Kuala Lumpur - A great Asian megalopolis!

Walk into any of the major Asian cities and you’re going to find some similarities: chaotic traffic, masses of people, hazy skies…..Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai all have it.

But, having now been in KL just 2 days, I’ve got a great feeling about this place. This is one awesome Asian megalopolis, a place that has somehow managed to steal the best bits of lots of other big Asian cities, whilst leaving lots of the worst bits behind. Two days here and I love it!

Transport
There are two sides to transport in KL: Yes, it is cheap and easy to use, but in peak hour it is massively congested.

Staying in the city centre is great because there is a lot within walking distance. The monorail or metro (LRT) costs about 30-80c per trip depending on how far you're going and, worst case scenario, taxis are plentiful and cheap too.

Taxis in and around KL are safe to catch, though depending on where you take them the driver might refuse to run the meter (particularly if you are taking the cab from a touristy area like Chinatown) and want to negotiate a fixed price.

Wherever possible, insist that your driver uses the meter. If not, either find another taxi or remember that short trips around KL (e.g. the hotel to Chinatown) shouldn’t cost more than about 10 ringgit (depending on traffic).

Food
The food in Malaysia is an absolute highlight. From the hawker stalls on the roadsides (which are for the most part fine to eat from unless you've got a really sensitive stomach) to the restaurants, it's hard to go wrong.

Malaysian food is influenced by the country's three main cultural sub-groups: Malays, Indians and Chinese. Mix them together and you've got a culinary dream!

If you head into a food court you can generally pick up a meal for about AUD$1.50-3, and you'll be full afterwards! Restaurants are more pricey but still cheap by Australian standards - $10 will get you a great meal just about everywhere unless you are really going upmarket.

People
The Malaysian people are fabulous - really friendly and smiley. English is spoken everywhere (we've had only rare instances where someone we've met hasn't spoken excellent English) making it really easy to get around.

The city is really clean, connected to the world by super-cheap airfares (thanks to Air Asia) and definitely worth visiting. It would be a great place in which to undertake studies or an internship.