Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – part 1

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and one of the fastest growing cities in Asia with over 2 million residents in the city proper, and 9 million people living in the metropolitan area.  This city is home to the tallest twin towers in the world, the Petronas Towers, which have become the iconic symbol of the city.  In my opinion they are two of the most visually appealing buildings I have ever seen.  The stainless steel and glass exterior shimmers in the midday sun, and lights up the night sky with a metallic brilliance.  Personally they are the most eye-catching buildings in the entire city.  Or anywhere in the world for that matter.  Of course, the new Merdeka 118 is now a close second and looms large over the city, it can be seen from virtually anywhere.

My last blog post about Kuala Lumpur two years ago ended by saying that we probably had no need to return to KL.  So why on earth are we here again, and for 7 weeks?  It all started with a summer visit in Calgary from fellow nomads James & Tracey.  They mentioned they were heading to KL for 3 months, and our mutual friends Michael & Rona would also be here.  So not only were four dear friends going to be here, it would be over Christmas and New Years.  With the rare chance to spend the holidays with friends, we couldn’t say no!

Prior to arriving in Malaysia travelers are required to apply online for a Malaysian Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) within 3 days of your arrival date, no earlier.  The application process was easy and we got our registration confirmation within the hour.  Completing the MDAC application prior to arrival DID NOT mean we had an efficient entry into Malaysia.  Our plane left Perth 90 minutes late, arriving in KL at 9:30am, so perhaps that contributed to the fact there were hundreds and hundreds of people at immigration.  Most of them had not completed the online MDAC application and they were turned away by the immigration officer to go and complete their form.  This resulted in us standing in line for over an hour waiting to get processed and when our turn arrived we were through in under 2 minutes!  If only they were more organized and did not let people join the immigration line unless they had already completed the arrival card!!!

For our third visit to Kuala Lumpur we traded the bustling KLCC district for the Eko Cheras towers.  While it’s further away from the city center, all four of our friends are here in the same complex.  Beyond the social benefits, the convenience of a shopping mall, a grocery store and a gym below our building was very appealing.  Plus a covered walkway leading to the MRT station is a lifesaver here in the Klang Valley where torrential afternoon thunderstorms are a daily ritual.  We also have a rooftop pool and gym so daily swims for me, treadmill sessions for Blair and weights at the gym downstairs allowed us to stick to our fitness goals while we are here  💪

So what did we get up to during the first half of our time here?  A little bit of sightseeing, a lot of socializing and plenty of down time to relax and work on future travel plans.  That is one of the benefits about a long stay, we can relax into a comfortable routine and take a leisurely attitude towards sightseeing because we have the time.  One of the first things we did was buy transit cards, not a tourist card which lasts only a certain number of days, but a regular card that can be topped up.  The cards can be bought at the MRT stations and cost MYR 10 (USD $2.45) each then we added funds as needed during our stay.

When the Petronas Towers claimed the title of the world’s tallest buildings in 1996 they became Malaysia’s proudest icon and architectural wonder.  While they have been surpassed in height, they are still the tallest twin towers in the world.  The 88-story stainless steel and glass towers are shaped like an 8-pointed star representing the Islamic principles of unity, harmony, stability and rationality.  The real engineering marvel is the two level skybridge.  It’s not actually attached to the buildings but instead slides in and out as the towers sway in the wind, preventing the structure from breaking.  Having toured the skybridge in 2014 we were excited to return with our nomad friends James, Tracey, Ashley and Levon for their first visit.  There is something surreal about standing on a ‘floating’ bridge 41 stories above the ground.  After the skybridge we were whisked up to the 86th floor observation deck for a panoramic view of the city, followed by a cold drink at the 83rd floor cafe to soak in the views for a while longer.  Seniors tickets for the towers tour cost MYR 88 (USD $21.35) each and can be bought online here.

The impressive Merdeka 118 skyscraper was still under construction the last time we were here, and even now two years later it is still not fully open.  Merdeka 118 is the second tallest building in the world, behind only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the tallest building in SE Asia.  Most of the floors are office space but the Park Hyatt hotel which opened in the summer of 2025 occupies many of the higher floors.  The hotel lobby and restaurants are on the 75th floor, the spa, gym and infinity pool are on the 99th floor, and the hotel rooms occupy the 100-112th floors, some of the highest hotel rooms in the world.  I have to wonder—how do you sleep when you’re that high up? 🤔 The observation decks are on floors 114 to 118 but are not scheduled to open until mid to late 2026.  Since the hotel’s dining is open to the public we ventured up to the 75th floor for a look around and to have a drink.  I treated myself to their Signature Hot Chocolate – thick, rich and remarkably similar to the legendary drink at Angelina’s in Paris.  If you’re a chocolate lover, it’s worth the elevator ride alone.

Our apartment at Eko Cheras is on the MRT green line which connects us to many of the upscale malls in the city, and believe me KL is legendary for its shopping malls.  Not only are the malls a popular meeting place, but they also provide a welcome escape from the heat and humidity of the city.  Our favorite discovery this time, the luxury Exchange TRX Mall which opened just after we left two years ago.  Inside we found the Aurum Theater which completely redefines the cinema experience.  Forget cramped seats, this place offers everything from plush two-person recliners to ‘comfort cabins’ that are essentially luxury beds.  Our first movie was Wicked:For Good and it was pretty sweet to kick back in a luxury recliner while the show unfolded on the massive IMAX screen.  Tickets cost MYR 70 (USD $17) each which included a soft drink and popcorn.  Our second movie was the new Avatar:Fire and Ash which was also in the IMAX theater, but in 3D this time.  Wow!!  3.5 hours of visual adrenaline, and with a runtime that long, those comfy recliners were a real luxury.  Tickets cost MYR 90 (USD $22) each including a soft drink and popcorn.

Malaysia is a place for food lovers, and our time here has been one long, delicious lesson in cultural fusion.  Malaysian cuisine is a vibrant blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian traditions, but centuries of migration have layered in even more flavors, making the food scene incredibly diverse.  Our meals felt like a world tour on a plate.  One day we were diving into a fragrant plate of Nasi Lemak (the unofficial national dish), next we were switching between fresh Japanese sushi, spicy Indonesian Nasi Goreng, aromatic Indian curries, Mexican tacos, and zesty Thai dishes.  And on those days when we just wanted a little taste of home, there was always a cozy spot nearby serving up familiar Western favorites.  The highlight of our week was the Pasar Malam Taman Segar night market near our apartment every Friday evening.  While the sheer variety of stalls can be overwhelming, we had a secret weapon: our local friends!  With their guidance, we ventured past our usual comfort zones and discovered some incredible new favorites.  It didn’t take long for this to become our favorite tradition—we returned every Friday to hunt down the best local eats for dinner 😋

KL has become a global hub for medical tourism because the private hospitals here offer “VIP treatment” at a fraction of the cost you’d find in North America or Europe.  While many travelers opt for full-body wellness packages, we decided to be a bit more precise with our focus. Given our age and the fact that we’d never had any cardiac testing, we headed to the Prince Court Medical Centre for a comprehensive heart screening.  We didn’t just get a quick blood pressure check.  This was a rigorous, five-hour diagnostic marathon that included full blood workup, chest x-ray, treadmill stress test, heart ultrasound and CT heart screening and calcium score, a high-tech look at plaque levels in our arteries.  At the end of all the testing, we sat down with a cardiologist to go over every single test and scan. The news? Our hearts are in excellent condition!  The cardio screening package cost MYR 1,630 (USD $400) each and a battery of tests like this could easily run into the thousands in North America or Europe.  For the level of care we received and the peace of mind we walked away with, it was easily the best investment we’ve made this year.

Eight years ago, at the start of our nomadic journey, we tried pickleball while visiting friends in Florida.  With our tennis background we picked it up quickly but then life on the road took over and we didn’t touch a paddle for nearly a decade.  Until now!  Our local friends belong to a large community of 80+ players and they invited us to join them one day with a small group of these friends.  We were a little nervous about being rusty, but the other 9 players were incredibly welcoming as we dusted off our skills.  We spent three hours at Pickle Depot, a fantastic facility with 11 pickleball courts, 4 padel courts and a cafe for post play refreshments.  What we feared might be an embarrassing display of missed hits turned into three hours of laughter and fun.  We had such a good time that we were back on the court the very next week!  Pickleball has become very popular in KL with venues popping up all over the city.  After our second session, a group of 16 of us headed out for a family style dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.  We left the ordering to CK who knows the restaurant well.  The table was filled with a variety of dishes and Blair was more adventurous than me trying the stingray dish!

KL is a very popular place for nomads to visit, which meant we caught up with old friends and made new friends.  We thoroughly enjoyed the very social aspect of our time here and it made the time fly by.

KL malls really go over the top with Christmas decorations and it was fun to check out a few of the displays, even the Petronas Towers were lit up in festive colors.  For our holiday celebration we booked a Christmas Eve dinner with James & Tracey at Trace Restaurant on the 40th floor of the Element Kuala Lumpur hotel.  The buffet was stunning and we had some beautiful views over the city.

It has been a pretty full first half of our stay here in Kuala Lumpur and even though we are not big city folks we are enjoying our time here so far, without a doubt helped by the fact we have friends to spend time with.

TRIP TIPS

This is what the MRT card looks like: