Midvalley Megamall in KL, Malaysia

I visited Midvalley Megamall in KL, Malaysia last weekend...

In fact, that's the first time in 3 years that I travel to KL for leisure ... having been traveling there once per month on average from Singapore for business.

What attracted me there was the new Gardenia Galleria in Midvalley as well as the good Penang food in KL.

What? Good Penang food in KL? Yes, Penang is too far to drive to just enjoy the food, that's what I thought! But I was wrong, tell you about that in a minute ...

Now, I just want to share a few tips in case anyone is visiting KL for a short break:

- The Penang laksa at the Pavilion (Jln Bkt Bintang) is excellent: look for the stall with 'PAN MEE' and ask for Assam laksa. It's authentic in my opinion (unless otherwise verified by a true 'Penangian')

- The room at Hotel Cititel is RM180 per day if you book online. That's a GREAT deal for Singaporeans as after the exchange rate, that's about S$80 to S$90 per day!

- Gardens Galleria basement foodcourt is connected with the basement of Midvalley Megamall. (I didn't realize that and I had to drive in circles just to reach the car park of Gardens though I could have parked at Cititel and easily walked there). The foodcourt is really nice, well designed and worth visiting. No wonder the corporation boast that this could be the best food experience in KL!

Oh yes ... what happened was I didn't realize that it's the 1st Sunday afternoon of Chinese New Year where residents are returning to KL after visiting their families and relatives in other states and cities. I was caught in a terrible jam from Seremban and had to exit to the old main trunk road to continue my journey to KL which was also congested with traffic. It took me 7 hours to drive from Singapore to KL (usually it takes 3.5 to 4 hours) - I should have driven up to Penang for Penang food!

But still, the Gardens Galleria at Midvalley was worth visiting.

From KL to Klang...

As you can guess from my last post till now, I stop visiting KL for quite a few months...

That was due to some inadvertent change in my business that did not require me to travel for awhile.

However, recently I started to travel again, but this time not to KL but to Klang. In fact, I've visited Klang FOUR TIMES in the LAST TWO MONTHS - that's almost once every two weeks !!!

Klang is about half an hour to about an hour's drive from KL, depending on the traffic condition.

Let me give you a quick orientation. . .

From KL, if you drive along towards Mid Valley Megamall from Jalan Syed Putra towards Federal Highway (Lebuhraya Persekutuan), you will soon reach Petaling Jaya (fondly known as PJ).

You would drive past the Malaya University on the right, and then past Jalan Gasing, followed by Amcorp Mall on the left. Continue driving ahead...you would pass under the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (aka LDP) which leads to Sunway Lagoon.

Next you will reach Shah Alam, the next big city... before you will reach Klang.

Seems like far...but to me, from KL to Klang is just like driving from the city center in Singapore to Jurong or Tuas which takes about half an hour or so.

In summary, if you drive from KL towards Klang, this is what you will past:

KL --> Petaling Jaya (PJ) --> Shah Alam --> Klang

In my next few posts, I'll be sharing what's so unique about Klang, especially the food there. Stay tuned =)

Asian Lantern Festival 2006

I chanced upon another blogger's blog about this event held at Bukit Jalil Stadium, near to KL.

He posted so many wonderful pictures that you have to see to believe at:


http://www.abebil.blogspot.com/2006/06/asia-lantern-festival-2006.html


It's basically a fest of things made by lantern lights and plastic papers and bottles, including the Petronas Twin Towers! Amazing :-)

Although the blog loads a bit slow due to pictures and music, it's worth taking a look :-)

My Trip To KL, Malaysia, Aug 06

I managed to travel to KL, Malaysia for 6 days this month!

Last month I didn't go up because the month before that, I went up 3 times!!

Haha...sometimes when I browse through the contacts on my mobile, I wonder if I'm a Singaporean or a Malaysian :-)

This trip was really fruitful and I spent 6 Blessed Days of JB (had lunch there on the way up to KL), KL and Ipoh...thank GOD for His Blessings!

Really, I'm not bragging... what I accomplished in these 6 days may be more than what some people do in a month.

Funny somehow, when I'm overseas, I'm much more focused - perhaps the time is limited so I maximize all the time I have. Many, many fruitful events took place in those 6 days:

1. Done some good training with some of my business partners in e-learning over there. Check out http://the-elearning.biz
2. Took time to catch up with friends there, whether or not in the business. As a network marketer, both NETWORKING and MARKETING are just as important to me...
3. Attended Sunday morning church...plus many breakfasts, lunches, dinners and of course, lots of coffee!! (But little sleep...Haha)
4. Hey, I even spent a day in Ipoh. To be precise, it's just 4 SOLID HOURS (after driving 2 hours there, and 2 hours back) of talking and talking to explain to 5 new franchisees there at a noisy cafe. It gets noisier and noisier because since everyone can't hear everyone, everyone starts to speak a bit louder! My poor voice is now so husky like Rod Stewart :-)

Now, I'm already looking forward to the next trip... Oh yes, I almost forgot - I tasted one of the best wanton (a kind of meat dumpling) in Petaling Jaya (PJ) which is about 12 km from KL. Sure, will blog about it later with other favorite foods I discover :-)

How I Started My Travels To KL, Malaysia

When I first traveled to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in Feb 05, I decided to travel to KL once per month...for both business and making friends.

I wanted to know Kuala Lumpur (KL) better since after all it's the next big city nearest to us in Singapore. Well, it's just 3 to 4 hours away by road...

In fact, I made a decision to travel to KL regularly, like once per month or every two months.

Personally, I don't have any friend or relative to start with in KL itself. And, when I first traveled to KL in Feb 05, I absolutely knew next to nothing about KL. Together with a business partner we reached there around midnight. And I just pulled my car past this 3-star hotel which looked reasonably good, got down and checked out the room rates which were also pretty reasonable.

It turned out to Corona Inn Hotel, next to Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor, a street full of food (plus it's a red light area, I heard). The rooms were clean and the best part I like about it is that they have a car park adjacent to it. That way, not only I have good food any time, I have some security for the car as well as it's free for hotel guests! Not a bad deal, I thought.

So, Corona Inn became one of my choices whenever I travel to KL.

Since that trip, I made many many trips to KL. My most recent trip was just last week.

Food, Food, Food...

Just to think of food in KL makes me salivate...

Wow!! Just a quick recap of some of my 10 favorite places in KL, without any order of preference...just the 1st 10 that comes to my mind as I blog this:

1) Taman Billion

An assortment of low-cost restaurants and cafes at Taman Billion, located at the junction of Jalan Cheras and Middle Ring Road set in a romantic environment of alfresco dining!

It boasts a good mix of Western, Japanese and Chinese fare... You can have a wonderful meal of chicken chop from RM8....now you know where to bring your prospects :-)

2) Dai Lok Mee

This famous concoction of BIG FAT NOODLE (my literal translation) is available at China town as well as at the coffee shop at Jalan Cheras (next to Petronas petrol kiosk adjacent to the PGRM Building).

3) Hainan Noodles

This is a very soupy noodles that's tasty and appetizing - again, it's at the coffee shop at Jalan Cheras (next to Petronas petrol kiosk adjacent to the PGRM Building).

4) Tandoori Chicken

I found this at Damansara Jaya, after attending BNI Breakfast meeting at Millenium Chapter there! Not sure how to describe this, but it's near to SS21, I think...

5) Beef Noodles

This is real tasty, especially the soup! The beef is also very tender. Can be found at Jalan Kenanga. You can access via Jalan Loke Yew, traveling in the direction towards Cheras, and turning left into Jalan San Peng, then left again...

Another good stall is located conveniently at Tengkat Tong Shin, right opposite to Corona Inn Hotel (the hotel that I stumbled into during my 1st business trip 1 and half year ago in Feb 05)

6) Jalan Alor

This is another favorite place with lots of hawker fare. Especially interesting is the Portugese barbecue fish. Opens right till the wee wee hours of the morning, something like 4am!

7) Foil-wrapped Barbecued Stuff

There's a popular store in Chinatown just at Hong Leong Bank (of course the bank is already closed at night). It's so popular that the whole stall was packed with people sitting in the dark when there was a power failure during my 1st visit there!

Food is great - fish, chicken, etc! Very tasty and soupy :-)

8) The Curve

Alfresco dining is available at the 2nd floor which is lined with all sorts of restaurants - Japanese, Nonya, Chinese, Western...there are so many that I can't even name them!

Drive along SPRINT highway towards Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) with IBM Building on your right, passing by Pizza Hut. Once you hit the T-junction where you can't go straight anymore, take the right turn, and keep driving straight up the flyover and you will see One Utama. Then keep left to turn towards the Curve, passing by Ikano Power and Ikea...

9) Plaza Mont Kiara

A number of fine restaurants at the ground floors of the 4 towers. I've tried the Korean one which was good. The others are worth your try too. Especially nice is the ambience there, which is rather romantic

To get there, you have to somehow go across Jalan Damansara (or SPRINT highway which I can never get myself clear) towards the Planetarium, passing KL Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), then also passing Sri Hatamas to reach there.

10) Bangsar

Wow! I almost forgotten this... The main street of Bangsar is dotted with exquisite dining houses (I call them, rather than mere restaurants). I've tried the Japanese one and I can't forget the BIG ama ebi (sweet, raw prawns) which I've never seen so big in Singapore!

You can get to Bangsar by getting behind Telekom Malaysia (TM) Building. If you travel from Petaling Jaya (PJ) towards KL on the Federal Highway (Lebuhraya Persekutauan), turn left after Amcorp Mall and University Malaya area...

Wow...those are my Quick Pick of 10 delicious, delicious eating places!

I'm looking forward to my KL friends bringing me to more interesting food centres :-)

I Love Kuala Lumpur, KL

I love Kuala Lumpur, KL!

My name is Roger Loh. I'm a Singaporean. So, what makes me love KL?

Here are a few reasons:

1. I love the people there - warm and friendly
2. I love the food there - tasty and spicy
3. I love the highways there - long and wide
4. I love the ambience there - historical alongside the modern
5. I love the space there - a lot of space to breathe
6. I love the friends there - chatty and nice