Bathroom Sign Modesty

So most people know that Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country… however, as the population of Malaysia is comprised of people from many different backgrounds, including large Chinese and Indian populations (who can be Muslim, but can also be Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, etc.), there is a diversity of values, customs and practices here. While many Malaysia women dress modestly, wearing long flowing skirts or dresses with matching hijabs (or head coverings), some Malaysians and many Chinese and Indians wear western clothes. As such, there is not enforcement to dress ‘modestly’, and through the free market people here can choose what they want to wear, how much they want to show (or not show), etc.

With that said, Malaysia sometimes finds funny ways to insert modesty into places that you wouldn’t even think about. One pretty hysterical example of this was ‘unveiled’ to me yesterday when I was at a meeting in the Takaful Malaysia building near Pasar Seni.  As I was walking towards the elevator on my way to the meeting, I saw a Malaysian-style version of the female figure next to a conventional male figure, connotation the elevator was around the corner.

In seeing this I stopped in my tracks and stared. I had never really thought about it before.  If you examine a traditional female figure used on bathroom signs and you think about it, the woman does appear to have a pretty short dress on, bear arms, and of course (in an Islamic view) is showing her hair.  I guess someone in Malaysia took it upon themselves to change this, in order to provide a modest environment for all.

So I guess Malaysia’s modified version solves these problems.  At a minimum, it put a smile on my face à only in Malaysia.

Searching for Grains in a Sea of Wheat

Eating healthy does not mean just staying away from sugar and processed food.  Serious health-enthusiasts also require a strict adherence to limiting carbs to whole grains. So naturally, an entire whole grain market sprung up in America to meet this demand: whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereals… the list can go on and on.  It’s hard to even imagine life before the whole grain crazy.  And then I moved to KL, and all whole-grain-hell broke loose.

Not only are most foods here either fried, covered in coconut milk, or fried and covered in coconut milk, but finding whole grain carbs in KL can be likened to finding a needle in a haystack, or more familiar to here – finding a parking spot at the mall on a Saturday afternoon.

For the first month, I literally thought the only bread company in Malaysia was Gardenia. Now don’t get me wrong – I quite like their bread. Their wheat bread is soft, tasty and toasts really well – makes great grilled cheeses and stays fresh for about 5 days without refrigeration. However, it’s just ‘wheat’ and not ‘100% whole wheat’ – and anyone that is a health nut understands that what seems insignificant really makes the difference between the bread being healthy or not.

As an aside, Gardenia’s Butterscotch bread is to-die for!!! It tastes like French toast or crème brulee, and is best toasted. Of course, it’s not healthy at all, but it must be tried if you are in KL – at least once. But be warned, if it’s your first time, you just may eat half the bag in one sitting – I’m definitely guilty of this (shamefully guilty).

Anyway, I slowly discovered that if you shop for bread in the mall, you have better luck of finding whole wheat bread.  Places such as Bread Talk and The Loaf offer specialty breads, with some of their selections containing whole grains, nuts, oats, etc. However, my problem with these places is although their breads are totally divine, they are extremely expensive: RM7+ - whereas Gardenia is a little over RM3. So is it really worth a 100% mark-up just to get some whole grains? On a daily basis, I say no.

So I gave up, being content with eating my Gardenia – well, that was until today.  When I was walking in Kerinchi LRT around lunch I saw this interesting sign in a small convenience store. It was advertising Good Whole wheat.   Upon closer inspection the bread had 100% brown sugar – which I’m not even sure why is needed in the bread…  But that aside, it looked a little better than Gardenia wheat bread.  It had whole grains and seed-like goodness baked inside.  Now it doesn’t say 100% whole wheat on the ingredients (but it does say whole wheat as the number 1 ingredient). The best part, it’s only RM3.50!!! So while it’s not the Holy Grail of whole wheat bread, it’s getting closer to where I want to be à cheap and healthy.

If you know of other cheap and healthy alternatives to the bread I found definitely let me know. Either way, I’ll continue my scour and let you know if I find anything else.

Not All Expats are Rich – Why ‘Good’ Stereotypes can also be Bad

Ok so I’m a white ‘expat’ – this much is true; and I live in a ‘premium’ part of town, so of course I must be rich, get to travel all over the world, can afford RM15 drinks at Starbucks and RM30 meal at Chilis, have a doorman and maid, and never lift a finger.  Life must be good for all expats, without exceptions.

After moving over here, it really hit me that ‘white people’ do have it good. Much of the rest of the world LOVES white people; loves their music, food and clothes; and generally (at least outwardly) thinks highly of white people, even if they harbour different internal views. They think all while people are smart, put white people in their advertising to show their product is ‘global’ and ‘cool’, and hire whites to take top positions in many local and national businesses.  For me, why wouldn’t I want people to think I’m rich, smart and successful? 

Does this stereotype mean that I deserve to be overcharged on everything from taxies to groceries at the night markets, and pretty much anything that has a subjective price (including restaurants and shopping)?

Newflash – this notion is a total farce! Not ALL white people/expats ‘have it all’. Some expats like myself work at normal Malaysian companies that pay normal Malaysian rates. My husband and I have to budget just like other Malays: going out of our way to choose cheaper options when shopping (which can entail traveling out of our area just to buy fruit and vegetables, cooking at home more than eating out, buying in bulk, and buying items only when they are on sale). And yes we live in a nice area, but our apartment is over 30 years old and we don’t have a car. (Yes, we are one of the few – very few- people in KL who actually walk and take transportation… I know mindboggling.) In fact I calculated it out and having a car will cost almost RM 1,000 per month (including car payment, gas, tolls and parking) – and this is for a Malaysian car – not an imported one. Not having a car is how we can afford to live in a nice area; it’s not because we are loaded.  

As a matter of fact, we haven’t eaten at Chilis or ordered a drink at Starbucks since we moved here – we can’t afford it.  We haven’t even shopped in a mall yes, not counting Carrefour (as it’s a discount grocery store). We even walk 25-30 minutes just to avoid the cab fare. So in sum, we can’t afford to be treated like expats – we just can’t. Please stop overcharging me just because I ‘talk like an American’ and have light skin.

The second thing that bothers me about this notion is that it saddens me to come to another country and see the ‘white-image’ being used to market products.  I mean just look at the example of an advertisement for a University I saw in the Masjid Jamek LRT station (on the left). Why does having a white person on the package or add connote quality, desirability, etc.?  I believe people should be proud of who they are, their cultures, traditions and values, and celebrate that through their products and adds.  If I’m Malaysian, why do I want to go to a college just because a white person goes there (at least that’s what the advertisement suggests) or use a toothpaste that a white person uses? I LOVE it when I see the real Malaysian culture being displayed – women wearing beautiful flowing baju kurungs and batik skirts, men wearing traditional sarangs.  Please Malaysia, don’t lose this – it’s so beautiful and something to cherish.

Anyway, I know I’m ranting a bit, but it’s just weird to be treated this way – I never expected it. I do acknowledge that it could be much worse, and know it’s better to have positive stereotypes than negative ones.  However, I hope that at least some people reading this realise that being ‘white’ isn’t everything.  

All Aboard the Langkawi Express

A weekend trip from KL to Langkawi island is not only easy and affordable, but a definite must for anyone who likes beaches, relaxation, good food, and fun.

Langkawi is a collection of around 99 islands off the Northwest coast of Malaysia (right on the border between Malaysia and Thailand). On top of powdery soft white sand beaches and clear aquamarine water, Langkawi has stunning mountains – which make for great hiking and waterfalls.

Getting There

There are three options to consider when determining how to get from KL to Langkawi: plane, bus and train.

Plane: AirAsia is the best bet, and routinely offers promotional fares to Langkawi. However, if you don’t book well ahead, the price is usually 3-4 times the price of the bus or train, so it’s by far the most expensive option. With that said, it is also the fastest, with a flight only taking about 45 minutes from KL.  As Langkawi has an airport, this also saves you from the less-than-comfortable ferry ride to mainland Malaysia.

Bus and Train: There are many busses, and one train (the Langkawi Express) that takes you from KL to Langkawi. Both the bus and the train can drop you off at one of two locations: either Alor Setar or Kuala Perlis (as both towns have ferries to Langkawi). Alor Setar is closer to KL, but the ferry ride is longer and more expensive. Kuala Perlis is right at the border with Thailand (so farther from KL), but the ferry ride is shorter (1 ½ hours).

From what I researched, the bus takes between 7-8 hours. There is a bathroom on the bus, and most busses provide a simple dinner or breakfast (usually a sandwich and drink). However, check with each individual bus, and bring your own food if necessary. The bus is nice in that it drops you directly at the jetty, so there is no need to take a taxi. 

The train leaves from KL Sentral around 10PM (if I can remember) and the ride takes around 10 hours. There are three levels of seating choices – upright seats, personal beds, or a private room (comes with 2 beds).  The upright seats are the cheapest of course, but are by far the most uncomfortable (which I will discuss in greater detail in my blog on Singapore). I think the seats are RM 35. For an overnight journey, I would highly recommend that you avoid this option, unless you purposely want to torture yourself with no sleep. The sleeping car has bunk beds, with the upper bunks being slightly cheaper than the bottom bunks.  If I remember correctly, the beds are around RM 45 for the upper bunk and RM 50 for the bottom bunk – only slightly cheaper than the chairs. I would recommend the sleeper car, as this will be your bed for the night. The third option, a private compartment, is of course the best option, but double the price of a bunk.  It’s around RM 100 per person, so about RM200 for the room.  For this, you get your own door, and may even get your own bathroom – which would be a plus, plus your own sink and large window. As a note, don’t worry about missing your stop because the train conductors come around yelling loudly the stops as they come.  They also turn on the lights, as most people get off at Kuala Perlis (if you choose Alor Setar it will be an earlier stop, and the lights do not go on, so set your alarm to make sure you don’t miss it). Once you arrive, the train station is about a RM25 ride to the jetty.  I would suggest talking to others getting off the train so you can share a taxi ride – since pretty much everyone on the train is heading to Langkawi anyway.

I decided to take the night train so I could sleep on the train Friday night and Sunday night – only requiring one night of hotel in Langkawi for 2 days on the island.  As such, I upgraded to the sleeper car, which allowed my husband and I to each have our own bed (less than RM50 each way per person). I definitely liked my choice, as with a bed, I was able to get a better sleep than on a bus. Plus, you get your own private curtain so you can change into more comfortable pyjamas, and the sheets are changed after every use, so it felt clean. As a note, it’s important to bring ear plugs, as some people on the train do not understand the concept of not making noise at night. Also, there are not any good food options on the train (rumour has it that there is a snack car with egg and sardine sandwiches) so it’s best to bring some snacks and drinks in case you get hungry on your journey. One HUGE DOWNSIDE is that the bathrooms are pretty much unusable.  Many people ‘miss’ when they use the toilet in the train, so walking into it pretty much feels like walking into a port-o-potty. So be advised, just don’t drink anything before you go onto the train, and try not to use the bathroom until you reach the jetty.

At the jetty: Once you arrive immediately go to buy ferry tickets, as the tickets are timed, and sell out fast on weekends and holidays.  When I was there, we had to wait 1 ½ hours for the next ferry because the time we wanted was already sold out (seats are assigned). After you purchase tickets, you can go across the street to get food at one of the many hawker stalls.  We had roti cani (flaky bread in the shape of a pancake served with curry sauce to dip) with teh tarik (sweetened milk tea –Malaysian specialty). My husband had mee goring (like lo mien or stir-fried noodles). There is also a KFC for those with more Western palates.

The ferry is not anything you would picture when you think of vacation, and is the least pleasant part of Langkawi.  There is no outer deck to feel the ocean breeze, and in some of the boats there are only tiny porthole windows that are so high on the wall and so far between that you can barely see out of them.  Additionally, on one of the ferries we took there were small coach roaches crawling up the walls.  Yes, it was pretty much disgusting!  In addition, if you are unlucky enough to get seats assigned in the bottom hull of the ship (which happened to me both ways) their air feels stifling until the boat starts moving (which can take up to 30 minutes while passengers are loaded) and it take forever to exit the ship, because hundreds of people are lined up to go out of one, and only one door (both the upstairs and downstairs passengers).  Honestly, I don’t know who designed these ships…. (In the first boat, to be honest, the windows were large and the air conditioning was fine – so these complaints only relate to my journey back).

Where to Stay

We decided to go to Langkawi at last minute. In looking online everything cheap was booked, and all that was left was expensive options. I read on blogs that you can arrive in Langkawi and walk from hotel to hotel to find a place at much better rates that those online, so we decided to take a chance and do it that way. What a great idea!

Don’t stay in Kuah because there are not any beaches there are you are far from all the attractions (unless the only thing you want to do is shop, then Kuah is fine). We arrived in Langkawi and took a taxi to Pantai Chenang (a.k.a. Chenang Beach).  There are so many options there.  We literally walked from place to place and ended up finding a motel (ABC Motel) right on the beach for RM100! Super-good deal! Plus, there was a travel agent right across the street that was selling different tours for great prices – including Island Hopping Tour which is a must (discussed below).

Lesson learned – book ahead if you really want to stay at a particular place or if it’s a holiday weekend (like Chinese New Year) and you know it will be full.  Otherwise, try your luck and you can definitely get a good deal.

Must-See Attractions

My favourite thing was the Island Hopping Tour which was over $100 USD online, but only RM 25 if you buy it in Langkawi.  This tour really made me feel like I was on holiday. The eagle feeding was something I’ve never seen before, and we even got to ride on a paddle boat in the fresh water lake on one of the islands.  (See attached pictures).  Totally worth the money and a MUST do!

The other must do attraction is the cable car.  My husband loved it way more than I did, because I’m scared of heights. The view was so amazing, and you really get to appreciate how great Langkawi is from up that high.  It’s totally worth the money as you get to walk on the highest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world and even can see Thailand on a clear day. After you get back onto lower ground, look out for the yummy ice cream vendor that is near the entrance.  Their prices were really good and the ice cream was delicious. The cable car is located in the Oriental Village.  There really isn’t anything special to see here, so again, unless you really want to shop, don’t waste your time in the shops and head back to the beach.

The Seven Wells waterfall is also really nice. We actually did the 45 minute hike up to the top, where we found that the top waterfall had already dried up (hike was still nice, but ask people coming down if the waterfall is active before going, unless you just want a hike).  However the lower falls were still running so it was really cooling to put our feet in the water and watch other swim (we would have to if we had more time).  This is a great place to relax mid-day and have a picnic (local restaurants are at the entrance).  Also, do take both hikes (the short and long) as the short shows you the base of the falls and the long takes you up the falls.

The beach is a must do in the morning or evening – during the day the sand burns your feet and is only tolerable for the most avid beachgoer. I read online that some people complain about the jellyfish there. But, when I was there in mid-February there were not any jellyfish to be found (so I guess it’s seasonal).

Eating

We had a hard time finding anything open for breakfast. It seems that everyone sleeps in late there. So if you need to be up early (like for the 9AM Island Hopping Tour) then don’t waste your time roaming around. Instead, go to the restaurant right next to the ABC motel, as it was the only one open.

For lunch and dinner just walk up and down Jalan Pantai Chenang. There you will find everything from western to Indian and Malay.  We found this great place at the end of the street (on the right-hand side if the beach is on your left) that served fresh seafood. I ordered a recently caught tuna fish that was grilled over a fire.  It was simply to die for an only RM 3!  What a deal.

If You Have the Money

You can also take ferries from Langkawi to the popular Thailand islands such as Phi Phi and Phuket (passport permitting). So if you have the time and money, consider adding that to your journey as the ferries are all less than RM 200 and take you direct.

Things You Can Miss

Although I haven’t been there myself, a friend told me that the volcanic black sand beaches on the northern tip of the island are definitely not worth the trek. Apparently, the beach is covered in trash, debris and driftwood.  As it’s not maintained, and it’s well out of the way from all other attractions, I would skip it unless you are in the area.

As usual, if you have any questions on heading to Langkawi, send me a comment and I can try my best to answer your questions.

Lontong for the Soul: The Smells of KL

Lontong for the Soul: The Smells of KL: "What is up with all the bad smells in KL? For starters, what is with this haze? I moved here to get fresh tropical air, feel the warm oc..."

Finding an Apartment in KL

Finding an apartment in Kuala Lumpur, like in any city, can be frustrating, even with proper planning.  However, since KL is quite a modern city, there are a plethora of resources available to provide enough information to become an informed decision maker.

Searching for Apartments

The website I recommend to start your search is iproperty. This website is absolutely AWESOME! I honestly wish we had a website like this in US.  From here, you can search thousands of listings of apartments, townhouse, and homes that are either for rent or for sale (there is even an option for properties on auction). You can narrow your search square footage, location and price. You can even narrow your search by location of major attractions, such as schools, transportation or shopping. Using the ‘Advanced Search’ you can specify the number of rooms, if the housing is furnished or unfurnished and the type of facilities desired (such as a pool, fitness centre, nursery or 24 hour security). My favourite feature of their website is that you can search using a map.  When you choose this option, the search results show a map of KL with the apartment options highlighted with red tick marks. You can click on the individual tick marks to obtain detailed property information. This gives you an ability to really see which part of town the apartments are located in.

As I was moving from another country and had never been to KL before, and I did not know anyone that lived in KL, my issue was that I did not know which areas of KL I would consider living in. I did some research on what areas are good to live in, but I didn’t know if I wanted to pay a premium to live in an ‘expat area’ (like Bangsar and Ampang) just because it was an expat area. As my husband and I were living in NY, and were used to taking public transportation, we decided we wanted to live somewhere that was close to public transportation, so we wouldn’t have to get a car right away if we didn’t need one. There are many posts online that discuss how the bus system in KL is frustrating at best (will post on public transportation in KL at a later date), so we decided we wanted to live in walking distance to the train system, so we wouldn’t have to rely on buses. In addition, upon moving here I had a job but my husband didn’t.  As we didn’t want his commute to be unbearable (and we didn’t know where he would have to commute to), we decided to stick as close to KL Sentral as possible (since almost all the train lines went out of KL). Narrowing out search made it a lot easier for us when searching for apartments, because we could easily eliminate places that were too far out.

If public transport is not a concern, I think the main thing people should realize when looking for an apartment in KL is that the traffic here is extremely bad.  A majority of the people I work with commute between 1 ½ to 3 hours to and from work each day!  It’s not that they live super-far (without traffic their commute runs between 15-20 minutes each way). Rather, they spend hours and hours each week in huge traffic jams, even if they pay tolls to ‘avoid’ the traffic.  As such, if you plan on driving in KL (which is recommended for people with children as walking is not an easy feat (will blog about walking in KL at a later date), then try to get a place as close to where you will work as possible, so you can avoid the crazy traffic and take as many back roads as possible.

As a note, one thing that really surprised me in reading the apartment descriptions is that people here are allowed to be blatantly racist. Many descriptions say ‘only families’ or ‘no children’ but some go as far to say ‘only chinese’ or ‘only malay’! In the US, you could be taken to court for being that ‘honest’ in your preferences. However here, it’s quite the norm. It was taken to an entirely new level when we arrived because when we asked one of our agents about it (who was Chinese herself), she openly discussed why other races were not considered ‘suitable tenants’.  My husband and I were horrified to say the least – however they are serious about this stuff here.  Although tensions here are quite low, under the surface, it appears that many have preconceived notions of different races, so be prepared for that before you arrive.

Making Appointments

Once our search was narrowed, we decided to pick a few apartments in different neighbourhoods we were considering, so we could compare in person the pros and cons of location, verses space, verses price. As we were still overseas, we emailed at least 10 different brokers, detailing the apartment(s) we liked that they were showing, along with the request that we were interested in anything else they had on their book that they thought we would be interested in. Another great thing about iproperty is that once you find a property you are interested in, you can look at the property realtor’s page that lists every property they have posted on the website.  This saves time because you can view a couple of properties with the same realtor in one day.  We booked multiple showings over a 3-day period, and made sure we had the realtor’s phone numbers before heading off to KL.  Once we arrived, we went to an internet café and reconfirmed our appointments – giving the realtor’s our KL contact information.  As a note, when making these appointments, make sure that you have a specific location where you can meet them at, as I learnt this the hard way by waiting an hour at a train station exit when the realtor was just across the street in her car.

Prioritization

After looking at many apartments (around 10), I realised for the same price range you can get a HUGE range of apartments and apartment locations in KL. Thus, it’s important to look at as many places as you can take. Despite the differences in interiors, the biggest issue I had when looking was that since KL is spread out, I usually did not see many restaurants or shops around the areas where I was looking for apartments.  Thus, I quickly learnt that I had to go out of my way to ask the realtor to show us the surrounding area so we could really understand the area we would live in. Also, as my husband and I wouldn’t initially have a car, we wanted to make sure there were plenty or restaurants and shops in the area for convenience purposes.

Negotiations and Legal Requirements

Once we decided on a place, we started negotiations.  Yes, rent is negotiable in KL; and we were able to drop the rent by RM100 per month – which isn’t that bad.  Our strategy was to discuss how we didn’t like the furniture and we needed to spend additional money on decorations. Additionally, we negotiated with the owner to purchase a new bed for the spare bedroom and to provide a microwave.  In the end, we were happy with our price, and felt we got a great deal (picture of our apartment’s amazing pool is attached)!

Just to note, in KL if you want to rent an apartment you are required to pay a 3 ½ month deposit (includes the 1^st month’s rent, and a utility fee), as well as copies of your passport. In addition, you have to pay nominal stamping fees (which is similar to a notary republic). Once this deposit is paid, if you back out, you lose your deposit. However, if the owner backs out after accepting your deposit, they are required to pay back your deposit plus a month’s rent.  This is to cover any losses the potential renter would bear if the owner changes their mind.

If you have any questions on looking for apartments, or need to bounce ideas off of someone, feel free to send me any questions. 

Best Hotel Locations When Looking for an Apartment in KL

Best Hotel Locations When Looking for an Apartment in KL

Trying to determine where to stay when you first move to KL can be frustrating.  For me, searching blindly for hotels online provided information overload. So many questions popped into my head:

1.       How long should I book a hotel, since I don’t know how long it takes to find an apartment (I will address apartment hunting in another post)?

2.       What is the best location for a hotel?

a.       I wanted to be central enough to take public transportation around the city to visit the different apartments (especially since I didn’t know which part of the city to live in).

b.      I also wanted to be around tourist attractions so I could start exploring the city when I’m not looking for apartments.

3.       What is a good price range for a hotel?

a.        I heard that Malaysia was a cheap place to live, and there were many hotels that seemed extremely-affordable in USD, but I wanted to make sure that I didn’t stay in a dangerous location and wanted to room to be clean.

Well, let’s go in order.  I decided to book a hotel for a week and half, not knowing how long it would take me to solidify an apartment.  I used Expedia, and researched hotels with lenient cancellation policies.  I found a great hotel in Chinatown that only required 24 hours to cancel (Swiss Inn).  I figured that once I found a place and put down a deposit, it would take a day or two to finalize everything. In that timeframe, I could then cancel the hotel without any major penalties.  (For me, it ended up taking a solid week to get a place, so I was happy that I booked it for over a week.)

In reviewing Swiss Inn, my husband and I were overall really happy with our choice.  For around $30 USD a day, you can’t beat the value.  We had a huge room with a window, extremely helpful staff, and a better-than-expected breakfast buffet (free) that included fresh fruit, French toast, chicken sausage, eggs, cereals, toast and local favourites (either stir fry noodles or nasi lemak (rice with spicy sambal sauce, peanuts and cucumbers)). The hotel seemed safe and relatively clean.  On the downside, our widow overlooked the Petaling Street Chinatown night market (pictured).  There was music blasting from about noon till 2-3AM every night, so it was hard to relax mid-day and go to sleep at night. However, you do get what you pay for, and for that price, I would still recommend the hotel to others.   On the plus side, we got to explore Chinatown, buying fresh fruit from local stalls, and needed toiletries from the discount stores. We also were able to see many of the tourist attractions (like Central Market, KLCC, Masjid Jamek, etc.) all within a small walk or short train ride from our hotel (separate post on tourist attractions).  There was even a hostel right down the street where we could get laundry washed for RM6 per KG. 

In looking back on this approach, the only thing I would have changed to make things easier would be to book directly with the hotel, rather than through a travel website.  This is because to cancel a hotel you booked through an online agent, you have to contact the online help desk to receive your refund.  Usually this isn’t hard. However when you are traveling overseas, it’s difficult to call internationally to the travel website to reclaim payment for any days you didn’t end up using. Although Expedia staff were more than helpful at processing in return, in the future, if traveling internationally try to remember to stay local as much as possible. It’s always easier to work with the front desk of a hotel than an international online company.  

Now that I live in KL, I can attest that the two best areas to use as a base are Chinatown (where I stayed) and KL Sentral.  Chinatown is great because you have more than one public transport train line running through the area (I used Pasar Seni as the apartments I was looking for were along the Petaling Jaya Rapid LRT line). * As a note, many buses run through the Pasar Seni stop, so this can be an alternative to the train lines. There are also taxis that are easily accessible (separate post on taxis in KL).In addition to where I stayed, there are really cheap backpacker hostels and hotels/motels that can meet any budget.  The major downside about Chinatown is that it’s noisy at night, as they have daily night markets that go way into the wee hours of the morning. Additionally like many Chinatown areas around the globe, as the streets gets crowded at night there is an increased risk for pickpocketing, so it’s important to keep all your personal belongings close by and be on higher alert.  With that said, in my experience Chinatown in KL did not seem unsafe, and I ventured around by myself during the day, and always with my husband at night.   

If you have a bigger budget, the other place to stay would be KL Sentral (either the Hilton or Le Meridien).  KL Sentral is the ‘Grand Central’ of KL.  Almost every train line and a majority of busses leave from KL.  There is an express train from there to the Airport, and there is always a line of taxis ready to serve you.  The hotels are a bit pricier that Chinatown, but if you are with children and want something a bit safer, or want to stay somewhere quieter and more secluded from the hustle and bustle, these are the hotels for you.  Their staff is warm and friendly and both hotels get great reviews (although I’ve heard the Hilton is slightly nicer than the La Meridian).  KL Sentral is one train stop from Chinatown (Pasar Seni), so it’s as convenient as Chinatown without many of the downsides. *As a note, the picture shows KLSentral with the two hotels attached (at the top).  This picture comes from google images, and is not a picture I took.

If you have any specific questions on where to stay, including other areas not mentioned, please let me know. I will respond to your post in a timely manner.