The Adventure of Kuala Lumpur!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…..

a Diamond in the Rough!

Although our time in Kuala Lumpur was brief, it was packed with fun & adventure!! David conducts quite a bit of business in KL so he has been there a couple of times, but I never had. One of my (now) favorite things about KL is how amazingly warm & hospitable the people are, its seriously like being with family, yet they are all strangers. 

We decided to stay at the Hilton KL. The location was wonderful in regards to the high-speed train to/from the KL airport. It was not downtown but we weren’t really looking for that either. Its a quick 10 minute car ride downtown, yet also situated near & between popular suburbs & was easy to get anywhere you wanted to go. The hotel itself was gorgeous! The lobby immaculate, the staff uber-friendly & helpful, and the rooms- modern, spacious, and AMAZING!! Terrific views, comfortable beds, spacious bathrooms (and awesome showers) and the club lounge was fully stocked & fully tended by staff. The pool area was swanky and the menu huge & delicious. We cannot say enough great things about this hotel. If there was one drawback, it would be a small one and that is the amount of construction around it- you can’t hear any of it from inside though and you will expect to find this problem anywhere in KL since it is a quickly expanding city in Malaysia. 

Upon arrival, we met up with a couple of David’s customers who in true “Malay” fashion, whisked us away for a day filled with local flair. Our first stop was lunch & since neither of us are picky eaters, we told them that we would be open to whatever! So, they took us to the Little India area of KL for some authentic indian food. WOW. The restaurant was called Sri Devi and it did NOT disappoint. Don’t try and find info about it online because it does not exist. This is a small, no frills, family run restaurant. Its basic, its delicious, and its an amazing experience. I think it goes without saying that we were the only “white american” people in there! Upon entering, they will sit you at a table and present you with your “plate”, which is a huge fresh banana leaf. They then ask you to wash your hands in the bathroom and order from then menu. Once again, since we had no idea, we asked our friends to choose for us. Below are the pictures…..eating with our hands, curry, rice, chicken, lamb, calamari, veggies…..YUM!

Later that afternoon, we headed to an authentic Chinese tea shop. One of David’s customers’ wife runs it and it was such an amazing experience. Aroma Tea House is in the Kebong neighborhood and is truly an awesome experience. There are tons of different tea pots, cups, and dried loose tea leaf packages wall to wall. Additionally, its also custom to try out whatever tea they are brewing at the time (or any that you are interested in), via a small table in the middle of the room. The way that the Chinese indulge and talk about tea is similar to how americans enjoy a good wine tasting! They dissect the aromas, the tastes, the feeling that the tea gives you. It was something I will never forget and something that I hope to experience more of again in the future!

We finished off the weekend back at the Hilton KL for a nightcap. Chan and Puspa were the best hosts and we look forward to seeing them next time we find ourselves in KL:-)!

The following day we drove around KL & got acquainted with the different neighborhoods. KL truly is beautiful! KL is situated in the middle of the country so its surrounded by lush green rolling hills & mountains. The closest port or beach is about 90 minutes away, but the closest “swimmable” beach is about 3 hours away on the east coast. From what we saw, KL looks very livable, has an extensive expat presence, and is modern, without losing its culture and heritage. Another bonus is that the lowest temperature ever recorded was about 69 degrees fahrenheit- yup, its tropical year round!! It does tend to get a bit humid though since there is no coast to get wind from and the temps can reach upwards to 90 degrees fahrenheit, but its something I am sure you get used to.Another striking feature is all the gorgeous foliage growing wild- a naturally beautiful land.

Later that evening, we met up with another client. Chris took us to get 90 minute “malaysian” massages at a favorite local spa. The Bjorn Spa is located in the Taman Desa area and is fabulous!! It was truly the best massage I have ever had and it cost about $40 USD. AMAZING. Don’t expect a bunch is posh resort-like amenities. Its basis, its clean, and the masseuses truly know their craft to a “T.

After this relaxing evening, Chris took us to downtown KL for some authentic “street style” Malaysian food. Amazing chicken & beef satay, steamed clams, stir friend veggies…you name it- it was delicious! We loved it all and Chris introduced us to a local favorite for dessert- bean curd topped with simple syrup….I liked it but it wasn’t my favorite:).

Our final day took us back downtown to play tourist a bit more. We headed first to what KL is most known for- the Petrona Twin Towers. A truly magnificent site and inside is the biggest mall I have ever seen. It was easily 6 floors and had every store you could ever want or need. Awesome for a consumer like me :-).

 We walked around a bit more to see the sights. Palm Trees in between sky scrapers….tropical and extremely beautiful as well as the world’s largest telecommunications tower (to the right).

After all this walking around, we needed some reflexology of course- LOL. We headed to the ever popular street- Bukit Bintang within the Golden Triangle. Here you will find vendors, restaurants, numerous shopping malls, and a plethora of reflexology spas. A fun way to spend an hour….affordable (about $15 for a 1 hr session) and decadent.

Until next time Kuala Lumpur- thank you!!!