Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Exploring this area with the Hindu Temple and Chinese Temple is cool. Bit crowded but I can manage myself there [ohooo, except trying the delicious food ... I can't :)]. And trying Air Mata Kucing and Chinese herbal tea is a must for me!

A must for any tourist. PETALING STREET - The heart of Kuala Lumpur's original CHINATOWN and a bustling night market serving as a bargain hunter's paradise and one of the premier shopping areas in the city with its distinctly oriental atmosphere. Petaling Street maintains much of its traditional atmosphere, particularly at night when vendors spread their wares out on the street. While it is possible to purchase anything from gems and incense to toys and t-shirts here, enjoying the night market is really a matter of just wandering about and enjoying its sights, sounds, and energy. Incredible bargains amidst a melange of signs, shops, noise and roadside food stalls open until the wee hours of the morning.

My Visit:

We were at Petaling street for a night market at around 7pm and surprisingly for me, the sun is still up. We were able to buy lots of Malaysian delicacies to take back home, and some souvenir items as well. I suggest you master the "art of haggling" when visiting to Chinatown since a lot of vendors tend to double even triple their price so beware. Be cautious with your belongings too since the street tends to get crowded and snatchers might just be around.

Well, this is what it looks like, the NEW Chinatown in KL. They've stopped the traffic from going through, paved up the street, gave it a erm. nice long modern canopy and more stalls there.

A must for every traveller.

This is my favourite part of KL. I just love to watch the way life goes on in Chinatown. KL's Chinatown is located at Jalan Petaling.

Malaysia has the largest number of Chinese in SE Asia, about 27% of the population in Peninsular Malaysia and are found in all major cities. The main dialect spoken amongst the Chinese in KL is Cantonese.

This is the place where food is a key feature. Business starts before daybreak at the wet market. At night, the whole place is transformed into a canvas-canopied night market, also called pasar malam. For the night people, this place has a large offering of goods (as well as food) even when it is dark.

There are many stalls selling fresh fruit. On the picture is a pile of rambutan, a really watery & sweet fruit.

When strolling around Chinatown on Jalan Petaling you have to check the chinese food market. You can't see it from the street, but follow the slightly unpleasent smell and you fill find almost a hidden passageway to it. Explore the vegetables, dairy products, meats, fishes and so much more ....

If you are looking for a bargain, and a 'genuine imitation' watch, handbag, shirt etc etc, then this is the place to go. All I can say is haggle, haggle, Haggle. It is a lot of fun, and you can come away with some good stuff. The vendors were very friendly and good for a chat. There are plenty of places to grab a bight to eat.

Sadly, there are also plenty of beggers.

When you are in Chinatown, enjoy the colourful sight of fruits, food, clothes, bags, watches display, the smell of Hokkien fried mee and BBQ seafood and vendors calling out to customers.
Do try our local fruits when it is the season especially mangosteen and rambutans. Mangosteen is magenta in colour but the flesh is white. It taste sweet and at time sourish. Be cafeful not to drop the juice on our clothes. Rambutans are round and hairy. Some are red and some are yellow in colour. The flesh is white like lychee. It is really sweet. Taking too much can cause cough.
Behind the fruit stall is a shop that is famous for their Hokkien mee(It is thick noodles fried with black soya sauce, lard, pork, prawns and cabbage.).

OK - lots of people have asked for a photo of this....and here it is....the partly upgraded Chinatown....some addition is seen over the extra roofing over the pedestrian mall....it used to be a car street but now cars are not allowed to enter. You can walk in it - rain or shine now....