Day Tours from KL

Besides the other posts mentioned, there are some options of day (or multiple days) tours which may interest you.

The Malaysia Tourism website seems to be very helpful. Please do have a look, and select Travel Packages (Note: Select State – Kuala Lumpur, I noticed some of the packages uploaded here are a little messed up but it will still be a good starting point). I don’t think it will be too difficult to find a tour from KL (hotel and other travel agents). Unfortunately I cannot recommend which agent is good, so we’ll just have to depend on reviews online and luck!

There are some which you could just walk / take public transport to, but some which is good to follow a tour. Do have a read on the options here and if you have any general questions please do feel free to come to us for advice / comments. And perhaps from there it will be easier to arrange your itinerary.

Night Life in KL

There are plenty to do at night!

Shops are open until 10pm.

There are night markets.

There are plenty of restaurants which are open past midnight, some 24 hours as well.

And if you are looking for bars / pubs / clubs in KL city centre, do check out the below:

1. Walking distance from KLCC, check out the streets along Jalan P.Ramlee cross Jalan Sultan Ismail, and a few along the long road of Jalan Ampang

- Jalan P.Ramlee
- Jalan Ampang 

- Jalan Sultan Ismail 

When I was younger and do party sometimes, my favourite place was Poppy/Passion because they had 3 areas (Jazzy Live Band Comfy Area, Upstairs Techno but with nice balcony, Dance Floor for the Party Party people) but I have no idea what is it like now.

Zouk is somehow very popular among Australians, I have no idea why. There’s Velvet at Zouk too.

7ateNine is the more sophisticated hang out place for the working people (well, 5 years ago). So if it is the same then perhaps it should be good too.


2. Luna Bar

This is a must visit. It’s an open air place with a pool (not for use, just to add to the atmosphere), great view of KL Tower and one of the Petronas Twin Towers. It is located in the Pacific Regency building (KH Tower, Jalan Punchak, Off Jalan P.Ramlee). Getting up there is a little tricky for first timers. You will need to take the lift to 32nd or 33rd floor (I think) and then walk up the stairs to the Luna Bar entrance. There will be signs or just ask for directions :)

I will suggest going earlier than the weekend party crowd because I think there will be cover charges after a certain time on Fri, Sat, Sun. I personally prefer a quieter environment when up at this bar.

Perhaps we can arrange to go here together :)

3. Sky Bar 

This is the competitor of Luna Bar. I have not been here, but to those who have been to both, most prefer Luna Bar. But I’ll leave that to you to judge. :) 

It’s located on Level 33, Traders Hotel which is not too far from KLCC. 

Don’t do anything illegal. The worst thing to happen while on holiday is taking your fun too far and mess with local authorities. Even though bribery is quite often the way out, but as foreigners there are many political reasons not to take your bribe but put you in jail instead. So party hard, but party smart! :)


Pictures source: Weddinglah.blogspot.com does not own any of the photos in this post. They are thumbnails taken from google images search.

Places to Visit: Popular Places of Worship

There are 4 main religions in Malaysia: Muslim, Buddhist / Taoist, Hindu, Christians and therefore it is no surprise to see Mosques, Buddhist Temples, Hindu Temples as well as Churches.

There isn’t any fantastic church structure in Malaysia compared to in Australia so I guess there’s no need to introduce it as a place to visit unless your purpose of going there is not for tourist reasons.

Mosque

As per previous posts, there’s Masjid Jamek as well as the National Mosque in KL city centre. However, the popular one is a pink mosque located in Putrajaya. It’s called Putra mosque.

[The official website seems to be facing some problem, but when link is accessible we’ll add it here as well].

It’s beautiful, during the day, as well as night. You actually have the opportunity to enter the mosque (during the day). For the ladies, you’ll be given a pink robe to wear over your existing clothes, and will cover the hair. Please dress appropriately, no short skirt / pants, no sleeveless, no slippers (thongs). Again, avoid going here on Friday noon during prayers time.

If you are staying in Cyberview, it’s probably a good idea to visit Putrajaya then instead of travelling from KL city centre. There are also other buildings of interest to visit while at Putrajaya (will be on a separate post).

Buddhist Temple

In Malaysia, we generalized both Taoist and Buddhist as Buddhist. So the general term for these temples are just Buddhist Temples.There are 2 temples which are very popular among visitors (local and foreign). Chinese New Year falls on the 23rd of January 2012, and perhaps these temples are already decorated in preparation to welcome the festive period when you are there!

a) Thean Hou Temple

This is not too far from KL, but you’ll probably need to get a taxi. We suggest booking the taxi to return an hour later or have a taxi number handy. If you are lucky you may get to hop into another taxi who just dropped off other visitors, otherwise you may have to walk a little while before you find one. There are also vegetarian dishes here. 

b) FGS (Fo Guang Shan) Dong Zen Temple

This place is huge and many events are held here. It’s crazy, but the decoration here is massive! It’s actually a rather long drive from KL (maybe about 1.5 hours) but if you have plenty of time to spare and can get a good driver who knows his way there (it’s not too easy to get there) then why not? It’s better to reach there at night (if it is close to Chinese New Year) because it will be brightly litted up. 

If you are in Penang, you MUST visit Kek Lok Si temple at sunset time (when it is close to Chinese New Year). They spend a lot of effort in lighting up the area and definitely a must visit place.

Hindu Temple

It will be none other than the temple at Batu Caves. (Batu = Stone/Rock) If you are not so fit, just take your time up the stairs, stop to chat with the monkeys but becareful they are a greedy smart batch mokeys! Don’t worry you can buy more nuts at the top to feed more monkeys on the way down. Just don’t get too friendly with them, especially if you have too much food or if you have not enough food! :)

There are also rock climbing and cave exploration activites. I remember there are coconut drinks at the bottom too, so perhaps something you can have to quench your thirst.

If you are still in Malaysia on the 7th of Feb 2012, why not join the huge crowd in Batu Caves for Thaipusam celebration. It will certainly be an experience. But do read up first on what are the best transportation options and how early you should head there.

Of course there are smaller temples around KL city centre too, but nothing as grand as the above.

Pictures source: Weddinglah.blogspot.com does not own any of the photos in this post. They are thumbnails taken from google images search.

Places to Visit: Walking Around KL [Part 2]

Don’t forget to visit Tourism Malaysia’s website for further information. Please also click on the links provided below to be redirected to the experts’ advice (positive information, how to get there, opening hours, events / activities, comments / reviews etc).

Here is the Part 2 of some of our picks:

Perhaps something more relaxing and less crowded, but still enjoy the outdoor walks.

1. KL Lake Garden 

It’s called Taman Tasik Perdana (direct translation Garden Lake Prime, but nobody really uses it, so just say KL Lake Garden or Perdana Botanical Garden, the taxi drivers should know.


a) Bird Park

The birdpark itself is quite good, but if you’ve been to the one in Singapore then probably you can skip this and just drop by the restaurant. The restaurant is one of Ben’s favourite place, but only if you choose to dine on the balcony with the birds. The food is nothing special but I guess it’s more of the atmosphere which makes the experience pleasant. 

b) Others

There’s also the deer / mousedeer park, butterfly park, orchid / hibiscus garden but if I were to pick, I will only choose to go to the bird park.


2. Museums

a) National Monument (Tugu Negara)

This is the war memorial in the Lake Garden area. We don’t think it is anything spectacular, but if history interest you and if you are in the area, why not.

b) National Museum (Muzium Negara)

 The last time I came here was when I was in school so I can’t really comment if this is any good. But if you have interest in museums, this is probably the place to go.

c) National Science Centre (Planetarium)

Similarly, the last time I visited this place was during school days and I remember that I enjoyed it. If you are into science centres, then this is probably the place to go.


There’s probably no need to visit these places below, but if you are in the area do take notice of them:

3. National Mosque

It has an obvious blue roof, which you can easily spot. It has a rather different structure from the Masjid Jamek. 

4. Old Train Station

If you are still interested to check out the architecture, similar like the Sultan Abd Samad Building and Masjid Jamek, this will take to your fancy.

Pictures source: Weddinglah.blogspot.com does not own any of the photos in this post. They are thumbnails taken from google images search.

Places to Visit: Walking Around KL [Part 1]

For further information you can visit Tourism Malaysia’s website. Please also click on the links provided below to be redirected to the experts’ advice (positive information, how to get there, opening hours, events / activities, comments / reviews etc).

Here are some of our picks:

1. Central Market (also known as Pasar Seni)

This is often known as the tourist area to check out some local souvenirs / handicraft. It (was) often the place to bring international friends but over the years I felt that it does not have enough ommph anymore. Maybe because I’m Malaysian, and maybe because it has been ages since I last visited this place. But it may appeal to tourist. It’s walking distance from Petaling Street (China Town) and easily accessible via LRT & Monorail so if you are in the area perhaps it will be a good idea to check out the building which was built in 1888. Sometimes they do have activities /events – you can check out the website for more information.

2. Petaling Street (also known as Jalan Petaling)

Really, I don’t know why they call it China Town. There are so many chinese elements all over KL and Malaysia, so it’s not like this street is a stand out Chinese place. Even the sellers here are not local, they are foreigners selling goods to foreigners. So let’s just stick to the name Petaling Street ok? :) (Jalan Petaling. Jalan = Street). I prefer the old style Petaling Street, with huge umbrellas over the stalls, instead of the greenish blue roof now, but well, that’s what you’ll see now.

Here you can get pirated items, and some really good quality fake too! :) However, always try to negotiate a lower price. Their first offer to foreigners are always as high as they can get. There are also some shops behind the stalls, so do take some time to check them out too. If you are not too worried to try the street food stall, here is probably a good cleaner place to start.

MUST GET: AIR MATA KUCING (Direct translation: Water Eye Cat, but it doesn’t really mean that),  it’s just herbal longan drink. I must have this everytime I'm here - nice and refreshing on a hot day!

3. Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque) 

I don’t think you can miss this mosque. It’s architecture stands out. It’s the oldest mosque in the city. I am not sure if you can actually enter the mosque for a visit, but if you are around the corner, do take note and appreciate it’s architecture. And if you do want to try to enter the building, make sure you are decently dressed. Avoid going during Friday's prayers (about 1pm - 2.30pm) as traffic will be absolutely horrible.

4. Dataran Merdeka & KL High Court

Merdeka Square (Merdeka = Independence) is where the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian Flag was raised to mark independence from the British. And in front of this square / field is the historical majestic building, the KL High Court, which is often seen in Malaysian postcards. It is also known as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (High Court = Makhamah Tinggi).

Do pay attention to the old shops / buildings while strolling in KL.

Pictures source: Weddinglah.blogspot.com does not own any of the photos in this post. They are thumbnails taken from google images search. However, the map labels are our effort :)

Accommodation in KL city centre

This post was updated on 2nd August!

Being a Malaysian, everything more than 10 minutes is far away. Being an Australian, everything less than half hour is close! Therefore it’s a tough question if you ask us about the “distance”. We can however try our best to advice the best way to get around!

If KL City Centre is where you want to be, we recommend you stay around the 2 areas highlighted below:

1.       Bukit Bintang

2.       KLCC (Petronas Twin Towers)

Ben said it is only 10 minutes walk between these 2 places. Wee Kin disagrees, and have never walked between BB and KLCC before (feels it is too far for walking!). But we will let you try it out (or not)! :)

Bukit Bintang

1.       Lots of shopping here – as highlighted in red above

-          Berjaya Time Square (from memory it does not have fantasic shops many years ago, but there’s an indoor theme park and it’s huge)

-          Sungei Wang Plaza and Bukit Bintang Plaza (heaps of shopping and low prices – most places are fixed prices as per the price tags, but there are some (especially on the electronic / electrical items) which can be sold way lower than their price tag. If you are a foreigner, or sound / look like one, chances are their first offer is overpriced).

-          Low Yat Plaza (best place to get all your techy computer, electrical, mobile phones etc – we do not know if you need to negotiate because we normally go there as “locals” and normally the price is already reasonable. I guess you need to know your price bracket to ensure you are not cheated as foreigners)

-          Lot 10 used to be a Japanese style shopping mall (I think), but it has brands from everywhere now

-          Pavillion (this is one of Ben’s favourite shopping place, it’s new and clean – 2 years ago, and sells medium to expensive brands , and do check out the food court at the lowest floor!)

-          Starhill Gallery (supposed to be a high class shopping area, but haven’t been there in a long time – we suspect it is only high class (not extreme high class))

2.       It’s normally crowded with people, and easy to spot dodgy people too. There are a lot of asian foreign workers that hang out in this area, some hawkers, wild youth.

3.       There are 2 monorails stations (at Berjaya Times Square – Imbi Monorail Station) and (Bukit Bintang Monorail Station). We will write more about public transportation in a separate post to give you some idea how to get around.

4.       There are also a lot of hotels here (from budget to 5 stars). We did not need to stay in KL much so really can’t give personal opinion of the quality of the hotel itself. We suggest to check the reviews online for the hotels in this area if you decide this is the spot you want to hang out.

KLCC

1.       Less shopping here, but more relaxed and “slightly higher class” feel because more corporate people hang out around this area. This is not saying there are no dodgy people around (it’s Asia! There are dodgy people everywhere!), but less than in Bukit Bintang area.

2.       There’s a park next to Suria KLCC (shopping centre), also where the tallest building in Malaysia is located (Petronas Twin Towers).

-          You can go up the sky bridge for free (provided you get to the registration counter  early in the morning, they have limited tickets for visitors to go up the bridge during the day). If you are friends working in the towers, they may be able to bring you into the office (which may be located higher than the sky bridge)

-          Suria KLCC is a shopping mall targeting foreigners and corporate people, so expect medium – high class type of shops and restaurants. We think Avenue K (opposite Suria KLCC) is a shopping mall too.

-          Do not be at the park late at night for your own safety – I think there is Pak Guard (Mr Security Guard) around the area, but to be safe, just stay away from dark quiet area while in Asia!

3.       There is 1 monorail station (Bukit Nanas), and 1 LRT station (KLCC). Note that they are 2 different trains / line (which we will explain further in another post on public transportations)

4.       Lots of clubs in the area (highlighted in blue). Happening area for alcohol and partying!

5.       Accommodation – there are limited budget hotels in this area compared to Bukit Bintang, but there are still many hotels to choose from.


Hopefully the above information will be able to help narrow down your search for hotels / serviced apartments in KL city centre. We may not be a position to verify the quality of the accommodation itself (you will have to depend on internet reviews) but if you need any assistance to book, speak with the hotel, or advice on your shortlisted accommodation (for location and/or possibly other comments), do feel free to reach out to us for assistance!  

 To help make the search for hotels a little easier we've also taken the liberty of shortlisting our own suggested list of hotels in KL. This list contains primarily hotels, but also has some serviced suites too. They range in price, and are ordered below based on what our own personal preference would be on the basis of hotel quality, user reviews, and ideal location. 
And so, the list:

1. Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur City Center
2. Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur 
3. Parkroyal Serviced Suites
4. Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur
5. Piccolo Hotel
6. Parkroyal Hotel
7. Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel
8. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel
9. Traders Hotel by Shangri-La
10. Ascott Kuala Lumpur
11. Hotel Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre
12. Prince Serviced Apartment Kuala Lumpur
13. The Royale Bintang Hotel
14. Bintang Fairlane Residences
15. Fahrenheit Suites Kuala Lumpur
16. Crown Regency Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur

Exchange Rate

Here is an easy reference to the exchange rates when traveling to Malaysia, and a few other South East Asia countries. You can use the drop down to select a different currency too.

Exchange Rates Live

Why the “Lah”?

You are not a Malaysian if you have never used the word “Lah”. It’s in our everyday language (which we call Manglish – combination of Malaysian (Malay, Chinese, Indian and whatever words that sounds good) and English!

When you are in Malacca, drop by the Orang Utan t-shirt shop to grab “To Lah or Not To Lah” T-Shirt with that tagline! Malaysia, truly Asian lah!

Picture belongs to this website

Referring to Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia, here are some interesting facts.

1.       People who don’t use the –lah slang is considered a snob to a certain degree!

2.       “Lah” simplifies a very long sentence that a Westerner normally use. It is used as an “economiser” that shortens sentences by 80 percent!

Example of commonly used – lah.

-          Cannot lah

-          OK lah

-          No lah

-          Yes lah

-          Sorry lah

-          Die lah

-          What lah you

-          Who lah

-          Where lah

-          Where got lah

-          How can lah

-          Don’t have lah

-          Don’t worry lah

-          Don’t lah like that

-          Please lah

Don’t think of us Malaysian as lazy speakers, we just like to make things simpler and less formal. If we speak Manglish to you, it just means we are including you in our local social circle, so be happy about it, and try to use a little lah now and then – it may sound awkward at the beginning, but you’ll eventually get used to it! But don’t worry, Malaysians can understand proper English perfectly fine too (I like to think many of us can write good English most of the time, but we just chose to speak Manglish – a culture which we are proud of), unless you decide to use just extremely fancy words which we assume is used to impress only the super high-class in which you may come across as arrogant. So be yourself and keep it simple lah, ok? J  

If you have time to spare, don’t forget to check out the Wikipedia for Manglish for your leisure reading.  

Flights to Kuala Lumpur

There are 3 airlines which offer direct flights from Melbourne – Kuala Lumpur.

1.       Malaysian Airlines

2.       Emirates

3.       Air Asia

From our flight experience, price ranges from AUD500 – AUD1800 return. Yes, such a huge difference indeed! Normal price is about AUD1100-AUD1200.

Travel time from end of December – mid January is actually peak period (because of Christmas, followed by Chinese New Year). Therefore you should hop onto the next best deal you see as early as possible, otherwise the price can only go up and up.

You may be lucky for super cheap deals with Air Asia (where you must be on top of promotions, first ones to book at 2am or 3am, and be patient with page refresh). We recommend you hop onto the mobile web to book your flights (less traffic), and complete your add ons later on. Note: Air Asia is a budget airline, therefore the initial price quoted is excluding food or luggage or entertainment, so be vary when comparing prices! Plane seats are generally slightly smaller. If you are a big person, pay a little extra for Premium Economy or stick with the non-budget planes. We suggest reserving a seat towards the back of the plane, because it’s usually where extra empty seats are available (provided the plane is not fully booked).

Air Asia’s terminal is LCCT (not the fancy KLIA), which do have sufficient share of Duty Free shopping and restaurants. Just take note when you are arranging connecting flights. LCCT is about half hour drive away from KLIA. All other international airlines fly into KLIA terminals. Another local budget airline (Firefly) and resort flight (Berjaya) uses Subang airport (which is about 1 hour drive from Sepang where KLIA/LCCT is located). Check out the other post about airports in KL.

Emirates tends to have lower prices closer to the travel dates. You may get good deals about AUD800. However, we worry that it may be too much of a risk to wait for the promotion prices to be updated as it gets closer to the peak period. Generally we hear of good experience with Emirates, beware that the flight times are very odd (3am!). We were upgraded to Business Class on our very first Emirates flight (and I suspect it is because Ben carries a Western name!) which has excellent service, of course. But we had some "period-mood" stewardess on the way back and it sucks.

Malaysian Airlines prices are very dependent on season. There are promotional prices at times, but be vary of the restriction (e.g. not allowed to change the travel dates of the ticket). If you can get a full price economy return ticket for AUD1200 or less, grab it because we predict it could go up to AUD1800 as the date draws closer. If you are thinking of a holiday outside of KL (other parts of Malaysia / Asia), do look out for Melbourne à Destination à Melbourne with Malaysian Airlines as it will have stopover in Kuala Lumpur, and you will be able to travel to another place with only a little extra, or sometimes, strangely enough, less than just heading to Kuala Lumpur! You are not able to book stopover dates via Malaysian Airline website, but you can do so on Expedia website and call up Malaysian Airlines office in Melbourne to have a sanity check on your online transaction for your flights and perform minor changes easily for free (unlike Qantas which charges anything and everything they can as soon as you speak to a human!)

Others: You can also hop on to one of the following which flies into KL via Singapore (SIA and Jetstar) or have the option of travelling by bus / train (5 - 7 hours) from Singapore to KL.

1.       Qantas

2.       Singapore Airlines

3.       JetStar

I (WK) personally do not like Qantas for international because it is normally more expensive than the others, and no hot stewardess! Also, I’m just anti Singapore Airlines though a lot of people seem to like it. Jet Star is only good when there are cheap deals (watch out for Friday fares) - the best fare we hopped on was AUD200 one way but the promotion was only for 2 hours (I think) on a Friday evening!