Shop or Sweat Till You Drop in Kuala Lumpur

Going from lush Balinese jungle to the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was a welcome detour.

Three days was the perfect amount of time to spend in this city, as there’s not too to do. There are many wildlife attractions outside the city, but we opted to save our ringgits and stay local.

KL is a very walkable city, but not very pedestrian friendly. The majority of crosswalk signs don’t work and even if they did, most motorists neglected to follow street rules.

During our first day of exploring, we were sure death by car/bus/motor bike was eminent. Not only were the streets tough to cross safely, the amount of exposed wires and rusty fences lining the sidewalks was alarming and scarily eye level most times. Good thing we are defensive walkers and made it around the city tetanus free.

Shopping is definitely a draw to this place, and while here, we certainly checked out the many malls. My favorite shopping center was the 12 story Berjaya Town Square, full of endless market style stores, food courts, spas and a theme park. Even if we couldn’t go purchase crazy, it was fun to browse through and enjoy the cool A/C after walking in the hot Malaysian sun.

Another highlight of KL is the famously tall Patronas Towers, which also has a fancy mall underneath the business floors.

If we weren’t exploring Chinatown, shopping or walking aimlessly, we were lounging in our awesome hostel. Each person had their own private pod, the free noodle and egg breakfast was amazing, the Internet was the best we’ve used in ages, and the rooftop overlooking the city was the perfect way to end our days.

I would love to spend more time in Malaysia one day to explore the beaches, but this quick stop was a great way to get a taste of the country.

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