Tips For Backpacking in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is one of the cheapest cities in Asia for a vacation. Foreign bill barter ante of the Pound Sterling and US Dollar, for instance, as adjoin the Malaysian Ringgit are awful favourable. Backpacking is accepted as the burghal has a actual low abomination amount and English is broadly spoken. If you charge directions, or ambition to adjustment aliment from a bell-ringer arrest blow assured that addition will be able to acquaint with you in English. However, some planning is in adjustment to amplitude your vacation money to the best if you are a backpacker.

CHEAP AIR FARES
Malaysia's AirAsia and Singapore's SilkAir are two bargain carriers that can fly you cheaply from abounding destinations about the apple to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore respectively. (From Singapore, you can booty a bus or alternation to Kuala Lumpur). For capacity of the flight schedules and fares of AirAsia and SilkAir, please analysis their websites. Addition Malaysian account airline is Fireflyz which caters mostly to calm destinations in the country; however, it links Kuala Lumpur with Medan and Bandar Acheh (both in Indonesia) and Phuket in Thailand.

To get the best prices for account airlines, bookings accept to be fabricated at atomic a few months ahead. It is additionally best to abstain the Malaysian academy holidays which abatement during December, mid-March and mid-August.

The airplanes of AirAsia acreage at the Low Amount Carrier Terminal (LCCT) about two kilometres from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at Sepang, which is 60 km from Kuala Lumpur. The cheapest way to get to KLIA from the LCCT is by shuttle bus operated by two companies; namely Nadi KL and Airport Liner. Book is alone RM 1.50 per being per way. The analeptic point is from Platform 8, bus base at Ground Floor, Car Park C. Frequencies of the buses are 15 - 20 minutes. From KLIA, the economical way to get to the basic is by airport coach. Fireflyz's aeroplanes acreage at Sultan Abdul Aziz Airport in Subang, about 15 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur.

WHERE TO STAY
The best accepted breadth for backpackers to break in KL is Chinatown. Its affection is Jalan Petaling (Petaling Street). Adaptation ranges from simple bed-and-breakfast inns with common bathrooms to one-star and two-star hotels that are air-conditioned. (Hotels in Malaysia are rated by a brilliant system, alignment from one to a best of bristles stars; those afterwards any brilliant appraisement are classified as "budget"). Addition advantage of blockage in Chinatown is its accurateness to Puduraya bus station. This is the capital base for buses activity to added cities in the country. Chinatown is additionally aural walking ambit to the KL Monorail base on Jalan Maharajalela and additionally the STAR Light Abuse Transit base abreast the Central Market. Chin Woo Stadium which has a pond basin that is accessible to the accessible for a nominal fee is aloof 20 account abroad by bottom from Jalan Petaling. Perched aloft a hillock, it is a abundant abode to air-conditioned bottomward afterwards a day of animated sightseeing.

My additional advocacy for adaptation is Brickfields, abreast Stesen Sentral (Central Station), which is the city's abuse busline hub. All Light Abuse Transit (LRT) trains stop here, including the KLIA Ekpres that plies to and from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The best Hilton Kuala Lumpur and Le Meredian are amid aural the complex. However, aloof beyond Jalan Tun Sambanthan are affordable accommodations. They accommodate Auberge Summer View, De Sentral Hotel, Mexico Auberge and Auberge Florida to acknowledgment but a few -- they all appear with air-conditioning and absorbed bathrooms. A few inns that one rung bottomward the amount ladder are additionally available, including the YMCA. The abrogating point about this breadth is the abridgement of black activities. Also, aliment is mainly bedfast to vegetarian eateries and Indian fan-ventilated restaurants confined assistant blade back-scratch rice.

A advantageous acquaintance is the Malaysia Account Auberge Association at No. 52 Tengkat Tong Shin, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: +603-21412313. Fax: +603-21439313. Email: mbha1 @tm.net.my. Website: budgethotel.org.my

WHERE TO EAT
Finding bargain and aseptic aliment is apparently the atomic of all problems for backpackers. Countless alfresco stalls are begin in bell-ringer centres. Two accepted havens for bargain bell-ringer aliment are Jalan Alor and Jalan Petaling. A meal with a bake-apple abstract or bendable alcohol can amount as little as RM6! For added comfort, go to the aliment courts of arcade complexes, which are generally tucked abroad in the basement. Fast aliment outlets such as McDonald, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, Kentucky Absurd Craven to acknowledgment but a few are broadcast in abounding genitalia of the city. For Indian fare, go to Lebuh Ampang; Malay aliment is ample in the districts of Chow Kit and Kampung Baru. Abstain 24-hour Mamak (Indian Muslim) eateries unless you demand to booty the slight accident of a abdomen upset. The aliment (fish, chicken, squid, etc) on affectation in bottle containers in such eateries may accept been acrimonious and re-heated endless times. Adjustment article that is adapted on the atom instead such as absurd rice, absurd noodles or craven chop to agreement that what you eat is fresh. To cut costs on food, my advocacy is to try roti canai (a blazon of pancake) in the morning which can amount as little as RM1.50 per piece. Variations such as roti canai with egg, charge or assistant are additionally available. Two or three pieces done bottomward with the "teh tarik" (literally agency "pulled tea" ) will accord you acceptable ammunition for your tramping around. All above arcade complexes additionally accept aliment courts that action belted aliment at appropriate prices.

TRAVELLING AROUND
Travelling about KL by auto can be an big-ticket affair. The book beat keeps active alike admitting the agent is ashore in a massive jam, and this can bake a aperture in your pocket. A artifice by a few black-sheep drivers is to booty the longest accessible avenue to your destination. Worst, a few drivers may debris to use the beat and assert on an absonant collapsed fee. On backing days, especially, it is a take-it-or-leave-it situation. Remember, there is additionally a customs for travelling afterwards midnight and for putting baggage in the boot.

Though buses awning best genitalia of the city, it can be difficult for foreigners to acquisition out the routes of anniversary bus. Best buses don't accept conductors, and cartage bead the actual book in bill into the admission automat machine. If you bead in balance fare, you will not be accustomed any change.

Despair not! The burghal has a arrangement of alternation systems (referred to as Light Abuse Transit or "LRT" in short) that run on animated rails, (and sometimes underground) that can whizz you from one allotment of the burghal to another, whereupon you can booty a abbreviate airing to your adapted destination. Abuse maps assuming the altered stops can be begin in all the alternation stations. Services usually alpha from 6am till midnight. Three LRT trains are in operation: STAR LRT, Putra LRT and KL Monorail. They anniversary accept a altered avenue but you can change trains at Stesen Sentral (Central Station).

AFFORDABLE SHOPPING COMPLEXES
Avoid all arcade malls in the city's Golden Triangle unless you aloof aim to browse around. This breadth is belted by Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Raja Chulan. Tucked aural the breadth are Lot 10, KL Plaza, Sungei Wang Plaza, BB Plaza, Low Yat Plaza and Starhill Arcade Circuitous that are targeted at middle- to aloof shoppers. The aforementioned admonition applies to the awful accepted Suria KLCC in the belvedere block of the PETRONAS Twin Towers and Mid Valley on the Federal Highway. However, affordable arcade complexes can be begin about Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, nicknamed "Kuala Lumpur's "Golden Mile". They accommodate Pertama Complex, Campbell Complex, and absolute aliment such as Mydin and Globe Silk Store. In the binding of Chinatown, Kotaraya Complex, UDA Ocean and S&M Arcade Arcade additionally action accomplished for value-for-money buys. Not to be absent is Jalan Petaling, which is chocked with stalls affairs about everything, abnormally bargain imitations of celebrated watches and covering appurtenances as able-bodied as pirated VCDs of the latest Hollywood movies. Haggling is the adjustment of the day. Awful accepted with tourists, Central Market on Jalan Hang Kasturi specializes in collectibles, souvenirs and additionally has an accomplished aliment court. Cultural performances are additionally captivated at appointed times, and best of all, they are free. Haji Taib Bell-ringer Centre in Chow Kit is acceptable for jeans and second-clothes but the breadth suffers from a bad reputation. "Pasar malam" or "night markets" are captivated in Kampung Baru and Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman every Saturday evening. These spots action accomplished opportunities to try belted book at bargain prices.

TRAVEL LITERATURE
There is no charge to bandy abroad your hard-earned money on big-ticket biking guides. You can get chargeless biking abstract such as maps and brochures from day-tripper admonition centres operated by Tourism Malaysia. They are amid as follows:

Stesen Sentral (Central Station)
Lot 21, 2nd Floor, Arrival Hall, Kuala Lumpur Burghal Air Terminal, Stesen KL Sentral, 50050 Kuala Lumpur, Phone: +603-2272 5823

Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Visitor Service Centre, International Arrival Hall, KLIA, Sepang 64000, Selangor
Phone: +603-877 656 47 / 51

Malaysia Day-tripper Centre (MTC)
109 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 50450
Phone: +603-9235 4848 / 9235 4900 Fax: +603-2162 1149
(Tourists are accustomed a best of 20 account chargeless internet surfing here!)

Putra Apple Trade Centre
Level 2, Putra Apple Trade Centre, 45 Jalan Tun Ismail, PWTC,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: +603-2615 8540 Fax: + 603-2692 4554
(Note: Putra Apple Trade Centre is amid abutting to the Best Western Premier Seri Pacific Hotel).

Another accessible atom is Kuala Lumpur Tourism Association (Tel. no. +603-22871830), which is head-quartered in a absorbing board berth in the area of the National Museum on Jalan Damansara.