Weekend Get-Away To Kuala Lumpur - Awesome!

[MauiSteveBKK]

My Thai wife and I took a 3-day, 2-night quick trip to Kuala Lumpur:

- Early Air Asia flight Friday morning from D.M airport to KL.

- KL airport is incredible. New. Big.

- Took Railway non-stop to KL Sentral. Clean. Fast. Cheap link.

- Taxi to Grand Millinieum hotel.

- Every taxi driver had clean cars and spoke impeccable English. Were super nice. Took 6 taxi.

- Hotel central location. Cheaper than GM hotel in Bangkok. Super service. Everyone speaks English.

- Kuala Lumpur is new, very clean, super friendly, everyone speaks very good English. Every person nice to me.

- I am USA falang. Wife is Thai. KL is much nicer and friendlier than Thailand. Wife agrees.

- Went to Batu Caves. Great place.

- Great Food! Lots of lamb, veal, duck, and chicken dishes. Loved it all! So different from Thai "Water Food" in bowl.

- Went to temples, mosques, butterfly farm, and bird park.

- Christmas decorations everywhere.

- PETRONAS Twin Towers were incredible!!

- I LOVE Kuala Lumpur. Respectful. Beautiful. Clean. Green. Super friendly. Great service at every restaurant.

I have been blessed to have traveled the world many time. But I was super impressed -- quite blown-away -- by our Kuala Lumpur experience. Today, is Monday and I already miss the Grand Millineum hotel and the people of Malaysia.

ga ruu naa -- only nice comments of my Thai wife -- Phapassorn. khob khun khrap

[HeijoshinCool]

My wife and I had the same experience a month back.

[casualbiker]

Move to Malaysia .. they also have better long term visa's and house purchase deals!

[apetley]

Wifey(Thai) and I had a great time in KL too. Public transport is good, it is cleaner than Bkk and wifey enjoyed talking with the locals easily as most can speak English.

Would highly recommend for a short break.

[HeijoshinCool]

Move to Malaysia .. they also have better long term visa's and house purchase deals!

.

Funny you should say that.

We thought that might be a possibility down the road, based on further investigation.

Once across the border, I couldn't quite put my finger on what was so different. It took a few minutes, but then I realized that the houses, with just a few exceptions, had real windows, of glass not wood. Very few had bars. The other thing was houses had a lot of lawns, not just dirt or sand.

[Banzai99]

If you lived there, you'd find as many things to complain about as you find in Thailand.

http://www.numbeo.com/crime/city_result.jsp?country=Malaysia&city=Kuala+Lumpur

[MrWorldwide]

Move to Malaysia .. they also have better long term visa's and house purchase deals!

And we're off to the races again ....

You might like to check with soihok before dashing off to organise a container for your possessions. Personally, I find KL great for a couple of days but the traffic wears on me very quickly - clearly, the OP had a different experience, although I'm happy to hear that KLIA2 is much better than the old LCCT. Interesting that we have such a positive report after so much negativity in this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/782976-kuala-lumpur-one-of-7-magnificent-cities-in-the-world/

[steve187]

nice report/post thank you

[sipi]

I haven't been to KL in years but was thinking of doing the same. Thanks for your OP. Can anyone tell me how KL compares to Singapore. We have been there this year.

[rak sa_ngop]

Long time since I lived in KL but I doubt if the weather patterns have changed that much. Rains nearly everyday in the late afternoon during the wet season and nearly every other day during the dry season. Temperature about 32 deg and high humidity 365 days of the year. Thick smog from the Indonesian forest burn-offs every few years.

Whatever the advantages the fantastic food range and fawning politeness in Malaysia brings, it would not compensate me for the lack of climatic variation which most of Thailand experiences.

Good for a holiday (as long as you do not drink very much).

[Tonto21]

OK OP..... We, (my wife and I) may just pop over for a weekend, sounds good and worth checking out........ Thanks for the heads up!

[sipi]

I haven't been to KL in years but was thinking of doing the same. Thanks for your OP. Can anyone tell me how KL compares to Singapore. We have been there this year.

Thanks Steve for answering my private message.

A very happy XMas to you and your lovely wife.

[FritsSikkink]

Not that strange that they speak English, they have been under British rules for quit a while.

[stuurman]

Very funny, I'm in KL at the moment staying at a hotel near the Petronas towers and I find the city utterly filthy. Car drivers seem to be very aggressive and a pint of lager will cost you a fortune.

I lived in Singapore and apart from the high beer prices KL has nothing in similar with it. Singapore is clean and has proper transport, between buildings there are a lot of well kept parks and green areas. KL is a concrete jungle falling faster apart than they are able to rebuild it. Oh and I find the people grumpy.

Penang where I live now is much better, so anybody contemplating a move to Malaysia should have a look there as well IMO.

[casualbiker]

Not that strange that they speak English, they have been under British rules for quit a while.

Independence was 57 years ago!!!

[FritsSikkink]

Not that strange that they speak English, they have been under British rules for quit a while.

Independence was 57 years ago!!!

Yes, but you don't change your schooling system the same day.

[GinBoy2]

I love KL in the same way I love Singapore. Easy, Clean, Everything works, Great English. But then the negatives set in, the weather sucks, hot humid all year and those rainstorms every afternoon are a bummer. On the censorship, restrictions I'd have to say 'slightly' worse than Thailand.

But Malaysia is still a great country, and I would put it above Singapore for authenticity, and if I had to chose I'd say better than KL I'd choose Penang

[Lucifer]

I was going to move there about 3 years ago. Met a girl there, bought a car ( you need a car there) and was about to sign a year contract for an apartment. Then it rained.

[JohnThailandJohn]

If you lived there, you'd find as many things to complain about as you find in Thailand.

http://www.numbeo.com/crime/city_result.jsp?country=Malaysia&city=Kuala+Lumpur

Interesting when compared with Bangkok http://www.numbeo.com/crime/city_result.jsp?country=Thailand&city=Bangkok

[IMA_FARANG]

To paraphrase an old joke.

There was a completion, and the first prize was a week in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

The 2nd place prize was 2 weeks in the same hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

(Not a place that ever impressed me).

[OMGImInPattaya]

Been to KUL maybe half a dozen times. It's ok, Diwan Philharmonic Hall and orchestra is nice. Variety of Indian and Arabic food is nice. Shopping no better than Bangkok and heat/humidity, pollution, and traffic all just as bad as Bangkok. So I would just stay in Bangkok.

[korkenzieher]

KL is playing 'Catch-up' to Singapore. It hasn't caught up. To be honest, I have grown a bit bored with the place - not much new to see, other than this season's 'in' shopping mall.

It makes a difference to live anywhere for a while, over being a tourist, but I find the price inflation quiet bad over the last, say 3 years. If you don't drink, and stay away from trendy restaurants then it is probably a touch above Bangkok. Hotels - the bang for the buck is quite good in mid and upper, and probably better all round than Bangkok - though on absolute price, Bangkok probably wins.

Not overly fond of Penang as an alternative - generally these days, I get the KL Transit in from the airport (which isn't new BTW, it is about 15 years old - but it isn't bad either), and take the bus (11 Ringgit) down to Melacca. If I was going to move to Malaysia, then that is where I would go. Only downside to Melacca is that it is mobbed by Singaporeans at the weekend. Nothing wrong with the folk - but it just makes getting hotels at a reasonable price something of a challenge.

[dotpoom]

Sounds great, glad you had a nice time. Myself and "She who must be obeyed" have only been to Penang, not as good as your experience sounds.

PS. Your wife is lovely.....my lady had a low cut top on and she was getting some very odd looks, of disapproval I think...from the ladies anyway and the tables at the restaurants were bare of accouterments. Also, had to buy a drink before they let you have a seat..

[The manic]

Not that strange that they speak English, they have been under British rules for quit a while.

Yes it was one of ours. However,the teaching of English was banned as it was in Burma, until the rule was rescinded. The older generation never lost it in both countries. Malaysia is OK for married couples and oldies but it is a 'hang em and flog em' muslim dump with all the attendant issues.

[Timebandit]

Very funny, I'm in KL at the moment staying at a hotel near the Petronas towers and I find the city utterly filthy. Car drivers seem to be very aggressive and a pint of lager will cost you a fortune.

I lived in Singapore and apart from the high beer prices KL has nothing in similar with it. Singapore is clean and has proper transport, between buildings there are a lot of well kept parks and green areas. KL is a concrete jungle falling faster apart than they are able to rebuild it. Oh and I find the people grumpy.

Penang where I live now is much better, so anybody contemplating a move to Malaysia should have a look there as well IMO.

[csabo]

KL airport has a Movie Room with these big comfy chairs. I thought that was awesome. Funny story I found 2, count'em 2, lost passports in seperate locations last time I was there. Returned them both to security personnel. Hope they made it to their owners.

[Timebandit]

I was in Singapore and K.L. earlier this year and I also found K.L. to be filthy and unfriendly. It is all a matter of individual experiences. I found the stinking open sewer next to the overhead train station to be particularly unappealing as it was wafting through the food vendors. I had a very nice hotel with a less than enthusiastic staff. Being an engineer I couldn't help but notice that the Stainless steel panels on the Petronas Towers are attached by zinc plated carbon steel screws which in a salt air fog have the heads rusting off. I would not stand down wind of the towers. For all you gentlemen who are ready to move there and meld into society may I remind you that 90% of the people in Malaysia follow a religion that encourages them to kill infidels. That's you! Can you recognize a jihadist when you see one? Such as an airline captain? Or perhaps your new neighbor? I have only visited there, but I believe that it may be more difficult to assimilate to that culture. Perhaps a " wild weekend" in Banda Aceh, Sumatra would be an enlightening experience in dealing with jihadist. I look forward to your travel report.

[Gentmartin]

Sorry but the public transport in KL is the most complex in the whole world. Its a nightmare .....or perhaps Im just a bit thick.......either way, i personally find Malaysia 'uneasy'......an uneasy peace between the MAlay/Indians and Chinese...and uneasy peace between the religions, and an uneasy peace between the people and govt....simply gives me bad vibes ....but again, thats just my feelings :-)

[pennine]

I also like Penang and the MM2H visa system, but it is sterile compared to Thailand when it comes to entertainment.

[roamer]

Used to love KL more than 20 years ago. Then they started messing with Chinatown, now a pale shadow of it's former self. Everything migrated to shopping malls on the outskirts. Malaysia I like, Malacca, Penang, Langkawi etc, KL I can really do without.