Kuala Lumpur: Stunning Capital of Malaysia

1. Intro
2. Things We Did
   1. Petronas Towers
   2. Batu Caves
   3. Sekinchan Rice Fields
   4. The Lankan Crabs
   5. Mid Valley Megamall
   6. City Centre
3. Where We Stayed

Intro

When coming to Malaysia you most likely will arrive via Kuala Lumpur. Not only is it the gateway to the rest of Malaysia but it is fascinating in it’s own right.

During our recent trip to Malaysia we arrived at KLIA and immediately headed downstairs to the railway station and caught the train directly to KL Sentral. We only stayed one night here before boarding another train to Ipoh in the morning so we only had time to catch up with Umah and eat out at one of the city’s great restaurants. However, we came back again for 3 days on the way back from our trip to Sabah and Sarawak.

It wasn’t nearly enough time to do a lot of sightseeing in this hugely busy city full of wonderful architecture and delicious cuisine but just enough time to visit some of our favourite places and pick up somewhere new.

Things We Did

Petronas Towers

We didn’t go up the Petronas Towers on this visit, we’ve been a few times before with various family members, however after dinner at DIN by Din Tai Fung at Suria KLCC [NO PORK] located within the Suria KLCC shopping mall we wandered outside to watch the musical fountain and soak up the stunning night views.

Crazy but in this mall we loved riding the glass elevator!

Batu Caves

We always come to Batu Caves when in Kuala Lumpur and we love it. We love to wander around the temple where Basker will take part in a Hindu puja and we will normally climb the 272 rainbow steps to visit the temple at the top.

It can be tricky climbing the steps with such a lot of cheeky monkeys around and I recall one trying to grab my mother’s handbag or drink bottle when we visited together many years ago.

The temple at the base of the caves is beautiful and grandly decorated. There’s a ton of atmosphere; the scent of camphor, the sound of Hindu prayers, the smiles from religious devotees, wonderful.

The most prominent feature of the location is the Arulmigu Murugan Statue which stands a magnificent 42m high.

Then all too quickly it is time to have a yummy South Indian vegetarian breakfast at our favourite restaurant, Amutha Restoran. Hearty and tasty fare of freshly cooked thosai, puris, chutneys and curries with lots of lassi and fresh coconut water.

Sekinchan Rice Fields

We were so lucky to spend the day with Umah going to the paddy fields. It was a whole day trip and was totally worth it. This was something new for us and although the rice had recently been harvested we enjoyed the day out immensely.

We joined a tour at the Paddy Gallery which was great, both informative and a huge amount of fun. Each visitor was given a small packet of rice to take home and more rice products could be purchased from the shop on site.

Note to self… must come back just prior to harvest when the activity is at it’s height.

Our next stop was the Seknchan Beach where we could walk along the sand and a little along the river. Here you will find a plethora of fishing boats and note that you are in the heart of a busy fishing industry.

The boats come and go from the small canals and safe to say there is a build up of bits and pieces including rubbish and old tires. It could be cleaner. But there is a volunteer programme and the workers do a great job.

It was a great place to stretch your legs and build up an appetite. Next stop… seafood lunch!

We enjoyed lovely fresh seafood at Hee Kee Sekinchan Seafood Restaurant.

After lunch we couldn’t resist a visit to Mango King for a cold mango smoothie served up in the front yard of a corner house under a simple CI canopy.

The Lankan Crabs

We were on a roll with seafood so Umah took us to The Lankan Crabs for, wait for it… crab curry! Gigantic crabs in a rich and thick Jaffna curry sauce, cooked perfectly, what’s not to love?

Mid Valley Megamall

We always come here to spend a few hours shopping, eating and generally browsing around. It’s huge! And there is always something wonderful to buy, of course. Nisha requested Mac makeup so we were on a mission.

City Centre

After a reminiscent visit to the Globe Silk Store, which used to be a beautiful department store in the early 1980’s we walked along to the New Madras Store to look for some kurtas and then on to Adyar Ananda Bhavan Masjid India for some teh tarik, vadai and Indian sweets.

Where We Stayed

In the past we have always stayed at the YMCA and it was good, nice and clean and cheap, great central location with friendly staff and a basic café however on our trips now we prefer to stay somewhere with slightly more facilities.

• Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral– good, 10 min walk from railway station
• Ascott Sentral Kuala Lumpur – great apartments with kitchen and laundry, 650 m from railway station
• Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur Hotel– excellent, 130 meters from the railway station, great pool

Thanks for visiting my blog. Ka kite anō.