Kuala Lumpur City and Klang Valley Information

KUALA LUMPUR CITY & KLANG VALLEY INFORMATION

Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle, Sri Hartamas, Petaling Jaya, Jalan Petaling a.k.a Chinatown, Brickfields, Malaysia Little India, Damansara Height, Mount Kiara, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan P.Ramlee aka night life street, Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang a.k.a the happening street, Jalan Alor the famous 24hours Hawker Food Street.

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Kuala Lumpur or simply KL, is the capital of Malaysia. Literally meaning "muddy estuary" in Bahasa Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur has grown from a small sleepy Chinese tin-mining village to a bustling metropolis of around 6.5 million (city-proper population of 1.8 million) in just 150 years. With some of the world's cheapest 5-star hotels, cheap and great shopping and even better food, increasing numbers of travellers are discovering this little gem of a city. Kuala Lumpur is a sprawling city and its residential suburbs seem to go on forever. The city also merges with the adjacent cities call Petaling Jaya (originally developed as a satellite town), Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang and Port Klang, creating a huge conurbation called the Klang Valley. The city can be divided into the following areas, each of which offers a particular attraction or activity.

• Kuala Lumpur City Center – This is the traditional core of Kuala Lumpur where you’ll find the former colonial administrative centre, with the Merdeka Square, Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Selangor Club. This district also includes Kuala Lumpur’s old Chinese commercial centre which everyone refers to now as Chinatown. Kuala Lumpur's City Centre is the tradition heart of Malaysia's capital city, both in terms of administration as well as trade and commerce.
  The City Centre comprises the former colonial administrative district just west of the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River, where Kuala Lumpur was founded. At the heart of the colonial district is Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) where Malaysia's independence was declared. Many other colonial-era building surround the square. To the west of the square lies the pretty Lake Gardens while to the south, you'll find the National Mosque, KL's Moorish-style old railway station, and several museums including the Islamic Arts Museum and the National Museum.
  KL's traditional commercial district lies to the east of the Klang River. The area's narrow streets are lined with traditional Chinese shops, markets and eateries, and is now commonly referred to as KL's Chinatown. Although the old pre-World War II shophouses are quickly disappearing and being replaced with modern buildings, the area is still fascinating enough for a wonder. Chinatown is also where you can find budget accommodation. 

• Malaysia Golden Triangle – The area of Kuala Lumpur located to the north-east of the city centre, the Golden Triangle is where you will find the city’s shopping malls, five-star hotels, Petronas Twin Towers. Located to the northeast of the Central KL , the Golden Triangle roughly covers the area north of Jalan Pudu, south of Jalan Ampang and west of Jalan Imbi and Jalan Tun Razak. It includes the ever busy shopping area of Bukit Bintang, the office towers ofJalan Raja Chulan, the Jalan Sultan Ismail five-star hotel strip, the Jalan P. Ramlee party street, and the entire Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) (not to be confused with KL's traditional City Center) which is home to the Petronas Twin Towers, Suria KLCC shopping centre, KLCC Convention Centre and the KLCC Park.

• Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) / Chow Kit – It's fast regaining its old fame after a decade of slow growth. Located just 500 m north of Chinatown & adjacent to the Petronas Twin Towers, this is the traditional colourful shopping district of Kuala Lumpur north of the city centre that moves into high gear when the festivals of Hari Raya Puasa (Eid ul-Fitr) and Deepavali approach. Located just beside the Golden Triangle (northern neighbour) with many popular budget accommodations. The gigantic Putra World Trade Centre & the traditional Kampung Baru food haven are among the most important landmarks.Besides Jalan TAR, the district also is home to the colourful shopping street of Jalan Masjid India, which is chock-a-block with shops specialising in saris and other Indian apparel. Indeed, the area is sometimes called Little India, although several other parts of KL compete for that title and these days there are at least as many Indonesians around.
  The northern part of the district is called Chow Kit, known for bargain shopping and food. The famous Chow Kit Wet Market has never stopped being the favourite wet market of all. You'll also be able to see things which you'll never be able to find elsewhere in KL, like the full array of Malay traditional medicine. The Jalan Haji Hussein street market at night is similar to Chinatown's Petaling street offering fake goods & delicious local food which is located just off the Chow Kit Monorail stop.
  The Tuanku Abdul Rahman end of Jalan Sultan Ismail has become KL's new hot nightspot. Nicknamed Heritage Row, restaurants and clubs are now breathing new life into the old dilapidated terrace houses of Jalan Doraisamy and Jalan Yap Ah Shak, just off Jalan Sultan Ismail.
  Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman / Chow Kit area is now The place to find budget accommmodations offering very competitive prices as many have been built here to avoid the congested Chinatwon 1km south. With the Monorail & LRT lines running into this area, travelling to other parts of the city centre & outskirts is easy.

• Brickfields – This area, located south of the city centre, is Kuala Lumpur’s Little India filled with saree shops and banana leaf rice restaurants. Kuala Lumpur’s main railway station, KL Sentral, is located here.Brickfields is Kuala Lumpur's biggest "Little India" and is located just south of the KL City Center. Its main road, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, formerly knowns as Brickfields Road, is lined from end to end with shops selling Indian clothing, provisions and foodstuff.
  Previously deemed as one of KL's less savoury areas, Brickfields is undergoing a makeover with the construction of the massive KL Sentral project on top of the old railway marshalling yards (for which Brickfields was known). The KL Sentral area now has a collection of tall office towers and also Kuala Lumpur's main railway station.
  For the purposes of this page, Brickfields will also include the area to the east of the Klang River along Jalan Syed Putra andRobson Heights, where the impressive hill-top Thean Hou Temple is located.
  
  
• Bangsar & Mid Valley – Located south of the city, Bangsar is a popular restaurant and clubbing district while Midvalley, with its Megamall, is one of the city’s most popular shopping destinations. Bangsar and Midvalley are two areas located to the south of  Kuala Lumpur City Center
  Bangsar is a high-income suburban area which is also a popular for its restaurants, watering holes and clubs. The area is frequented by many of Kuala Lumpur's expatriate community. Midvalley, which is linked directly to Bangsar via an overpass, is a relatively new development which has become very popular for shopping, thanks to the perpetually packed MidValley Megamall and its higher-end extension called The Gardens, which was opened at the end of 2007. Besides shopping, the two malls and surrounding areas also offer plenty of eating options. There are also three hotels within the Mid Valley Complex, and cheaper ones within walking distance.
  
  
• Damansara & Hartamas – Largely suburban, these two districts to the west of the city house some interesting pockets of restaurants and drinking areas.Damansara and Hartamas are two middle- to upper-middle-class suburbs which lie to the west of Kuala Lumpur. Although largely residential, both have pockets of good restaurants, watering holes and even some clubs. Desa Hartamas is particularly popular with the expatriate community.
  Damansara runs right up to the border between the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state and virtually merges with the city of Petaling Jaya And just to create some confusion, many areas in the northern part of Petaling Jaya also deemed to be part of Damansara.
  Sri Hartamas and Desa Sri Hartamas
  Whilst there is nothing typically touristy to see or do in Sri Hartamas this is a fantastic place to really get a feel for Kuala Lumpur. Desa Sri Hartamas in particular has developed into a fantastic little eating area where you can experiment with a wide variety of international food relatively cheaply. The most appealing aspect of this is that most of the food retains its national identity. Of particular interest is sitting down to a korean BBQ- order bulgogi or sam giup sul, going for steamboat, or joining in the foodcourt when it starts to become busy after eight in the evening.
  There is also a reputable dive shop in Desa Sri Hartamas that has a thriving little dive community behind it and runs regular trips out of Kuala Lumpur to a variety of diving spots.
  Take a taxi, about 10Rm from the center of KL and about 10minutes. Ask to be put down at Desa Sri Hartamas. Taxis are easily hailable to return to the city. Within walking distance is Mont Kiara, an area of towering condominiums, that has a few nice bars, reasonable restaurants (that are more expensive than Sri Hartamas) and a growing expat community.