A Langorous Walk in Southwest KL

I love lazy walks, finding my way around places; most especially if it’s somewhere I haven’t visited, and then wind up at a surprisingly pleasant sight. This was my experience in southwest KL. The area contiguous to the National Monument is a wondrous amalgam of lush vegetation and very few wandering souls. I felt like I’ve discovered a place that will become a favorite in this prosperous Muslim city.

Coming down the hill where the National Monument stands, I trudged down hill then crossed the street (Jalan Parlimen) down south to find an almost deserted park (Lake Club), except for some napping workers at a pavilion. It was calming walking along Jalan Cenderwasih - the sidewalk is in glorious canopies of huge trees. But parks provide a deceptive mirage – Madrid’s Retiro Park, anyone? - so I wandered around with some caution. I kept bumping into a blond American in his sweaty shirt and walking shorts, a light backpack straddling his back and a map on his hand. The whole area is basically undervisited. There was a degree of eeriness smugly cloaking the sunlit atmosphere. And perspiration was crawling down my back.

I love the way everywhere I look there’s hardly litter, except for the falling leaves of the surrounding vegetation. Their grounds are immaculately maintained. In this area, you can find the following sites:

1. Anniversary Theatre
2. Butterfly Garden
3. Hibiscus Garden (Hibiscus aka Gumamela is probably their national flower.)
4. Orchid Garden
5. Deer Park
6. Memorial Tun Ralzak
7. Police Museum – officially called Royal Malaysian Police Museum is 41 years old
8. Bird Park – reputed to be the world biggest covered aviary
9. Islamic Arts Museum – a a permanent Islamic center of learning and research to preserve its history, arts and cultural heritage, established December 12, 1998
10. National Museum
11. National Planetarium
12. Lake Gardens
13. National Museum – just across the greens and through Jalan Damansara

My main destination was the Lake Gardens, but it took me through the aforementioned places; something that would require a bit of stamina as these areas cover wide open spaces and sites that require long walks to get to, so I wouldn’t count on a frenetic walkathon to fully enjoy the whole area.

Beside the road, you go down this flight of stairs for the Lake Club area.

Hibiscus rosa sinensis aka Gumamela - one whole park is dedicated to this flower.

Roadside waiting shed, just opposite the Police Museum (photo below), along Jalan Cenderwasih.

Walking along Jalan Cenderwasih is wonderfully idyllic. To the left of the road is the sprawl of the immense Bird Park – officially called Safari Bird Park and Wonderland. You can peep through this covered aviary, touted the biggest in the world. Their brochures refer to the site as the world’s largest free-flight and walk-in aviary. Abundant trees line the clean road with a minimal number of vehicles passing through. I leisurely walked along and got goose bumps as I passed through a school of monkeys standing by the roadside. What if they attacked me? What if they get playful and take interest on my camera? I hid mine as soon as I took a snap. This place could either be the most relaxing place in the city, but its eerie solitary atmosphere could also be risky for lone travelers – so caution is strongly advised. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Monkeys swinging from adventitious roots.

As the road curves to a more populous area, I came across the entrance to the Bird Park. They open at 9 AM and close at 6 PM daily, including Sundays and public holidays. The KL Hop-On Hop-Off bus regularly plies this trail. An adult would have to pay 39 ringgit ($10.53) for his entrance, and 29 ringgit ($7.83) for children aged 3 to 12 years old. Visit their website for updates: www.klbirdpark.com. Their Hornbill Restaurant and Cafe open from 9AM to 10 PM daily.

And yeah! Former U.S. President Bill Clinton just visited the park last December 2008!

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Orchids standing in front of the Orchid Park entrance.

Parking and entrance of the Bird Park just opposite the Orchid Park.

Bird Park official brochure - all text in Bahasa!

Notice the immense area covering the whole Bird Park.

KL map emphasizing the distance from Petronas Twin Towers and the Bukit Bintang Monorail Station to the National Monument. I took a taxi and agreed on a fixed 10 ringgit fare. However, these days (as of March 2009), most taxis won't agree on anything less than 20 ringgit, which is ridiculous!

The walking trail I followed from the National Monument to the Lake Gardens. Quite a walk.

Accommodations in Kuala Lumpur Part 2 – Hotel Seasons View Along the Popular Jalan Alor

SITTING AT THE HEART of Kuala Lumpur’s backpacker haven is Jalan Alor (Alor Street) which comes alive at night! As the sun sets over the city, the street lamps illuminate over what tourist books refer to as the Hawker’s Street, the “food street” if you may, where tables occupy half the street and a hundred and one tourists bask in the revelry of camaraderie and sumptuous meal. No! Food here doesn’t necessarily come cheap. After all, tourists in general are perceived to have oodles of moolah sprouting out of their edifices, but Alor is nevertheless worth a try – even just once. Make sure though that you are served a well-cooked meal!

Last October (2008), Kuala Lumpur City Hall was underfire for its desire to rename Jalan Alor to Jalan Kejora. They were adamant that changing the name to Jalan Kejora - a move that has sparked a public outcry – is ”the right thing to do”. Datuk Bandar Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan said the move, which was planned three years ago, would give the tourist destination of Bukit Bintang a new image. This decision has drawn flak from traders, tourists and local residents alike. After all, “Jalan Alor”, when googled yields about 200,000 returns (yahoo search yields 970,000 items). It is THAT popular! And renaming it into something new and unfamiliar will only alienate its regular clientele and future tourists who have heard of this popular hawker street! It is like renaming the Eiffel Tower into Paris Tower, and the inherent magic gets mislaid or wayward. The name change came to light when city hall replaced the road sign. The Jalan Alor name has been in existence for 35 years.

City Hall explained that the name was changed at the request of the National Economic Action Council to meet requirements under the road naming guidelines to go with other roads in the vicinity.

In the day time, Jalan Alor goes into slumber.

EXPENSIVE BACKPACKER JAUNTS

Along Jalan Alor, just a few walks from Jalan Bukit Bintang, is a budget hotel that’s a little better than most guesthouses that KL can offer – Hotel Seasons View. KL suffers from a lack of cheap but acceptable accommodations for the budget-conscious backpacker! The cheap ones are dreary and cringe-inducing. Those that are marginally acceptable are considerably “pricey” if you compare it to the other dwellings of similar quality within the region (Laos, Vietnam, India).

I came across Hotel Seasons View from internet surfing way back 2007. It is not found in either wikitravel or Lonely Planet. A single standard room costs 88 malaysian ringgit – roughly $25, and this includes breakfast! The hotel is a 6-story edifice in the heart of Jalan Alor. Its website employs a reservation form that replies diligently. Unfortunately, upon their reply, they require you to call them. And there is a good reason why a backpacker resorts to budget hotels like Seasons View, but the hotel’s penchant for “reassurance of booking” leaves so much to be desired. They would require you to give them a call to “reserve”, then on the day of your arrival, they want you to call again just before getting into your plane! If it so happens that you arrive in the evening, they would require you to once again call upon touching down! Then after doing so, they would only give you ONE HOUR to get yourself from KLIA to the city center! Now you have to remember that passing through immigration can take some time. Then you have 51 kilometers to travel from the airport to Jalan Alor – making “1 hour upon arrival” close to impossible. And didn't I tell you that you HAVE to give them a call also upon arrival! The 3 instances of calling them will already save you sufficient money for another overnight stay in the city! And doesn’t this dreary mechanics defeat the purpose of an online reservation if all you have to do is spend an adequate amount of time ringing the hotel?

A single standard room is relatively acceptable - pwede na. Some rooms teem with roaches while others are a little better. If you aren't happy with your room, you can always ask for similar rooms - if they're available. There is an old television set that shows a few local stations. The AC has seen better days; its roving control doesn’t work. An elevator will take you to your room. A cozy restaurant is located beside the lobby, and the people manning it are quite attentive and accommodating. A single unit of desk top computer sits beside the door. It will take time before the reception staff warms up to your touristy demeanors, but once you get their fancy, they can be quite congenial! The main advantage of staying in this hotel is its location. After all, if all you need for an accommodation is a place to lay your weary head at night, then Seasons View is for you. They can arrange for a cheap taxi ride to KLIA as well at a really affordable 75-80 ringgit! This is a bargain considering that most taxis won’t let you haggle for anything below 100 ringgit for an airport ride. They also offer day-outs to Genting Highlands (85 to 95 ringgit per person), but you are better off going there on your own – at a much cheaper expense.

Hotel Seasons View

Visit their website - http://www.seasonsview.com/ for inquiries and reservations. They have 48 rooms and they’re just a 5 kilometer walk from Bukit Bintang and the famous Bintang Walk, as well as malls like Sungai Wang, Starhill, Lot 10, The Pavillion, and Berjaya Times Square (along Jalan Imbi). It’s easy to find. Just look for KFC along Bukit Bintang, then Jalan Alor is a few steps walk from Jalan Alor. Their address: 61 Jalan Alor, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Phone: 603-2145 7577 Fax: 603-2143 3532 Email: reservation@seasonsview.com.

This is the Eye in the Sky.

Jalan Alor aka Jalan Kejora comes alive at night.

At night, taxis refuse to take you along Jalan Alor. A great part of the road is covered with tables and chairs. Food stalls stand by the road side, and a delicious aroma of grilled food wafts through the smoky atmosphere.

The deliciously pungent smell of Durian...

From Jalan Alor, you can leisurely walk to the KL Monorail's Bukit Bintang station.

Fruit stalls selling exotic Asian harvest - rambutan (mamon chino), mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), durian.

For those who require a familiar taste away from home, KFC along Bukit Bintang is open 24 hours. It's also a perfect location to find your way to Jalan Alor.

The street at the corner of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismael.

For more options on accommodation, check out the previous post and this post below:

- Hotel Hibiscus: http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/04/backpack-accommodation-in-kl-part-3.html

More Accommodations in KL here (follow the succeeding posts here for different hotels):

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2012/09/le-apple-boutique-hotel-accommodations.html

Accommodations in Kuala Lumpur Part 1 – The Search for Le Village

THERE'S A HALF NAKED French man standing by the door to the common bathroom-toilet. His light brown curls fell down below his shoulders, and a huge towel draped around his waist. One arm-stretch behind me sat a Hispanic lady fiddling the keys of one of two keyboards that service the guesthouse. I was standing behind Mr. Frenchman, carefully deciding whether I should hold off relieving myself. I didn’t need to go that bad. We were in the main kitchen, just down the hall from the comfy living room, where a very relaxed group of three was discussing their travels into Cambodia. There’s a heady mix of accents and ebullient spirit populating the atmosphere. This was home away from home, otherwise called “Le Village” in the hidden enclave of Kuala Lumpur’s Petaling district (Chinatown).

Such bohemian setting welcomed my stay into this backpacker ghetto that’s so highly recommended by Lonely Planet, thus I was compelled to check it out.

TAKE ME ON A BUS RIDE

There’s 2,466 kilometers (1,532 miles) covering the Manila to Kuala Lumpur air travel, with no time difference between the two capitals. I was ushered into KLIA at a decent hour, thus there was no rush to take the very first taxi or the next train to the city center, some 51 kilometers away from the airport. Instead, I leisurely pushed my cart around, and headed down the basement floor where the bus depot is. There are 2 bus options: the Airport Shuttle, that will ferry passengers around Bukit Bintang, passing by the major streets where tourists conglomerate; and the Star Shuttle, which stops near Puduraya Bus station. Both service at 10 malaysian ringgit only! I opted for the latter, as I was setting my sight on a backpacker favorite - Le Village. I figured, if I don’t like it, I can always transfer the next day. And be able to tell my tale about this budget dwelling.


KLIA bus ticket booth for KL Sentral instead of the Puduraya or Bukit Bintang. This is located at the basement's waiting room, just down the escalators.

Star Shuttle bus from KLIA's bus depot at the ground floor.

A WALK WITH A 9!

After a 30 minute wait (Star Shuttle busses leave every 30 minutes), my ride pulls out at 9:45PM. It was a comfortable AC bus carrying just 20 passengers. An hour later, we reached Jalan Pudu (Pudu Street). Nearby was the bus station. I walked around with my 9 kg baggage, confident I could find my way into the guesthouse. I am usually good with these things. Some 30 minutes later, my shoulder was feeling the weight of my bag, and I sat with a deflated ego. People don’t seem to have any idea where the place is.

SIX ROUNDABOUTS!

I hailed a cab and sternly agreed on a 6 ringgit price, making sure he knew where the street was. He vigorously nodded, and I emphasized “6 ringgit - no more”! He understood. It was getting late and the one-way street where Le Village (Jalan H.S. Lee) is supposed to be grew darker by the minute. After several detours, our search remained futile. My driver had to park at some side streets while he walked through blocks, looking for this “sign”. I waited inside the taxi – and I knew 6 ringgit wouldn’t suffice. Not after 6 roundabout turns – a virtual tour of the area already. At some point, I was ready to walk on foot and scour the street on my own. This was getting ridiculous. I saw Bangkok Bank, which is supposed to be close to the guesthouse. Le Village” was nowhere to be found.

Finally, I saw the triumphant face of my driver. At a dark corner facing a small island of greens, there peeped a small unlit signage just above a nondescript door. I handed 10 ringgit to my driver. He smiled and handed me his calling card. Then he left.

The toll gate half way between the airport and the city center.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

I pulled at the door. It was on auto-lock. I pressed at some door bells, and then I heard a beeping sound. As I open the door, I saw several flights of stair, with a hundred and one pair of slippers and shoes at each step. I made my way up, until I saw the lobby. It was a homey living room with cozy dim lights illuminating the area. For a measly 35 ringgit a night, I got a room with 2 beds, all to myself! This was ridiculously cheap! No wonder, North American and European backpacker flock to this guesthouse.LOVING NOTES

There was a rattan swing hanging by the ceiling. Postcards and drawings from bohemian travelers adorn the walls, and the people manning the counter were friendly and relaxed, exuding the atmosphere of a B&B home stay. I scanned through some written “recommendations” tacked on the walls. This place has a lot of grateful "fans"! I checked my watch. It was 11:35 PM.

My room had 2 beds beside each other. There was an electric fan that took a while to work – and when it did, I could barely feel the dying breath of Brutus. The sheets looked clean and smelled nice. The walls were reed thin, and the door didn’t have locks. How free-spirited can you get!

LISTENING THROUGH WALLS

It was well into midnight, I was a restless soul. I needed more air than the fan is capable of spewing. But the thin walls allowed me to eavesdrop on conversations next room, which had 4 occupants. There was a Russian guy, some Jamaican, and 2 canadians – all in one room! My 35 ringgit allowed me this king-sized abode fit for royalty. Hehe.

It took me a couple of hours to drift into a restless sleep. My body had gotten accustomed to stuffy ventilation and the lazy talk of strangers from next room. If you're on a budget and don't mind roughing it up a bit, this is an OK place. A comfortable home away from home. Although to be honest, it’s not for me!
Le Village is located at 99A Jalan H.S. Lee, beside a restaurant and 2 blocks from Bangkok Bank. No curfews here, but you will be provided with a number for the electronic lock so you can let yourself in during the wee hours! Le Village isn't an easy find – so good luck to anyone who tries!

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Living room...

Fridays are a big day of sorts. Art works are scattered all over the living room.

Testimonies and sketches from satisfied tourists.

Random Expenditures:

Bus from KLIA to Puduraya Bus Station, 1 hour – 10 ringgit ($2.70)Taxi from Puduraya to Le Village – 6 ringgit ($1.60)A double-bed room at Le Village – 35 ringgit ($9.38) a night with 2 bedsInternet use at Le Village – 3 ringgit for 1 hour ($0.80 - they say $3, but mean 3 ringgit)McDonalds Big Breakfast – 9.75 ringgit ($2.60)

For more accommodation options in KL, please check out the next blog post and this post below:

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/04/backpack-accommodation-in-kl-part-3.html

More Accommodations in KL here (follow the succeeding posts here for different hotels):

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2012/09/le-apple-boutique-hotel-accommodations.html