Horneytorney Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 haven't been for close to 15 years to KL. What to do, what to see? Recommended sightseeing? Any good restaurants for good local food. The airport is quite far away. How to get to the city? by train or by bus? By train to this Central station and from there by cab? how much would a cab be from the airport? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted May 26, 2012 Report Share Posted May 26, 2012 haven't been for close to 15 years to KL. What to do, what to see? Recommended sightseeing? Any good restaurants for good local food. The airport is quite far away. How to get to the city? by train or by bus? By train to this Central station and from there by cab? how much would a cab be from the airport? thanks! Will be fascinating to read your trip report - I get the distinct impression that KL has really exploded in that timeframe, but I didnt see it till the mid-noughties. Having restricted my daytime activities to the usual tourist stuff - Bukit Bintang, Petronas Tower etc - and their magnificent botanical gardens, I may not be the best person to give you alternatives. Just watch out for monks (apparently from HK) panhandling in tourist areas, and incredibly hideous local ladyboys on the streets at night. As far as transport, I would just get a cab, but if you read something on elsewhere about a decent train service - go for it. I havent gotten off a plane at KLIA in years, and I cant remember if the new budget terminal was going to have a train connection. I didn't find the cab fare for the long drive to the city particularly exorbitant given the distance - the vast majority of it is at freeway speeds, but you may be surprised by just how bad the gridlock gets in the city centre, particularly given that its less than half the size of Bangkok. Most things are going to cost you more than they do in Bangkok, but I dont agree with some of the 'twice as expensive' hooha I've seen on other forums, nightlife being the glaring exception. Alcohol is significantly more expensive in a nightclub and the girls will ask for 300 Ringgit to stay the night but most will take 200 - if they try to talk you into letting them bring their friend, that can be bargained to 300-for-2 - around 3000 baht. The African and Russian girls expect more, but I've always preferred Filipinas anyway. Other than that, the main shopping areas are hysterically crowded, its hot and KL seems to have even more ethnic Indians than BKK. I found most of the locals to be pretty laidback about the night-time antics of visiting Bule - not sure if that was the case 15 years ago - to the point where my driver high-fived me when I slid two girls into his backseat. The girls have told me that the drivers arent so cheery when they leave the bar to go home, often extorting them for higher fares based on their profession. I did see a bunch of taxi drivers beating the shit out of one of their own after he clipped another cab and tried to drive off - my driver wanted to stay and watch the carnage but I told him to keep driving. Whatever might lurk beneath that Malay veneer, I've never felt any menace from anyone in Malaysia, touch wood, and I havent seen the usual naughty boy visitors brawling either. As a hardcore monger destination, I suspect that KL loses out on a bang-for-buck basis, but I like it, even if Bukit Bintang isnt my idea of a pleasant shopping experience. Note also that inner KL isnt as flat as inner BKK, and you will find yourself walking up a few hills - sounds easy enough till you factor in the humidity and the heat generated by all that traffic. Good luck - look forward to your report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danno6 Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 haven't been for close to 15 years to KL. What to do, what to see? Recommended sightseeing? Any good restaurants for good local food. The airport is quite far away. How to get to the city? by train or by bus? By train to this Central station and from there by cab? how much would a cab be from the airport? thanks! Cab from the airport should be around RM90 (times 10 for baht)....can be more or less by the meter depending on the traffic in the city. For sight seeing, as already said Petronas Towers, KL tower, Petaling Street, Batu Caves, Bird Park....plenty to do for a weekend..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horneytorney Posted May 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Cab from the airport should be around RM90 (times 10 for baht)....can be more or less by the meter depending on the traffic in the city. For sight seeing, as already said Petronas Towers, KL tower, Petaling Street, Batu Caves, Bird Park....plenty to do for a weekend..... thanks that is from the airport that is 60km from the city, that openend around 10-15 years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huumlaar Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 If there is one of you, get the train, faster is the main reason. Stay in Buket Bintang, book on line and you can get some great hotels at great prices. Fun town, bars stay open longer than Thailand though booze is more expensive. You can buy Booze earlier and easier 555 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 If you are flying with a full-service airline, chances are it will be KLIA - from memory, thats closer to KL than the budget terminal. If its the budget terminal (LCCT), your cab fare will be higher. Looks like they still havent finished the redevelopment - some very impressive passenger numbers for such a small country. LCCT is located on the opposite side of the apron from the Main Terminal Building, near the air cargo area. By road, LCCT is about 20 km from the Main Terminal Building. However, the current Low Cost Carrier Terminal is a temporary solution for the increasing demand of no-frills airline passengers. Therefore, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad has incorporated the plans to build a new permanent LCC terminal which can accommodate 30 million passengers per year.[23] In the mean time, the airport operator decided to expand the current terminal to keep up with the increasing demand. The new arrival hall was first open on 15 December 2008.[24] This airport was the first airport to have separation between normal carriers and low cost carrier. The terminal is due to be replaced by the new low cost carriers terminal, KLIA2 when the terminal comes online on April 2013. KLIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horneytorney Posted May 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 thanks Gobbie I am usually not flying with budget airline. How people fly on budget airlines and then take a cab instead of the train to the city does not make sense to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 thanks Gobbie I am usually not flying with budget airline. How people fly on budget airlines and then take a cab instead of the train to the city does not make sense to me! Trust me, when you see that 'temporary' LCCT terminal in full cry (Malaysia seems to have about fifty public holidays a year ...), you will throw yourself into the first cab you can. Compared to the money I spent on alcohol in 48 hours on my last trip, the cab fares were a pittance. Blown away by the sheer number of Bule tourists, too - our Customs jerks do everything they can to stop people getting into Oz but the Malaysians are more than happy to see money come into their country. Hopefully they can keep a lid on the local nutter element - the footage of 'religious warriors' forcing the cancellation of a Gaga gig in Jakarta was pathetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horneytorney Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 what about the connection between the main terminal and the budget terminal? any shuttle? malaysian airline: all incoming and outgoing (also codeshare) to/from main terminal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 If there is a shuttle, I've never seen it. As I said, when you see the mob and feel the heat, you wont want to hang LCCT any longer than you have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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