KL
Probably KL as Kuala Lumpur is affectionately called, is one of the very few places in the world where Indians are welcomed with a smile. If you are fond of good food and shopping Malaysia and KL in particular is the place to be.
Transport and Lodging
The KL international airport is quite far from the main city and it takes anywhere between 1 hr to 3 hrs by cab, depending on the time and traffic. The morning rush hour is very bad.
Note:They were building a MRT service from the City raiway station to Ariport, and I hope that its completed by now. You would be able to check in your luggage and finish your immigration & customs formalities at the train station and go directly to the airport.
There are many good hotels near KLCC (KL City Center) where the famous Petronas Towers is located. The most popular ones would be Hotel Nikko, Mandarin Oriental and Rennaisance. KL has a Marriot as well but its bit far from KLCC.
The lodging is not very expensive and you can get a double bedroom for around 200-250RM(1RM=12Rs) a night. The hotels usually serves all kinds of food (You even get Tandoori Salad’s, Chicken Tikka, and Madras Chicken curry!!!).
Shopping & Piracy???
There are zillions of Shoppings malls around, where you get the latest Daler Mehendi song to the latest perfumr from Cristian Dior or Elizabeth Arden under the same roof. The most popular malls would be KLCC, Sunway Lagoon and Imbi Plaza (There are 4 malls in and around this one).
You may be wondering why am writing about piracy here, the reason is in Malaysia pirated goods are in plenty.It suddenly makes the ridiculously expensive media affordable.
Some Examples
- Tamil/Hindi vcd’s are available for 10RM (equ to 120 RS.)
2 You can get a DVD of the latest Hollywood blockbuster for15 Rm. (170 RS)
3 Sony PS games??? Its 2 nos for 5 rm. (50 RS)!!!
The best places to find really good cheap pirated items (God !! I hate myself for encouraging piracy) would be Pasar Malam (Night markets) which are organised in various parts of the town. You can go to the Pasar Malam at China Town, which is quite popular.
You can get non-pirated stuff as well, and believe me, shopping in KL would be the cheapest in the region (even when compared to Singapore).
Eating Out and Night Life
KL is really a food haven, go to the food court at KLCC, you get Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, Indian (in that south Indian, Bengali etc) for a extremely affordable price. Imagine, you can get a portion of rice, some veggie, a fried egg, one chicken fry (one piece) and some chicken gravvy for 6 RM (72 Rs)!!!!
My favorite food was Kai Fan which is Chinese for Chicken Rice. Bascially a very small portion of steamed rice with some pieces of chicken (either steamed or roasted) with some Chilli Padi which is cut green chillies in soya sauce and a Chilli chutney.
There are many pubs and discos around, Embassy near <Hotel Nikko, The Beach near Mandarin Oriental are quite popular. There are many proper pubs as well, where there are live music and pool tables for your entertainment.
You could also try out your singing skills at one of the many karoke bars!!!
Other Attractions
Another popular attraction other then Petronas Towers (The talled building in the world) is the KL Tower, which has a floating restaurant on top. But you have to make a reservation in advance to get in.
There are lot of places to go around, if you like gambling, go to Ganting Highland (The dress code is A formal suit, at least a tie).
Port Dickinson is another good destination.
To sum it up, if you are looking for a holiday, KL is probably one of the best destinations in SE Asia.
Note:(For those how have read my earlier version of this review) Hope that this re-written review is more helpful and informative.