Kuala Lumpur
This is the final blog post for our holiday trip. Our last stop was in Kuala Lumpur, a very large city in Malaysia. When we booked this trip we chose our destinations based on cheap airfare and friends recommendations of okay places to visit. Months after we bought the tickets we began to actually plan the trip - what to do kind of stuff. Kuala Lumpur was quite underwhelming on paper and as we headed into the trip Jason and I were sure it would be our least favorite place. As it turns out, KL is great. There isn't a lot of must see tourist type stuff there, which is fine by us. The city we didn't think we'd like ended being our favorite place on our trip and a city we'd definitely like to visit again someday.
KL is a large city that is quite spread out. There are smaller neighborhoods within the city - just like every other place I've ever been. Due to Lily being sick we didn't get to see a lot but we liked what we were able to see.
Our hotel was kind of a no frills, simple little place. KL is cheap and many people go there to stay in the 4 and 5 star hotels for a fraction of what you'd pay anywhere else. We could have swung that if it were Jason and I, but adding the two kids into the mix shot hotel prices up quite a bit. We ended up staying at a little place that Jason found online. Looking at the map I was worried about the location, but it was actually great. Our place was right in a neighborhood, built on top of a 24 hour open-air Indian restaurant. We were staying where the locals hung out. I loved it. The hotel was nothing special, but it was perfect for us.
One of the great things about KL is how cheap it is. Since Lil needed low-level activities we saw a lot of movies. The cost of a ticket was approximately $2.50-3.00. Popcorn and 2 drinks was 10 Ringits, or just over $3. It was a nice change from Japan where a single movie ticket is usually $15 US. Another great thing about KL is the diversity. Coming from Seattle, Jason and I both value being surrounded by various cultures. That is something that we miss very much here in Japan. KL has someone from everywhere! It was great to see and hear all the different people.
I'm sure that there are some very beautiful areas of the city, but we were staying in the more colorful part I think. Looking at where the local people were living in this part of the city, I must say, I don't think I could do it. Some of the buildings were just so run down and dingy looking. The residences that we say consisted mainly of high rise apartment buildings. It was strange to look at the skyline and see these packed buildings with laundry hung outside and graffiti on the sides standing directly behind fancy office buildings.
I found all the motorbikes interesting. In Japan there are some scooters, but in Kuala Lumpur is was motorbikes. They were everywhere. The drivers would weave in and out of traffic like it was nothing. At red lights they would drive up the middle and wait in the crosswalks to go.
Near our hotel there was a building owned by Honda. It wasn't a dealership, but an office building. During the day it was just a regular building with a parking lot, but at night after the workers went home the parking lot transformed into a sort of street restaurant. Bunches of people with "restaurants" attached to their motorbikes and bicycles would show up and wa-la! A food court. (Sorry, not the best photos.)
The last group of pics I have is from our visit to the Petronas Towers. These are beautiful twin towers that are home to several companies. During the day they are impressive, with their massive size and amazing architecture. But at night, they are breathtaking. At the base of the towers sits one of the many shopping malls in KL. The mall is surrounded by a park with a nice little wading area for kids and a large fountain that is used throughout the day and evening. This was probably my favorite mall in KL. It didn't hurt that it had a huge book store on the 4th floor...
Of course this pictures don't do the towers justice. There were gorgeous.
So, that's it for our trip. The flight home was a typical flight, followed by a 7 hour drive home. That part was no fun. We've learned our lesson for next time - sometimes saving $100 or $200 isn't worth all the hassle...
Hope you enjoyed the pics! It was hard to narrow it down, I had almost 1000 before deleting some. I still have 600 or so. Definitely need to delete some more...
KL is a large city that is quite spread out. There are smaller neighborhoods within the city - just like every other place I've ever been. Due to Lily being sick we didn't get to see a lot but we liked what we were able to see.
Our hotel was kind of a no frills, simple little place. KL is cheap and many people go there to stay in the 4 and 5 star hotels for a fraction of what you'd pay anywhere else. We could have swung that if it were Jason and I, but adding the two kids into the mix shot hotel prices up quite a bit. We ended up staying at a little place that Jason found online. Looking at the map I was worried about the location, but it was actually great. Our place was right in a neighborhood, built on top of a 24 hour open-air Indian restaurant. We were staying where the locals hung out. I loved it. The hotel was nothing special, but it was perfect for us.
One of the great things about KL is how cheap it is. Since Lil needed low-level activities we saw a lot of movies. The cost of a ticket was approximately $2.50-3.00. Popcorn and 2 drinks was 10 Ringits, or just over $3. It was a nice change from Japan where a single movie ticket is usually $15 US. Another great thing about KL is the diversity. Coming from Seattle, Jason and I both value being surrounded by various cultures. That is something that we miss very much here in Japan. KL has someone from everywhere! It was great to see and hear all the different people.
Petaling Street is a famous street in Chinatown. This is the place you go to buy all your watches, handbags, sunglasses, dvds, etc. It was fun to walk up and down the street and be offered "cheap price for you." It was fun for a minute anyway.
I'm sure that there are some very beautiful areas of the city, but we were staying in the more colorful part I think. Looking at where the local people were living in this part of the city, I must say, I don't think I could do it. Some of the buildings were just so run down and dingy looking. The residences that we say consisted mainly of high rise apartment buildings. It was strange to look at the skyline and see these packed buildings with laundry hung outside and graffiti on the sides standing directly behind fancy office buildings.
I found all the motorbikes interesting. In Japan there are some scooters, but in Kuala Lumpur is was motorbikes. They were everywhere. The drivers would weave in and out of traffic like it was nothing. At red lights they would drive up the middle and wait in the crosswalks to go. Near our hotel there was a building owned by Honda. It wasn't a dealership, but an office building. During the day it was just a regular building with a parking lot, but at night after the workers went home the parking lot transformed into a sort of street restaurant. Bunches of people with "restaurants" attached to their motorbikes and bicycles would show up and wa-la! A food court. (Sorry, not the best photos.)
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| Look at this picture! I was trying to get a good family photo and get as much of the towers as I could, but I just didn't have the right lens on my camera. We met an Italian photographer that took this one for us on his camera. Now, I have lens envy.. |
Of course this pictures don't do the towers justice. There were gorgeous.
So, that's it for our trip. The flight home was a typical flight, followed by a 7 hour drive home. That part was no fun. We've learned our lesson for next time - sometimes saving $100 or $200 isn't worth all the hassle...
Hope you enjoyed the pics! It was hard to narrow it down, I had almost 1000 before deleting some. I still have 600 or so. Definitely need to delete some more...
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