Experience in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Saba

What is it like to live in Kuala Lumpur? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

In my opinion and I think I'm speaking for a lot of people when I say that Kuala Lumpur is a great place to live in. It's extremely calm and tranquil which I love. Apart from being a great place to spend your retirement years, it's also a great place for youngsters like us to live. It's the perfect place for relaxing and unwinding forever. You don't hear a lot of noise, you don't even hear people honk or talk in the public transport. It's oddly quiet but don't get me wrong it's not boring, not even one bit. In fact it is the opposite of boring. It is one of the liveliest cities as well, the night is always young and full of fun. I would say that it's just the right combination of everything.

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(Overview of the twin towers)

That is of course the crazy weather and it's lack of change doesn't bother you. The thing is that given I myself was born in a country with four seasons, I found it hard to adjust to the crazy monsoon seasons and the humidity. But I did adjust eventually and it was great. The city is basically warm and humid through out the whole year. Given its situated nearby the equator there isn't any change of seasons. The only difference is that it rains more during a few months of the year.

What is the student lifestyle like in Kuala Lumpur?

The student life is probably the best type of life in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from being affordable, it is also extremely fun to live as a student in KL. First of all, it is an extremely international community where you have the chance to meet all types of different people from all across the globe. This is probably my favorite. I have friends from all over the world, from all different continents, thanks to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia overall. What it is so important about that is that, you get to acknowledge different cultures and people. Getting to know other cultures not only makes you a more understanding person, it also proves to be super interesting.

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(where I spent my student life, sunway college and university)

How much does it cost to live in Kuala Lumpur?

The cost of living is affordable too, not too expensive but certainly not cheap either. The cost of groceries are quite expensive specially diary products like milk and yogurt. Given they are mostly imported from Australia and other places Fruits and vegetables are fine, malysian fruits like mango, lychee, durian and others are cheaper than other fruits that are imported. Malaysia has the best mangoes and bananas. They are also cheap.

The rent is more expensive towards the city centre and less expensive in the outskirts. It all depends on where you choose to live and how the condominium is. The chic condos are more expensive and the ones with less facilitation are usually cheaper. Pretty much like the rest of the world.

The cost of transport depends on the medium. Taxis are extremely expensive and given that with a small amount of rainfall, a huge load of traffic is created and taxis run on meter, so... it's better to use public transport like the LRT ( which is the metro) and monorail (only has limited stations) and the public bus which I find very convenient. The public bus system is called Rapid Kl. Check out their website for route plans. They have a lot of stations and the frequency is not too bad.

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(Kuala Lumpur LRT)

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(Rapid KL bus)

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Kuala Lumpur? Is there any advice you can give?

It's not as difficult but still very time consuming. If you're a student coming to study in KL, I suggest contacting your university housing at first and once you're in KL you can search for your own place. Although university housing can be a little bit more expensive, it's very easy to book and use from abroad; and more importantly it is secure, there is always a lot of scam going on in housing websites, in this case you can be sure.

You can contact the agencies through websites and let them do the search for you at a small cost. One of the most famous websites is Iproperty.com. my. I personally have never used the website but it is a reputable. That does not mean you should not take precautions.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

There is only one word to describe the food in Malaysia: diverse.

From Indian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, Arabic cuisine and every other type of food you can imagine. I will write about Malaysian dishes in detail in my other posts because one or two paragraphs won't do them justice.

I specially like the Chinese noodles called indo mee and the famous roti chanai.

Roti chanai is basically a type of bread with a special dip and tastes great! Although you might want to watch the calories on that.

What places would you recommend visiting in Kuala Lumpur?

Oh there is just so many, I don't know where to begin. Okay for starters Sunway lagoon water park which I will explain about in details later. Then there is Genting highlands which used to have a great theme park which is under renovation now, for now it has a great great weather, full of fog and super chilly. There is also casinos there which are very famous. You gotta be over 18 though to enter and take part in the gambling. You can either take the cable car or go up there by car, the choice is yours. I have done both way and I love either way. Kuala Lumpur also has a lot of great shopping centers, if you are a shopaholic or just enjoy the guilty pleasure, there are a lot of malls to go to.

Is it good to eat out in Kuala Lumpur? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Almost everyone in Kuala Lumpur eats out. So I guess it's safe to say that it's great to eat out in Kuala Lumpur. Wether it's 3 am on a sunday night or 12 pm on monday noon, you can always find a great place to eat in.

There are places that are open apart from fast food places. Places that are called mamak, a Malaysian name for these small restaurants. There you can have all sorts of local cuisine like what I mentioned before.

I would specially recommend trying the tandoori chicken with garlic bread. It's a great and affordable meal.

Is the nightlife good in Kuala Lumpur? Where is good to go?

The nightlife is pretty good in Kuala Lumpur. Mainly the clubs and bars. There are a ton of bars in streets like bukit bintang, raja chulan and changkat. These places are often crowded and have special events for weekends.

There are also a few rather famous clubs in Kuala Lumpur places that mostly international students gather to have fun.

There is a club called ZOUK and another one called The roof and the play.

Check them out.

Also there are a few more "quiet" bars situated in the mont kiara area. These places are fancier, more expensive and great if you want to gather around with a couple of friends to hang out and have deep conversations.

What advice would you give future students heading to Kuala Lumpur?

Well I was once in your shoes so I would say take your time. First of all try to have your accomodation ready and fixed before you set foot into Kuala Lumpur. It is much easier that way, you can get settled in and enjoy the jetlag. But if not, book a hotel nearby and go apartament/room hunting the next few days.

Try and get used to the local food, which as I mentioned before is very diverse, so you are bound to like something do not worry. The local food is cheaper and better than fast foods like mc donalds. Dominos pizza also has some great deals check them out. All of these are if you are not a big fan of cooking. And lastly take your time to make a lot of friends, international or local. Doesn't really matter. Your friends can help you out in your adjustment process.

Good luck!