It was harder to wake but we still made it down to breakfast by 8.00 am. The air pollution index (API) had now risen to 191 (100-200 being unhealthy) and it was now difficult to make out the outlines of the Petronas Towers and other landmarks due to the haze caused by illegal forest fires in Indonesia.
Our plan for the day was to visit FRIM (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) so we took a train from KL Sentral to Kepong Sentral then walked down some steps to the highway where there was a taxi rank, and travelled to FRIM’s entrànce by taxi for RM10 (journey time ten minutes). FRIM charges RM5.30 admission fee,
plus an additional RM5 if you are using an SLR camera. Maps aren’t provided but it’s suggested that visitors take a photo of the one at the kiosk for guidance. What we really came for was to take the Tree Canopy Walk but this was closed to visitors as the API exceeded 150 and was considered unsafe.
Instead, we followed two trails, one through the tree canopy to a large waterfall and then a shorter one along the forest floor. It’s difficult to remain on the actual path as there are several sub-paths leading from it. Ribbons are tied to branches but there generally seemed to be a lack of them when it mattered most.
There weren’t any cafes at FRIM but there was a ‘One Stop Shop’ which sells drinks, snacks and souvenirs and has picnic tables outside. Our plan had been to return to the entrance gates and ask the staff at the kiosk to call a taxi for us, but just as we were finishing our drinks, we spotted a taxi parked nearby and asked to be taken back to the railway station. We agreed a fixed fare of RM15 for the journey. It’s strange but on the door of all KL’s taxis it says ‘metered cab, no haggling allowed’ but whenever we asked a driver to take us somewhere, they always quote a fixed fee. We didn’t bother questioning the lack of meter usage as the fares are all so cheap compared to home anyway.
Back at the hotel we changed into swimwear and relaxed by the large pool for a couple of hours. The sunbeds were very comfortable and we dozed in the tropical heat.
When darkness fell, we returned to KLCC Park to view the Petronas Towers at night and to watch the Light and Music Fountain show. Although this is nice to see, it’s insignificant to the ones in Singapore and Hong Kong. The Towers though looked amazing lit up in the night sky.
It was then back to Jalan Alor for dinner, sampling food from yet another of the street’s outdoor eateries. The evening’s Salt and Pepper Prawns and Malay Pork Chops were delicious and we accompanied them with bottles of Tiger beer returning back to our hotel in food heaven.
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