Kuala Lumpur travel guide

The weather in KL is hot and humid all year round with temperatures rarely straying far below 20°C or much above 30°C. There is no rainy season per se, although you can get rainstorms throughout the year. Try to be here for one of the festivals , particularly the Thaipusam Festival, one of the most colourful and shocking. For up- to-date weather reports, check http://www.kjc.gov.my.

Banks

Money changers are in all the big shopping centres and along the main shopping streets and give better rates than banks. Most branches of the leading Malaysian and foreign banks have foreign exchange desks, although some (for example, Bank Bumiputra) impose limits on charge card cash advances. There are ATMs everywhere for Cirrus, Visa, MasterCard, Maestro or Plus cards. American Express, 18th floor, The Weld (near KL Tower), Jl Raja Chulan, T03-2050 0000.

Embassies and consulates

Australia, 6 Jl Yap Kwan Seng, T03-2146 5555, http://www.australia.org.my. Canada, 17th floor, Menara Tan & Tan, 207 Jl Tun Razak, T03-2718 3333, www.inter national.gc.ca/missions/malaysia-malaisie. France, 192-196 Jl Ampang, T03-2162 0671, http://www.ambafrance-my.org. Germany, 26th Floor, Menara Tan & Tan, 207, Jl Tun Razak, T03-2170 9666, www.german- embassy.org.my. Indonesia, 233 Jl Tun Razak, T03-242 1354, http://www.kbrikl.org.my. Netherlands, Suite 7.01, 7th floor, The Ampblock, 218 Jl Ampang, T03-2168 6200, http://www.netherlands.org.my. New Zealand, 21st floor, Menara IMC, Jl Sultan Ismail, T03-2078 2533, http://www.nzembassy.com. UK, 185 Jl Ampang, T03-2148 2122, www.britain. org.my. USA, 376 Jl Tun Razak, T03-2168 5000, malaysia.usembassy.gov.

Emergencies

Fire: T994. Police/ ambulance: T999.

Internet

Internet cafés are everywhere, many open 24 hrs. There are dozens along Jl Bukit Bintang and a few around Chinatown. Expect to pay upwards of RM3 per hr. If you’re travelling with a laptop, buy a drink at an upmarket hotel bar or café – like Starbucks – and youll usually get free Wi-Fi.

Medical services
Casualty wards are open 24 hrs. Gleneagles Hospital, 282-286 Jl Ampang, T03-4257 1300, http://www.gimc.com.my. Pantai Medical Centre, T03-2296 0888, http://www.pantai.com.my. Pudu Specialist Centre, Jl Baba, T03-2142 9146. Tung Shin Hospital, 102 Jl Pudu, T03-2072 1655.

Kuala Lumpur is not the easiest city to navigate, with its sights spread thinly over a wide area. Pedestrians have not been high on the list of priorities for Malaysian urban planners, with many roads, especially outside the city centre, built without pavements, making walking both hazardous and difficult. The heavy pollution and the hot, humid climate add to the problem and, with the exception of the area around Central Market, Chinatown and Dayabumi, distances between sights are too great to cover comfortably on foot. Kuala Lumpur’s bus system is labyrinthine and congested streets mean that travelling by taxi can make for a tedious wait in a traffic jam. Try to insist that taxi drivers use their meters, although don’t be surprised if they refuse. The two Light Rail Transit (LRT), the Monorail and the KMT Komuter rail lines, are undoubtedly the least hassle and provide a great elevated and air-conditioned view of the city. The Malaysian Tourism Centre, gives free, detailed pocket-sized maps of KL, with bus stops, monorail and LRT systems. See also http://www.kiat.net/malaysia/KL/transit.html.

Train

KL Sentral is a transport hub; from this train station you can hop off the KLIA Exspres and onto a KTM train going to Singapore, Penang, Kota Bharu and Bangkok or you can catch a taxi to your hotel or you can change to the underground/overground trains that zip around the city. Lines that have an interchange with KL Sentral are: the Monorail (actually across the road, not in the same building), the KTM Komuter, and the Kelana Jaya LRT line (only the Ampang and Sri Petaling LRT lines do not go through KL Sentral. These last three are in the KL Sentral building.

Bus
Puduraya bus station also has international connections south to Singapore and north to Bangkok, as well as to many towns on the Peninsula.

Air

As befitting Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL) is well linked both to other areas of Malaysia and to the wider world. The international airport at Sepang, KLIA (over 70 km south of KL, http://www.klia.com.my), provides a slick point of entry to the country. Domestic air connections (including to Sabah and Sarawak) also pass through KLIA. KLIA Ekspres rail link (03-2267 8000, http://www.kliaekspres.com) operates to the KL Sentral train station in the city centre, 0500-0100, 30 minutes, every 20 minutes, RM35 (child RM15) one way. If using the KLIA Ekspres you can check your luggage in at KL Sentral for outgoing flights. Alternatively, you can take the KLIA transit, 35 minutes, RM35. It stops at three intermediate stations and leaves between 0550 and 0100. The Airport Coach Service (03-8787 3894) provides an efficient service from KLIA to KL Sentral 0630-0000, RM10. The journey takes 1½ hours. Bargain hard for a taxi to the city. For a taxi from the city to KL Airport expect to pay around RM80-100 when you buy a coupon, 1 hour. Hotels can arrange a good fare in the RM75 range. Make sure the taxi fare includes the motorway toll for either direction.

Opened in 2006, the Low Cost Carrier Terminal or LCCT (20 km south of KLIA, http://www.lcct.com.my) is used by most budget airlines. Shuttle buses connect KLIA and the LCCT (20 minutes) for RM1.50. Always check your ticket to confirm which terminal you’re flying from. The LCCT terminal is dominated by the hugely successful AirAsia (03-8775 4000, http://www.airasia.com), which is the region’s main low-cost carrier, with flights as far afield as China, Australia and the UK. Internet bookings provide the best deals. Tickets booked a few weeks in advance are the cheapest and most travellers moving onto Malaysian Borneo find this is the most convenient option. There are a couple of excellent bus companies linking the airport with KL: Star Shuttle (03-4043 8811, http://www.starwira.com/index.htm) with frequent departures from Puduraya Bus Terminal to the LCCT from 0430 until 0145 (RM12, 1½ hours); SkyBus (016-217 6950, http://www.skybus.com.my) runs from KL Sentral to the LCCT from 0330 to 2200. You can purchase Air Asia tickets on the bus for those in a spontaneous mood.

Sultan Adbdul Aziz Shah Airport, or Subang (25 km west of the city, 03-746 1833), is used by Berjaya Air (http://www.berjaya-air.com) to fly to Pulau Tioman, Pulau Pangkor and Koh Samui in Thailand, and by MAS subsidiary Firefly (http://www.fireflyz.com.my), to fly to JB, Kerteh, Kota Bahru, Kuala Terranganu,Penang, Koh Samui in Thailand, Medan in Indonesia, and Singapore. To get there take Metro Bus 9 from Puduraya or RapidKL Bus U81 from Pasar Seni LRT or KL Sentral (45 minutes) A taxi should take around 30 minutes and costs RM40-50. Car hire firms have desks at the airport terminal. Arrange hotel pick-up service in advance or at the office outside the terminal.

International departure tax is RM51 and domestic departure tax is RM15, though these taxes are usually included in the price of the ticket.

The colonial core is around the Padang and down Jalan Raja and Jalan Tun Perak. East of the Padang (the cricket pitch in front of the old Selangor Club, next to Merdeka Square), straight over the bridge on Lebuh Pasar Besar, is the main commercial area, occupied by banks and finance companies. To the southeast of Merdeka Square is KL’s vibrant Chinatown. If you get disorientated in the winding streets around Little India and Chinatown a good point of reference is the angular Maybank Building situated in Jalan Pudu, very close to both Puduraya Bus Terminal and Jalan Sultan. The streets to the north of the Padang are central shopping streets with modern department stores and shops.

To find a distinctively Malay area, it is necessary to venture further out, along Jalan Raja Muda Musa to Kampong Baru, to the northeast. To the south of Kampong Baru, on the opposite side of the Klang River, is Jalan Ampang, once KL’s millionaires row, where tin magnates, or towkays, and sultans first built their homes. The road is now mainly occupied by embassies and high commissions. To the southeast of Jalan Ampang is KL’s so-called Golden Triangle, to which the modern central business district has migrated.

Banana Leaf Weekend Brunches

If you’re waking up after a big night out or a lazy morning in bed, ‘jump start’ your weekend with a Banana Leaf brunch- an all time favourite Indian lunch which makes for an exotic alternative to Western brunches and is by all means an almost social ‘must do’ ritual within weekend brunching circles. It’s very common for Malaysians to get together over food, to yes, enjoy a good meal (nothing peeves us off more than bad food) but also to chit-chat, catch-up and chill out (aptly described as “to lepak” in Malay, a verb that perfectly sums up the art of doing nothing really than chilling our and having a good time). A Banana Leaf lunch has just all the right ingredients for lepaking - good curry and even better company, what more do you need?

Banana Leaf is Indian food served as the name suggests, on fresh, fragrant banana leaves (which are huge in comparison to others just in case you’ve been wondering the whole time), freshly boiled rice, an assortment of vegetables (usually bottomless which means free top-ups of your choice!) and your choice of accompanying curries or Dahl and additional dishes such as chicken, mutton, fish or seafood. All the food gets spread out on the leaves and then usually eaten the traditional Indian way, with your hands. Delish drinks such as a refreshing Mango or Lychee Lassi (yoghurt based fruit shakes), fruit juices, iced teas or fresh coconut juice are some common thirst quenches and great choices to wash down your meal. (the sweetness helps counteract the spicy curry)

Most restaurants provide you with a varied menu to choose from and as is typical in Asia, lots of dishes get hurried ordered and enjoyed and shared communal style. A good Banana Leaf meal to start a lazy weekend afternoon can never do you wrong.

Some of the best places to check out are: Kanna Curry House Address: No. 29 Jalan 17/45, Petaling Jaya 46400, Selangor. They also have additional outlets throughout Petaling Jaya but this one’s a favourite because of its ‘al fresco’ dining area under the shady trees. Another hot favourite is Nirwana Maju in the trendy Bangsar area. Address: 3 Jalan Telawi 3, Kuala Lumpur.