Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), Malaysia - A Pain in the Neck!

Early Morning at KLCC Park.

I was invited to for a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I managed to get a nice apartment near to the KLCC area. After checking with my Malaysian friends and the internet, it seems like the most breath taking run at the city center is around the KLCC Park. So as usual, I strapped on my running attire and set off from my apartment at Parkview Residence.

The road leading to my apartment

Some jokers think it is funny to flatten all the
cones except for one

My neck is hurting already!

Largely deserted Suria KLCC Mall

With the Petronas Towers looming over my head, I reached the Suria KLCC Mall, one of the largest and most prestigious mall in the city, with famous and expensive brands setting up shop there. The mall was largely deserted and I was trying to figure out a way into the park. I spied a few Caucasian joggers confidently striding along and I decided to trail after them.

My guess was correct afterall, they led me right to the heart of the KLCC Park. The Mall was largely deserted (Opening hours 10am-10pm) but the park was bustling with activities. This place is indeed a very family oriented park as the facilities include a huge play ground and a children's pool. However, they were mostly deserted, as most of the activities in the early morning were sports related. 

The park has a special red spongy running track, similar to what you can find in professional sports stadiums. There are water coolers, built around a cool water fountain, scattered all over the park, so no fear of getting dehydrated over here. If you wish to have a toilet break, you can sprint off to the nearby KL convention center, Traders Hotel or the KLCC Mall (some of the outdoor cafes like Starbucks and Dome are already open for business to cater to the breakfast crowd). Throw in the spectacular Petronas Tower which could be seen from every inch and corner of the park, this seems like a perfect place to workout.

Too bad the Lake Symphony does not operate
that early in the morning

The pool area for kids to chill out in the hot tropical country

Please take a picture here!

Loads of people working out in the morning

Wow! The most beautiful water cooler I ever
seen!

A bunch of adults having working out and having fun!

You can see Petronas Tower everywhere in the
Park!

Here goes my traditional overseas self portrait!

What! They are sealing off a part of the park?

And they are building another hotel. Looks like hotels are more
important than the few green areas left in the city

Except that I got bored running small loops around the park and got a cringe in my neck, having to tilt my head at an unnatural angle, in order to take in the full majestic view of the Petronas Tower.  The running trail, is around 1.2km in length. However, a portion of the park was sealed off, in order to construct another high end hotel (Four Seasons). So the already small running circuit became even smaller. After 2 rounds, I had enough and decided to do some street running, as what I had done in many other cities.

I had expected the pavements around the jewel of Malaysia to be smooth, wide and well paved, but I was pretty wrong on that count. Once I left the park, I encountered potholes, fallen branches and uneven branches, which made admiring the scenery around me difficult as I had to focus on the path to ensure that I did not end up claiming my travel insurance.

Hitting the streets around KLCC

Respect elderly day by a temple. Look at all
those enthusiastic greeters!

Woo! Watch out!

Single file please!

Tourist (Me) looking at tourists doing touristy stuff

Overall, I would recommend visitors to stay within the confines of the KLCC park if you do not mind track running. For those joggers like me who likes street and exploratory running, just watch out for those cars, motorcycles and potholes!