Kuala Lumpur

National Monument

Visiting the lay over city.

I will have flown in and out of Kuala Lumpur (KL) on four different days by the time I finish this trip! I chose to fly Air Asia, the cheapest option, and consequently have to stop in KL between some flights. It's worked out well and of course I was happy to check out the city on one extended lay over if you will (all the flights are actually booked individually, so I could dictate what constituted the lay over). I had a full day and two nights in Kuala Lumpur, which I felt was enough time to see the major attractions in the city.

I arrived late the first night from Brunei, taking Air Asia's Skybus in to the city for 10 ringgit. I was then able to catch the metro to Chinatown, where I stayed at Matahari Lodge. It was a pretty good place. Not the nicest hostel I have stayed in, but clean enough, and it had hot showers. There was also breakfast included, though it was just toast with butter, peanut butter and jam. Still better than nothing!

Petronas Twin Towers

The next morning I headed out early in hopes of getting a free ticket to the sky bridge between the Petronas Twin Towers. Sadly, the sky bridge is closed on Mondays, and of course I was visitng KL on a Monday (Sept. 22)! So instead I walked around the Suria, which is essentially two malls in one in the Kuala Lumpur City Center. Most places weren't open until 10 a.m., though, so there wasn't a lot for me to do. I decided to walk to Kampong Bharu, an old village within the city. On the way I spotted an H&M, which was open, so I figured I'd browse inside quickly. I ended buying a few items before finally continuing on to the old village. There wasn't much in the area, but a few cool old houses. I had a pamphlet from my hostel that gave some history to the place, so that made it a bit more interesting. I also found a food court and had some noodles for lunch.

Old Train Station

I continued exploring the city, this time heading to the old train station. I jumped on the metro, which is incredibly cheap and convenient, to save myself a long walk. The old train station is quite lovely and there are some other interesting buildings around the area as well. From there I walked to the nearby National Mosque, which is the ugliest mosque I have ever seen. It was seriously horrid.

Botanical Gardens

My next stop was the botanical gardens. Inside are several extra parks which you can pay to enter, including a deer park and a butterfly park. I decided to stick with just the free parts, since it was so large and so lovely. There was a lot of nice vegetation, and it was a welcome respite from the busy city. I continued through the gardens to the national monument, which was definitely worth the visit. Walking farther still, I went to Merdeka Square, which was an awesome part of the city with some colonial style buildings. The Jamek Mosque was also nearby and was much more attractive than its national counterpart. I finished up my solo walking tour of the city with a quick browse in the Central Market and a stroll around Chinatown. The next morning I got up early for my 7:35 a.m. flight, and headed in to the airport on the comfortable KLIA Ekspres train.
Kuala Lumpur was a nice place to visit, and I imagine it would be quite comfortable to live in. Also, the public transportation is great.

Kuala Lumpur Gratitude Journal
1. I am grateful for efficient public transportation.
2. I am grateful for gardens.