Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia. Without further ado, here are a list of reasons to love Southeast Asia’s hidden gem:
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| Yep, Kuala Lumpur actually looks like this. Image Credit: TheMole.com |
1. Kuala Lumpur is clean (and sustainable)!
After stints in Bangkok, Kathmandu, and India’s countless cities, one will gain a strong appreciation for emission regulations. After months of breathing in the black smog being farted out of every motorbike, car, bus, and arguably cow, it is so refreshing to walk along a main road in Kuala Lumpur (KL) without feeling years of life being shaved away to lung cancer. Plus, stretches of manicured greenery help absorb the carbon dioxide that is emitted. Kuala Lumpur’s cars are as clean as their manicured streets, their free public parks, and their budget hostels. I have not once been disappointed by the hygiene of a place here.
Also, while it certainly isn’t the most sustainable city in the world, it is doing really well for Asia. Using purified water in reusable bottle is encouraged rather than going through heaps of plastic bottles. Free public transit is available around the city. And high electricity costs keep people from wasting dirty energy.
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| Kuala Lumpur consists mostly of Islamic Malays, Indians, and Chinese |
2. Kuala Lumpur is very international and diverse
The vast population is a fusion of ethnically-native Malaysians, Chinese and Indians (the latter ethnicities being up to about 4 generations native). For a city of so many culture differences, everyone seems to get along quite peacefully. There doesn’t seem to exist much tension or racism. But there is a thriving expat community from countries all over the world. That means an interesting and ever-stimulating variety of food, culture, people, and fashion.
3. The people (almost) all speak English
Despite that the major ethnicities all speak their ethnic tongues, the common language is English. What I love about this is that you can really connect deeply with the locals without having to learn another language. I have been able to connect more deeply with more people here than anywhere else I have been in Asia.
4. The people are generally kind and friendly
I made a healthy group comprised of both local and expat friends within just a week of arrival. I found it one of the easiest places to meet people that I actually want to spend time with. Even the shopkeepers and Uber drivers (for better rates and nicer people, use Uber or GrabCar rather than taking taxis), are quite pleasant. Negotiating with a vendor is simple and amicable compared to the aggressive negotiations in Bangkok, Indonesia, or India.
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| Street food to fine-dining is available in any cuisine. |
5. The food is great!
The major ethnicities here (Malaysian, Chinese, and Indian) all have delicious varieties of food respectively. But in Kuala Lumpur, the cuisines of those ethnicities are available in every direction in settings ranging from food carts to fine-dining. If the diverse local cuisine isn’t enough for you, you can find any international cuisine in the shopping areas (although they have a rather commercial/franchise type of feel). The strong influence of the Chinese and Muslims makes for a very meat-loving culture, but vegetarians will still be able to find several options nearly everywhere. Also, Malaysia has all of the weird and awesome fruits common to Southeast Asia.
6. KL is cheap!
Costs are about equal to those of Bangkok, but you enjoy a cleanliness and peacefulness that can’t come compare with Bangkok. That means less than $15/day if you are stretching, $20-$30 if you aren’t, with high luxury far more attainable that in the West.
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| Hello future, you look lovely in the nighttime Image Credit: cloudmind.info |
7. Kuala Lumpur feels like the future
Most of the buildings are quite modern and white and there are tons of trees, bushes, and parks. A huge free botanical garden compares to Central Park in New York. It looks sort of like those futuristic model cities from the Venus Project. The fashion (as of writing this in Fall 2016) is simple, well-fitted, and modern. People seem to be effortlessly stylish (and did I mention, clean). There’s cool cafes, hip hostels, and modern malls with international brands all over. It is a city that feels very fresh, but in a relatively attainable way compared to the stuffy and exclusive feel of the US’s major cities. Living here offers a glimpse into the bright side of a future that otherwise can look quite dim.
8. Kuala Lumpur is in a great location
What? But it’s at the very end of Southeast Asia. Exactly – that means that’s it has the cheapest flights to India or Nepal. Plus it’s the hub of AirAsia (who charges for water on the flights). AirAsia offers super cheap flights to all of Southeast Asia, especially Bangkok and Thailand. Taking a bus to Thailand or Singapore is also a cheap option. There’s a good chance you have to fly through KL to get to Southeast Asia (or between Europe and Australia), so why not stop off and spend a couple of days. Plus, you can go to the beaches, historical cities, or countrysides of Malaysia in as little as a day trip, waking and sleeping in KL.
9. They use toilet paper!
Sure you can bring you own toilet paper in the countless Asian locations where water-washing is the standard, but those toilets more often than not can’t flush toilet paper, meaning that everyone’s TP goes into a wastebasket that leaves a restaurant’s bathroom smelling like a slum latrine. In KL, toilet paper is provided and the toilets can actually flush the TP. The bathrooms are generally quite clean and soap is provided. I think thanks is due to the hygiene-attentive Chinese and Muslim cultures here.
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| From one of my favorite cafes, named VCR, located on Heritage Street |
10. Kuala Lumpur has coffee culture – and it’s buzzing!
This is a rare luxury in Asia, especially Southeast Asia. But Kuala Lumpur has great coffee in cafes as cool and cozy as you’d find in Soho or Seattle. Maybe it comes from competition from Starbucks, maybe from a majorly professional working population, maybe from a history of British colonialism. Comment if you know why KL has such a great coffee culture!
Details to know about Kuala Lumpur:
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| The phrase “gay sex” ironically pops out at me in the paragraph juxtaposed to this mosque photo. Image Credit: dailymail.uk.co photo. |
Malaysia’s official religion is Muslim
That means import taxes on alcohol, making drinking almost as expensive as the West. However thanks mostly to the alcohol-friendly Chinese, alcohol is quite accessible in bars and restaurants. That means that while being gay isn’t illegal, having gay sex is, although this rule isn’t really enforced. I went to gay clubs and felt safe. That means that you should be cautious to avoid accommodation near mosques unless you want to wake up around 5am to loud prayer chanting.
Government corruption is common
The police can be bought and they are. So in a pickle, it’s best to be the one paying them.
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| The National Temple: Pavillion Shopping Mall Image Credit: Traveller.com.au |
Kuala Lumpur is not a spiritual place
I often end up in a spiritual mood after traveling Asia and this is probably not a good place to be if you are looking for spiritual experiences. But it’s great for shopping.
Kuala Lumpur is freaking hot!
I love it, but a lot of people don’t. It’s a tropical, humid sort of heat. But most places are air-conditioned, which means that walking into a budget hostel, a public pharmacy, or a 7-11 feels like a layover in heaven. I have a theory that the heat makes the people, well at least the Chinese, thin.
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| A screen of glass is between every introduction in KL. Image Credit: AsiaOne |
Meet friends through the internet first
Couchsurfing, Meetup, Tinder or Grindr (actually Jack’d is b
etter), etc. Nearly everyone, including tourists in hostel communal areas, have their noses buried in their phones practically every minute that they aren’t instead chatting with someone they met first online. I did say it’s a futuristic city and while it may be one of the less charming aspects of the future, this sort of human-technology integration is most likely a feature of the future. I’d recommend against visiting KL if you are averse to social apps on smartphones.
etter), etc. Nearly everyone, including tourists in hostel communal areas, have their noses buried in their phones practically every minute that they aren’t instead chatting with someone they met first online. I did say it’s a futuristic city and while it may be one of the less charming aspects of the future, this sort of human-technology integration is most likely a feature of the future. I’d recommend against visiting KL if you are averse to social apps on smartphones.
You see a different type of Asia-traveler in Kuala Lumpur
Southeast Asia travelers (aside from Malaysia) tend to be backpackers, younger, and a bit more hippy or spiritual. Travelers who spend more than a day in KL tend to be touring Singapore, Hong Kong, and maybe Japan. They’re usually a little less budget and a little more professional. Although, there is the exception of the travelers crossing between Southeast Asia and India/Nepal, although these travelers typically don’t spend more than a few days in the city.
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