Kuala Lumpur is among those capitals that many airlines fly to, so you can plan your planes in such a manner that you have a few days to visit it and not just switch planes there. I’d also add that the city is just 250km from equator, so you don’t need anything warm to dress.
The first contact with the airport and Malaysia will charm you – great food, unspoiled nature. They even set up a rainforest for all who must just switch planes here, but it cannot compare to the real thing, such as the natural resort park at Pahang or Taman Nagara Pahang, that I’ll describe latter.
The second surprise at the airport is the food court with numerous restaurants offering various Malaysian food. You’re bound to find something to your liking.
But enough about the airport, let’s hit the town! We can reach the metropolis by express train that manages the distance in 28 minutes, although the distance is 60 kilometres apart. It will take you from the airport straight to the main rail station KL Sentral, in the heart of the city.
All righty then, we’re here! But what to do or see while in Kuala Lumpur? As any metropolis KL has so much to offer it’s hard to choose from if we don’t have all the time in the world, and with all the different tastes and wants it’s hard to make suggestions… yet there are still some landmarks that are an absolute must!
First I’d say you just have to visit the bird park! It’s an unique kind of a park which hosts 200 various kinds of birds, with the total number of around 3.000 feathered inhabitants. The birds are able to fly free in the park, as it is covered by a huge net at the elevation of a few dozen meters, so you can freely walk among and feed the birds in the park, with the feed that the park offers.
The bird park is thus the largest open space for birds among any similar park in the world and offers a great experience for big and small alike, and you’re bound to enjoy the parrots and their display of mathematical skills.
The bird park is in the very heart of the city, just a 10 minutes’ walk from the central mosque and 15 minutes’ walk from the historical rail station (which is 5 minutes away from the new central station – or if you take the city train it’s the first stop – or 20 minutes walking from KL Sentral). You can read more about the bird’s park at
http://klbirdpark.com/ , where you also se when it’s open.
There are two more attractions for nature enthusiasts near the bird park – the botanical gardens of Perdana and the gardens of orchids and hibiscus; both well worth a visits.
The next attraction of Kuala Lumpur is the national mosque, which is also located in the very centre of the city! It’s done in the style of the architecture from the 60’s in the twentieth century and stands on a large area of 53.000 square meters. It can take in 15.000 people, but you may only enter if you are clad appropriately, if not they will provide the covers for you at the entrance. The only place you cannot go to, but can see it through the entrance gate, is the central part dedicated to prayers. For all who are interested in the Islamic culture and art there is also the Malaysian museum of Islamic art right next to the mosque, with 30.000 square meters of area. If you’re not sure whether to visit a museum or not, maybe this information will help you out
www.iamm.org.my/i_ex.
In the very centre of the city there is also the national museum of Malaysia and many other attractions. We can enter the national museum for a symbolic prize of about 1€ and see the history of the South-eastern Asian state. There’s also the national planetarium, the museum of textile fabrics, and many other, so you can spend a lot of quality time in the centre itself.
And the thing you really should not miss out on Is the central city market. It’s a combination of new and old, fruit, vegetables, souvenirs, textile, and again, superb local cuisine.
Believe it or not, among other things you can also find a high quality budget friendly accommodation in the very heart of the city! There’s the Youth Hostel Kuala Lumpur - Citin Seacare Pudu and Youth Hostel Citin Masjid Jamek to choose from, that enable you to spend a night for 25€ in a two bedded room for two people. More information or booking can be found online at
www.youth-hostel.si or
www.hihostels.com.
As both hostels are at the prime location, all of the above attractions are just a walking distance away, taking you some ten minutes.
What to see outside the city centre?
Naturally you should not miss out on other things that are not in the central location. Kuala Lumpur has a lot more to offer, you know.
The Petronas twin towers (named after the Malaysian national oil company) still has the highest connecting bridge between the two twin towers. They are over two kilometres from the hostels, so it can take you about a half an hour walk to reach them. You will be able to walk the high bridge to cross from one tower to the other and se the city from the elevation of 360m, or from the 86th floor. But you will have to pay a fee of 20€ to get there, so you better make sure you will have a good view, which depends mostly on weather conditions.
The next view point is almost the same distance away from the hostel. It’s the “KL Tower” standing on the top of the hill and offers a similar view to the Twins. Apart from the views ou can also try the Formula One Grand Prix simulation drive or visit an aquarium at the KL Tower. It’s a bit cheaper as well than the Petronas, but visiting both probably isn’t a priority. It’s better to decide for one.
If guess I’ve convinced you to explore the centre on foot, but certainly you should not do the same for the Batu caves as they are over a dozen kilometres away, but you can reach them in half an hour with local transport. The public transport system in Kuala Lumpur is very well organized.
Batu caves are the holiest place for the Hindus living in Malaysia. It’s a system of limestone caves only 400 meters long, with 272 steps leading towards them. The surroundings of the caves is the habitat of hundreds of monkeys begging for food. There is also a 42,7m tall gilded statue of Murugan (the largest Murugan statue in the world) standing at the entrance. Under the cave there’s the temple which you also should visit.
Royal Selangor is yet another attraction you should see. Here you’ll see the traditional metal works, but since it might not be everybody’s cup of tea and is 10 kilometers from the city, I suggest you check it out on line first and decide for yourself
http://visitorcentre.royalselangor.com/vc2/ as it would take you three to four hours for the expeirance of Royal Selangor (including the trip there and back). But it’s good to know that the manufacture and exhibition are free of charge.
Even more remote is the Putrajaya, the new administrative centre of Malaysia, where many ministries and the government moved to. It’s a modern centre of government 35 kilometres to the south of the capital city, still reachable by the airport train from KL Sentral and it takes you 20 minutes. Putrajaya is a megalomanic structure for a country bosting with wide straight boulevards, planned architecture and shows off most of the riches of this Asian state. As the majority of population is Muslim there are many mighty mosques to be found and the lake gives it an even grander feel as you can take boat rides as well. It’s a city worth visiting if you want to see an architectural wonder not limited by financial means.
Due to great connections we can reach the Putraya and see it in a single day, as a break from Kuala Lumpur, but that does not apply to Kuala Tahan and the famous national park Taman Negara – the biggest national park in the region. But I’ll talk about it in the net issue. Here’s still some warning for the end:
The dangers of Kuala Lumpur: Although Malaysia is a fairly safe country, the capital city is faced with ever more daring thieves. Usually thy just snatch a purse while riding a scooter, as such thieves are usually faster and more agile than the police. I do not recommend you to use a taxi! Every online forum, advice, and testimony of people will be against it. They never use the meter, the prices are terribly high and they can even threaten their clients. And it’s especially unpleasant for girls if they travel on their own. Even the city authorities are aware of it and that’s why they introduced the GO-KL free bus for tourists and locals that cover about 14 kilometres of the narrow city centre.
Tips and dangers in general: Malaysia is relatively safe country, but you can never be too cautious. It’s one of the 32 countries with death sentence for drug smuggling. I especially suggest you to be careful while packing and on the plane and you should NEVER take parcels from strangers to send to somebody back home. Crime rate is not high, but still be on the lookout as ever more daring thefts are taking place. Usually it’s people on scooters grabbing things (mostly purses), so make sure you don’t have any such easy targets (especially ladies).
