Malaysia 1998 Part 1: Kuala Lumpur

I flew to Kuala Lumpur on 21 June 1998 with Lufthansa German Airlines.
Myself and my friend were lucky enough to fly Business Class via Frankfurt. Business class was really good and the service excellent. The flat beds were not really around then (I believe they are on board now), but there was loads of room. We had planned this trip around my cousins wedding. He was getting married in Penang, so we decided to coincide this trip with that. We booked flights to Kuala Lumpur for a 3 night stay, then onto Cameron Highlands for a 3 night stay, then to Penang for the wedding, and a 3 night stay in Singapore before flying home from there.

We had booked into the J W Marriott in Kuala Lumpur. The prices for the top hotels in Kuala Lumpur were very reasonable at the time we went. The currency in Malaysia is Ringgit, and as far as I remember the exchange rate was very good at the time. The Hotel is in the Golden Triangle area, which is the heart of the business and shopping district. The shopping is great in Kuala Lumpur, there are a few different shopping centres, each have a great range from Western High Street brands to all the designer labels. There is the Star Hill Gallery, Pavillion, and The Mall among others. It was the World Cup France 98' when we were there, so there was a carnival atmosphere, it was just a nightmare as the games shown were on at 0300 in the morning because of the time difference!!!!.

There are lots of things to see and do in Kulala Lumpur, including the K L Tower which is one of the tallest towers in the world and has an observation deck and restaurant at the top. In Kuala Lumpur city centre, you cannot miss the formidable Petronas Towers, although you cannot go up the towers as they are home to offices, there are shops and galleries you can visit at the towers. China Town is also worth a visit for the restaurants, markets and street stalls selling Nick knacks.The Jamek Mosque which is one of the oldest mosques' in the city is also worth a visit.

Another must see has to be the Sultan Abdul Samad Building which used to house the Colonial Secretariat, today it houses the Courts of Law, and is a gathering spot for New Year and National holiday celebrations. There is also the Planetarium, Zoo and Little India among other things to see and do. The one thing we found with Kuala Lumpur was that it was always very smoggy so you will be lucky to get a very clear picture over the city from the K L Tower.

Eating out is relatively cheap in Kuala Lumpur, and you can eat in top restaurants for very little. There is a very good choice of every kind of food from Chinese and Malay to American, Indian, English and french among others. There are also your fast food restaurants such as Mcdonalds, KFC (if that's your thing...). The range of food is suitable for meat and fish eaters and vegetarians. The climate in Kuala Lumpur is mostly hot, humid and tropical and they do get heavy rain sometimes but the rain tends not to last very long. Getting around is easy and taxis are mostly used, the drivers tend to speak very good English and they are cheap and do not try and rip you off like in most cities. There is also a good bus and train service.

There are lots of tours that you can book for Kuala Lumpur or KL as it is known. I would recommend getting a map and a city guide on arrival so that you can plan your stay carefully. KL is a great city for a short stay and would recommend it as a stopover, with direct flights from London with Malaysian, and flights from various European cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.

.

There are also hotels to suit every budget from standard to Luxurious such as Best Western, Crowne Plaza and Novotel.