The National Planetarium (Malay: Planetarium Negara) is the national planetarium of Malaysia. It is a blue-domed structure that is situated on top of a hill in the Lake Gardens at Jalan Perdana, Kuala Lumpur. It is about 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2) in area.

The National Planetarium started as the Planetarium Division in the Prime Minister’s Department in 1989. The construction of the National Planetarium complex began in 1990 and was completed in 1993. A soft launch to the public began in May 1993 and it was officially opened by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad, on February 7, 1994. In July 1995, the Division was transferred to the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, which is also the owner of this planetarium.

One of the major attractions of this planetarium includes a space theatre which screens space shows and large format film.

In the main hall are permanent exhibits related to space science. Among them is Arianne IV space engine, which is also one of the engines used to launch MEASAT 1, Malaysia’s first satellite into space. A 14-inch (360 mm) telescope is located in the observatory.

The National Planetarium extends to a space theme park where replicas of ancient observatories are sited. It is connected by an overhead pedestrian bridge to the National Museum of Malaysia.

The planetarium is opened daily from 10am to 4pm except on Mondays. The planetarium shows take place at two-hour intervals from the opening hour to the closing hour. The films take place at 11am and 3pm. Entrance to the planetarium costs RM1 for adults, and free for children, while a RM6 fee for adults and RM4 fee for children is required in order to watch the film.

There are lots of thing can be seen here including the video and information about space. I am not a ‘space’ guy, so not much that I can tell about the exhibition, but I still think it is a nice place to visit. I think the kids will like this place as they will able to see many ‘new things’ which they normally didn’t see elsewhere.

I manage to take some photo when I go there, at least it will able to give you some idea what it is like in the planetarium.

All the photo is taken in the early morning… (not so early though)… In the afternoon or late evening, there are too many people visit this place. Somehow I think KLCC park is a lung of KL especially in the middle of the city… there are many building that benefited from from this park namely Exxonmobil building, Hotel Mandarin Building, and some apartment that located just next to the park.

The photo above show some of the activity that can be done in the park. By the way, the pool is for kids only… adult can only go there and look after the kids..

The building, which was inspired by the Five Pillars of Islam, is where the Petronas Philharmonic Hall located housing both the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Petronas Performing Arts Group.Not forgetting Suria KLCC, the shopping complex at the base of the towers is another shopping paradise for the shopaholics. You can also pop by Petronas Sciene Centre at level 4 to learn about Malaysia’s oil and gas industry.Opening hours : Tuesday to Thursday from 9.30 am to 6 pm, Fri from 1.30 pm to 6pm and Sun & public Holidays from 9.30am to 7 pm.Closed on Monday & Hari Raya Puasa. Tel no : 03-233 1818. Website : www.petrosains.com.my

The photo was taken in the early morning … in the afternoon or late morning, there are lots of people visit this place especially during weekend. It is difficult to take good photo when the crowd is large.

History

Kuala Lumpur Hibiscus Garden or in their Malays name Taman Bunga Raya is officiated  by Datin Sri Dr. Siti Hasmah binti Hj. mohd Ali on  Monday 16th October 1989. It is about 3 years after the Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden is officially launched.

Operating Hour

Kuala Lumpur Hibiscus Garden is open everydays from 9.00am to 6.00 pm. On weekdays, it is free admission but visitor need to pay RM1.00 per entry on weekend and public holidays.  I am not sure if many know that actually KL Hibiscus Garden and KL orchid Garden is actually next to each other and if you pay for one you can visit both of them.

How to go to the Kuala Lumpur Hibiscus Garden

You can visit hibiscus garden when you go to Lake Garden. You can take a taxi from your hotel in kuala Lumpur or taking bus (in 2007  the KL hop on hop off is operated and you can take this bus)

Main Attraction

One of the main attraction in hibiscus garden is the place to do wedding photo shooting. Here is some of the photo that I take that I saw it happen (my photo is not as good that the proffessional though)

One more attraction at KL hibiscus garden is a studio/ shop in the garden. Well, the photo is very nice. I have visit it (but sorry no photo is allowed). The painting is by hand and the artist is there to help if you need any assistant about the paint. Most of the painting is about nature,  jungle and trees.

Hibiscus garden will not complete with hibiscus flower.. some said that in this garden there are about 2000 hibiscus over here… here is some of the photo of the flower that I take during my visit

Light yellow hibiscus flower

  Yellow hibiscus

  Red colour hibiscus

  Red colour hibiscus

  Very exotic looking hibiscus

The photo above is only a small fraction of the flower that is avaiable in the garden. If you want to visit the garden, i will recommend you to visit it from the morning because it is not so hot (Malaysia is very hot); the air is fresh in the morning and the flower is starting to bloom. You also will have enough time to visit both the hibiscus garden and orchid garden.

How to go to the Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden

There are many option for anyone that want to visit Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden. One of them is by taking the ‘KL-Hop on Hop off’ buses. This is one of the best way, because this buses will take you to lots of interesting place in Kuala Lumpur and not just the Orchid Garden. Inform the driver that you want to visit Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden in Lake Garden (Taman Tasik Perdana – in Malays language) and I am sure he will able to assist you.

One more method is by taking taxi. I am not sure how much is the fare (because it will be depend on the traffic and also the distance from your hotel), normally taxi in KL will start from RM2.50, when you took it, and it will increase depending on the time taken.

What can we see and do in Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden

There are lots of beautiful and exotic orchid in the garden. It is said that it contain about 800 species of the orchid in the garden.

Here are few photo that I take

Other than watching and taking orchid photo, the view in this place also very nice, peaceful and of course very beautiful. There are water fountain, waterfall, lotus pond and astakas. You can spend a whole day overhere reading some books or relaxing.

Here are some photo of the scenery of Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden:

Orchid Shop in the KL orchid garden also provide lots of choices for orchid enthusiasm. I found that the price is also reasonable. You should visit the shop (located inside the garden) if you visit this place…

Here is the photo of the Orchid shop in the KL orchid Garden

Operation time

Kl orchid garden will open everyday from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. For public holiday and weekend, there are entrance fee. The current fees is RM1.00/person (applicable for 12 Years old and above only). For Weekdays, there are no entrance fees.

History

KL orchid garden is officially launch by Datin Sri (now Tun) Dr. Siti Hasmah bte Hj Mohd Ali, the wife of late Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Mahadhir Mohammad on Tuesday 15 April 1986. Later on 1989, the hibiscus garden is launch by her and it is link to this orchid garden.

Tugu Negara, literally the “National Monument” in Malay, is a sculpture that commemorates those who died in Malaysia’s struggle for freedom, principally against the Japanese occupation during World War II and the Malayan Emergency , which lasted from 1948 until 1960. It is located in the Federal capital, Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Houses of Parliament is situated near the monument.

The monument depicts a group of soldiers holding the Malaysian national flag, the Jalur Gemilang, aloft. Each of the bronze figures symbolizes leadership, suffering, unity, vigilance, strength, courage and sacrifice.

Every year on July 31, Warriors Day, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Prime Minister and heads of military and the police would pay their respects to the fallen heroes by laying garlands at the monument.
History
First National Monument

Many don’t know that the original national monument was not the one in the form of human figures but was a tall concrete column that was situated in the middle of the roundabout. The British administration set up the first monument, a 10m flat grass-covered ground to commemorate the wars and honour the fallen heroes from World War I, World War II and the Malayan Emergency.

It was moved to the present site at the National Monument, when a flyover was constructed in 1964 connecting Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin and the parliament roundabout. Therefore the original name for Jalan Tugu, where the Tugu Negara is currently situated, was Cenotaph Road.

On the monument, it is written “To Our Glorious Dead with dates of the First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945) and the Emergency (1948-1960).

Second National Monument

The monument was later replaced with the Tugu Negara or National Monument, an idea mooted by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and was commissioned in 1963.

The huge tall bronze figures of soldiers standing and supporting their fallen comrades, which is opposite Lake Gardens, are the work of sculptor Felix de Weldon, who also did Washington’s Iwo Jima Monument and it is regarded as the largest bronze monument grouping in the world.

The Tugu Negara was completed and officially opened on February 8, 1966, by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. It was proclaimed a memorial park dedicated to the 11,000 people who died during the 12-year Malayan Emergency (1948-1960). Thereafter, a wreath-laying ceremony takes place at the monument every July 31 on Warriors Day.

Design
Constructed in 1966, the monument is 15 meters ( 49.21 feet) tall, made of bronze and was designed by Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon, who was also responsible for the famed USMC War Memorial in Virginia, United States.

The granite base of the monument bears only inscriptions in English with Roman script and Malay with Jawi script:

“Dedicated to the heroic fighters in the cause of peace and freedom,
May the blessing of Allah be upon them”

In 1975, the monument suffered extensive damage due to an explosion set off by a communist terrorist. It has since been restored to its original state.

Jalan Tugu
In the 1960s, Jalan Tugu was Cenotaph Road named after a monument that was located at the intersection of the road and Victory Avenue which is now called Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin.

Jalan Tugu now connects to the roundabout that leads to the KL KTM Station opposite the Masjid Negara or National Mosque.

Along the road you will find the Ministry of Health, Town and Rural Planning Department and Jalan Cenderasari, which leads to the various parks in Kuala Lumpur like the Bird Park, Lake Gardens and Butterfly Park.

The bird park is large, about 8 acres and there are many thousand of bird from various species in the park. Most of them are flying free.

The kl bird park is established in 1991 by her majesty the Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia, Tunku Bainun. It is very near to Kuala Lumpur, about 10 min only by taxi.

The park is devided into 4 zone. I think it is easier to devide like this as the bird will be easy to be seen and they will not harm each other. Zone 1 will have Flamingo Pond, Flamingo Terrace, Heron and Egret pond, brahminy land andI can see a lots of peacock and various species of dove in this area. In Zome 2 there are western crown pigeon and scarlet ibis. Visitor can see the photo booth and hornbill park in zone 3 while in zone 4 they have world of parrots, rare and endengered bird’s aviaries, flighless bird and their amphitheatre.

Some bird avaiable are:

Flamingos, Hornbills, Waterhens, Parrots, Cockatoos, Storks, Pheasants, Mynahs Pigeons, Macaws. Ducks.
Coming from:
Malaysia, Australia, Africa, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Indonesia, Tanzania, China, Holland, South America and other countries in South East Asia.

The Activities In the Park

All activities are subject to changes and weather conditions.
Opening hours of the park: 9.00 – 19.00 hours.

Transport:
By taxi or by bus 30 from Jalan Sultan Mohamed, or 22 or 38 from Lebuh Pasar Besar;

Duration approx. 2 -3 hours

Address:

KL Bird Park
No. 920 Jalan Lembah Taman Tasik Perdana
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 603-2272 1010
Fax : 603-2273 5428
e-mail: klbirdpark@po.jaring.my

Here is some photo that I take from the visit:

This photo is taken in Zone 1 at one of the feeding area. Feeding area is a good place to take photo and it is easiest to spot a bird. The bird in this park will take enough for us to take the photo.

Some hornbill photo:

Some owl:

Here is the set up of some of the aviaries in zone 4:

and some eagle inside the aviary:

The ferris wheel comprising of 42 gondolas (including 1 VIP one) is similar to the London Eye and has been unveiled in conjunction of Visit Malaysia Year 2007 on January 6, 2007 by Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

This giant ferris wheel allows visitors to experience a 360-degree panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur during a 12-minute ride that goes 60 metres high. It offers a magnificent view of Kuala Lumpur and over 20 kilometres of its surroundings including KL Tower, Istana Budaya and Petronas Twin Towers.

The author have a chances to visit this place, so would like to share some photo during the visit…

It is on Sunday night… lots of tourist visit the place..

There are many colour that your can see, blue, yellow, red and many more…

Queue up to buy ticket

The ticket Booth

The Price:

Adult – RM15.00

Child – RM8.00

Senior (above 55) – RM8.00

Disabled – RM8.00

Private Gondola – RM100.00

VIP Gondola – RM200.00

Family package (2 adult + 3 child) – Adult -RM12.00, Child – RM6.00

The visitor queue up to enter the gondola

View from the Gondola

How to go there..

Well, it is very easy to visit lake garden(Taman Tasik Perdana) . Since it is located in Kuala Lumpur itself, you can just take any taxi and inform the driver that you want to go to lake garden or national mosque. I said national mosque because it is the nearest ‘entry’ from the city. So it will be cheap for you too.

What you can do there

Lake garden will have many interesting place to see. There are Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Butterfly Park, Deer Park, Orchid and Hibiscus Park, National Muzium, National Monument, Parliment House, National Mosque, Police Muzium, ‘Platinium Negara’ and of course the lake itself.

Activities in Lake Garden (Taman Tasik Perdana) .

Some of the activities that you can do in Lake Garden is exercise. There are many people jog and walk in the morning and afternoon. Every Sunday morning starting around 8 am there are aerobic session. You can join it if you want as it is free of charge. Besides that, there are lots of trees and flowers garden that you can see, relax and some of you that like to take photo, you can go there and take photo of the beautiful scenery in Lake Garden.

Here below is some photo of Kuala Lumput Lake Garden.

(Deer in Deer park, Lake Garden. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

(some flower that you can see when you visit lake garden)

(these bird escape from Kuala Lumpur Bird Park. Now they make Lake Garden as their Home)