Hello!
I am visit Kuala Lumpur on a tight budget
to see the botanical gardens, interesting museums, the historical Chinatown, its temples, night markets, along with lots famous landmarks
and off the beaten path attractions
Off course, getting around for cheap
feasting on lots of inexpensive tasty food
and ending the night with a drink high up on a helicopter pad
All Free, anything I can do you can do!
Kuala Lumpur literally means muddy river confluence
grown from a small sleepy Chinese tin-mining village to a bustling metropolis and the seat of federal capital and the largest city in Malaysia
Today, tourism plays an important role in the city's service-driven economy
and it has become the sixth most visited city in the world, with 8.9 million visitors annually
It’s popularly is credited to great public transportation
vibrant nightlife
shopping
gardens
and many of the cultural landmarks
Kuala Lumpur can be reach by bus from major cities across Malaysia and Singapore
But since I arrived by plane
let’s get out of the airport
I am going to teach everyone how to get down to the city the cheapest and the easiest way
I think that is the way I am going to go
we are going to go here
down the ramp
so after you come down the ramp
we need to get the tickets
off course!
and I think is right over there
once you come to this area
buy one of the ticket here
for 11 Ringgit
or about $2.50 USD
The Airport Shuttle will drop you off at the Kuala Lumpur’s integrated transportation hub Sentral Station
which offers light rail, monorail, and buses to other part of the city and other cities in Malaysia
We’ll start by touring from the east side of Klang River
the older part in the heart of Kuala Lumpur
its Chinatown
an area which never sleeps, and far more colourful and bustling than its bigger and more glamorous neighbours
Now, this used to be the old Kuala Lumpur
but as the Chinese communities grew
it was renamed the Chinatown in 1857
and as you can see it becomes what is today
This is a well well-known bargain hunter’s paradise
a place where you can find all sorts of stuff from Chinese herbs to faked…
I mean imitation goods
At night, its main market area, Petaling Street, transforms into a lively and vibrant night market
filled with hundreds of stalls offering all kinds of goods at dirt-cheap prices
and the best thing is...
the prices can be brought down even lower as haggling is the way of life here
Welcome to Citin Seacare Hotel Kuala Lumpur!
Chinatown is also filled with inexpensive hostels and budget hotels, and this is where I stayed
I like to thank Citin Seacare Hotel Pudu for providing me with accommodation during the first part of the filming of this episode
it has excellent, clean and comfortable rooms at a great value with free in suite wifi and bottled water
Not to mention amazing breakfast...
For those of you who likes hostel
I stayed in Birdnest for second part of filming
its is also located in Chinatown
and offers open atmosphere and minutes away from many of famous Buddhist and Hindu temples
Thanks guys!
One of the these Hindu temples is Sri Mahamariamman
the oldest functioning Hindu temple in Malaysia dating back to 1873
it is situated at edge of Chinatown
Built in the South Indian style
the temple's most outstanding feature is the impressive 5-tiered towers
it is popularly worshipped by overseas Indians
especially Tamils because she is looked upon as their protector during their journey to foreign lands
Just a minutes away is another temple...
So, this is the Guandi Temple
It was built in 1888 here in Chinatown to commemorate the Taoist goddess of war
Many of the devotees believe that Guandi’s weapons have special powers
and that they will be blessed by ‘touching’ or ‘lifting’ the 59kg copper sword three times
Three minutes away is another historic and oldest Taoist temple in Kuala Lumpur
Sin Sze Si Ya Temple
Now, the old temple here built by Chinese is this one
It was build in 1864 during the struggle to come to Kuala Lumpur
The temple entrance features two sedan chairs that are more than 100 years old
and before major exams
many local Chinese students flock to Sin Sze Ya Temple to pray for good luck from Wenchang Dijun
who is the God of Education in Chinese mythology
It’s really hot!
so I ran right across the street to another Kuala Lumpur’s famous landmark
the Central Market
Founded in 1888
it was originally a meat and vegetable market
The current Art Deco style building was completed in 1937 with the interior consisting of two floors…
with air condition!!!
So here I am at the Central Market
as you can see you can basically get everything from food to fashion accessories
but the key is all the same when you go to anywhere on the globe
that is to bargain and bargain hard!
The first floor consist of shops arranged in a stall concept
representing the traditional market that has existed in Kuala Lumpur since the 1800s
with many sections featuring local Malay, Chinese, and Indian traditional products
and I am not surprised in this market you can even get your palm read
The second floor hosts a food court
offering an array of Asian cuisine…
which are quite overpriced!
out of my shoestring budget!
But don’t you worry…
there are lots and lots of inexpensive food in the Chinatown
and for a $2.00, you can eat like a royal prince
I recommend you try out the Chinese BBQ meat with rice
they are very filling, inexpensive, fast to make and can be found everywhere
So what I have here is roasted pork, BBQ pork, and also some chickens
and I am eating with some of my favourite marinated eggs
my mom makes them
so, I hope they are as good as my mom's
It’s called “Char Siu”
literally means “fork roasted”
a popular way to flavour and prepare barbecued meat in Cantonese cuisine
Our next destinations will require the use of public transportation
and thank goodness Kuala Lumpur has excellent public network of subways, monorails and free buses
Yes, you hear it FREE buses
The GoKL are free city bus service meant to serve the Kuala Lumpur Central Business District
and improve public mobility in across Chinatown, Bukit Bintang and the City Centre
It even come with free onboard WIFI… sweet!
However, the faster way to get around the city is KL Light Rail Transit or LRT and KL Monorail
The fare is based on distance and its relatively inexpensive
Based on my experience the average ride cost approximately $0.75
I recommend you buy a MyRapid Card for 10 Ringgit
and preloaded with store values that will allows you to save time from lineup at the ticket machines
I end my day by visiting the most recognizable landmark in Malaysia
Well... I am certain everyone know Malaysia's most famous landmark right behind me
The Petronas Towers
we are going into the building but not up
the reason is the amount of time we have to spend queuing for the ticket and the cost of the ticket is about $25 USD
the reason for that is there are many alternatives
such as there are many rooftop restaurant and bars which are FREE
Yes, I’ll show an alternative there later!
The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete
with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art
a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion
The interiors of the towers highlight the Malaysian cultural inspiration to the design through the traditional fabric and carvings typical of the culture
At the feet of the Petronas Towers is Suria KLCC
one of the largest upscale retail centre in the country
featuring mostly foreign luxury goods and high-street labels
The exterior is surrounded by KLCC Park
a public park designed to provide greenery to Petronas Twin Towers
As promise I said I’ll show you a budget alternative
The catch is you’ll need to book a chopper to take you up here…
just joking...
actually all you need is one drink minimum to enjoy the 36th floor roof top at the Heli Lounge Bar
Well, I hope everyone took my advice...
of not paying for 90 to go up there
or 100 to go up there
but rather...
just go buy a nice drink right here at this bar
and you get to enjoy the 360 view
equally magnificent outdoor view of Kuala Lumpur
The average price of a drink is around $7.00
lot better than $25 at the Petronas Tower
But don’t’ be late for departure, since you will need to arrive between 6 pm to 9 pm to access the rooftop for free…
But our night is not over yet!
Emily is actually taking me out to all kind of interesting places here in Kuala Lumpur
to try out different types of food and this is one of them
it's actually really cheap
and it looks amazing!
and its run by Indian Muslims
They are called Mamak
and they are run 24 hours a day
Malaysia is hot
so make you drinks lots of water
The upside is the tropical environment allows it be very fruitful… literally. You can find lots of stalls across the city serving up fresh, pre-cut fruits and smoothies for all under 50 cents
this what I had for my breakfast before continuing
I began my day by exploring the west side of Klang River
My first stop is the Merdeka Square or Independence Square
accessible by the Free KL GoBus’s Purple Route
It was here the British Union Flag was lowered
and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31 1957
The opposite side of the street is home to The National Textile Museum
located inside a beautiful old Mughal style heritage building
The museum showcases the origins, development and techniques of local textiles
and the role they had in the rich and diverse heritage of Malaysia
The museum is divided into four galleries arranged over two floors
the Pohon Budi Gallery covers the tools, materials and techniques of textile making over the ages
The Pelangi Gallery exhibits different types of batik over the years
collections from the Chinese, Baba and other local communities which are rich in the use of gold thread and beading
Across the street is another free museum
the National Music Museum showcase the musical instruments from the different regions across Malaysia
An eye-catching centrepiece is a replica of a huge colourfully decorated drum
It was used at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur
One display is dedicated to P. Ramlee
who was probably Malaysia’s most popular singer, actor, director, musician and songwriter
His restful tones play in the background giving the museum a nostalgic atmosphere
Next door is a City Gallery
where you can get a nice selfies in front of I Love New York sign…
I mean KL!
Along the way to next attraction, we briefly drop by the Kuala Lumpur railway station
It’s nicknamed Resident Station due to its proximity to the residence of the British Resident
Also few minutes walking distances
I paid a quick visit to the National Planetarium complex
Now here at the National Planetarium
they even have a mockup of a Stonehenge
so if you can't get to the real thing
because its too expensive or too hard to get to?
come here, its FREE!
The National Museum of Malaysia and the Museum of Malay World Ethnology are also located nearby
but given my time constraint
I had to pass on
Finally I reached by my green sanctuary inside the metropolis
The Lake Gardens or Perdana Botanical Gardens
Established in 1888 as a colonial-era park
it is the brainchild of Alfred Venning, the British State Treasurer of Selangor
His plan includes "experimental economic garden"
with planted ornamental flowering trees and shrubs
this is middle of the city
and they have a botanical garden
so if you are sick of urban areas and high rise
and you can come here to get some nature
and if you listen carefully...
there is sound of birds
The National Monument is also located within the Garden
a sculpture that commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom
It is the world's tallest bronze freestanding sculpture grouping
This is the National Monument
and the reason there is no flags up there is because the solider just took them down
they do this every single day
and in the morning they raise it back up
365 days a year
I also pass by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall on the way home for nice rest…
because I am NOT staying home tonight!
So, I am waiting for my laundry to dry right now
and I am not going to waste my time inside that laundry store
so I thought it might be interesting to try out some local noddles
this place was recommended to me from next door
so this is what I am going to have, it's curry
the total damage is only $1.50!
But my night is not over yet
Emily who is camera shy is decided to take me to Kuala Lumpur’s most famous food destination
the Alor Street
So, first up Lok Lok Hot Pot
skewered meats, seafood and vegetables which are freshly cooked in all sorts of flavoured broths
and can be dipped in a number of chilli sauce and gravies
Just want to let you know I give Emily all the credit to choosing all these wonderful food
Oh my god, okay!
This is fried mushrooms
this is also more fried mushrooms
I guess chicken
beef!
Wow!
Thank you so much!
However, I am not leaving this market without tasting two of its specialty local seafood
this is fried oysters
with...
oh my god, it looks so good!
with...
with eggs
and there is chilli sauce and you can just dip in it
so the second dish is actually fried stingray called Ikan Bakar
and...
it translate into burnt fish
but its stingray
so Malay like their food spicy
so what they do is squeed some lime over it
I hope I doing it right!
Next day, before my Kuala Lumpur journey comes to an end
I dropped by Little India to grab a vegetarian Hindu meals
and some spices to take home
Given I had only two days
I didn’t visit the Batu Cave
its just a hour away from Kuala Lumpur and accessible from Sentral Station
It’s limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples
The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India
and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia
So, if you got the time, check it out!
I also dropped by the POD Kuala Lumpur Hostel
even though I didn’t stay with them I still wanted to thank them in person for offering me accommodation
From the Sentral Station, I return to the airport the same way by a shuttle bus costing $2.50
However, if you are in a hurry then you can consider taking KLIA Express Train for about $12.50 each way
With that being done
I hope you enjoy time in Kuala Lumpur
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Thanks for watching!