We spent two full days in Kuala Lumpur. The people in the city were beyond friendly and everyone spoke English. We definitely want to go back to Malaysia, as there are so many other places in the country to see!
Activities:
- Menara Kuala Lumpur: Once the tallest building in the world, Kuala Lumpur’s space needle is a large tourist attraction with a viewing area from 250 meters high as well as a 360 degree restaurant and rooftop viewing area. The hill that it is constructed upon also has a small zoo, 4D theatre, and the “upside down house.” We opted to go to the observation deck and see the views of the city, including the iconic “twin towers.”
- Petronas Twin Towers: After seeing the towers from Menara, we walked to the base of them and sat in the nearby park.
- Flea Market Petaling Street: This was a typical, Asian flee market in downtown Chinatown. It was crowded, hot, and full of fake designer bags. Definitely not a “must” when in Kuala Lumpur, but it was still entertaining!
- Batu Caves: These are caves and temples on a big limestone cliff located a short train ride outside of Kuala Lumpur (about 20 minutes). We went in the early AM to avoid the crowds, which we definitely recommend. The caves were interesting, as they were the first Hindu caves that we have seen on our journey. However, there was a ton of trash and a lot of construction at the caves which was a little disappointing.
- Stroll around the Sultan Abdul Samad building: We spent the day walking around to see what we could find! This intricate building among the bustling city once housed the government and more recently the Judiciary.
Food:
- Lokl Coffee and Co: This was a great coffee shop in Chinatown.
- Restoran Yusoof Dan Zakhir: This was a delicious, extremely casual Indian food restaurant near the Central Market.
- Alor Street Food Night Market: This is one of the most visited places in urban Malaysia. There were tons of restaurants with roadside dining, as well as the typical street market kiosks.
- Dining in the Dark: Their website says it all. This was an extremely unique dining experience. Upon arrival, we were given a smoothie with three ingredients and asked to identify them all – we only got carrot correct (it was orange in color and didn’t taste like an orange). Next, we were blindfolded and asked to find paper clips out of a box of dry rice – this also proved to be extremely difficult. Finally, we removed our blindfolds, put our personal belongings into a locker, and were introduced to our waiter Yus, who is blind. He led us Congo-line style into the pitch dark dining room and to our table, helping us into our chairs. After getting a little oriented with the table setup, he brought us our first course of four appetizers. We then had a soup dish consisting of two soups, a main dish consisting of three separate plates, and a dessert dish! Eating blind made us appreciate the taste and texture of each portion of food, as well as have a greater understanding for how blind people feel on a daily basis. We had a very difficult time identifying the secret menu that would only be explained after the meal.
Melanie & Cody 