48 Hours in Kuala Lumpur

Being 787 trained last month lead to one very important thing – new routes! May’s roster bought with it some standard trips and then the one thing I’d been hoping for… a 5 day trip to the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The trip consists of two night flights, so although on the surface it’s a 5 day-er, it’s actually only a little over 2 days worth of exploring time. So here you have my air hostess guide to a 48 hour layover in KL.

DAY 1

Touching down in Malaysia on a summer’s evening means you must prepare yourself for tropical storms. Apparently they are an everyday occurrence and can be super violent but beautiful to watch. We landed into the tail end of a downpour, but that didn’t stop us heading out to explore. Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang is a long road brimming with street food stalls and restaurants. If you want authentic, this place is perfect. Do expect promotors everywhere, and make sure you eat somewhere in the middle of the street to ensure you can fully take in the buzzing atmosphere.

Being boring and allergic I stuck to my vegetable fried rice, but the spring rolls looked to be on another level. Would probe avoid the deep fried scorpions though. Post dinner drinks are called for to fight the urge to sleep, so we popped a few roads over to Changkat; a strip of bars with even more promoters, but all with decent deals. Prepare yourself for ‘free drink lady!’, and some very off uniforms – keep an eye out for the doctors and nurses bar, arguably one of the scariest pints I’ve ever had. Now a good night’s sleep was needed for a jam packed day tomorrow.

DAY 2

Wake up early to make the most of your clear day in Kuala Lumpur! After a quick muffin and juice to go from one of the many coffee shops downtown, we headed out towards the Kanching Falls. They’re situated outside to the north of the capital, so a return taxi is a must. Oh my goooosh there are so many stairs. The waterfall itself reaches up as high as 8 levels, with areas to explore at each view point.

The entrance to the nature park is FULL of monkeys. They will steal your bits and pieces so keep them close! No way I was letting a lil furry animals near my Prada. There’s a cute swing (for insta, obv), and then you follow the path to start your ascent into the falls.

Each level gets more and more beautiful, and there’s even the most idyllic natural pool at the bottom of the rocky falls on the second level which is a must visit swimming spot. If you want a serene and picturesque climb before the afternoon storms roll in, this is your type of morning.

After a quick stop for street food lunch in the foodcourt of the Farenheit Mall, it was another taxi journey out of the city. We drove off to the Batu Caves; a temple to the north of the city featuring a massive golden statue and a sacred and beautiful naturally crafted cave. Again, more monkeys so watch yourselves. These ones actually bare their teeth at you. You’ve been warned. Not sure why the caves are important but they were pretty cool. Also loads more stairs. This is why people in Asia are so skinny I’m sure.

Back to the hotel and theres a few spare hours to chill by the pool or relax before evening. We visited the Heli Bar, a genuine helipad turned cool cocktail venue with breathtaking views of the city as night begins to fall. Watch the KL Tower light up and the Petronas Towers glowing whilst enjoying some super tasty cocktails on the 35th floor. Star Kiss is a must for pornstar martini lovers.

Back towards Changkat now for some well deserved dinner. We chose Omnia which had a good mix of Western and Malaisian cuisines. The orange-butter chicken was to dieeeee for, but the beer was served in a bowl. Literally something you’d eat your cereal out of in the morning. Niche.

Wednesday and Thursday nights are Ladies’ Nights, so free drinks galore (if watered down bevs are your thing). If not, pop into Havana which has a good vibe and reasonable drinks, and a dance floor for sweating out all that food you’ve just packed in.

DAY 3

Jet lag is definitely at its worse on the second night so I hope you all slept better than I did. Pop along to the KL tower this morning for a coffee and views of the city from a great hight before the storms ruin your day. The next must-see is the Petronas Towers from street level, so make sure you tick that one off your list. Now there’s just enough time to grab some last minute Malaysian food, a few trinkets for home, and a pre-pick up nap before the long 13 hours back to London.