My plan was to spend two nights over a weekend in KL, to squeeze a side trip from Singapore.   The typical scenario would be more a 3 Days/2 Nights stay, trying to stretch out as much time as possible in the city.  In my case, the time I end up spending shrink a little by little as my planning went on, culminating in a total of about 42 hours I would spend from the time the plane landed in KL on Friday afternoon and took over again on Sunday afternoon.

(For Photos I took on this trip, click the link to my Picasa Album.)

With flight time of less than an hour (actually in air time of 40 minutes) from Singapore to KL, I want to leave around 4pm or 5pm on Friday and come back around 3pm or 4pm on Sunday.  I first look at the regional budget airlines, ie Air Asia, Tiger, Jetstart, etc.  Flights between Singapore and KL can be very cheap and the budget airlines have almost hourly flights daily.  For example, if I wanted to fly back at 6am on Sunday morning, one airline had a fare of S$5 plus taxes.  But around the times I was looking at, I could get round trip tickets between about S$130 and S$170 on these budget airlines.  [Note: Exchange rate is about S$1.4 per US$1]

One problem I had was that I wanted to take a bag and my computer as carry-on and all the budget airlines allow only one item of carry-on as their policy.  Checking the various online feedback, it appears that enforcements of this policy can vary depending on ground staff.  I didn’t want to check-in any bags and didn’t want to having to take a chance at the airport, I decided to go with Silk Air, Singapore Airline’s offshoot to support shorter routes with smaller planes, which allows a carry-on bag plus a ‘personal’ computer bag. At S$254 for the round trip, it was definitely a bit more expensive than the budget airlines fares I could have gotten.  It is arguable whether the extra cost is worth it for a few minutes of time and the advantage of keeping everything with me.  But I went with it.

On the outbound there was a flight at 4:15PM, which fit my plan reasonably well.  On the return, I had two options, a 12:15PM and a 2:15PM to choose from.  I thought I had chose the 2:15PM flight.  But when I checked my itinerary after I got to KL, I realized I had booked the 12:15PM flight.   And with the outbound flight delayed a bit and not landing until about 5:30PM, my ‘end to end’ stay in KL turned out to be about 42 hours.

With the hotel prices in KL being fairly reasonable, I decided to pay and earn additional points than use my points.  I decided on Renaissance Hotel as they offered a rate of RM323 per night for the weekend plus a credit of RM170 on dinning, broadband, etc. and it seems to locate near center of town.  The hotel turned out located to be strategically located close to both a monorail station and a subway stop, and my room had a perfect view of the Petronas Twin Towers.

One of the things I wanted to try on my trip to KL was to see if I can spend no more than US$100 (which turns out to RM320) on my two day stay (outside of the hotel), including food, transport, gifts, etc.  After hearing stories on KL taxis from everyone and posting on the web, I also want to see if I can try to use only public transport on my visit, which would also help keep my spending in check.

The plane landed in KL at about 5:30PM, which was only about 20 minutes behind the scheduled time, even though the plane didn’t take off until about 4:50PM, instead of 4:15PM. Sometimes it’s good to have a big buffer.  KL International Airport looks very designed and new.  As I walked through the airport, one thing I noticed that would kind of shown through out KL is that the signage is just underwhelming to lead you to where you want to go.  It was just after 6PM when I got through immigration and custom.

To get Malaysian currency to use for transport into the city, I made my exchange at the Airport.  The rate of RM320 turns out to be about RM10 less than where you can get at the money changers in town.  I took the KL Express train out of the airport (RM35). The train ride was pleasant; in the late afternoon hours, I was still able to get a good view of the countryside as the train move towards the city center.  I saw several groups of water buffalos during the ride.  For most of the way from the airport, the scene was rural and open.  What struck me was that there were a few housing complexes (with 4 o 5 buildings) that seem to be in the middle of nowhere along the way.  The advertise time of the journey is 28 minutes, and that was about right.

The train terminates at KL Sentral.  In a way it’s not much different than other city center transportation hub, with your cornucopia of food outlets and shops.  I bought a bottle of water and look for way to the monorail, which according to the hotel website is the closest public transport to the hotel.  From the KL’s public transit wesite, I knew that the monorail station is outside of the KL Sentral station (even if that is the last stop on this end of the route).  I was hoping that there were still signs leading me to it.  No such luck.  I have to ask a couple of people to find out which way to go.  The people were nice about it.  I had to walk past the taxi gauntlet on my way out, but I was determined to go the public transit route.  As I start walking out the complex, I hear thundering in the background and soon, the rain started.  In general, the road leading to the monorail station has a cover walkway, but I was still thinking how I was going to get to the hotel as the rain became harder and harder.

The monorail is an above ground transit system that is similar to the Disney World’s monorail link, just a bit faster and with wider trains.  There are only 2 coaches in each monorail, it’s not particular a mode that will carry lots of people.  And it was packed on my train ride all the way to the station (Bukit Nanas) next to the hotel (7 stops).

When I arrived at my destination, the rain has lightened.  The station literally was just across the street from the hotel.  Making a dash across the street, I got inside without getting too wet.   The Renaissance Hotel is in the mist of upgrade, which maybe a reason why they are offering the bonus dollar to those staying at the one tower being renovated right now.  But the ambience and the facility is fairly pleasant and well done.  My room is spacious, with a sofa and a decent size desk, along with a view of the Twin Petronas Towers.  The room styling is a bit aged and some of the controls wasn’t too obvious (like you have to turn on the TV power on the control panel next to the bed), but still overall wasn’t too bad.

Anyway, by the time I got settle in the room it was just before 8PM.  I had a conference call at 8PM, so I got connected up.  With a price of RM63 per day for broadband and RM29 for each hour, I know I won’t use two full days of the internet access. (Remember that I can use part of the RM170 credit on it.) So do I want to do the hour now and then the full 24 hours later, or vice versa.  I decide to go with the one-hour now (probably as much that I want a reason to be able to have a one hour limit as much as anything.)

After the call at 9PM, the rain has stopped, and I walked out to the monorail station to go somewhere to get some local food.  I went to the Times Square Mall (Imbi Station), but by the time (around 9:30PM), most shops were being closed.  I then set out to find Jalan Ahor, which is the hawker vendor street in KL).   Without a map on hand (probably not the most brilliant move on my part), I weave from street to street going in the direction that I thought would get me to Jalan Ahor.   All along the route, what encourage me was that there were still restaurants and shops open.  I finally found the Jalan Ahor around 10PM.  Then it was decide what I want.  Malaysia is famous for satay, so that is one must.  The other is some localized version of various dishes.  Also, take into consideration that I am a lite on the ‘spice meter’, couldn’t really get too local (more on that later).  And being 10PM, I also didn’t want to overstuff myself.  At the end, I went with a 3 pieces of chicken and beef satay each, a order of Fujian fry noodles and a glass of freshly made carrot juice.  The price for all those comes to RM13.50 (or US$4.2).

Jalan Ahor is in the area call Bintang.  It’s a fairly lively place – even when I got done around 10:45PM, the whole area was still humming.  I walked around some and then decide to head back to the hotel.  My total spend on my first night in KL came to RM56, so I was in good shape for tomorrow.

The next morning, I pay for a full 24 hours of access of broadband and check through all the overnight email from the western hemisphere. (The disadvantage of being in Asia is that you get a bunch of things on Saturday morning.  The Advantage? Very quiet on Monday morning.)  Then I went down to the gym for a quick workout.  Around 10AM, I was ready to set out of what essentially my only full day in KL.

Being so close to the Petronas Towers, I decide to swing by there first.  There are free tickets given to visitors to the bridge that connects the two towers, but alas, those tickets are given our very early in the day.   I took a few pictures of the towers with my blackberry camera. Even though it was only about a block from the hotel, by the time I got to the twin towers, I was starting to sweat on sunny day, despite my best efforts to walk in the shade as much as possible.   After getting pictures of the towers, I set off to KL City Center (KLCC).  This is a shopping mall and a subway station.   I grabbed a couple of buns and some water inside the mall and took a walk around (RM 3.50).  The mall inside doesn’t look much different than most malls, but it’s a mall with high-end stores like Channel, LV, Gucci, Ferragamo, Hermes, Burberry, etc.   It is definitely not a place to try to find something to fit my budget guidelines here.

After finishing up my food, I went down to the subway and head out to Pasir Seni station, which is close to the Central Market and Chinatown.  As I navigate the streets towards the Central Market, I confirmed that unlike Singapore, the traffic light is more or less a reference point for pedestrians in KL.  (Have to admit that with the varying flow of traffic, waiting for the “walk” sign in some intersection can be exacerbating, particularly when some for lights may not be working.)  Fairly soon, I adopted the street crossing mantra while I was at CAL, just move if there are no cars that you are likely to impede.

The Central Market was the old central Wet Market in KL, where the daily prices of all the food item were set.  Now, it is an Arts and Crafts center.   The shops inside were sells a mixture of locally made products and basic tourist type products.   I came across some organic sea cumber soap that I thought my wife would like.  I bought two bars (RM20).   Next, I walk through the area looking for Jalan Pateling Street in Chinatown.  This is supposedly the ‘shopping street’ in KL.  It took be a bit with my Google map to find the street. Jalan Pateling street is build up almost like an arcade, with a canopy covering over the street and a gate fronting the entrance.  There were stalls on both side of the streets, with shops behind the stalls as well.  This is the place if you are looking for not so genuine brand products, movies, etc.  There were also local tourist products as well, including a number of food stalls.  I heard about the distinct local ‘dry’ style of wonton soup, and decided to order one from one of the food vendors there.  Alas, the one I end up getting is the typical Hong Kong style.  And to top off the Wonton soup afterwards, I got a slice of papaya of another stall.  Total for lunch: RM 6.

After picking up a few DVDs at Jalan Pateling (RM30), I decide to look for a couple of places touted in several commentaries:  The Sri Mahamariaman temple and the Merdeka Square.  Both were supposed to be closed to the Chinatown area.  And in fact, they were close.  Even in the midday heat, they were walkable.  Of course, it would be much better if I was able to navigate the streets much more easily.  As I said before, signage is not a strong point in KL.

What made things worse was that the Sri Mahamariam temple more difficult to find is that it was under reconstruction with the outside wrapped in a blue canopy with no signs otherwise. (Imagine the locals wouldn’t need it.)  I think I walked by it twice before someone pointed out that the blue thing is the temple.  I think this is the first Indian temple I have been to.

My next destination was the Merdeka Square, which is supposed to be a few blocks away.  I kind of just wander toward the direction where I thought the place is.  But with few signs, it was a bit of a wing and a prayer.  During the walk along the way, I grabbed some pastry snacks and some more water; it’s hot even trying to walk under shades (RM 3).  But after a few more wrong turns and some more help from the locals, I did run into it.  I had to confirm that with the person in the tourist kiosk stand there as there were no signs.

Merdeka Square is a big open lawn space, also called Independence Square, as this is where local gathering take place. Next to the square is some Tudor-style buildings that now serves as the Royal Selangor Club, which was once built for the British civil servants to relax and play cricket in the lawn.  At the other end of the Square was a platform with some various flag poles.

Across the street is the Sultan Abdul Samad building, which is the Malaysian High Court.  It’s a beautiful Moorish style building that is immaculate white, and the whole complex runs almost the 100 yards plus long section of the street.  When I was there, it looked like they were some movie or TV shooting being done at the front of the building.

As I decide to head back to hotel to ‘cool down’ a bit, I ran into another site next to a subway station.  The Masjid Jamek is the oldest mosque in the city.  It stands along the river. The mosque was encased heavily by a gated fence, and it looks like everyone who goes in there has to follow the enscribed decorum.

When I returned to the hotel (2:30PM), I decided to grab a cake from the deli at the hotel, thinking primarily I could use it off my hotel credit (it didn’t turn out deli charge was eligible).  It was a mango layer cake costing RM8.  I spend about an hour in the room to cool down and read a bit.

Around 3:30PM, I decided to head back out.  This time I decided to go to the malls to see how the locals play (and to keep myself cool).  I went to Times Square Mall first.  This is a huge mall, not only was it 10 stories, but one section of it has an indoor amusement park (Cosmo World), which billed itself as the largest indoor amusement park in Asia.  I spend a hour or so walking around and looking at what the stores have.  I would say the stores in this mall are more the typical mainstream mall stores, such as Borders, Starbucks, GNC, Giordano, Esprit, and stores of that type.   No high-end stores as was in KLCC.   The prices there were not bad, a lot of t-shirts and shirts can be had for RM20-30.   Even the massage places has reasonable prices; a 30 minute foot massage was advertised for RM19.  I was tempted to give it try, but decide to pass and walk around some more.

I took went over to Cosmo World, which is housed on one side of the building separate from most stores, and took a look around the ‘outside’.  The most prominent piece is the rollercoaster that wraps around the building.  The sound of it reverberates quite a bit as it swish around.   The most interesting thing about it is that the amusement park is on multiple levels.

In that of the mall are where most of the restaurants and food court are located.  I spend a good 30 minutes walking and looking at the menus of all the restaurants there to see which one I want to try.  I wanted to try a local brand restaurant.  I know I only want to have a light bit, as I planned to go back to Jalan Alor for more food sampling.  I finally settled on a store called Secret Recipe.  I decided to order the Malaysia fried rice and satay set with a mango juice.  I tried to ask the waitress whether they could lighten the spice on the fried rice, even if it was only a one pepper spicy.  Her comment was very instructive…  “but Malaysian style is spicy or else it won’t be Malaysian”.   As it turn out, it was a bit more spicy than I would like, but was able to eat most of it with plenty of water and sweating it just a bit.  The Satay was good as well. But I was….. The bill came out to RM18.75.

It was just about 6:00PM when I got done with my meal.  I decide to walk towards Jalan Alor, but take my time to look at the shops along the way.  The area is vibrant and as I walk, some of the vendor was packing up their mobile stalls as the sun sets.  The shops are mixture of locals and tourist type.   The price generally isn’t too bad, but didn’t find anything that was appealing for me.  At Sungei Wang Plaza, which was next to the Bukit Bintang station, there was still a fairly good size throng of shoppers in the mall there.

By the time I reached Jalan Alor, it was about 7:30PM.  I first went for a local snack food, sandwich made of grill meat and pork floss with a dash of butter.  Probably not the best thing for me health wise, but it tasted pretty good.  Then I got a whole sliced mango and pastries to top off my meal.  Total cost: RM8.8.

Around 8PM I was debating whether I should stay around in the area until 8:30PM, when most of the lights is supposed to go out as part of the global “Lights Out” hour on that day, when all non-essential light was to be turned off.  But then I was interested to see if I could get a picture of the Petronas Towers with minimal lighting at night.  So I headed back to the hotel.  I returned to the hotel before the lights went out.  I looked out the window as the lights all around dimmed.  Where once the Tower and surrounding was bathed in bright light, now there is a light glow.  I went down to the street to see if I can get a picture.  But there was just enough light that make taking a picture with my Blackberry camera not ideal.

After walking around the surrounding area a bit more in the low light, which was quite quiet in contrast to the bintang district, the rest of the night, I caught up with reading and rested.

The next morning I slept until 8AM and then have breakfast in the hotel café.  It was there I finally figured out the Nesi Lemak is the Malaysian coconut rice.  I left the hotel around 9:30AM.  Arrived at KL Sentral at 10AM.   The only glitch came after I bought the ticket, I started looking the entrance sign and end up doing a 360 circle to find it;  the entrance was off to the side of the ticket booth on my approach.  Missed it completely.   Reached the airport just before 10:45AM and comfortably reached the gates around 11:30AM – even picking up a postcard and some souvenirs (total transport & misc RM47.50).  With the plane departing on time at 12:30PM, I completed my 42 hours in KL.

And I reached my goal of not spending more than RM320 in my stay.  In fact, I had plenty left over, overall I spend about RM200, with about RM120 left over.  In hindsight, I should have gotten that foot massage at Times Square mall.