As we left Penang, one ferry ride and one train journey later we were in Kuala Lumpur, or KL.
Settling into KL
Our apartment here was the smallest in Malaysia — only one bedroom — and the most expensive. But what else can you expect from a capital?
The apartment didn’t have a balcony, but there was a pool and a small park with several sitting areas on the sixth level. The place was often busy with residents. The gym was on the seventh floor, so we had everything we needed without going outside.
One day, we even found a monkey sitting on the wall.
We had no idea where it had come from — there were hardly any trees between our building and the closest park, which was at least 2 km away.
We went for a swim every morning at 7, when the pool opened, trying to beat the maintenance guy who came early to clean it and add chlorine.
It wasn’t as magical as our rooftop infinity pool in Penang, where we could watch the sunrise over the sea, but it was still a very pleasant way to start the day. We also used the gym several times a week and walked in the little park when it was too hot to go outside.
And hot it was. Very hot. Even a short walk outside left us drenched in sweat after five minutes. I was excited to discover that our pool area also had a sauna and immediately planned to use it every day. I used it once. I decided that I already sweat enough in this climate, thank you very much.
Our apartment was in Bukit Bintang, so we could walk almost everywhere. We usually did our longer walks in the morning or evening, when it was a little cooler. We also liked wandering through the smaller side streets, away from the main roads and shopping areas. They were much quieter and gave us a different view of the neighbourhood.
One place we passed frequently was Jalan Alor Night Market, apparently one of the ultimate street-food destinations in KL.
It was fun to walk through and watch the activity, and I even spent some time browsing the food stalls, but we were never particularly tempted to eat there.
What surprised us was how expensive the food was, both at the carts crowding the pavement and in the restaurants lining the street.
Later, we saw busloads of tourists being brought there on organized tours, which perhaps explained the prices. We found that restaurants outside this tourist zone often offered better value for the money. In KL, we were happy to wander through the busy streets, but we didn’t feel that we had to eat wherever the tourists were being taken.
Walking Around Kuala Lumpur
We spent a lot of time exploring KL on foot. Our walks from the apartment took us through old and new neighbourhoods, which so often co-exist in KL.
Everyday Cityscape
From our apartment window, we could see the Petronas Towers and KL Tower every day.
And every time we walked home, we passed a small church with Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world, rising behind it.
These famous landmarks gradually became part of our everyday cityscape rather than just places we went to visit.
So we spent a couple of evenings walking to see them up close.
One evening we walked up to KL Tower and watched the city light up around us.
Another evening took us to Merdeka 118, the enormous new tower that dominates this part of the city.
KLCC Park
One of our walks took us to KLCC Park and the Petronas Towers.
The park was a pleasant place to escape the concrete and glass for a while, with paths, water and plenty of people using it.
Families were enjoying the water, people were walking through the park, and the skyscrapers were right behind the trees.
It was interesting to see how closely the park was surrounded by the city.
River of Life and Merdeka Square
Another walk took us to the River of Life and Merdeka Square. This was one of the places where the old and new sides of KL came together most clearly.
The Jamek Mosque stood at the river confluence, with modern skyscrapers rising behind it.
Merdeka Square itself was surrounded by impressive historic buildings, but we also enjoyed watching people simply using the space.
TRX City Park
On another day, we explored TRX City Park, part of the new Tun Razak Exchange development.
What made the park unusual was that it was built on the roof of a large building.
It had water features, paths and plenty of greenery, with the new city development rising around it.
It seemed like an ingenious way to add more greenery to a city dominated by concrete and glass.
Kampung Baru and Saloma Bridge
On a different evening, we walked through Kampung Baru and across the Saloma Bridge. It was interesting to see this traditional neighbourhood so close to the modern city around KLCC.
The bridge itself was especially striking in the evening, with the Petronas Towers glowing beyond it.
Eating in KL
In Kuala Lumpur we ate out more than we did in Penang. Not all the places we tried were memorable, but a few stood out.
At Dragon Hot Pot, we could fill an empty pot with different ingredients from the display, hand it over, and then select the soup base. It was a fun process that allowed us to choose exactly what we wanted and how much — and the soup was really tasty.
At Lot 10, a heritage food court, we tried duck from Roast Dukking.
But our favourite place was a small Baba-Nyonya restaurant close to our building, Limapulo Terrace. There we discovered and fell in love with Nyonya Laksa, a curry-based soup with an amazing complex flavour. The sambal vegetables and rendang daging beef were also amazing.
Even though we ate out more in KL, we still cooked at home very frequently. Of course, one of the first places we visited after settling in was Pudu Market.
After six months of travelling through the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, we felt comfortable with Asian markets — but this one still surprised us.
It was a huge outdoor space filled with vendors, with all kinds of food mixed together in a colourful and overwhelming medley. Fish was next to greens and meat next to fruit, without any perceived order.
But what really impressed us was the noise. A lot of vendors were advertising their fare and calling customers at the top of their voices — all at the same time. The noise level was really overpowering, especially on our first visit. It took us a while to get used to it.
As always, it didn’t take us long to settle into a routine — morning swims, walks, cooking and exploring different parts of the city. KL was starting to feel familiar, but we still had a few places to discover.
