KUALA LUMPUR, THE CITY OF CROWS

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The first forced stop of our Asian tour was the city of the tallest twin towers in the world: Kuala Lumpur. Before arriving we did not expect it to be a big deal, given the opinions of other travelers, simply a large business city, the capital of one of the most developed countries in Southeast Asia. And on paper it should be, because it does not have a very long history: KL, as its inhabitants call it, was founded in 1857 and after injections of money from the British crown it became the city of skyscrapers and big avenues from the actuality. If you want to visit ancient temples, walls, pagodas, mosques with architectural wealth, this is not the right place. For example, the oldest Hindu temple is the Sri Mahamariamman of the year 1873.

However, the really attractive thing about this city is the coexistence of many cultures very different from each other, so the best adjective we found to describe KL is “city of contrasts”.

While you look at the prices of a Chinese beach bar with hanging ducks, a group of Muslim girls cross the street, and bursts of curries from Indian restaurants come to you. Suddenly a herd of street vendors tries to encasquetarte a rolex, the Manchester shirt, DVDs and Mr. Bean's bear, which here is like a god ... in theaters they dedicate most of the rooms to one of his films, there are masks from his face in costume stores ... God Save Johnny English.

Contrasts are also observed between neighborhoods. You can ride a roller coaster inside a mall, have a coffee at the Starbucks at the foot of the Petronas, in the financial zone or get fed up with dumplings and fried rice for a few euros in chinatown; Take a walk in the bazaar of Little India surrounded by painted eyes that rummage between makeup boats and baskets of garments of many colors or watch the technological monorail full of men in suits.

Despite these differences there is one thing that does not change wherever you go ... the crows squawking. You find them day, night, in a busy street, in an empty street, in rich neighborhoods and in the poor ... they are somewhat sinister, but they give it a peculiar atmosphere (they are also less noisy than the parrots of Barcelona). Among more or less cultural walks we have been tempted to commit some occidentalada: super bowling supporter, super chocolate breakfast tart, frapuccino stab… old customs are hard to repress.

These first days we have taken them as a period of adaptation, without forcing us to see everything there is to see. In addition, leaving things to discover motivates us to return in the future.

Curiosities about Kuala Lumpur:

It is more likely to see rats than mosquitoes.
Do not throw the subway ticket: it asks for it at the exit ... also do not expect to return it, live the recycling!
Cross the street to the Malay: throw yourself in traffic (if you expect the traffic light to turn green you take it clear!).
Malaysians love Guinness records.
A lot of girls and some boys with colored contact lenses are seen on the street.
In KL you can cut your hair for € 1! (Just don't forget the student card).
The cane sugar soda is delicious!
Do not be angry if they look at your cleavage, it has to be a kind of nervous tic: they all do it without realizing -_-
Our first breakfast was a happy meal menu ... what a surprise when instead of coca cola they brought us nuggets with colacao.
There is a remedy for everything: do you have muscle aches? Headaches? rheumatisms? arthritis? sciatica? nasal congestion? Have you been bitten by weirdos? FLATULENCES ?? don't worry the TIGER BALM will save you!

USEFUL INFO

Currency: € 1 = 4.25RM

Transport:KL is a relatively small city, the Chinese or Indian neighborhoods can be visited quietly on foot. For longer and more vague routes there are four ways:

Monorail and LRT (subway). It has several lines that connect the most important points of the city. Rates range from 1RM to 3RM
Bus: we have not used it just, but there is an extensive network. (One option for those who have only one day to know KL is the hop on hop off bus ... with about 17RM if you are a student or have a university card ;-) ... you can get on and off the bus as many times as you want ... it is a touristy but in case anyone is interested ...)
Taxi: the first KM costs 3RM (about € 0.70) and from there it goes up 0.10 RM every 21 seconds or 115 meters. It is not very expensive but it is advised to use it for specific cases.

There are two airports: KLIA (KL International Airport) and KLIA2 (which replaces the old LCCT, Low Cost Carrier Terminal and is the one of the low cost lines). Both are connected by a shuttle in a few minotos. The easiest way to get to the city is to catch the train to KL Sentral (according to the lonely planet I / V 70 RM), or a bus from the many companies that exist, which usually leave at the KL Sentral. There all the means of transport converge, to go to Chinatown for example, you have to take the LRT to the Pasar Seni stop or the monorail to the Maharajalela stop.

The two main intercity bus stations are: Puduraya, next to chinatown, and bersepadu selatan terminal (BTS), the two are connected by a shuttle that costs 4RM

Accommodation:The area that offers the cheapest accommodation is Chinatown. We recommend going around and asking at several of the hotels or guesthouses around Petaling Street. In all those who have approached they make a minimum of 10% discount on the official price, you can even tighten more. We have looked for a double room, with private bathroom, A / C, Wi-Fi, and prices ranged between RM 50 and 80 per night (€ 12-20) ... the rate is low enough if you want to sleep in a common bedroom, or with the bathroom shared. We stayed at the Alamanda Hotel, on Petaling Street for 63RM a night, for quality price, we found it the best in the area.

Food:Good, pretty, cheap ... there are plenty of restaurants, street stalls, food court, fast food bars, etc. All you have to do is decide what style of food you want (Hindu, Malaysian, Chinese, Western ...) and find the best place for you. The food in general is very rich and cheap, you can eat quietly for 4-8 RM. (On the contrary, drinking is carillo ... a beer can cost you two arg rice quietly !!)

Sites that we recommend and that we remember are:

LAI FOONG RESTAURANT. In Jln Tun HS read with Jln Cheng Lock (Chinese-Malaysian food)
ROTI position in Jln Sultan (parallel to Jln Petaling)
Food Court of Central Market.

You can eat where, how and when you want: it is full of 7elevens, stalls of pastries and skewers for a few cents of euros ... It is best to be guided by instinct and nose, and do not be fooled by the smell of Durian, jiji.

WIFI:Do not worry about the internet connection, there is free wifi almost everywhere: shopping centers, stations, hotels, guesthouses, we have even seen it on long-distance buses.