Eye in the Sky: Berjaya Times Square

Showing posts with label Berjaya Times Square. Show all posts

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Images from Berjaya Times Square - One of the World's Biggest Malls

In recent web posts from Forbes and Yahoo, they released their list of the world's largest shopping malls based on "Gross Leaseable Area" - the number of square feet the property has for revenue-generating activities like retail, dining and amusements. Forbes notes that, "Asia is home to 8 of the world's largest malls; six of them were built in the last 3 years." Three of these come from Manila (Philippines) - SM Malls owned by Henry Sy's conglomerate. And if you think they're done building these behemoth entertainment, retail and lifestyle complexes, think again. More SM's are opening all throughout the country. Davao City's 2nd SM is opening soon.And there are 2 or more SM Malls at the fringes of Cebu (Consolacion, I think).

Most of these venues are mixed complexes. In KL, my favorite Berjaya Times Square has a hotel, convention center, recreation and children's park, cinemaplex, restaurants, spas and salons, and 1,000 retail shops. Berjaya ranks 7th in the world, lagging behind SM Megamall. The mall opened in 2005 and boasts of a leasable area of 3.4 million square feet. I've featured Times Square here several times before, but here are recent glimpses of this mall from my March-April travels.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

David Teo's "7 Petala Cinta" has an interesting premise about a newly graduated romantic who, upon further studies in Yemen, handwrites the Koran as a wedding gift to his girlfriend. The movie itself is a different matter: with dated ideals about religion and tradition, the film wallows in manipulative events soaked with unnecessary melodrama. It sure felt like a waste of my 10 ringgit. While I am very fond of Malaysia, I dislike their movies with a passion. Malaysian film makers are among the worst in the region. Meanwhile, Taiwan's "Love" (below) follows a roundelay style of storytelling involving some of the most gorgeous people and some of the most charming characters I've ever had the pleasure of watching. This is a must-see if you're into quirky, smart romcoms.

12-story high roller coaster at Cosmo's World. The screams surely gave me the shivers.

I usually find myself at "Food and Tea Restaurant" whenever I go to the cinemas in Berjaya. The restaurant is beside a 7-11 and the cinema's ticket booth.

A small fountain at the Jalan Pudu side of Berjaya Times Square.

Tall buildings rise along Jalan Imbi's side. You could see the monorail tracks.

Jalan Imbi side where the hotel and convention center entrance is.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Off Central KL - Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah & the Surrounding Block

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Staying at the other end of Jalan Pudu - away from Puduraya Station (Hentian Puduraya) was interesting because it felt like I was left off center. It was still part of the Golden Triangle, the Bukit Bintang realm, but the place is really in the fringes of this backpack epicenter. In this area, I stayed in 2 nearby hotels or guesthouses: Hotel Orkid Inn and Beltif Hotel which were a study of contrasts. The area is also very close to Berjaya Times Square and the Imbi monorail station. From Jalan Pudu, the next intersecting street was that of Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, easily demarcated by the high rise of Taragon and Furama Hotel. The area is dotted with dated shop houses, turned into mostly Chinese-Malaysian restaurants. As you go further east and southeast, you find karaoke bars and massage parlors found in the areas of Jalan Baba, Jalan Nyonya and Jalan Brunei Utara.

My earliest association with the oddly named street is by gastronomy. though there's more than enough option, I stayed away from dark colored entrees. Kedai Mekanan Teochew is a safe choice for a restaurant. It fancies itself as a porridge restaurant, with several options on platters. A plate with several spoonfuls of mixed viand and rice is a measly 5.50 ringgit, plus 2 ringgit of Coke.

There's an upscale shopping complex in the vicinity called Shaw Parade which is decked in luminous red. There's a bank and a convenience store. Beltif Hotel is located in the same street. Though you will find a sign that says "Internet" along the same road, there's no browsing to be had there; just online gaming.

The area isn't exactly pretty, but its proximity to Bukit Bintang, Puduraya Station and the Bintang Walk makes it an ideal place for backpackers and other tourists. This post tries to document the area.

This is the Eye in the Sky!