Although the National Planetarium has been around since 1993, I did not visit the place until around 2013. Since then, I have been truly impressed with what it has to offer, especially the dome-shaped Cineplex with the ceiling as its screen.
This is a place that is worth visiting for families especially with children, just for the experience of being in a dome-shaped Cineplex and getting the feel of watching into the dark sky which features galaxies, the stars and all kinds of mysterious space objects.
Those who are from all over the country to the Federal Capital during the school holidays should include this National Planetarium as part of their itinerary.
National Science Centre
The National Science Centre is another place that I have brought my children to visit during their growing up years. From time to time, they have different exhibitions which are worth visiting.
At one point, it was the dinosaurs. I remember my son was a fan of dinosaurs and he enjoyed every bit of the dinosaur exhibition. There were many pictures taken of him with the dinosaurs.
With the recent refurbishment of the science centre, we decided to check it out again. Despite being a normal working day on December 11 for city folks, the crowd was big and parking was a real problem.
The children enjoyed every section, with different activities that they could put their hands on, from learning about green energy to magnetism and electricity, to learning about space and aircraft technology.
This is one place that you can allow your children to play everything that is installed, as a result of which the children’s curiosity is aroused, and you may find yourself trying to find explanations to almost everything.
It was partly fun and partly educational. For example, when a spark was created by static electricity jumping across from one point to another, I was able to explain how lighting (which is also a form of static electricity) occurs.
This is much better than just learning from the textbooks. In fact, I would strongly suggest that the management of the science centre to engage part time tourist guides to bring the children on a guided tour. This will be more meaningful if it is done well.
After the day at the National Science Centre, a good place to check out for food is the Coffea Coffee café at Desa Sri Hartamas, which is just 1.3 away.
We used Waze so as not to get lost and wasting our time looking for the exact location; so, even if you are from outstation, there is no excuse that you cannot find the place. While the children can enjoy all sorts of pasta, adults should try out their Energy Bowls and maybe their waffles or puffs.
Tomorrow about the National Museum and how to get there on MRT. Check out next week about getting close to Mother Nature at Tanah Aina Raub eco-resort and some good restaurants in Raub and Bentong. End of the month’s special feature will focus on Penang and Ipoh.