Enjoying Modern Comforts in Kuala Lumpur

When we first reached Malaysia we spent four nights in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur (often called just KL). After our week in the Komodo area, when we arrived at the KL airport we felt like we had traveled into the future. Everything was so modern, high tech, shiny, and new. The large highway from the airport to downtown and the flashy billboards for technology and luxury goods were quite a change of scenery for us. We checked in at the CitizenM Kuala Lumpur hotel in the Bukit Bintang district where everything in our room from the lighting to the temperature to the window shades was controlled by an iPad. The hotel also had crazy fast free WiFi, which was a real luxury to us. Lucky for us you can stay in very nice hotels in KL for a reasonable amount of money. 

We spent a good bit of our time in KL finalizing travel details for the remainder of our trip while we had reliable internet access and comfortable accommodations. We did manage to explore the city a bit each day we were there. I enjoyed our time in KL much more than I expected. Below are a few things we where able to experience in KL.

Jalan Alor Night Food Court

The Jalan Alor Night Food Court was about three blocks from our hotel and we went there on our first evening in town. It is a wide street with perhaps a hundred different food hawker stalls selling all types of cuisines. We took a seat at a table in the street and ordered quite a few small plates for sharing that ended up being not so small plates.

While we were there we just by chance witnessed a wild parade that was happening right through the food court and passed directly in front of our table. It featured floats, dancers, and men beating their backs with swords. Later we did some research and discovered it was part of a multi-day celebration of Taoist god Zhang Gong Sheng Jun’s birthday. The parade we saw is known as the “Harmony Walk” procession. It was lucky for us to have the chance to see this cultural event up close and just by chance. The energy around the whole affair was really fun and exciting. Dining at Jalan Alor is an entertaining way to spend an evening while in KL. We found the dining options all over KL to be of fantastic quality and variety and also quite affordable. 

• 

• 

• 

Shopping 

The shopping opportunities in KL are endless. The Plaza Low Yat shopping center has every technology item you could ever need. We went there hunting for a specifc GoPro accessory and found many GoPro specialty shops. There are quite a few high end shopping centers in the city such as the Pavilion and Suria KLCC that carry luxury clothing, cosmetics, and other items we have little need for at the moment but we did look around a few of those just for fun. We also strolled up and down Petaling Street in Chinatown where endless gadgets, souvenirs and clothing were for sale. 

Batu Caves

One morning we took a Grab car to visit Batu Caves, which is a large limestone cave just outside of KL with several Hindu temples inside. The entrance to the cave has a 140 foot tall gold statue of Lord Murugan next to a flight of 272 steps painted in rainbow colors leading to the cave entrance. The interior of the cave is beautiful and is also home to many mischievous little monkeys that will steal snacks from people if given the chance. Many Hindu devotees come to the cave to pray and give offerings but visitors are also welcome and admission is free.

Heli Lounge

There is a place in downtown KL that is a helicopter pad by day and transforms into a cocktail lounge at night. We had heard it was a great sunset spot so decided to check it out. You enter the building from the street level and take the elevator to the top floor where the Heli Lounge is located. From there after purchasing a drink you are given access to the rooftop where tables and chairs have been placed around on the helicopter pad area with just a rope around the edges. This spot has a great view of the Petronas Towers and the city skyline.

When we were there we enjoyed the rooftop setting for about fifteen minutes and then it began to rain at which point they closed the rooftop lounge for safety reasons. It was fun while it lasted and is something that would be fun to check out for longer when the weather is decent. It was rather cloudy during the short time we were up there but the views were still impressive.  

Petronas Towers

While in KL we tried to purchase tickets to go up to the Petronas Twin Towers observation deck but they were sold out for all the dates we were in town. So instead we went to explore KLCC park beside the towers. The park was really well designed with a kids play area, extensive walking and jogging trails, several water features, a splash park, and lovely views of the towers. It is a really nice urban outdoor space and it was sparkling clean with no litter anywhere.  

We enjoyed our five days of modern comfort in the city of KL. It felt like a cultural melting pot and people were quite helpful everywhere we went. It lacked the pretentiousness I sometimes experience and dislike in large western cities. They have excellent transportation options and infrastructure and we had no trouble navigating the city. As far as cities go it appears to be a place where one could enjoy a nice quality of life and of course lots of great food.