Southeast Asia Travel Journal

I just wrapped up a four day trip to Kuala Lumpur – well, actually three days in KL and one day driving down to Johor Baru and back. I always wish I could spend more time in this city, as it seems I haven’t really seen that much of it, which is probably true. "One of these days," as the saying goes, I’m going to have to spend a long weekend – at least – here.

My home for this trip was the Grand Millennium, right on Bukit Bintang Road in the middle of KL’s main shopping and entertainment district. It’s very nice, and like most every hotel in Kuala Lumpur, it’s amazing value for money. KL has some of the cheapest hotels in the region, which is reason enough to spend more time there. And, speaking of bargains, the shopping isn’t bad either. Bukit Bintang may not match the bulk of Orchard Road in Singapore or Bangkok’s Siam Square, but it certainly matches them for the breadth of products and prices – which to my mind are generally cheaper than either of the two more famous shopping areas.

Bukit Bintang does seem to be going through a period of reconstruction. This was probably spurred on by the opening of the KL Pavilion, a large new shopping center on the edge of the area. KL Plaza is almost completely closed for a major remodel, while Lot 10 next to it is also undergoing a number of changes.

As usual, I took the Express train back to the airport for my flight. The huge Sentral station is also undergoing some changes, with the commencement of Phase II construction. If you’ve ever wondered why the monorail didn’t go all the way to Sentral, it was to leave room for a shopping mall and office tower. It should be completed in 2012.