Our flight from Penang to KL was pretty uneventful… we had business class seats for the short flight which included larger seats and a chicken satay snack that wasn’t very good. Since it was a domestic flight no wine or beer was offered.
The train ride from the airport to Sentral was easy once we figured out how to get our QR code tickets to scan (hint: turn off the auto-rotate on your phone!) The subway ride to our hotel was very crowded and getting to the mall where the hotel was located was a bit tricky, with a pedestrian walkway over a large road and several sets of stairs. Oh, and it had just started to drizzle. Thankfully, Eric was able to scout ahead while I waited with the luggage in a covered area.
The Men’s Aussie Open final was on so after unpacking we headed down to the hotel bar for happy hour and to watch the tennis. I opted for a South African white that was just okay and Eric had a whisky sour cocktail that was cheaper than my wine. Our drinks arrived with a complimentary bowl of lightly roasted peanuts that were delicious.
Eric had read that Sky Bar in the Traders Hotel had a great view of the Petronus towers, so we grabbed an Uber and headed over. All the prime window seats were full when we arrived but a table opened up about ten minutes later and we snagged it. Our cocktails, Frosty Ginger for me and Whiskey Passion for Eric, were very good and went well with the chocolate fondue dessert. And wow, what a view!
the view of the towers; interior pool and colorful lighting @ SkyBar
The next morning we grabbed an Uber to take us to the Batu Caves about 20 minutes north of downtown. You can also take the subway but the Uber ride was MUCH easier, faster and only cost us about $3.75 USD (17MYR) each way.
This is an active temple, so there were quite a few pilgrims chanting and carrying offerings. There were also a lot of vendors selling traditional Indian snacks and other goods. And, of course, monkeys! Quick note: It was very damp on the stairs and inside the caves so I regretted my choice of sandals as I left with soaked feet.
At this point, we really wanted some air conditioning, so we caught an Uber to the KL Seria Mall to look around a bit. All the stores had roosters and Chinese New Year decorations and we even watched a brief candy making demo.
After taking a quick break in our room to charge our phones and rest our feet, we ventured to the Central Market / Kasturi Walk area for some shopping and gift purchases. I had two stores in mind: Arch (detailed wood veneer art) and Tenmoku Pottery, handmade near the Batu Caves with many items featuring a gorgeous matte black interior glaze. Some haggling was allowed so I also picked up a few other items when I could score a better price.
By the time we finished here it was pouring rain, so we skipped the famous Petaling Street Market and instead quickly walked to a nearby Indian restaurant, Betel Leaf, for an early dinner. Eric had biryani rice with chicken leg which was good but my specialty Betel Leaf curry was disappointing, all bones with barely any meat! The naan bread and sauce were very good though, as was my banana lassi, so I would highly recommend ordering only the boneless version of dishes there.