Metropol with a friendly face

There are lots of things to do in KL. Among the most rewarding are taking a stroll on the night market in vibrant Chinatown, watching the rich and the beautiful in the shopping malls of downtown KL, visiting the historical monuments of colonial and post-independence KL or relaxing in the magnificent birdpark near the national museum. Even dining can be a real treat in KL, as it is reknowned as one of the food capitals of the Far East.

Quick Tips:

Don't miss the Hindu shrine that is Batu caves in the outskirts of the city. The caves are naturally formed in limestone formations north of central KL, but the substantial Hindu population of the region has revered it and built a temple complex inside and in the immediate vicinity of it. Besides the obvious attraction of the spectacular setting inside an enormous cave 100 meters above the surrounding land, Batu caves have that fantastic and mystical atmosphere that is the true essence of the mystical Far East.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can walk around most of central KL, but if you don't have the time to take one area of interest each day, you can save time using taxis. Taxis are not quite as cheap as in other Southeast Asian countries, but they are still extremely good value for western tourists.

Hotel Malaya is excellent if you want a good location (in the middle of Chinatown), it''s comfortable and has very reasonable rates. The hotel mainly caters to businesspeople, but it is easily cheap enough for ordinary tourists.

There is nothing special about the rooms, but they are large and have a TV, minibar, nice bathrooms and comfortable beds. In the hall there is a good breakfast café (a rarity in Chinatown), and the staff are always willing to assist you with anything. Double rooms start at 25$ and are good value!

The night market in Chinatown is one of the liveliest places in KL. At around 7 pm the shops start their business, and the entire length of Jalan Petaling turns into one big souvenir market selling everything from t-shirts to fake watches and sunglasses. The imitations are really quite good, and a "Rolex" watch bought here will last between 1/2 and 7 (and counting) years, provided you don't take the "water resistant down to 100 m" too seriously. Don't forget to bargain hard when buying; pretty soon you will get a feeling what the market value of each type of merchandise is. Sometimes it pays to postpone your transactions till late in the evening (the market closes down between 10 and 11 pm), where succesfull vendors may be willing to cut their profit a little.

The temples in Batu Caves are a must-see if you are in KL. They are situated in a large limestone formation that rises abruptly from the cultivated and urban areas north of the city, and this magnificent location is what makes the complex interesting.

When you arrive at the site there is a big square on which Indian vendors have put up their simple cafés or restaurants. It is a good idea to sit down at one of them and have a soft drink before you begin the long stairway ascent to the most impressive of the caves. From here you can also enjoy the distinct hindu nature of the surroundings, complete with small temples, colourfull woodcarved figures and of course hindu worshippers dressed in exotic sarongs.

The stairway itself is impressing: it is about 300 steps high and maybe 15 m wide, divided into three longitudinal segments by ornated fences. There are resting plateaus for every 30 steps or so, and there is a resident population of macaques who just love bothering tourists on their way up or down.

Once up the stairs you stand at the entrance of a huge natural cave (maybe 50 m to the ceiling) which has been decorated with hindu statues here and there. Walk past the first big cave and you will find the temple itself, which isn't much, but its location more than makes up for that. In the bottom of the big cave the ceiling opens and allows the sun to shine into the complex. You can see the rainforest trying to climb down into the cave 50 m above your head, and it all gives an impression of awe, especially combined with the religious nature of the site.

There are a couple of other caves in the area, one of them filled with statues telling some story from the hindu mythology. There is also a big pond with huge fish and tortoises. All in all you can easily spend a couple of hours here enjoying the complex.