit and a much less obstructed view of the city.  The KL Menara rooftop is actually the best place from which to view the PETRONAS Towers, particularly at night.  Regardless of the view, it is a definite thrill for most tourists to set foot on the Skybridge. Obviously, this trip to the Skybridge is not the best place for people with a fear of heights.

Back down on the ground floor there is a small museum to visit that includes some interactive displays and a dramatic Tesla coil demonstration.  The PETRONAS Towers contain a number of ground level features that are worth visiting.  The six story shopping mall get rave reviews from both upscale and budget conscious shoppers.  Sophisticated restaurants are scattered throughout the complex and a huge food court in the lower level boasts food from all over the world.

From outside the buildings, the views of the tower are impressive, particularly at night when the tops of the towers are brightly illuminated.  The views of the towers from immaculate tropical KLCC park next door are also much appreciated.  The large fountains in front to the buildings light up at night and there are special water shows scheduled from 6:30 in the afternoon until 10:30 at night.  Visiting the nearby Aquaria KLCC is on many tourist itineraries and they can be accessed through the tower buildings.