Kuala Lumpur or 'KL' as it is popularly known, is a place which can really capture a person's right impression. Landing into the city during the daytime is crucial - one thing that captures one's attention is the acres and acres of Coconut Palm forests, yes, forests on a series of undulating hills. The airport is one of the most comfortable ones you'll find anywhere in the world. It is like a slick museum with pockets of indoor tropical gardens washed with rays of sunlight, all enclosed within a glazing wall. Steel - aisles - marble - garden. That's what one sees, again and again, until you're out of the place.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is actually 50km from the airport. A reasonably priced Airport taxi, (around 100 ringgits for a comfortable sedan or 80 ringgits for a budget ride) will take less than forty minutes to jet one into the heart of KL. Once again, take in the green views of palm forests and a very smooth highway. As one approaches the city, it is hard not to notice the pinnacle and pride of Malaysia - the Petronas Towers. The towers stand like ancient temples overlooking a well spread city below them. As one draws close to the city, it will become apparent that Malaysia is indeed a blend of a number of Asian countries. It will be noticeable in the architecture, the cuisine as well as the names and faces.
The trick in residing in Kulua Lumpur as a tourist is to get a hotel which is close to one of the monorail circuits since the taxi pricing can be a problem. Keeping that in mind, I had booked a hotel - Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur, smack in front of the Raja Chulan Monorail stop. The Hotel is a good choice for one looking for luxury and comfort for a good price - a deluxe room facing the partial view of the Petronas comes at around USD90 depending on the season. The swimming pool is really nice and the in-house restaurants are good value for money. It is however the morning buffet which is probably one of the best I've had - offering Continental, Malay, Japanese, Chinese and Indian choices.
The location is not embedded too deep in a crowded area and neither is it too far from the action. Just next to this station is the Wine and Dine Road in KL - the famous Ramlee Road. It is the place for an evening walk and do the pub hopping routine coupled with some good restaurants and live music. For the more classy atmosphere is the Zouk while for a more relaxed pub experience, Rum jungle is worth a visit. Restaurants vary according to palette but the Ozeki Tokyo is a good bet for Japanese and the Padi House for some fusion Asian, it's a wonderful place to eat at when the weather's nice - it has a nice elevated outdoor level. The road eventually ends at the base of the Petronas. This road should be on the list if one enjoys eating out in hip places or pubbing/clubbing and then grabbing something to eat.
Walking or taking the Monorail South of the mentioned stop will get one to the famous Bukit Bintang area also known as the Bintang/Star Walk. Malls, shopping, restaurants, banks and the obligatory massage parlours. Bookmark this place for your shopping lists (Berjaya Times Square, Fahrenheit 88, Lot 10 and Pavilion) followed by some foot massages!
Malls will range from the high end types to the more homegrown generic ones. Another fascinating feature is that some of the malls are interlinked so the visitor sometimes doesn't realize he/she has walked into a new mall! Lot 51 is one mall which needs to be visited just because of it's peculiar but fascinating futuristic design overtones. Low Yat Plaza and Sungai Wang are recommended for some really good bargains - getting clothes, fashion accessories, electronics and well priced books - this is the place to be! When at the Bukit Bintang station, and accessible from the station level itself is the famous Ladies Formal Wear franchise Isetan from Japan - it is a must for some great business clothes shopping for ladies; it's part of the Lot 51 Mall. The most impressive mall in the area in terms of style is the "Pavilion". Serious shoppers will need a few days to get through all these malls and more!
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