We spent just over a month in Kuala Lumpur (KL). We knew about Malaysia’s diversity before arriving (about 70% Malay, 23% Chinese, 6% Indian), but seeing it in person was a cool experience. KL surprised us with how green and lush it is, and accommodations are both affordable and comfortable. Here are some of the photos we took along the way. You can right click each picture and open it in a new tab to view more clearly.
Officially opened in 1999, the Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 surpassed them in 2004. We've now been to both!
Saloma Link Bridge, linking Kampung Bharu neighborhood to the KLCC district
A nice view of the Twin Towers from the Link Bridge when there is still day light
The night view of KLCC (on the right of the bridge) and the Kampung Bharu (on the left of the bridge)
Gate to Kampung Bharu. We went here for a famous Nasi Lemak restaurant thanks to a friend's recommendation. Later we found out this neighborhood is the last Malay enclave in central KL that so far has held out against city development.
This is the famous Nasi Lemak restaurant we visited. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the food...
But here is a picture of Nasi Lemak Beef Redang we had at Pavilion, a famous mall in Bukit Bintang.
We also visited a popular food court in Bukit Bintang called Hutong Lot 10, and tried Kim Lian Kee's Hokkien Mee. It looked better than it tasted LOL.
We went to a Syrian restaurant, Damascus, in Bukit Bintang multiple times because we liked their food. (Top left: Beautiful interior. Top right: Adani tea. Bottom: Chicken and beef shawarma rice.)
Another food place we checked out in Bukit Bintang area is Jalan Alor Night Market. We ordered BBQ chicken wings and fried kuey teow from Wong Ah Wah restaurant. They were pretty good.
We went to the Malaysia Tourism Center for a free cultural dance show. It was nice and we got to see dancers in colorful traditional costumes performing various Malaysian ethnic dances.
Cultural Dance Show
Royal Selangor, the world's largest pewter manufacturer headquartered in KL
A replica of the Twin Towers in Royal Selangor
On the left: Tin animal money used in the 15th-19th centuries. On the right: Tin money trees where individual coins could be broken off and used as currency.
Merdeka Square, where Malaysia declared its independence from Britain in 1957
Unfortunately, the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building across from the Merdeka Square was under renovation during our visit.
Rive of Life, where Klang and Gombak rivers meet, and where KL was founded as a tin mining settlement
KL Chinatown
KL Chinatown has some cool street arts.
We had a delicious breakfast at a local coffee shop in Chinatown, recommended by a friend who grew up in KL. (On the left: Steamed bread with butter, kaya jam and half-boiled eggs. On the right: Gula Melaka soymilk and Curry chee cheong fun.)
Speaking of Hainan coffee shops, we loved a local chain called Hometown Hainan Coffee. (Top: Kopi and Gula melaka mille crepes. Bottom left: Hainan chicken rice. Bottom right: Croffle with matcha butter and red bean.)
We had soursop juice and mee siam at the Precious Old China, a Nyonya restaurant inside Central Market. Mee siam was very tasty, reminding us of Thai food.
We finally got to try Jollibee, the famous Filipino fast-food chain! Peach mango pie was very good. We also liked its Filipino-style spaghetti, fried chicken, and gravy.
Another chain we wanted to try was Nando’s, and its peri-peri chicken definitely lived up to the hype.
