Archive for the ‘Malaysia’ Category

Aloha

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Situated in Kuala Lumpur’s best and most popular nightlife area Jalan P. Ramlee, up market Golden Triangle and nearby KL’s landmark attractions Suria KLCC and Petronas Twin Tower lies the 30,000 square foot and three and half story high Ahola nightclub, bistro, restaurant and exclusive VIP Lounge. The club is famous for it’s interior design style including modern lounge couches, large bar, ambient lighting which changes according to moods and a friendly staff. The club is opened every night till 3 AM, with the busiest nights being Friday and Saturday. Ahola has no cover charge.

Each floor plays its own music, with a wide variety from 80’s to modern and the latest R&B hits. As of latest information Ahola has a “Wednesday Night Hula” promotion where if 5 ladies as a group enter Ahola before 11pm they will receive a free bottle of Jonhy Walker Black Label worth 233 RYM (about $68 US). The Aloha nightclub fusses it’s mystique, uniqueness and modernity of Hawaii tradition and matches up with international nightclubs and hangouts such as New York, Paris and Amsterdam. When visiting the Jalan P. Ramlee area, or looking for a fun night out try stopping by Ahola later at night.

Once the club lights turn on, you’re a little drunk and hooked up with a girl it’s time to go home. Upon the exit of Ahola you will get flooded by expensive taxi drivers and hustler. It’s best to avoid them, turn right and proceed to the main road to hail down a metered taxi. The only club opened after 3 AM in Kuala Lumpur is Hot Zone which is opened till morning, it’s not known by every taxi and located in an old shopping mall about 5 to 10 minutes away from Jalan P Ramlee street.

Club Ahola
Lot 924, Jalan P.Ramlee
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2711 7266
Fax: 03-2711 7233

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Jalan Bukit Bintang

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Jalan Bukit Bintang is a famous, some locals even say premier street in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The street begins at the Pavilion Shopping Centre running all the way down to the junction with Jalan Pudu, another parallel running street which is active 24 hours per day. The street is especially famous for it’s high quality malls and hotels located at the far end of the street. Though the street also has a cheap side right after walking by KFC, this area can also become rather shady especially during the night with a few souvenir stalls and hustlers offering massages or sex.

A pedestrian walkway is situated at the side of the Pavilion Shopping Centre, it’s filled with restaurants, cafe’s and bars. Most of them offer killer happy hour deals on meals and drinks, though as a visitor be prepared on busy times during these hours, as well the constant running cold air-conditions, along with loud music coming out of each individual restaurant, bar or shop. It doesn’t stop here, most restaurants have several LCD flat-screens playing on several channels, along with other customers talking, laughing and eating it generates one big cluster of sound. Love it, or hate it, the food being served it cheap and enjoyable. To avoid the crowds, simply go beyond happy hours.

Most of the shopping centers in the area are high end and provide luxury like the Star Hill Shopping Centre, Sungei Wang and BB Plaza. They are huge, have several levels and are filled with branded stores, for endless shopping on clothes, high tech electronics, perfume and other goods sold on average 450 shops per mall. All of the malls are open from 10 am till 10 pm, have a food court, fast food, coffee shops, restaurants, game stations and ATM machines to the customers availability. Another popular mall in Kuala Lumpur is the Mid Valley Mega Mall just about 15 minutes from Jalan Bukit Bintang.

There’s just one nightspot on the Jalan Bukit Bintang street, named Not which is situated upstairs at The Ship, opposite of BB Plaza. It’s been ongoing for years, have a live band playing and a cover-charge like most night places in KL. The main crowds are young locals, the bar gets packed around midnight. Although the lady-boy show can also be a good portion of fun for the open minded traveler. While semi-naked men, pretending to female dancing is stage has permission from authorities, there’s no authorities for actual females dancing alike.

All by all should the Jalan Bukit Bintang street be on the checklist of travelers to Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur. Just like a visit to Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown and Jalan P. Ramlee nightlife area.

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Getting around Kuala Lumpur

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia with a population of 7,2 million people. Although the city center of KL is pretty compact, and it’s possible walking from one to another sightseeing in about 30 minutes it may leave you feeling drenched, exhausted and like getting a shower. As most travelers would agree, walking isn’t really the option, what are the options?

RapidKL, the main bus operator has a pretty value for its service and is a way to get mostly clean and air-conditioned around town. It’s a known fact that the buses get a little overcrowded during rush hours, but they do go just about anywhere within the city. Especially for travelers on a budget, at just 1 RYM (about $0.30 US) per trip it may be worth getting lost every now and than.

Taxi’s are another way to get round in KL, they are fast and convenient but have a clear visible downside for tourists. It’s hard to find a honest taxi driver with a clean cab, one that uses the meter and knows where he is going. They try to over charge you, drive the wrong direction and up-sell you to massage centers or day trips the next day. Taxi’s should use the meter by law, but the taxi drivers say they are worried about making not enough money using the meter alone. As of 1th of August 2009 the fares have been increased by 40% yet that didn’t improve the situation. If a hailed cab refuses using the meter, you could walk away and try the next one. Another option is to negotiate the fare, yet anything over 15 RYM should be questioned.

There’s also a Monorail which runs through the city with several stops. The monorail is an interesting and relatively cheap way to get round in Kuala Lumpur with a few highlighted stops such as the Jalan Bukit Bintang station for shopping, Medan Tunku station for Kampung Baru and Bukit Nanas station for the Jalan P. Ramlee nightlife area. Apart from these stations there’s no other interesting stops or use for tourists, besides it’s nice views.

As last resort, you can also use the reliable KL Hop-on Hop-off bus service which aims for tourists. The buses run in a continuous loop around the city covering 40 tourist attractions, served by a total of 22 stops. There is an audio commentary and you can get-on and off as many times as wished. First bus starts at 8.30am, they run continuously with an interval of 20 to 30 minute till 8:30pm. It’s a good way to get an overview/orientation of Kuala Lumpur. Day tickets are priced at 38 RYM (about $13 us) and 2 days tickets 65 RYM (about $19 US).

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Beach Club

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Jalan P. Ramlee street is the most popular nightlife area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For obvious reasons, every night the clubs are more packed than any other nightlife destinations within the city such as Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown and Changkat Bukit Bintang. Besides the strategically location which just around the corner from KL’s landmark attractions Suria KLCC and Petronas Twin Towers and due to the fact that all bars on Jalan P. Ramlee have a license to be open till 3 AM even on Fridays and Saturdays. There’s another simple reason, Beach Club.

Beach Club is the most famous and crowded bar/discotheque located on the corner of Jalan P. Ramlee street right across the Thai Bistro Club. The club has an open air area with an bar, and two main dance areas inside. A smaller lounge area with couches and a larger dance area with stages, the larger area is where the main bar is located, it has an large aquarium on top where sharks are swimming around. As I understood they transfer the sharks to Kuala Lumpur Aquarium once they get to big. Beach club opens around noon, and a cover fee is being charged of 35 RYM (about $10.50 US) after 9 PM which includes one drink, every following bottle of beer costs 26 RYM. Happy hours are before 9 PM where 6 Carlsberg Bottles cost only 55 RYM.

It’s advised to go early as the later the more claustrophobic it can get. Further more does the club have a large projector on the walls showing clips and effects, the music is mixed western pop and dance by a DJ while sometimes in the beginning of the night live bands perform on the main stage. The bathrooms are upstairs, at the end of the main stage and dance area and free of charge. The bar outside also serves food which are surprisingly good for a nightclub, try it’s burgers or pisa’s.

When Beach Club first opened it was a venue for local office workers and expats which came for a drink after work while nowadays the club is filled with working girls coming from Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Russia and Uzbekistan who are looking to renew their visa in Malaysia in order to go back to Hong Kong, Macau or Singapore to continue their work. Basically the crowd exists of working girls, local office workers, expats and several backpackers and/or tourists.

Once the night’s over, you’re a little drunk and hooked up with a girl it’s time to go home. Upon the exit of Beach Club you will get flooded by expensive taxi drivers and hustler. Avoid them, turn right and proceed to the main road in order to get a metered taxi. The only club opened after 3 AM in Kuala Lumpur is Hot Zone which is opened all night, it’s not known by all taxi drivers and located in an old shopping mall about 5 to 10 minutes away from Jalan P Ramlee street.

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Jalan P. Ramlee

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

When any form of nightlife is mentioned in the city of Kuala Lumpur, it’s most likely travelers mentioning the Jalan P. Ramlee area. It’s considered to be the city hot spot for nightlife entertainment. The area or actually street is far more popular than other city destinations as the Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown and Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Besides the strategically location which is just around the corner from KL’s landmark attractions Suria KLCC and Petronas Twin Towers. All the bars on Jalan P. Ramlee have a license to be open till 3 AM even on Fridays and Saturdays. The most famous bar on this street is called Beach Club it’s the most crowded bar/discotheque with an open air area on the whole strip and is one of the two bars to have a cover charge of 35 RYM (about $10.50 US) which includes one drink. The Thai Club Bistro right across has a cover charge of 30 RYM (about $9 US).

On the street of Jalan P. Ramlee there’s about 5 to 6 other large nightclubs which include; Rum Jungle, Aloha, Carnigess the Irish bar, Nouvo and several other small pubs and massage parlors. Pretty much every night all of these clubs will have people, Monday nights are the least busiest of the week.

When you are looking for a night out in Kuala Lumpur, it’s a recommendation to first have a fine dining experience at for example Changkat Bukit Bintang and there after head straight towards the Jalan P. Ramlee area. A taxi from Changkat Bukit Bintang or most central locations in the city shouldn’t be more than 10 RYM (about $3 US).

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Chinatown

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

In the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur you can find Chinatown to be located on Petaling Street, its also better known as ‘Chee Cheong Kai’ (Starch Factory Street) in a reference to its roots as a tapioca-producing district. While the streets of Chinatown are a popular destination for backpackers and bargain hunters it has far more in store.

The streets of Chinatown have an distinctly oriental atmosphere, at night its main market area Petaling Street transforms into a vibrant night market which is filled with hundreds of street markets offering all sorts of goods from imitation clothing, toys, movies, watches to Chinese herbs. When shopping in Chinatown make sure to bring a good portion of bargaining. Some street vendors and/or stalls communicate together through walky talkies so be aware! Besides shopping it’s a good place for a Foot Massage & Reflexology by Chinese professionals.

Chinatown has a small nightlife scene which is about three bars including, Penny Lane, the Beatles club/bar (karaoke) and the Reggae bar. The Reggae bar is far by the most popular place on the market strip and usually filled with travelers that either like reggae music or just enjoy a game of pool in a crowded bar. If you are looking for a nightlife scene in Kuala Lumpur, head over to Jalan P. Ramlee for bars and discotheques. Of which Beach Club and Aloha are the most popular ones. Besides the few bars Chinatown also offers a couple open air restaurants where you can sit down to enjoy a beer or two, they are supposed to have good local foods on the menu with reasonable prices.

A couple of other ancient sightseeing’s in Chinatown include the Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple, Chan See Shu Yuen Temple and the Kuan Ti Temple. All by all Chinatown is worth a stop by when traveling to Malaysia, don’t forget that Kualu Lumpur has a lot more to offer than just Chinatown. Don’t limit yourself and navigate through the city, for example a trip to the famous Mid Valley Megamall.

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Mid Valley Megamall

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

The Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur is your one stop shopping destination which fits for all needs of leisure, retail and entertainment. With a little under 500 shops and restaurants it’s definitely a mall you don’t want to miss. It’s located in between the Federal Highway and Jl Bangsar, during rush hour its hard to reach due to traffic. Nearby malls include Metro Jaya, Jusco and Carrefour.

The mall is setup in a circle with four sections and 3 floors divided by the Central Court, South Court, East Atrium and North Court. When exiting the Mid Valley Megamall through the west entrance there’s a boulevard with several office buildings. Any information can be gathered through the information center at the ground floor, the Mid Valley Mega Mall unlike many of the other Asian malls don’t have a lot of escalators to switch between floors. Most of the ATMs are located the ground floor.

in the Mid Valley Megamall any family member can get his groove on, whether you like fine dining at one of the four food courts or a specialized restaurant as Little Vietnam for a sampler plate of Vietnamese appetizers or a famous and delicious Malaysian “Nasi Lemak” at the North Court first floor Mama Kwam’s restaurant. Of course there’s availability for Malaysian souvenir shopping, fashion stores and many beauty stores.

Mixed in between the shops there’s a entertainment plaza at the third floor including a disco bowl center named Cosmic Bowl, for a game of pool join the Brewball Pool Club, enjoy a movie in the VIP cinemas of Golden Screen Cinemas and play a game of basketball or any other available at Holiday Planet. When traveling with babies and young children join MegaKids for their pleasure.

Once you’re done shopping, dining and/or had enough for the day head towards any of the exits for a taxi. If you’re a foreign the taxi guys waiting outside will most likely try to hassle you for a jacked up price, especially in rush hour traffic. Try to ask for a meter or if you’re having a hard time finding a taxi try meter plus 5 MYR. Another good tip is try stop a driving taxi. The taxi meter should start at 3 MYR, after 12 PM till 6 AM the meter will be raised by 50% at your final destination.

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Kuala Lumpur

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia, a vibrant, rich city teeming with 7.2 million of Malaysia’s population. The Greater Kuala Lumpur, or the Klang Valley, is Malaysia’s legislative capital and the home of the Petronas Twin towers, two of the tallest buildings in the world.

Kuala Lumpur, KL to most Malaysians, is a distinct fusion of various Asian influences, as well as the modern and the old, the cheap and the high-end. The city is a bustling metropolis, its fast but charming pace seen in the hawkers and street vendors ready to sell you whatever you need at the city’s commercial place and in the colors, sights, and sounds of the Central Market. Experience the same in a subdued setting in the evenings at the Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown where you can bargain-hunt to your heart’s content. If you are looking for one of the biggest shopping malls just visit the Mid Valley Megamall for all your needs. If you a whole street of shopping malls, in combination with the cities best restaurants visit Jalan Bukit Bintang. When you are looking for a night out in Kuala Lumpur hit Jalan P. Ramlee area for a lot of clubs and discotheques of which Beach Club and Aloha are the most popular. For a the beauty of nature, you can head over to the Botanical Gardens, where you can experience the lush tropical jungle right in the heart of the city.

Getting around Kuala Lumpur is a breeze. You can get from point A to point B by bus, train, or taxi. Be careful for taxi hassles and persist on using the meter. You can visit KL anytime, as the weather is fair and sunny anytime of the year. Tourist season in Kuala Lumpur peaks in the dry months, which are June and July. This is also true for the months of October to January, which is the festival season. If you are planning to visit KL during these months, make your reservations in advance. Kuala Lumpur is generally safe, with petty thieves and pickpockets the major cause of worry for most tourists especially in crowded areas.

One only needs an international passport and other internationally recognized documents to enter Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur. Your passport must have a validity period for at least six months at the date of entry. American citizens receive a 90 days visa upon arrival. Visitors will also be asked to provide proof of adequate funds for the trip as well as return or forward travel documents.

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