Cuti Cuti Malaysia: My First Solo Trip To Kuala Lumpur
I was contemplating whether I should write this post, because this trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in December 2024, for me as a Malaysian, was not considered an overseas trip but a domestic one. However, I still decided to go ahead because after some thought, I believe I should promote tourism in my country to readers of this blog!
For this trip, I decided to fly a little differently, to make this trip a little cheaper than usual. I decided to fly budget from Johor Senai Airport this time instead of from Changi Airport, since I had also planned to go back to my mum's place in Johor the day before. This is also my first time taking Batik Air (budget airline) and I must say, it was a rather pleasant experience. Anyway at the airport, there was no lounge for me to rest (or maybe I do not know where it is), so I just waited around the gate. Due to the heavy rain, there was just a 15 to 20 minutes delay, which I am thankful for. By the way, this is my first time going to KL alone, though I am a citizen of Malaysia for the past 40 years and counting. So yes, I am like a frog in the well, but I appreciate every experience that presents itself at every moment of my life, and so, this trip was a great opportunity for me to tour around KL like a tourist to know my country better! One negativity of this trip was Google weather indicated that everyday was going to be a rainy day, for the entire 4 day 3 nights that I stayed in KL. Therefore I am going to tweak my itinerary a little and be flexible in where I go.
After landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1, I took the KLIA express to KL Sentral directly. This trip cost RM 55 (not cheap!), and this journey actually kind of reminded me of Bangkok! Upon reaching KL Sentral, it was about 6pm and that was where the nightmare started. I have not experienced the crowd taking public transport during rush hour in Singapore for quite some time (because I work during off-peak hours), so this journey definitely brought back memories. The LRT and MRT during rush hour was no joke.
Life-size Labubu
The first sight I saw after exiting Bukit Bintang LRT is the full size Labubu. From there, I strolled to my hotel for the next 3 nights, Prime Hotel @ TRX. It was a decent hotel, not too shabby for the low price, definitely value for money. For dinner, I just wanted to find a place near the hotel as a thunderstorm started (remember everyday was going to be a rainy day?). I was quite happy to find this highly rated claypot restaurant (煲你喜欢), and their food was quite good. After dinner, I just went back to rest.
Dinner at "煲你喜欢"
On the second day, I decided to start the day early and do my morning exercise by walking 30 minutes from hotel to ICC Pudu to try out the local breakfast there. This place is packed with local goodies, from meals like noodles and rice, to snacks like tarts and pastries! There is probably more than 100 stalls here in total, making it an ideal place to bring the whole family and friends here for a meal. I decided to try the famous "Ah Fook Chee Cheong Fun", but frankly I think the one near my parent's house in Johor tastes much better! However the egg tarts are quite good though, not too sweet and sufficiently flakey!
Breakfast at ICC Pudu
After breakfast, I decided to walk around and continue being a tourist. I walked all the way towards the Pavilion, and from there inched my way towards the Petronas Twin Towers! Throughout the entire walk, I was wondering when the rain was going to start, as I had changed my itinerary and forgone Dino Desert to walk around town instead.
Christmas decorations outside Pavilion
Public Bank Tower facing Twin Towers
After that I continue my walk towards Petaling Street (茨廠街). Yes it was a rather long walk, but I needed the walking exercise to prepare me for the food I was going to consume during this trip. There was nothing much at Petaling Street and it felt like walking around Chinatown in Singapore, but with loads of imitation goods. After a short walk there, it was time to have my lunch/high tea at Leaf and Co. I got to know about this place from a YouTuber's vlog, who praised their croissant and pasta. Indeed, both the croissant and pasta is nice and creamy.
Superb meal at Leaf & CoIn the midst of my meal, a thunderstorm finally occurred and since I could not go anywhere, I ordered another peppermint tea, seeking refuge in the cafe till the thunderstorm is over. Once the skies were clear, I walked over back to Sungei Wang Plaza to see the MinNature exhibition. It was really a nice place with cute but realistic replicas of places, landmarks, and even the way of life. These definitely brings back memories of my childhood, and helped me to appreciate the important landmarks in the various states in Malaysia!
MinNature Malaysia
Miniature Cameron Highlands with crops!
Miniature kuey store
And that's all for the day, with no dinner as I was too full from the late cafe lunch.
On the third day, I decided to ignore Google weather, which had kind of cheated my feelings for the whole morning the day before, indicating to me that it was raining everyday (and almost every hour) in KL. As such, I decided to make a trip by KTM to visit the Batu Caves, which is a huge natural cave with Indian Temples in it. The caves are quite splendid, but other than climbing up the stairs, I suppose that was all for me as a tourist.
Batu Caves
View from the top
After the workout, it was time to treat myself to a Japanese buffet at Mitasu! The food is quite good, definitely value for money at about RM 95 including tax. The sashimi was fresh and basically everything was great!
Buffet delicacies
Got to eat my worth!After the buffet, I was super full, and I just had to walk from mall to mall, hoping to help with my digestion. After a while, I decided to pig my way through by going back to hotel to nap.
At evening time, I decided to take a look at the night life in KL. Once again, I walked from my hotel to Jalan Alor food street and oh my it was crowded! The variety of snacks is great and it is a street bustling with activities. I believe it is as popular as Jodd Fairs in Bangkok! Once again, I decided to follow the YouTubers and try out 黄亚华 chicken wings! Not bad, it is juicy and tender, but I thought it was decent and nothing too spectacular. Overall it was a pleasant dinner to end the night!
The endless crowd!
Dinner at 黄亚华
Finally, it was my last day in KL. As my flight was in the evening, I am left with ample time to do some final exploration. After a simple breakfast, I continued my journey to see some wall art. Although it's just a small space, but the art work is really good!
Beautiful art work!
After that, I decided to continue to be a tourist and walked all the way to Independence Square! As I was too early, the central market has yet open for business.
Independence Square
Once I was done with the touristy stuff, it was about time for me to go back to hotel to pack up and check out. After checking out, I went to The Exchange TRX to take a look and took pictures of the Christmas decorations! Quite a nice place but basically, just a grand shopping mall.
The Exchange TRX
Christmas decorations outside TRX
Total "Damage" for this solo trip:
Flight + Hotel: SGD 146.50
Food + Cafes + Transport + Massage + Tips + Tax: RM 1021.00
(Exchange rate I got for this trip is SGD 1 : MYR 3.26; Total expenses is SGD 459.70)
Overall, I spent quite a bit of money on food and cafes. Furthermore, the KLIA express from airport to KL Sentral is also quite expensive at RM 55 per trip, so to and fro cost RM 110. KL, in my opinion, is not a cheap destination (or perhaps, I do not know where the cheap bargains and value-for-money foods are, as I basically went to all the more touristy places). Therefore, I personally think that KL is not a place for retirement. Johor will definitely be my top choice still, as I know where to find the great food at great prices, and I am familiar with the place. However, I am pleased to be able to embark on this solo trip, to know my country better. Looking forward to more "Cuti-Cuti Malaysia" adventures in time to come! In addition, for this whole trip, I actually walked about 100K steps! Sincerely hoping that this can help to keep the fats gained from the marvelous food during this trip at bay. Barista FIRE, here I come!
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