Kuala Lumpur – Totally cool

Posted by holly on Jun 29, 2009 in Articles, Asia, BlogSherpa

As I stood barefoot on the warm bricks, in the middle of a lightning storm, staring up at the crystaline masterpieces that are the Petronas Towers, I couldn’t help thinking that this was the most incredible thing I’d ever experienced. At that second, I knew I was in love with Kuala Lumpur.

This is a city that welcomes you with open arms, beginning right at the airport when our pre-arranged transfer didn’t arrive and not one but three complete strangers went out of their ways to help us out, making calls, translating, and one man even squeezed us in with the group of tourists he was transporting to deliver us right to our hotel. Whoever you are, thank you, you’re awesome. And our hotel, the Trader’s, was equally amazing. I’d booked it because the location was good, the rooms were great and the price was right, but after seeing the location in person, I’d go back, regardless of the price. Connected to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (home of the great new Aquaria aquarium) and linked to the Suria KLCC 6-story megamall (woo hoo!) by a tunnel, everything you could want is at your fingertips. Oh, and did I mention it’s directly facing the Petronas Towers (which are atop the mall), separated only by a gorgeous landsacped park, complete with Las-Vegas style dancing fountains? The views from the rooftop bar and the business centre are unbelievable. I kept taking more pictures. When I got home I think I had nearly thirty pics of the towers alone, taking from every possible angle in every possible lighting condition. It was like an addiction, really. I need Petronas Towers rehab (and if it involves going back to KL, I’m okay with that)!

For a quick meal we spent a lot of time at the Suria KLCC food halls, where they had a huge selection of cuisines, from Malay, Thai and Indian to Itallian, Lebanese and McDonald’s. The food was excellent, the portions huge, and you could get nearly any meal you wanted for RMB$10 (approx. CAD$3). Plus, there was a perfect viewing window out to the dancing fountains. Prices were consistantly good throughout the city, too. One night we went to a movie (sadly, the animated Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms – I love that! – was not out yet, but I would have totally paid to see it!), and got dinner, the movie, caramel corn (they didn’t offer any un-caramel corn anywhere) and drinks for about CAD$10 per person! Plus, they let you preassign seats at the movie theatre, just like on airplanes, so there’s no worry about rushing in to get the perfect seat, it’s already printed on your ticket. Are you listening, Cineplex? This rocked.

Taxis are plentiful, and unless you get an official metered one, remember to agree on the fare beforehand to prevent being taken for a financial ride. But I much preferred the monorail or underground systems, as they were dirt cheap, well marked and super-efficient. On hot days, escaping into a nice airconditioned station was the best way to travel. Regardless of how far it looked on a map, we discovered that nothing in central KL is that far away. It didn’t take us more than twenty minutes to get anywhere by taxi, and quite often, though it looked to be a huge distance away on paper, attractions were only a (maximum) ten minute walk away. A few stops on the train and a short walk got us to the KL Tower (think CN Tower, but slightly lower), with it’s great 360-degree views of the city. It only cost RMB$7 to enter, and we chose it over the Petronas Towers’ free viewing deck as it’s higher and you don’t have to line up at 8am to get one of the limited tickets they hand out each day. Well worth the expense. A few more stops from there took us right into the heart of the shopping district, with mall after mall, from low end market-style to shiny exclusive high-end Guccis and Pradas, all ready to part you from your Ringitt. Sweet.

The one attraction that’s definately taxi-distance away (though at max it should only cost RMB$30 – CAD$10 - each way) is the Batu caves, a massive Hindu shrine in a (you guessed it) cave. You’re greeted by a giant 140 foot tall golden statue of Lord Murugan, and behind him are the 272 stairs that you must climb to enter. They’re conveniently numbered to let you know how much farther you have to go. The view from the top looking back at KL is spectacular. This place is really, really cool. But not literally. I recommend going early, as we were there at 9am and it was already “Oh-my-God-you-want-me-to-exercise-now?” hot. No wonder at the top there’s a souvenir stand stocking little more than cold drinks. And I was dressed for the exercise in shorts, a tank and trainers. All around me the faithful were climbing barefoot or in ornate, layered saris. I don’t know how they did it. But the stars of the caves are the wild monkeys. They’re everywhere, totally unafraid of humans and so freaking adorable. You can get within a foot of them, and all they do is yawn and look bored. We had been warned by our taxi driver that the monkeys won’t bother you unless you were carrying a plastic grocery bag, as they know that offerings of food for the Gods were carried in those bags, and they’re always looking for a free snack, and they weren’t concerned with us at all. There are some great souvenir shops at the bottom, too.
The central market was another favorite haunt, also just a few train stops away from our hotel and a short walk from the huge Chinatown night market. It housed some of the best handicrafts, some good clothing and nice bathrooms (though they were squat toilets, it cost you RMB$0.50 to enter and you have to bring your own toilet paper). I did some serious shopping there. It also housed the Cute Fish Spa. The first time I saw “fish spa” on a sign I thought it was where you take your fish if they need to de-stress, but upon closer inspection I discovered they’re actually these pools filled with six-inch long, toothless black fish, and when you put your feet in they “kissed” you, sucking off all the dead skin. Seriously. I kind of liked my first option better. Why would anyone do this? But then the lady said it was RMB$5 for 20 minutes, so for that price, what the hell. Oh my God it tickles. You never quite get used to that feeling. By the time it was over my sides hurt from laughing so hard, but wow, my feet were softer than ever and stayed that way for the next two weeks. If you ever come across a fish spa (especially one that says it’s Cute), do it, it’s worth it. Just google “fish spa” you get some good videos.

Between the attractions, the incredibly friendly people (oh, and did I mention almost everybody speaks English? They learn it in school. Most of the signs and billboard ads are in English, too) and the ease of exploration, Kuala Lumpur is awesome. Honestly, if you go to see the towers alone (and take the prerequisite thousand pictures of them) it’s worth it, but when you add in all the rest that the city has to offer, it’s spectacular. So go. Now. You’ll love it. And if you can, grab a bootleg copy of Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms for me.