Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
218
to all parts of the country: the Puduraya Terminal on Jalan Pudu, Putra Terminal on Jalan
Tun Ismail, and Pekililing Terminal on Jalan Ipoh. If you arrive at Puduraya, the biggest
of the thr ee, good luck! I t's congested—with both to xic fumes and traffic jams: one of
the r easons I av oid standar d bus trav el in M alaysia. Taxis—another less-than-pleasant
mode of transpor tation (see below) can be found at any of these terminals, but be ware
of drivers who will try to overcharge you.
BY PLANE
The
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
(KLIA)
(
&
03/8776-4386
),
located in S epang, 53km (33 miles) outside the city , opened in 1998. KLIA is a huge
complex, with business centers, dining facilities, a fitness center , medical services, shop-
ping, post offices, and a nearb y luxurious airport hotel operated by
Pan Pacific
(
&
03/
8787-3333;
www.panpacific.com/KLairport). The Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT),
which services budget airlines like AirAsia, is 20km (12 miles) away from the KLIA main
terminal, so be warned that it is not easy to transfer between the two terminals. Although
there are moneychangers, they are few and far betw een, so hop on the first line y ou see
and don't assume there's another one just around the corner.
Getting into Town from the Airport
BY TAXI
City taxis ar e not permitted to pick up fr om the airpor t (although y ou will
find illegal touts—av oid them!), but special
airport taxis
(
&
03/8787-3678
) operate
'round-the-clock, charging RM92 ($27/£17) for pr emier cars (M ercedes) and RM67
($19/£12) for standard vehicles (the locally built Proton). Vans with seating capacity up
to eight can also be hir ed for RM180 ($52/£32). Charges may v ary depending on your
destination. Coupons must be purchased at the arrival concourse.
An
express coach
(
&
03/2730-2000
) connects KLIA to KL S entral train station,
where you can catch a cab to the city 's major hotels. I t costs RM35 ($10/£6.30) for a
ticket, so y ou may as w ell take the E xpress Rail Link, listed belo w. It's faster. There are
also express buses fr om the L CC terminal that connect to KL S entral; they cost RM9
($2.60/£1.60).
The
KLIA Ekspres
(
&
03/2267-8000
) is an express rail link that runs between KLIA
and KL Sentral train station from 5am to 1am daily. Trains depart every 15 minutes and
take 28 minutes to complete the journey. Tickets cost RM35 ($10/£6.30) for adults and
RM15 ($4.35/£2.70) for children. From KL Sentral, taxis are always on hand and use a
coupon system (about RM10/$2.90/£1.80 or RM13/$3.75/£2.35 to central parts of the
city), or you can catch one of the city 's commuter trains to a station near y our hotel.
13
Getting Around
Kuala Lumpur is a prime example of a city that was not planned, per se, fr om a master
graph of streets. Rather, because of its beginnings as an outpost, it gr ew as it needed to,
expanding outward and swallowing up rural surroundings. The result is a tangled web of
streets too narrow to support the traffic of a capital city . Cars and buses w eave through
one-way lanes, with countless motorbikes sneaking in and out, sometimes in the opposite
direction of traffic or up on the side walks. E xpect traffic jams in the morning r ush
between 6 and 10am, and again betw een 5 and 8pm. A t other times, taxis ar e a conve-
nient way of getting ar ound, but the commuter train system, if they 're going where you
need to, is perhaps the best value and easiest route. City buses are hot and crowded, with
some very confusing routes. Walking can also be frustrating. Many sidewalks are in poor
condition, with buckled tiles and gaping gutters. The heat can be pr ohibitive as w ell.
However, areas within the colonial hear t of the city, Chinatown, Little India, and some
areas in the Golden Triangle are within walking distance of each other.
