Shopping

We wanted to do some shopping and KL's dreary shopping malls just weren't hitting the spot. We decided to start with the KL Central Market, and try our luck.

The Central Market is well located near Chinatown, the older and more interesting part of the city. The Market has an interesting old facade and a long interesting history.

Sadly however the Market these days is two semi deserted floors of tourist stalls.....there are a few interesting independant clothing retailers which are unique but most the goods on offer are Petronas Towers ashtrays and cheap handicrafts imported from elsewhere in Asia.

Fifteen minutes later we left and headed over to Jalan Petaling, the large covered outdoor market area.

Jalan Petaling is a lot more lively and there are hundreds of stalls - fresh food, roasted nuts, clothing and yes even Petronas Towers ashtrays. There were also lots of tables being set up by pirated DVD vendors offered the latest movies for RM10 apiece.

The area is actually several streets, which have been enclosed with translucent blue roofing above. This has the effect of keeping away both the rain and the sun, so wandering around here is quite painless.

You still won't find any real Malaysian handicrafts or local goods, but the prices for what is on offer are reasonable if you haggle. There are lots of tourists about so all the usual junk tourists buy is on sale. You will find plenty to eat and drink around here and most people will enjoy visiting here.

Some folks even stay right in the middle of Jalan Petaling - a popular choice is the Swiss Inn Hotel located in the center of the action.