Aimless in KL

A bar along Jalan Sultan Ismail not far from Bintang Walk

I've had so much transit in KL that, at the immigration, the officer would answer his own questions upon presenting my passport. "Transit again in KL?" No word exchange really. I just nod and smile. The immigration takes your photo and fingerprints as part of their measures to curtail human trafficking. While this takes time, resulting in long queues, once you've had them done from previous travels, it won't take you a minute to go through immigration (although you still have to endure the long queues). But I'm sidetracking, right?

In this post, I'm sharing what I usually do during these transits. Where do I go? I'm like an inspector updating myself with my KL surroundings. It's nice to discover new things - like when I ended up rounding corners, trying to find Le Apple Boutique Hotel. I searched at the fringes of Jalan Sultan Ismail when I should have looked more centrally. Meanwhile, Jalan Alor is always a great place to see. It's festive and bright; food's not exactly cheap though it's thought as a backpacker's playground. The misconception about backpackers is that they have oodles of cash stashed in their unwashed linens. Hah!

I find pleasure in discovering new corners, regardless of how mundane they seem to others. They're what makes these transits special. When my brother asked for a perfume - a specific Paul Smith scent that apparently had gotten shelved and taken off the market due to their "defective nozzle", I was able to roam the swanky Pavilion's perfumery. Otherwise, I don't really frequent these places - except their DVD shops, of course.

I kinda prefer the ragtag atmosphere of a hawker street (not "hooker" okay?). The meat and essence of a population are more pronounced in these places. Otherwise, I have enough of that in my Manila existence. To think that most foreigners think differently of Metro Manila: exactly the way the city is depicted in the new film, the Matt Damon-less "Bourne Legacy" which had its concluding second-half all shot in the bowels of congested Manila. I liked seeing this rankling sense of apathy because it makes Manila simmer with excitement. Unfortunately for me, my life isn't really in these locations. The Bourne Legacy people apparently picked the most unglamorous part of the metropolis to paint a vivid local color. But I hope not a lot of tourists would feel the need to see Manila after seeing the film. I am protective of my country and I do hope we keep maintaining our low radar status among the backpack community. Quite selfish, am I not? But that's just me thinking out loud.

Meanwhile, here's another snippet of KL... once upon another transit.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Pretty girl and her beau having a photo shoot all over the Pavilion.

The odd-shaped Sephora Building. 

Pavilion's Liuli Fountain in daylight. One of modern KL's must-see sights.

Pavilion towards their Golden Screen Cinemas

Bukit Bintang intersecting with Jalan Sultan Ismail. Lot 10, one of KL's high end malls, is seen in this photo.

Le Apple Boutique Hotel

Festive Jalan Alor

Fruits along Jalan Alor: jackfruit (langka), mangoes, giant guavas, dragon fruit, apples, papaya, banana, grapes, pomelo and durian.

Jalan Alor

A deserted bar along Jalan Sultan Ismail, just a few blocks from the Bintang Walk.

A corner in KL's Little India

Festive bannerets adorn an area in KL's Little India.

My new 24-hour Internet Shop-cum-convenience store near BB Plaza.  You can print your boarding pass here (0.50 ringgit a page).  This is the 7th Internet Shop among my discoveries.

I just love my Big Breakfast. :)

I have to insinuate these photos before i totally forget about them. I discovered that there's a different variety of Dragon Fruit. They are yellow, smaller, and very sweet! Unfortunately, 15 minutes after partaking, they will send you to the toilet. These are potent gastrocolic fruits, i.e. they are like papayas, pomelos and durians. Very good for constipated patients.

Juicy, sticky and very sweet, these smaller variety of Dragon Fruit is a must-try. Ironically, I found them in Davao City (which doesn't exactly grow Dragon Fruits).

Le Apple Boutique Hotel - Accommodations in KL

Among the cities in Southeast Asia, KL has among the most expensive guesthouses and hotels for those on a budget. Most times, a backpacker finds himself in dingy, bug-infested joint, many of which are found along Jalan Pudu. Last March and April, I ventured to change this perception by raising the budget a notch higher that customary. So during my several KL transits (which also took me to Vietnam and Indonesia), I hopped through a variety of KL hotels and rediscovered accommodations in this Malaysian capital.

In this series of posts, I will share my discoveries.

ZEN HOTEL

Among the pleasant surprises was Le Apple Boutique Hotel. This hotel is tucked in a side street along Jalan Sultan Ismail, right in the heart of Bukit Bintang, the epicenter of the backpacking crowd. Having said that, it is just a crossing away from the Bukit Bintang monorail station. This purplish hotel is thematically zen-designed, thus the interiors are beautifully minimalist - from the calla lily drawings on the wall, the black (yes, black!) walls at the fifth floor hallways, the glazed glass walls of the shower rooms, to the magnificently designed lobby of the hotel.

The hotel has 52 non-smoking rooms, each with safe, a 32-inch LCD Panasonic television, hair dryer, coffee/tea maker, a desk, wifi access, and very clean bathrooms with classy shower fixtures. The room has a coterie of lights. You can go extremely bright when you want to, or you can get dim and comfy as you wish. Each room is also provided with ceiling qiblats (direction of Mecca for their Muslim guests). Checking in is no frills, it didn't take me 10 minutes. Since the hotel is relatively new, everything else is new - including their elevator.

There's a drawback: the rooms are quite wanting of space. In fact, my baggage just barely had enough room for itself - and I don't carry much. If you're claustrophobic, Le Boutique's rooms wouldn't please you. They also don't have a restaurant, but when you're in the heart of Bukit Bintang, there's plenty of choices in the area, even in the wee hours. In fact, in Le Boutique, I've never felt so "central".

TRANSIT

I came from the airport and reached the hotel at around 2 PM. Room 502 was perfect. It had a view facing Bintang Walk. When I got inside my room, a couple of guys knocked on my door, saying they were going to paste the qiblat arrow on my ceiling - and would I like to go out first? No, I didn't feel like going out just yet! I just friggin' arrived from Surabaya, Indonessia, darn it! They had all morning to fix that stuff, and they could do that too when I'm away, thank you very much. Despite that annoyance, I was pleased with my room and the hotel's location.

UPDATE: Upon my second visit just recently, the hotel now asks for a 50 ringgit key deposit, which I think is too steep for a deposit. If you're on a budget, you'd appreciate every available money that you have, and though they would reimburse it upon check out, you're left with money that you can not use anymore. I booked for two rooms during my last stay so you can imagine how frustrating it was to have to hand them 100 ringgit which is a third of the $100. They've added a small sofa to the lobby unlike before where there's limited chairs to sit.

Le Apple Boutique Hotel is located at 42-3 Jalan Sultan Ismail, in Bukit Bintang, KL. Call them at  +603-2145 8828 or email them at contact.us@leapplehotel.com.my. Their website - http://leappleboutiquehotel.com/

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Hotel front desk

Lobby

Elevators

Black walled hallways at the 5th floor.

My room at 502.

A white calla lily looms over my bed - comfortable, nice smelling sheets. A safe beside me.

LCD TV, mirror, desk.

Glazed glass wall separates my bed from the bathroom.

Split type AC encased by wooden shutter.

View from my window. Down below is the front of the hotel.

For cheaper options (if budget's tight and you don't mind roughing it up):

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/03/accommodations-in-kuala-lumpur-part-1.html

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/03/accommodations-in-kuala-lumpur-part-2.html
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/04/backpack-accommodation-in-kl-part-3.html