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Published: August 19th 2011
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KL is a great place to go to appreciate architecture, both modern and historic. Though many historic buildings have been destroyed to make way for modern developments, there are some left and plenty of temples and mosques. Hindu temples are probably the most impressive to look at; most can be entered for free, just make sure you leave your shoes outside. I also came to love the Muslim call to prayer (aka azan/adhan). The sound emanates from every Mosque fives times a day, but I am sorry to say I didn't hear it that often. Although I am an atheist, I must admit the adhan is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, along with the reading of the Koran at a Muslim wedding I went to once.
Something else KL is great for is its water fountains! Two of the most spectacular can be found in Little India and Merdeka Square (see the photos - though my pic of the Little India fountain really doesn't do it justice).
While in KL we stayed in Chinatown. The first night in the Monkey's Inn, a hostel. But we had a private room with our own washroom so it was
fine. Cramped and no windows, but just fine if your on a budget. For our next two nights we decided to move across the street to the 5 Elements Hotel, which was much nicer and still pretty cheap ($68 CAN per night.) I am convinced that Chinatown is the best place to stay when visiting any city, because Chinatown is usually centrally located, close to lots of other sites and attractions, close to transit, and cheap! Being close to all the night markets and inexpensive beer and food is fantastic.
If you are on a budget, don't waste your money eating at regular restaurants. The food stalls are the way to go - the food is just as good, but costs much less. There are also lots of food centres, with a bunch of stalls lining the walls, and you go up and order your food wherever you want and then sit down and they will bring it to you, at which point you pay. Most of these places also have a separate stall/person responsible for serving beer. I already miss having Masi Lemak and Laksa, so make sure you try those two things.
Although it was Ramadan
while we visited, we had no problem at all finding food or getting served during the day. The only time was when we were trying to have shisha in the Arab district, we were told to come back after 7:30 because the guy in charge of the shisha couldn't smoke until after sundown.
If you want to go up in the Petronas Towers, get there to buy your tickets EARLY! We showed up at 9am, but that wasn't early enough. We stood in a long line and watched as a sign informed us they were now selling tickets for people to go up at 1pm later that day, at which point we gave up. Getting into the KL Tower is no problem though, and that gives you a view of the Petronas Towers. But I still regret not getting their earlier.
The Bird Park is a good place to go if you want to see monkeys. All the birds are impressive too. It's supposed to be the largest outdoor Bird Park in the world. Another good place to see monkeys is the steps of Batu Caves. And if a cab driver offers to take you to Batu Caves
and wait for you to take you back, because it's apparently so hard to get a taxi back, don't listen. You can take the commuter train to Batu Caves station for 2 ringgits. From the station, it's a 2 minute walk to the Batu Caves steps, and it's impossible to get lost. Batu Caves was probably the best attraction in KL, so don't miss it. The Dark Cave tours are also worth it.
It gets really hot between 12-3pm, so if you don't like sweat pouring off you and soaking through your clothes, best to wake up early in the morning to see some sites, then go back to your hotel and have a nap during the heat of the day, and go back out again in the evening. Prepare to shower and need to change your clothes frequently. And if your on your way to Singapore afterwards and think you may need to take your dirty clothes to a laundry on your trip, don't wait until you get to Singapore, do your laundry in KL! Finding a laundry in Singapore, for some bizarre reason, is very difficult.
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