The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur. Come with me for a week to this wonderful, unique city.
Kuala Lumpur is a cosmopolitan urbanization built next to mosques, and ancient buildings, date boulevards and oasis palm trees. Food is an exaltation: they mix sweet with spicy. Everything is so immense that even malls have ten floors. Sometimes is very hard to find the exit. They invest so much on infrastructure and are constantly building something new, something else. Streets are frequently closed.
Kuala Lumpur
Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur?
Around the KLCC Park, to have access to activities, be waking distance, and have metro access everywhere.
This is the view from my stay, curtsesy of Couchsurfing, that really helped me backpacking back then.
Public transportation in Kuala Lumpur:
It is excellent, frequent, and it takes you everywhere you need to go. Be aware that trains stop working before midnight. This system is fast, reliable and well connected. There is not flat fare, the cost depends on the destination. To get a metro ticket there are screens to select your destination and insert the money, you need change as they do not give money back.
A ride could cost 1,8 ringints. (Malayan currency)
As it can be visualized on the map the trains have access to both airports in the city. Check the schedule to make sure the hours of the first trains and last trains of the day. Back in 2016 last train departed at 11:45 p.m
Where to eat?
I ate all my way through Asia from markets and food stalls. I wanted to experience authenticity and at least in the southeast this is very safe to do.
What to do in Kuala Lumpur?
For a weekend or a few days in Kuala Lumpur these are the highlights:
Islamic Art Museum:
Opens every day from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. This building is exquisite, located only ab lock away from The National Mosque, and right next to Perdana Botanical Gardens.
To see the price of the tickets visit the official website: https://iamm.org.my
Merdeka Square:
Perfection reigns de streets of Merdeka Square. The grass, galleries, gardens, mosques and majestic buildings.
It is an extensive area, part of it is pedestrian only, there are historical buildings, mosques, and museums. Markets. To come here the metro station is Masjid Jamek. Once you get out of the train, on the other side of the station there is a huge market with dresses, tunics, bags and artifacts.
Shopping:
Time Square:
A mall with a huge food court, very affordable. There is also affordable clothing. It’s about a mile from the Petronas Towers.
Pavilion:
this shopping has the regular brands: Zara, Forever 21, h&m, etc. Located in a very attractive area.
Petaling Street: This is a popular street in Chinatown, with counterfeit products, food stalls, accessories. It can be crowded at ties and there is a lot goin on. Overall is safe, and as you can see the streets are clean.
Petronas Towers:
Metro station is KLCC. These towers offer a panoramic view of the city., to have access the best is to go very early in the morning (9 a.m) and buy a ticket since they are very limited. The park around the towers is stunning. There is an artificial lake on the base of the Petronas in which they reflect, creating a beautiful effect in the water. There are also luxury malls on the first floor of the towers, with mostly jewelry stores. The closer you are to the Petronas Towers the more expensive things are: shopping, restaurants, activities, gift shops.
Perdana Botanical Gardens:
This is an activity free of charge. Open from 7 a.m through 6 p.m. These gardens are gorgeous and I highly recommend to visit.
This botanical gardens are huge. So huge that I went from contemplation and admiration to frustration after one hour of not finding the exit. Water fountains, ponds, bridges, beautiful plants and flowers.
Batu Caves:
To visit these famous caves the train stop is Batu Caves. The site in which the Batu Caves are found is huge. On its base, right next to an infinite staircase that leads you to the caves, there is a golden sculpture that is 140 feet tall. The main cave full of incredible stalactites, worshiped by Hindus, is used for baptisms, worshiping gods, and praying.
At the entrance of the caves there are a few temples. There are hundreds of monkeys, jumping and trying to get food. Next to the Batu caves, there are other caves that where found before, you will tell it apart by a giant sculpture of a carriage pulled by winged creatures, and the blue goddess. To enter this caves there is a ticket price that is paid apart. Get your ticket at the entrance of the site. Do not overpay with Viator or other websites.
Sri Maha Mmariaman Temple:
Near Petalang street there is a very interesting building with a beautiful typical Hindu architecture called Sri Mahammariaman. This is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur.
National Mosque: Masjid Negara
This mosque is one of the most important in Kuala Lumpur. To enter you must be covered from head to toes. They provide of tunics during your visit. Access is around the corner from what it appears to be the main entrance.
Hope you enjoy Malaysia!
How to go from Malaysia to Thailand? Or to Singapore?
If Malaysia is part of a big trip through Asia here I leave some tips on how to go to other places. To go from Malaysia to Thailand or to Singapur by foot, there is a main bus terminal next to the train station called Bandar Tasik Selatan, that has direct access to the bus terminal. The prices are very fair: 40 ringints to Singapur, 50 to Thailand. The bus drops you off once the border has been crossed at a bus stop called Hat Yai. If you are going to another location in Thailand (Bangkok for instance) right in that bus stop you get a ticket for another bus.
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