"3 days in KL." a Kuala Lumpur Travel Page by alvis

Touch down KL, was amazed at the airport it was so modern as was the whole of KL as I was to soon find out. Got off the plane, got some cash from the airports ATMs and went off to find a taxi. We got a taxi to our hotel in KL which cost 70 MR (roughly £10) which is quite expensive because we used 1 of the unregistered taxi touts. The centre of KL is roughly 30 miles from the airport to our surprise but it's a great drive and you get to see the rural side of Malaysia. Girlfriend slept the whole way.

Arriving in KL I was amazed. I guess I expected an old or developing city similar to Bangkok (where I had just come from) but KL was so modern and dynamic looking it took me by surprise. On the way to our hotel in BIntang we passed a few tourist spots pointed out by the taxi driver, who spoke perfect english. 1 was a jail which wasn't of much interest to us and Times Square shopping centre which was of great interest to the girlfriend. The monorail is overhead as we drive towards our destination and ahead of us in the distance, towering over the skyline we can see the Petronas Towers and the Menara Telecommunications tower. I got to try out my new Malaysian words on the taxi driver, on meeting selamat (hello), and terimah kasih (thank you) when leaving.

Our hotel was Bintang Warisan in the heart of the golden triangle and close to Bukit Bintang LRT (monorail) and BB plaza. Was fairly cheap but room wasn't quite what I expected so we only stayed the 1 night. Arriving here we threw our bags on the bed and headed out to find a bite to eat. Seeing the Petronas Towers over the skyline we made our way towards it while searching for restaurants on the way. 1st restaurant we came to was Pizza Hut which the girlfriend was determined to have, but after some persuaion we kept going to the petronas towers.

After walking for roughly 10 minutes we arrive at The Petronas Towers, took some photos of us and the towers, then went in search of some food. Luckily there was a great shopping centre at the towers, KLCC, which also had a great food court. Unfortunatly the food court was on the 3rd floor so this meant passing a large number of stores which is not good when your with the girlfriend who was no longer hungry for food. After doing some shopping we get to the food court which i love and return a few times through my trip. The variety of food is great with dishes from many countries Thai, Chinese, British Italian, Middle East, etc. etc. Being adventurous I thought i'd go for some Malaysian dishes and having heard of Nasi Campur I thought i'd try it out. Nasi Campur is rice with a selection of different curries and was soo good, though it was hard to tell which curry i preffered as they all ended up mixed together on my plate. My girlfriend being adventurous went straight to the thai food and got herself chicken with rice and a watermelon shake, which she eats every day living in Thailand.

After some food and a few hours shopping we made our way back to the hotel by taxi, costing 7MR but probably could have got it cheaper. Taxis in KL are not metered so bartering is advised with a lot of jokers out there trying to take you for a mug. My advise is to pretend you only have a small amount of money in 1 pocket when you really have a load in the other pocket, it worked a treat. Getting back to the hotel we rested an hour before heading out for more shopping.

This time shopping will take us to China Town. After deciding to save some money and wanting to check out the monorail we decided on taking the LRT to China Town rather than paying for taxis.

The monorail in KL is very different than the skytrain in Bangkok, the trains are much smaller and fatter, and there are a number of lines and changing points. It isn't much cheaper than using taxis. Getting on at Bukit Bintang we then travelled to KL Sentral. Here we had to get off the monorail, walk 200 metres to board the next train (no longer monorail) which was on the Putra LRT. 1 stop and we get off (forget the stop) and from the platform we see to the left a strange looking building which turned out to be the National Mosque. Unfortunatly we weren't able to go check it out cause only Muslims are allowed inside though we did get a great photo from the platform. We then asked for directions and made our way towards China Town.

After a 5 minute walk we arrive in China Town which is at it's busiest at night time. The main focus in China Town is the sheltered market where you can buy loads of dodgy gear, dvds, etc. and we took advantage of the cheap prices and got some presents and souvenirs before heading back to the LRT. Getting to KL Sentral we found that the monorail was closed for the night (around 00.00) so we flagged down a taxi and returned to the hotel.

The next morning we woke late and missed our free breakfast which was only served till 10am. After paying for some chicken satay (Malaysias most famous dish) for breakfast we checked out of Bintang Warisan and moved next door to Putra Bintang Hotel which was half the price. Left off my bags and got a taxi to Batu Cave which is around 15 miles out of KL and cost 20 MR (fairly expensive). Batu cave is a big Hindu temple built in a cave. After climbing the many flights of steps we arrived in the cave, where we walked about checking the place out then made a move, getting a taxi back to Bintang. The most memorable part of Batu was the crazy monkeys which ran wild around the cave. The monkeys liked to try steal things from the hands of visitors and if you annoy them they will bite.

Shopping again after lunch in BB Plaza. This time I left the girlfriend to shop by herself while I had a seat in the foodcourt where I ordered curry laksa (Malaysian favourit) which was quite delish though I was not sure what the meat was so left it to the side. Still not satisfied with her shopping expedition we found ourselves back at Petronas for more shopping and exchanging a pair of shoes. More shopping this time we go to Little India which was quite pointless, it was no different and didn't compare to china town. Beside the market was a mosque where the prayers were put out on loud speakers which gave the place quite a surreal feel to it, especially for a westerner.

That night after 8 hours of shopping, we decided to go have a night out but never made it past the restaurant. We went to a nice chinese restaurant nearby and got a Tiger beer or 2 and a chicken curry. Beware when ordering chicken in Malaysia as you may find some bones in it and pork not being an option (Muslims don't eat any pig) beef is probably the best bet on a good meal. You may also find it hard to get a beer or any alcohol in some parts due to the Muslim influence, who do not drink alcohol.

Next morning we were due to leave for Pulau Tioman on the east coast of Malaysia.

Waking in the morning there was a change of plans. Instead of getting the bus at 09.00am as planned we were now to get the afternoon bus. These change of plans were due to me having to return the girlfriends shoes for the 2nd time. Leaving our luggage in the hotel lobby we sorted out her shoes, after a lot of persuasion with the shop assistant, and got some fish and chips and a kebab in the food court of petronas.

Returning to the hotel we grabbed our bags and made our way to Pudu Raya bus terminal. After a 5 minute search we found the ticket booth to get our tickets to Mersing on the west coast which is the gateway to Pulau Tioman and the other islands. Booked up bus, so another change of plans forced us to get tickets for the 11pm. Luckily there was a baggage holder at the bus stop where we left our luggage and walked up the road to Berjaya Times Square.

Turned out that missing this bus was great as we could now sleep on the overnight bus to Mersing and get the 1st boat in the morning to Tioman. Times Square was also great fun with plenty to do other than shop. Inside Times Square theres a roller coaster, a theme park called Cosmo's World, plenty of food courts, games rooms, cinema, iMax etc. etc. Having time to waste we got some italian food and went to an iMax show ghost house. Still time to waste so we went and played some games in the gamesroom before the girlfriend insisted on us going to the Mid Valley Megamall so we bounced in a taxi and made our way to South-East Asias largest shopping mall.

Luckily we had not come to this place earlier, it was my girlfriends heaven, and my worst nightmare. We only had an hour to spend here before getting the bus to Mersing. Next time we go to Kuala Lumpur the girlfriend is insisting on staying in the Mid-Valley Hotel inside the mall, so unfortunatly i'm in no hurry to return to KL, though I really fell in love with the place.