Anja, a house guest from Germany, had been backpacking in SE Asia for 2 months when she arrived in KL. She had read Lonely Planet and was prepared to leisurely explore the city. She taught us how an adventurous, independent visitor can explore Kuala Lumpur.
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| Anja with Kuala Lumpur in the background |
Food: Anja was in KL for 2 full days, not much time to combine sight seeing and eating. The only specific advice she had received was to have laksa while in Malaysia. We had breakfast and dinner together at local kedai makanans (eating shops) and introduced her to a few local favorites. Here is what we had:
As all Malaysians know
laksa comes in many varieties. My favorite is assam laksa, locally available at O&S Restaurant at Paramount Gardens. A little too far to fit into Anja's schedule, so we walked down to Lucky Gardens, Bangsar, for Sarawak laksa. See above link for pictures and a blogger's comment. Similarly, we tried the recommended Devi Corner for banana leaf. After two years we discovered it has a second floor. We have since discovered that we weren't the only "ignorant locals."
If Anja had visited later we found 2 lunch recommendations that we would have recommended. For ikan bakar (baked fish) Medan Ikan Bakar Gerai No. 3 (for
walking directions click on the link). Doug and I went with friends at night and knew that we would never find it on our own - now we can, if decide to walk.
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| Ready to feast |
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| The remains |
Another friend introduced us to lunch at the Buddhist Temple (
Kun Yam Thong Temple on Jalan Ampang (across from Corus Hotel). It was a bit chaotic and after waiting out in the sun my brain was fried. We piled various vegetarian delights on our plates - to late I noticed the noodle stand.The
food was delicious, cheap, and no MSG. We can't wait to go back.
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| Room for 500 happy diners |
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| Reading signs - An underrated pleasure |
Transportation: We live close to a
LRT Station - no adventures, no hassles, easy. Anja took the LRT to Pasar Seni to catch the wonderful
Go KL Free bus. free bus. Originally designed for tourists Go KL Free is heavily used by locals. So one can both see some of the city and people watch. Another day Anja took the Monorail from its origin at KL Sentral to the end of the line, getting a different view of the city.
KL taxi drivers have a poor reputation. Bangsar-area (where we live) drivers always use the meter. So Anja had no trouble on that score, but one driver took her to Bangsar Village instead of Bangsar Shopping Centre. Not a costly mistake, but annoying nonetheless. Another took her to the airport and than gripped that he would return empty (true). Anja correctly noted it wasn't her problem. Downtown KL is more of a hassle, but Anja stuck to her guns and refused to go with a driver who cited a specific cost - three times what she eventually paid with a metered cab.
Sightseeing: Apparently Anja is a tourist after our heart, that is, she does a lot wandering. Her first destination was
Guan Di Temple in Chinatown. Then wandering through Chinatown. (On our to-do-list is to take a tour of Chinatown, so we can better inform guests.)
Petronas Towers has a reputation of being hard to visit - a limited number of tickets require an early arrival. Someone told us that the
Traders Hotel Sky Bar was a great alternative for seeing the city, Anja confirmed that the recommendation was on target.
At the hotel
AnCasa Anja picked up "A walking tour of Kuala Lumpur," that she highly recommended. A visit to the hotel's website found useful tourist information, but not a copy of the guide. Here are the sights it lists.
- Chinatown
- Sri Maha Mariamman Temple
- Kwong Siew Temple
- Central Market
- Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
- Islamic Centre
- National Mosque (Masjid Negara)
- DamiBumi Complex
- National History Museum
- Sultan Abdul Samad Building
- Merdeka Square
- St. Mary’s Cahedral
- Jameq Mosque
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