Kuala Lumpur: A Great Place to Start Your S.E. Asia Journey

Hi there, and happy fall. Perhaps you are enjoying cooler weather and looking forward to the beauty of autumn leaves. Steve and I are not. In August, we left the wonderful weather of the Canary Islands for our first visit to Southeast Asia. It is hot and humid, as we knew it would be. Even so, we were excited to see another part of the world. Our first stop in Southeast Asia was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur was a great introduction to S.E. Asia. It’s modern, easy to get around even though there is a lot of traffic, and English is widely spoken.

Here’s what our four weeks in Kuala Lumpur (KL) looked like.

All money is in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

Wind and Whim contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

A Long, Expensive Start

Our flight from Gran Canaria to KL was the longest and most expensive we’ve ever had. It was $2,100 for both of us and took 29 hours from the time we left our Gran Canaria hotel until we arrived at our KL Airbnb.

On the bright side, our flights were all on time and incident-free. Two of our three legs were on Boeing planes, which we try to avoid, but as you can see, they safely made the journey.

Steve can fall asleep on a plane before take-off. I, however, cannot sleep on a plane as hard as I try. So lucky me, I was without sleep for over 30 hours before we got to bed in KL.

Although Steve slept on the trip, we both suffered from jet lag. This was the first time we have had it, and I was shocked to learn it could last up to two weeks. Because of it, we got off to a slow start in KL. Except for trips to the KL Forest Eco Park and the KL Tower, we spent our first week shopping and sleeping.

What We Loved

Our Airbnb

Our Airbnb was perfect. It was a spacious apartment in a modern building in the Bukit Ceylon neighborhood. It is a good location since it is next to Bukit Bintang, the lively entertainment area. It is also close enough to walk to KLCC, the city center.

Our apartment in the Suasana Suites Bukit Ceylon overlooked the city with views of both the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers. It also overlooked the pool. There is a café, a small market, and a steak restaurant in the building.

There were two large teddy bears in the apartment, and they kept us on our toes. We never knew what they would get up to.

Our host, Khong, was gracious, gave us great tips, and took us out for dinner the night we arrived. I can’t link his Airbnb listing here, but if you message me, I can tell you how to find his apartment on Airbnb’s site.

Cheap eats

We had some great high-quality meals but also appreciated the less expensive options.

At Chef Shan 1975, we had lunch for two with water for $12. You can eat even cheaper if you buy street food, but we saw a few things that made us decide not to eat there, including people washing dishes in plastic tubs in alleyways.

You can also eat very cheaply at the malls. I had a chicken bun, a chocolate bun, and water at Lavender for less than $2.00.

Cheap transportation

Even without a car, getting around is easy and inexpensive. I wouldn’t want to drive in the city. There is a lot of traffic, and they drive on the left.

Steve and I love to walk and will do so whenever possible. When we needed transportation, we used Grab. Uber is not available in Asia, but Grab works just like it. A 10-minute ride costs about $2.00. The downside is that we did have to wait quite a while for a ride a few times.

You can also get around by bus, train, monorail (all through the Rapid KL system), or taxi. You can learn about your options in this article on traveloka.com. According to the article, the Rapid KL buses aren’t the best. We didn’t use them. I did use the GoKL buses, and they were great. The GoKL buses are free to residents. Non-residents pay 1 MR (~25 cents). All you have to do is tap your credit card or your Touch N Go (TNG card), and you are good to go.

The GoKL bus lines are color-coded. If you are centrally located, you will mainly use the Green, Purple, or Blue Lines. Look for that instead of a route number on the buses.

Interestingly, buses often took longer to get you somewhere than walking would.

Artistic vibe

I love street art, and KL delivered it in spades. There was a lot in Chinatown and the Bukit Bintang neighborhood. Even construction barriers and electric boxes were decorated.

See some of the best examples of KL’s street art in “Colorful Kuala Lumpur Street Art 2024.”

What Surprised Us

The prevalence of English

English is everywhere. The country’s official language is Malay, but English is widely spoken and displayed. This is no surprise since Malaysia was under British control until it gained independence in 1957.

The flag

The current Malaysian flag was adopted in 1963 and is similar to the U.S. flag. The 14 red and white stripes represent 13 states and the federal government, as do the fourteen points on the star. The crescent moon represents Islam.

The mega malls

The third thing that surprised us was how many huge malls there are. The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, with its 700 stores and over 150 dining outlets (including a massive food court), was a 20-minute walk from our apartment. Most of the stores there are high-end, so we didn’t shop there, but the Mercado supermarket was our go-to place for big grocery shopping trips.

Another large mall is at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers. Suria KLCC has more than 340 stores and more than 90 restaurants. Like Pavilion, the stores are primarily high-end.

We also went to the NU Sentral Mall. It is smaller than the others we visited, and stores are mid-level. You won’t have to pass Gucci, Prada, or Chanel to find something affordable. NU Sentral is connected to the monorail and KL Sentral, the railway transportation center.

If you are only going to see one mall, The Exchange TRX is the one. It has 400 plus stores and over 100 restaurants divided into five culinary precincts. It also has the only Apple store in Kuala Lumpur, and it is a beauty.

Besides the exquisite interior, there is a lot to see outdoors. There is a 10-acre or 4-hectare rooftop park with a killer play place and a quiet botanical garden.

What We Didn’t Love

The motorcycles

Motorcyclists have little regard for the rules of the road or the sidewalk, for that matter. We have seen motorcycles driving on sidewalks in other cities, but nothing like here during rush hour, when they turned the sidewalks into their personal streets. They also run a lot of red lights, so be extra careful when crossing the street.

The food

Neither Steve nor I like spicy food, and Malaysian food is spicy. We struggled in the Pavilion Mall food court. My dish, which I was told would not be spicy, definitely was. I was prepared to replace it with another dish. The vendor kindly replaced it free of charge for a less spicy dish.

We tried a buffet at an Indian restaurant where we were assured that several items weren’t spicy. Except for the white rice, they were all spicy to some degree.

After a few disappointing meals, we decided to eat what we like. We found Poblano, a great Mexican restaurant. We had wonderful chicken fajitas there. They had just the right amount of seasoning for our tender taste buds. It is a family-run restaurant where we were treated like friends right from the start. We ate there three times and loved every meal.

What We Did

The KL Forest Eco Park

We went to the KL Forest Eco Park because we thought it was the way to the KL Tower. You can get to the tower through the park but don’t have to go that way.

The KL Forest Eco Park is a 500-acre or 200-hectare forest reserve next to the KL Tower. It has 200 species of trees, two species of monkeys, and other wildlife. We were there in the early afternoon and didn’t see any monkeys, but perhaps you will be luckier. There is a 660-foot or 200-meter canopy walk.

We paid $10 each to get into the park. Because it was hot, we only did the canopy walk and then headed to the KL Tower.

The KL Tower

The well-known Petronas Twin Towers aren’t the only towers in KL. The KL Tower is a 1,381-foot or 421-meter-tall telecommunications tower. You can take an interior elevator to the indoor and outdoor viewing platforms at the top. You can get great views of the city from both platforms, but the views were better from the indoor viewing platform.

You can see the tower in the photo at the beginning of this post.

The Petronas Twin Towers

If you don’t go to the Petronas Twin Towers, have you even been to KL?

The towers stand at 1483 feet or 452 meters and have 88 floors. From the time they were completed in 1998 until 2004, they were the tallest buildings in the world. They are currently the tallest twin towers in the world.

Steve and I took a tour of the towers. It included an elevator ride to the two-level skybridge, which connects both towers at levels 41 and 42. The tour then continued to the top, where there was a small museum. As impressive as the towers are, we found the tour disappointing.

Aquaria KLCC

KL’s aquarium is in the lower levels of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. It is divided into ten zones, and there is plenty of information in both Malay and English. The Living Oceans Zone is an underwater tunnel with the choice of using a people mover or walking.

Chinatown

KL’s Chinatown is south of the city center and covers many blocks. Don’t miss Petaling Street, a covered area with shops and restaurants. The shops were mostly selling inexpensive items. Expect to be dealing with throngs of shoppers. It was busy both times we were there.

I much preferred wandering the adjacent streets. There were still many sidewalk vendors, but the streets were much less crowded than Petaling Street. There is also a fair amount of street art.

The most surprising thing was the Sri Maha Mariammam Temple. We came across this incredible Hindu temple unexpectedly. It is free to visit, but you must remove your shoes, and women must have their legs covered. You can rent a wrap for 1 Ringgit, about 25 cents.

The Batu Caves

The Batu Caves is a religious and cultural site and a huge tourist attraction. It is easily recognizable by its 272 rainbow stairs and the 140-foot or 43-meter-tall golden statue of Lord Murugan.

The main attraction is the Temple Cave, which is where the rainbow stairs lead. Once inside, you will see Hindu temples and statues. You can wear shoes to climb the stairs and walk around the cave, but you must remove them to enter a temple. Respectful dress is expected, and women must cover their legs if they are wearing shorts or a skirt above the knees. You can get a wrap near the entrance if you need it.

Dozens, or possibly hundreds, of long-tailed macaques roam the Batu Caves grounds. They are cute but can be aggressive if you get too close. They are known to steal any item they can, so protect your valuables. Here is an article on how to avoid monkey mishaps.

The Temple Cave and surrounding grounds are free. There are shops, restaurants, and restrooms.

Besides the Temple Cave, you can see two other caves for a small cost. One is the Cave Villa Art Gallery. For only $1.25 per person, you can enter a colorful wonderland of Hindu culture. There are signs to explain the stories behind the statues.

For $2.50 per person, you can explore the Ramayana Cave, which is also full of statues related to Hindu culture. The descriptions are simpler than in the Cave Villa.

Neither the Cave Villa nor the Ramayana Cave are religious sites, so you do not have to cover your upper legs.

Little India

If you are looking for some Indian vibes, head to Little India. It is about 8 miles or 12 km southwest of the city center. There are a lot of shops selling ornate Indian clothes. Loud music from the shops fills the streets. There are also a lot of food vendors, so you are sure to find something tasty to eat.

Perdana Botanical Gardens

You can stroll the Perdana Botanical Gardens for free. The gardens cover 226 acres or 91 hectares and have specialty gardens, a lake, and a deer park.

KL Bird Park

The KL Bird Park is next to the Botanical Gardens. The park covers 21 acres or 8.5 hectares, much of it covered so the birds have room to fly. There were some birds in large enclosures, but many had the freedom to fly or walk around.

You can see 3,000 birds from 200 species. As with other places we visited in KL, the information was in English and was informative.

Jalan Alor Food Street

For a real taste of Malaysia, both in food and culture, head to Jalan Alor. The pedestrian street is lined with food stalls and is bustling every evening. You will have to deal with crowds, but that’s part of the fun.

UR-MU @Bukit Bintang

This small museum in the Bukit Bintang neighborhood is fun if you like quirky art. The art is divided into themes over five floors. The art is contemporary, which Steve usually avoids, but he enjoyed this gallery.

The website says you must order your tickets online. And you should. I forgot, but when we arrived, we were the only patrons and were allowed to purchase them on the spot.

There are two other locations listed on the website, but I cannot comment on them since we didn’t visit them.

Our Costs

Flight from Gran Canaria	$2,100
Accommodations	1,600
Food	1,200
Activities	200
Local transportation	100
Total	$5,200
Number of nights	29
Cost per night	$179
Cost per night without flight	$107

All costs are for two people

Until Next Time

I hope you enjoyed reading about our time in Kuala Lumpur and got some helpful hints for your next visit. Have you been to KL? If so, let us know what you think of it.

Happy traveling,
Linda

Travel Resources

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