"KL - A Great city" a Kuala Lumpur Travel Page by jmmorgan

This was our second visit to Malaysia having previously visited in Nov 1999. We decided to return because we had enjoyed our first visit so much. We once again spent a few days in KL, getting over the journey and relaxing a little before moving on to Sabah and Sarawak.
We stayed at the Istana Hotel and found it to be excellent. We were some 12 hours late arriving due to Malaysia Airlines canceling our flight from Heathrow and it was around 8.00PM in the evening. The gentleman at the check in desk was sad that we were so late and had lost some of our time in KL, so sad in fact, that he upgraded our room for us!
We were so tired that we wanted to sleep but first we took a short walk up the street to bukit bintang where we had eaten so well on a previous trip. I never feel afraid to walk the streets in KL at night. In a road at the back of the shopping area there are many food stalls and restaurants to choose from. I make it my rule to eat where the locals eat. It guarantees good food. We sat down, ordered two beers and set about the menu. After ordering a delicious sounding seafood selection we enjoyed some barbecue chicken wings as an appetizer with our beer. A fantastic meal for around £7 per person including the beers.
The following morning we were out early after a sumptuous buffet breakfast. Our first stop was the central market. We went by cab which was very cheap compared to British prices and they have air con which is essential to help during the first few days acclimatization! The market is interesting, but caters more for tourists these days, and I buy a couple of T shirts since I never pack any. Back out in the street we order a couple of drinks at a stall don’t have a clue what we are buying; I choose a purple one and Tony a green one. It is served in a polythene bag with a straw. Absolutely foul. Tooooooo sweet by miles and I worry that my teeth will fall out before I get back to the hotel!
We wander a bit but as it is hot we find a shop and purchase some cans of a fizzy orange drink, not as sweet and ice cold. Heaven. Taxi back to the hotel for a laze by the pool before venturing out again. As soon as I get into the pool it starts to rain. The other tourists all rush indoors but I figure it is wet in the pool so does it matter. The pool attendant thinks I am mad and rushes to rescue my book and towel from the rain. He sits in his hut watching me splash about and when I start to get out he runs out with my things under an umbrella! I dry myself off, replace my shorts and t shirt, still under the umbrella, and am escorted nice and dry back indoors.
Around mid afternoon we decide to visit the KL Tower, a telecommunications tower with a viewing gallery and restaurant at the top. We took a taxi and were warned by the driver not to take a taxi from the tower as “they are a taxi mafia there and they will overcharge you by not using the meter”. Well I was skeptical about this but the guy was spot on. He charged us exactly what was on the meter and when the concierge at the tower tried to get him to take some passengers he refused and drove away. When we came out we were pounced on and told a taxi to Chinatown would be 10 rinngitt which was about double the price.
The view from the tower is fantastic and we spent about an hour up there just wandering about. The tower is open until quite late so we decided to come back after dinner for the night time view. First we went to Chinatown and went into a small Chinese Hotel for some drinks and a snack. Then we wandered the market for an hour or so. Most of the stalls sell fake designer watches, t shirts, bags and of course, pirate software and DVD. I bought a couple more t shirts and we found a nice restaurant with seating in the street for dinner.
After dinner we went back to the tower and the view was even more magnificent than during daylight hours. Tired, we succumbed to the taxi mafia and rode at double the price back to the Istana to pack for our morning flight to Kuching.