Kuala Lumpur
Our trip to Kuala Lumpur was the culmination of a five-and-half- week trip that took us through China and Hong Kong on our way to KL. The tour was part vacation and part studying the Feng Shui of various famous sites in China (on a macro level, feng shui is the study of how landforms relate to buildings and their occupants). My purpose in visiting KL was to complete a Master’s Level Feng Shui class. And for Mom, it was to enjoy all that KL had to offer!
Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and the country’s largest urban area. Malaysia is a country that includes part of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It’s known for its tropical climate, beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European influences. It is the cultural diversity that makes KL so interesting (and the food so incredible!).
Home to 34 million people, Malaysia has a king/parliament-type government. The largest religious group is Islam, with Buddhism a distant second. The economy of Malaysia is still emerging and developing, but with a strong industrial and oil base.
We checked in to our hotel, the St Giles Boulevard Hotel at Mid Valley City Megamall. We very much enjoyed our stay as there was a dedicated lounge for guests that had a daily Happy Hour with heavy hors d oeuvres’ and a nice study space if you were tired of hanging out in the room. We found that the heavy snacks served as dinner for us most nights!
We also enjoyed poking around the Megamall which was attached to the hotel. The mall offers several international retail brands, dining options, and unique entertainment. Many days we picked up a pizza or a quick bite and had a relaxing walk through the mall and over the glass bridge to the gardens.
Kuala Lumpur has its share of fascinating sights, first and foremost, Petronas Twin Towers, a symbol of the city and it’s industry. The 88-story buildings were once the highest in the world and are connected by a two-story sky bridge. The Suria KLCC mall is located between the two towers. We didn’t get a chance to visit Petronas Towers, but it was very visible nightly.
We did make time to take a couple of day trips while in KL. First up was to visit the 400-million-year-old limestone Batu Caves. There are three main caves featuring temples and Hindu shrines at Batu. The main attraction is the huge statue of Lord Murugan, Hindu God of War at the entrance. The main cave is known as Cathedral Cave and is at the top of 272 stairs and is also a shrine to Lord Murugan.
A word on the caves…it is 272 steps to get to the top and the climb is pretty steep, however, the view of the city skyline from the top is stellar. Also, there are several monkeys that live in the caves, so be careful to keep track of your food/drinks and remember they are wild animals and not to be petted.
The second day trip was to the UNESCO Heritage Site historic city of Malacca. It’s about an hour and a half out of town. In 1400 AD, the Sultanate of Malacca began, followed by a Portuguese and European presence which you can still see the influence of today in the city square.
Next up was the oldest temple in the country, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple or Green Cloud temple which was built in 1673. The temple celebrates Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. We also toured a reconstructed Portuguese galleon named Flower and finally stopped at the remains of L Famosa, a historical Portuguese fort.
Both of these day trips were booked through the hotel, which made things pretty easy.
We also ventured out to dine at a simple Indian restaurant in Bricktown with a friend who was living in KL at the time. Not the nicest part of the city, but the food was very good. The main food choices seemed to be a mix of Indian, Thai and Chinese and we found it to be very tasty, especially after coming from four weeks in China!
We enjoyed our stay in Kuala Lumpur and wished we had more time to explore the beaches of Penang and some of the other parts of the country. Maybe next time we will combine a trip to Singapore (which used to be part of Malaysia) and return!
Where we stayed: St Giles Boulevard Hotel at Mid Valley City Megamall. Breakfast and Happy Hour included. Nice hotel, conveniently located next to a mall.
How we got there: Flew from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur, then private transfer to hotel.This was part of a four-week private tour through Southeast Asia, touring Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
General Accessibility Information: Kuala Lumpur’ major attractions are accessible as are some transportation and some hotels in the city. There is less accessibility outside of KL.Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements.However, see our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
