A day in Kuala Lumpur

“Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day” is all I was singing that morning from the rooftop of Hotel Pearl Kuala Lumpur. Although it was the prettiest view with dark clouds over KL, we had just a single day to explore it to its fullest.

The breakfast smell brought us back to our senses. It was a lovely buffet. Limited items mixed with Indian, Malay, and English. Our favorite undoubtedly is Nasi Lemak, a spicy rice dish cooked in coconut milk served in banana leaves and has an authentic flavor to please taste buds early in the morning. Dim sum and Roti Canai are other highlights.

We headed out in the rain hoping it would stop soon.

We made a quick stop at the National Palace – Istana Negara which is the official residence of the Malaysian King. Like many other visitors, we glanced at the Royal Palace from outside the walls which are amazing even with just a gold color top, beautiful gardens, and mounted guards are the only ones we can look at. The palace is not open to the public but we heard guard changing at noon every day is fabulous and is the best (and probably only) time to visit. 

Time spent: 1/2 hour.

Rain heard us by now and we headed to Batu Caves. 

Murugan statue flashed amid highway trees and we can’t wait to get there. As soon as we parked, we were greeted by a local who referred us to check two small caves for a small fee near the entrance. We were in full mood to grab the whole experience, so decided to try and I regret it. Those caves are not well maintained and stink. Peacocks are the only ones who saved us for a few minutes.

We headed quickly to the Murugan statue. It is magnificent with huge caves behind and green mountains, the color of the statue popped. Then there are 272 steps to climb to relish caves and it is worth it. The view from the top is good and the caves are fun to explore with pigeons and monkeys everywhere. There are Indian temples and limestone hills inside these caves and pretty much it. There are also darker caves to explore for a fee with a guided tour and of course, we gave pass on them. 

Time spent: 2 hours.

Batu caves entrance is free. Ignore any vendor trying to sell tickets for smaller caves at the entrance. Even if bought, avoid the reptile section at any cost. You are welcome!

Next up, Petronas Twin Towers.

Kuala Lumpur’s visit is not complete without visiting these iconic towers. We took a quick photo stop and there are scores around like us. If you like city views, it is better to purchase tickets in advance. We wish we could see them at night as it is the time they light up and look stunning. Among people, there must be hundreds of vendors selling phone lenses. Feel free to say tidak (Malay) or ille (Tamil) – ‘No’. 

Time spent: 1/2 hour.

Now we are ready to stack up some calories. And there is nothing better than Beryl’s Chocolate Kingdom, the most loved chocolate brand in Malaysia. It is a short ride from Petronas Towers. The best part, there is a free public viewing tour of their making inside the factory. It is short and sweet. All we need at that moment. 

Time spent: 1/2 hour.

Its easy to move around KL with public transportation but it can be time taking. We booked our trip with Vuelo Travels in advance for full transportation and stay.

Of course, we need some real lunch for our upcoming walking tour.

Being in the right area, Yelp couldn’t help but suggest every street food restaurant in Bukit Bintang. This area is so colorful and vibrant with several stores and restaurants along the street. This is a one-stop for shopping and dining. Pick any restaurant with a crowd and it’s hard to go wrong. Jalan Alor Food Court is especially famous in the area.

Time spent: 1 hour.

We then headed to KL Tower.

Another place to check things off the list is in Kuala Lumpur. Speaking, one can easily spend more than half a day at Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) with so many things to do like Tower’s own observation deck, revolving restaurant, Blue Coral Aquarium, Motion Theatre, Upside down House, Mini zoo, the list never ends. There was a wait of 2 hours to reach the summit that day and it’s just another photo stop for us.

Time spent: 1/2 hour. 

Another interesting place we can’t wait to check out is Independence Square.

Or officially known as Merdeka Square. It is famous because there are several historic buildings to visit here. Starting with Sultan Abdul Samad building which has a great clock tower and beautiful colors, it takes at least half a day to cover all the buildings walking around it in a circle.

First to hit is Jamek Masjid, Kuala Lumpur’s biggest mosque. It is a beautiful structure. We continued our walk along Klang River and it offered some pretty views. Then there is the National Textile Museum, KL City Gallery (a good place to shop for souvenirs), and Merdeka Square itself. Merdeka Square was a cricket ground in British times and is the place where the Malaysian flag was first raised when British rule ended. This is a great spot to enjoy nights as the place and the buildings around illuminate along with the fountains.

Time spent: 1.5 hours. 

Now we got a flight to catch and the airport is about 60 km from the city center. Yes, it’s too far from the city. Make sure you plan for the traffic. It took more than an hour to reach during working days.

And just like that, we visited Kuala Lumpur for almost free.

What information could I have added to make your trip easy? Please let me know in the comments. Sorakan!!

Looking to explore more places? Check out our trip to Singapore, Paris, Amsterdam, or the whole of North America.