Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - First Impressions

From what I seen I like this city, but there is some issues. Of course some things came up so I was not able to explore it as much as I would liked. It's not like I would rush back here, but if ever passing through I might stay for a few weeks to explore the rest of it.

Currency

The currency is Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). The rate is about 4.77 MYR for 1 EUR, 100 MYR for 21 €, 250 MYR for about 52 €. Coins are slightly annoying as it's hard to recognize them so I just left a pile of them when leaving.

Visa

This information will be different depending on your nationality and even if it's the same it might be outdated, check to be sure. I like to check this Wikipedia page which lists all requirements for Lithuanians and VisaHQ to be sure. You can also Google using your native language which might provide some useful articles.

There is no visa required for stays of 90 days over 180 days period. Just go through immigration, submit your fingerprints, and get the stamp.

Communications

Malaysia has this BS where you need to have your passport to get a local SIM card.

You can get a local SIM card from Maxis/Hotlink when leaving the airport. Can't remember the details but I think for about 11 € you can get a couple of GBs and some credit for 30 days. If you're going to a nearby country it's very easy to get 1 GB of data for 10 MYR (just follow the instructions in the SMS). If you want to top up you will have to go to some convenience store, they will give you the pin code which needs to be entered on the phone to get that credit.

Food

There is a lot of places to get food, but didn't find any which would jump out at me. It might also have been because ended eating way too much fast food which is very cheap here. There is street food there, but you might want to walk around until you find a trusty looking stall, you don't get much confidence seeing someone vomiting 2 meters from food stalls.

Parks

KL Butterfly Park is a small park with butterflies. It can be relaxing walking around or just sitting by the waterfall.

Gym

I had the gym & swimming pool in the same building as my airbnb so did not need to look for anything dedicated. That is an amazing convenience, wake up, get a few floors down and jump into a cold pool, wakes you up right away.

Traffic / Walking

The city is walkable (at least the center of it). Traffic lights can get a bit annoying as they don't like to change much, and you often stand thinking if you should wait more or just go. There are some hills you might need to climb from time to time. The weather makes walking much harder, but at least air feels fresh (non-polluted).

Traffic is a lot more civilized here. It does not feel like you're about to die whenever you leave a building. Still can sometimes get into dangerous situations so look around.

Shops

That would depend on location, but there are a lot of shopping malls.

Plaza Low Yat is the best place to start if you're looking for any electronics. The ground floor feels more like official retail stores, while upper floors look more shady.

Montanic Adventure Store - Pavilion KL is a great place to look for possible upgrades to your gear. I love outdoor stores because when you're traveling with only single small backpack they allow you to find gear which has small foot print and is durable.

Lafuma Bangsar is another outdoor store for gear upgrades.

Weather

(from external source) Tropical weathers with above 30C, cooler evenings, especially after afternoon showers with high humidity. Rainfall usually does not last very long. Wet season is October to March, can sometimes flood some areas. Dry season is June and July, can still rain. Occasional forest fires around May to October, stay indoors.

I was visiting during the March. Weather is nice and at the same time it sucks. Even early in the morning (8 AM) it's getting hot and humid which makes you want to stay indoors. From around noon to 4 PM it's very hot and unpleasant to be outside. Once the sun is going down (around 6 PM) the weather becomes nice. Another problem is rain. When it's raining it's raining, and you don't want to get into one of those thunderstorms. You can get an umbrella (which you could also use against sun) or a poncho, but they are not that useful (still better than nothing). If you got caught in the rain and need to get somewhere it won't take long for sellers to show up with umbrellas and ponchos. The storms usually don't last long (about an hour or so on average), but it still sucks when they start just as soon as you're leaving.

For other locations in the world see intro article.

Posted in: Personal, Tips, Travel

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