The flight was only a couple of hours long, but when we arrived it felt strangely like coming home. On the bus from the Airport to Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur we solemnly gaped out of the window watching well developed roads and expensive cars blur past us as the rain came down. We both immediately thought we had made the wrong choice in coming to Malaysia, we certainly didn't expect it to be this modern. Having spent over three months in places where even the best roads require frequent swerves to avoid pot holes and cliff edges this was like landing in London with the exception that it was still a hot and sticky climate but on the coach with air conditioning like a Siberian winter and the urban view it didn't even feel like we were still in Asia. After an hour’s drive or so we were in Chinatown, KL (as Kuala Lumpur is known to anybody who has set foot in Asia).
KL is an intense melting pot of everything that is good and bad about a capital city. It is in your face, dirty, claustrophobic, chaotic and an unforgiving mush of rich and poor. At the same time there are infinite choices for eating, shopping and conveniences in general. Drinking is expensive because alcohol, especially beer, is heavily taxed making it a fast way to spend your budget at around two pound for a small can of beer even in the supermarket. As an alternative to a bar we stopped at a Chinese tearoom and sampled some of their healthy tasting brews. Being a capital city, accommodation is also relatively expensive in KL. We looked at many dirty hovels at the sharp end of our budget until we found an extremely small but clean box in a place called The Monkey Inn.
This photo captures the poverty and prosperity of KL |
All the tea in China(town) |
Aside from the relatively (relative in terms of countries that is, not Chinatown) poor value for money on accommodation and booze, Chinatown is an amazing place and bursting with mouthwatering places to eat. The streets are throbbing with people sat at pavement tables shoveling noodles in their gob or cooking food on wooden sticks in bubbling pots whilst chatting away. There are sometimes so many tables taking up the pavement that you often find yourself walking on the road! It really is no matter though because the traffic can only crawl along most of the busy roads, minus the odd motorbike whizzing past. Fine dining it is not, but there is quality and what better way to drink in all the sensational sights and smells?
Some of the hawker street food on offer |
Upon getting out Chinatown we visited the National Museum, but not before getting our photo taken with an array of parrots amongst a backdrop of old trains (argh so touristy). The museum was dedicated to the pillars that founded the country, detailing its economical, artistic and cultural foundations including a thorough history of the country’s wars, colonisation and spice routes displayed in modern and clean exhibits. The other part is dedicated to the more ancient history, housing artifacts and telling stories about original Malay settlers and early man. Once we were museumed out we thought we would pay a visit to the Masjid Negara which is one of Southeast Asia’s largest mosques. There was a dress code. I was alright getting in wearing long pants and sleeves but Kate was fortunately not dressed appropriately and had to get kitted out in a purple outfit before she could set foot in there. Our impressions were that it looked very modern but didn’t feel very spiritual. I think we would have preferred something with a little more history.
Kate, now dressed respectfully in the Masjid Negara |
For another adventure outside of Chinatown we visited the area known as little India. Like Chinatown it was still full of energy but offering completely different shops, foods and smells (and what smells!). Even if you aren’t hungry when you set foot in the district’s main street, it doesn’t take long before you are salivating. The tantalising smells entice you in, as do the glamorous rainbow sparkles of the saris and bangles in shop windows. It is good fun and makes for a nice change but it isn't somewhere you have to spend more than one night.
Where we ate in Little India |
The highlight was easily our meal overlooking the city in the ‘Menara Kuala Lumpur’ or the KL tower as it’s more commonly known. Looking like a gigantic spinning top perched on a knitting needle but with unrivaled views of KL came at a cost at one hundred and fifty ringgits (thirty pound) each, but we didn’t want to let the opportunity pass and the fact that it was an all you can eat buffet rested firmly in our favour. I think our ears popped twice as we made our way up past two hundred and eighty meters in the elevator. The views were absolutely phenomenal and the food wasn’t bad either! The restaurant floor sits upon a donut shaped rotating platform which takes about an hour and a half to full rotate 360 degrees.
Photograph taken from the KL tower |
Sunset in the KL tower |
Our next destination was the smaller and slightly lesser known town of Melaka. Whilst we had our initial reservations I would definitely return to KL. We were exhausted from our experience but we definitely left with great satisfaction, there is nowhere in the world quite like it.
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