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Kuala Lumpur

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    19

    Kuala Lumpur

    Hi,

    I'm heading to KL for 2 nights next weekend and want to pack in seeing as much as I can while I'm there. Anyone have any recommendations for must see's/places to eat etc? What's it like there in terms of transportation and getting around?

    I kind of signed up to this trip and haven't had time to do any research (there's always time to read a guide book on the plane!) so any advice or recommendations from people's visits there would be gratefully received.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2005
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    Hong Kong, from UK
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    We went a couple of weekends ago... don't know where you're staying or what sort of things you're after, but here's some random thoughts:

    It's worth going up the towers, but it's not mind-blowing. You only go half-way up, you only see that area of the city... If you do want to go, you need to queue in the basement under the towers in the morning to get free tickets - if you're not there by 8am, don't bother trying. We got there about 7:50 and were within about 50 places from the back of the queue. We were told originally that it was 1 ticket per person, but it's not true, so if you're not going alone 1 person can get up to 5 tickets. We did get a pair for a German couple who had apparently got there about 10 minutes late, but it was pretty cheeky of them to ask, and I wouldn't rely on it.

    We ate a couple of times in Nandos - the gf likes their chicken - once in the basement food area of the Pavilion mall, and once at a nice local-style place called Pelita Nasi Kandar - 24-hour affordable Indianish food a block or so from the towers. I liked it a lot, both the food and the style of the place, but my gf isn't so keen on curry so not really her scene.

    We did go to the Batu Caves, although I was too lazy to walk up the 272 steps to the caves and hung around at the bottom. Also, a few veggie curry places here.

    Went to the aquarium in the KLCC mall... there's a street of middle eastern restaurants (turkish, iranian, lebanese, etc.) we walked past which I could find the name of if you need it...

    If you're wandering around the town, grab a decent map, and take a hat, sunscreen, water and an umbrella - in the two days we were there, it varied between very hot and sunny, and heavy rain...

    You can easily grab taxis around town, but make sure they use the meter unless you're going to/from the airport. There are regular cabs and 'executive' ones which cost significantly more and aren't worth it unless you're desperate for some luxury... Walking is quite easy within neighbourhoods, but got taxis, the monorail and the underground a few times. 7-11 everywhere as usual is good for cold drinks...

    Did find that people were generally friendly and helpful, with pretty good English.

    We're not going to hurry back, although there are more things to do. I'm interested to see if they make any outright grabs for Bangkok's tourist market - it's a pretty comparable place, and obviously Bangkok is on the ropes right now.

    Last edited by vmlinuz; 04-06-2010 at 05:05 PM. Reason: Hit post by accident instead of preview!
    pmt1tlh likes this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    434

    There's a really great open top tour bus that runs through all the main sites (and quite a few I didn't know about even though I've been there several times). The price is reasonable and it gets you around the city easily.

    If you want to do the Petronas towers, you HAVE to be there early in the morning and they give you timed tickets for when you can go up. I bought mine at 9am and managed to get tickets for 5.30pm visit.

    Food is really cheap, plentiful, widely available everywhere and good - I ate at hawker market type of places most days.

    I second vmlinuz about the hat, sunscreen and umbrella. It's coming into their rainy season so expect rain every afternoon at about 3.30pm for a couple of hours. Mosquito repellent may be useful in places too.

    Public transport's good, but not as extensive as HK's. There's a monorail system which interconnects with their underground/overground system. Taxis are a bit more of a hassle and often plain refuse to use their meter, leaving you haggling over the fare before you get in which I don't like.

    Don't forget that it's a muslim country so do be sensitive with how you dress (nor sure if you're male or female) even though it's hot and humid.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    Go to Little India around twilight and walk along the night market. Sample the diverse foods. You can get there by train. I believe you get off at Masjid Jamek Station.
    If you want arts and crafts check out the Central Market near Pasar Seni station. Its in a huge indoor air con bldg on edge of Chinatown. Plenty of food to eat in there too.
    For a terric collection of hawker foods go to Jalan Alor in the evening in Bukit Bintang behind Sungai Wang shopping centre. The local food there is unbelievably delicious and cheap.
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    Last edited by Loz_2; 04-06-2010 at 07:27 PM.

  5. #5

    Exactly what Loz_2 said! Little India is great. Outside hawker stalls in Jalan Alor are great.

    Pavillion mall has a wicked food court downstairs. Reminded me of singapore food courts.

    Petronals towers - just look at them from the outside at night, it's quite impressive. Going inside is highly overrated.

    The monorail takes you to most places. Taxis are cheap, but like anywhere in SE Asia makes sure meter is on, and if not, agree price in advance (soooo obvious but has to be said).


  6. #6

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    Sep 2008
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    I suggest to go up Menara KL aka KL Tower (that TV tower in the middle of the city) so you can see the entire town and get a great view on KLCC with the Twin Towers.
    Jalan Alor is a good place for food indeed, try the stingray on banana leave, my favorite there.

    Around Masjid Jamek (that was mentioned above) is a lot to see, the Mosque itself, some old morish-influenced buildings like the Railway station and admin building, Merdeka Square etc.
    The near-by butterfly park at Taman Tasik Perdana is said to be nice, too, though I have never been there myself.

    For shopping go to Bukit Bintang; Starhill Plaza and Lot 10 for upmarket stuff, Sungai Wang Plaza for everything else.
    If you fancy an indoor roller-coaster Berjaya Times Square is just a stone's throw away.

    Batu Caves is a must-see for first time visitors, but if you want to get in touch with nature head a bit further to Templer Park (easy walk to a waterfall) or head to FRIM (Forrest Research Institute Malaysia) for a guided tour instead.

    Last edited by Raccon; 04-06-2010 at 11:39 PM.

  7. #7

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    Jun 2008
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    Regarding the Petronas Towers, you COULD get there early... or you could get there at 10.00 like I did. When asked "have you got a ticket?" the trick is to look the guy straight in the eye and reply, flatly, "yes". He'll hop around for a few seconds, thinking about his response, and then (fingers crossed) will let you in. Worked for me.


  8. #8

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    May 2010
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    is the view from the petronas towers pretty much the same view from the plane as your approach KL?


  9. #9

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    The view isn't that spectacular, actually. It is just the "highest double-decker sky bridge in the world". So... the many other higher views in the world may include single-deck sky bridges, observation platforms, rotating restaurants... who knows what else? The view from my old office was higher. Still, the twin towers are tall, and they're famous, and it's definitely something to check off on the list of 'things to do in KL'.


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    The view from the Petronas towers is really nothing spectacular and the towers themselves get in the way of a lot of it, but it's one of those 'got to do' things.

    Better is the veiw from the KL Tower and there you also get an audio guide of what you're looking at. There's quite a few things to do at KL tower including a rather sad 'ethnic village recreation', and a guided tour of the tropical rainforest at the base of the tower which is surprisingly quiet.


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