The world adores matt hayward

OK, twice in a month I’ve been asked what are some cool things to do in KL if you only have a few days in town. I put this list together for a friend and thought it might be useful for some. These are selected highlights. Virtually all of them will be between 30 minutes to an hour from your hotel if you’re staying within KL city. So all very doable in a short time frame and a massively cool experience.

1) Go to the KLCC observation deck. it’s a big fucking tower!!! You have to climb a big fucking tower! Like how the fuck COULDN’T you climb one! It’s easy, i didn’t. But if you want to go, they only let like 5000 up to the observatory bit every day. Shopping is OK in KLCC, nothing I haven’t seen anywhere else. Watch it when you step outside though, the heat REALLY hits you in about 300 metres! Perhaps a cab to your destination might be a good idea if you’re not crazy about humidity.

N.B. KL really isn’t that accessible, especially if it’s raining because you get covered in pollution. And when it’s hot, you’ll walk about 500 metres and have sweat right through your clothes! This is not really an exaggeration. You’ve been warned!

Oh yeah, everything is negotiable - retail or market stand. Don’t like take any shit from no one lady!

2) See the view from KL Tower. So damn high the elevator ride is a few minutes. You can have quite a conversation going to the top. It is cheaper and easier to get into than KLCC though, as they only let a set amount of people go to the top each day. Awesome view, I got the anxiety attacks because it was so high. Kinda sorta good, but meh. No monkeys.

3) Eat naan bread at Steven’s Corner. If you can go to a place called ’stevens corner’ it’s near the mid valley mall off old Kelang Road. It’s like a third world Chapel St. Everyone cruises around there and Steven’s Corner has about the best naan bread you can eat anywhere in the world. They also have really great fruit drinks and lasses. Plus there’s about 100 other hawker stands (or mamaks as the locals call them. You CAN’T go to KL without eating at one) there as well if that doesn’t grab you. Will be about 45 mins out of KL maybe. I drank in the beer garden there till about 6 in the morning once. Long story, but a very easy and CHEAP place to eat some of the best food ever. I mean seriously good!

Mid valley mall is like Southland in Melbourne. Don’t bother. In fact I think I’ve seen an identical floor plan for that mall in Australia… another boring story.

4) Party in Bangsar. if you don’t want to slum it, hang out in Bangsar. it’s a little slice of Toorak and there’s night markets on a Sunday, ooh and the completely unpredictable (and inflatable) Irish pub. Very Chapel Street. Watch out for kids selling you DVDs, tissues, candies and completely useless shit. They’re persistent. i think there is a nightclub there called the Beach Club, which is a notoriously easy pick up joint/party club. But all the bars are here.

5) Bintang Walk is kinda touristy but really cool. Lots of nice pricey shops and la de dah stuff. Ooh Starbucks!

6) Wander down Petaling Street (aka China town) it’s truly awesome. During the day it’s stinking hot though. At night it’s cooler and becomes one massive market as the roads are only passable on feet with all the market vendor tents taking up the road. You can get this drink they call cats eye or something in Cantonese. Here you will find all the knock off software, DVDs, cds, clothes, watches, sunnies; anything a Chinese man can knock off will be sold here. It’s good to see because when the po-lice raid the joint, all the dodgy wares are on hospital beds and they plough them down the street!

7) Visit a Hindu temple. Go to this Indian temple near Petaling st, Brickfields
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Kandaswamy_Kovil,_Brickfields
it’s unbelievable and almost walking distance from Chinatown.

8 ) Visit an amazing Buddhist temple. It’s really really cool, probably the number two thing. Because it overlooks the whole town and it’s absolutely massive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thean_Hou_Temple

Oh yeah and eat nasi lemak. They have it wrapped in banana leaves on the tables of cafes in little pyramids. It’s a true Malaysian experience and would cost you about thirty cents from the average hawker stand, or mamaks as they’re known.

P.S. Cab drivers are scary. But not as scary as the cabs. Get used to it.