I love Thailand. The more I travel, the more I realise how lucky I am to have been born and raised in this country. But when it comes to durian, it's a different story.
Surrounded by modern developments, the old community of Kampung Baru defies changes to give new generations of Malaysians as well as visitors to Kuala Lumpur a glimpse of what life was like in the Malaysian capital decades ago. In the main photo, the city’s two most iconic buildings, the Petronas Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur Tower can be seen.
Despite the fact that my country is one of the world's largest durian exporters, I can no longer find the kind of durian I crave for. I want ripe, creamy durian with full flavour and aroma, not a half-ripe, half-flavoured and scentless one like the pale-coloured mon thong, the variety now dominates the Thai durian scene.
So over the past couple of years, every durian season I have to make a trip or two to Malaysia or Singapore (which imports durians from Malaysia) to enjoy the "King of Fruits". On this recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, I was accompanied by my family. Despite the Sun, we did over 10km of walking in one day to burn the excess energy intake from savouring the super-high-caloried fruit and explore parts of Kuala Lumpur at the same time.
We started off in the morning from our hotel, located off Jalan Sultan Ismail ("jalan" means road). Our first destination was the nearby Kampung Baru, the old Malay community, from where we could see from the balcony of our high-rise accommodation. Each lane in the kampung (village), is flanked by nice wooden houses that have been there long before the modern buildings popped up in surrounding areas.
We strolled through many lanes, occasionally stopping to chat with the friendly locals. Communication was not a problem since most people can speak English. In the part of the kampung that is close to the main roads, we found plenty of seafood and nasi kandar (rice and curry) restaurants. We had our breakfast at a place called Warung Pak Hassan, which was packed with local patrons.
Musang king (or also known in Chinese as mao shan wang) is considered the best of Malaysian durian. The variety has bright yellow flesh which boasts bittersweet taste, smooth, creamy texture and delightful aroma (to durian lovers, of course). A signature feature of musang king is the brownish starfish pattern at the bottom of the fruit. Thanks to overproduction, this year the price of musang king has become more affordable, yet it is still the most expensive durian in the market. During this trip to Kuala Lumpur, I got my musang king at prices ranging from 25-35 Malaysian ringgit per kilo depending on size. One ringgit is about 8 baht.
After passing Masjid Jamek (there's another mosque with the same name located near the Merdeka Square further south), we headed west towards Chow Kit Market. Along the way, we passed a Sikh temple and several durian stalls. Chow Kit Market itself looks similar to Thai markets at first glance but at a closer look, there are differences in details. Here we found certain fruits and vegetables that we had never seen before.
From Chow Kit, we walked down Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman passing the city's textile district all the way to Merdeka Square, which is surrounded by grand architecture from colonial times -- including the famous Sultan Abdul Samad Building. We crossed the big lawn of the square by going underneath it via an underground car park. After re-emerging to the surface we proceeded to the adjacent St Mary's Cathedral and walked back to the east side of the Merdeka Square to the other, better known, Masjid Jamek. There were many spots in this area where we had to hold our breath because of urine stench. Unlike in Bangkok, we found that in Kuala Lumpur free toilets are not as easy to find.
After taking a break from the heat in an air-conditioned coffee shop, we continue our walk to Petaling Street, also known as Chinatown. However, apart from the entrance and the decorative red lanterns hung above the numerous stalls, and the made-in-China goods, there was nothing Chinese. Even the vendors were not Chinese.
From Petaling Street, we followed Jalan Pudu to Jalan Alor, the popular night street food market. At the northern end of Jalan Alor, we stopped by one of the many durian stalls. The red prawn durian I ordered was not of good quality and I wasn't happy. Luckily, a couple of Middle Eastern people seated at the next table found their musang king too strong and wished to trade our durians. It's an easy, win-win deal, and with the taste of decent durian, my world was suddenly brightened up again. I visited the area the following day and found on a back road a newly opened durian shop named D'King which offered great musang king at a cheaper price.
From Jalan Alor, we ambled on to Bukit Bintang, the shopping and entertainment district. It was already dark by the time we finished checking out the area's many malls. However, we couldn't call it a day without visiting the Petronas Twin Towers, which are gorgeously lit during night-time. From the Twin Towers, we walked back to our apartment via Jalan Ampang.
It was a long day and a long walk but we won't mind doing it again when the next durian season arrives.
Every evening, diners gather at Tapak Urban Street Dining, a food truck park located just a short walk northeast of the Twin Towers. Each truck has its own theme. In Thailand, such a scene is not uncommon. Still, the park is well worth a visit when you’re in Kuala Lumpur. It’s fun and cheaper than eating at restaurants. The food on offer varies from Asean (Thai included, of course) to Japanese, Korean and Western fare
No doubt the Petronas Twin Towers are the city’s most famous landmark, but Kuala Lumpur has more to offer than skyscrapers. Wellpreserved heritage architecture of various sizes and grandeur, from government and commercial buildings to religious places, still grace old districts. More are undergoing restoration. At Merdeka Square alone, you can appreciate many architectural marvels from the 19th century such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (shown in the larger photo), the National Textile Museum, Masjid Jamek, St Mary’s Cathedral and Panggung Bandaraya City Theatre.
During our urban hike in Kuala Lumpur, we ran into a lot of friendly people. These folks are just a few examples. In front of a breakfast restaurant on Raja Abdullah Street, we met one of the coolest grandmas on the planet. Wearing flashy sunglasses, she enjoyed dancing to the live music performed by a young band. Everybody at the roadside eatery, including the roti guy, was amicable. When they knew we were from Bangkok, they would say sawaddee krab! with a big smile. In a lane in Kampung Baru, we met a lady who gladly showed off her lovely but camera-shy cat to roaming strangers like us.
With a mixed population that has Malay, Chinese and Indian as the main groups, Kuala Lumpur boasts traditional cuisine from different cultures. In Bangkok, Chinese and Indian food is not hard to find, but some Malay dishes are rare. So while in Kuala Lumpur, we had the last for most meals. Nasi kandar, nasi lemak, roti canai and fish curry are my favourites.
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Jalan TAR), the street that stretches through the Chow Kit area to Merdeka Square to the south, is lined with old, some even legendary, business establishments. These range from textile and toy shops to one of Malaysia’s oldest cinemas, the Coliseum Theatre, and the nearby Coliseum Café. The latter two will be a century old just three years from now.
Travel info
- Kuala Lumpur is about 2 hours and 10 minutes by air from Bangkok.
- The two terminals of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA and KLIA2) are a long way south of the capital. From the Twin Towers, for instance, the distance is almost 60km. By the way, the terminals are about 2.5km apart.
- There are many ways to get from the airport to the city, from trains to shuttle buses and taxis. However, Grab seems to be the preferred choice for many. The service takes you seamlessly all the way to your hotel at any hour and can be cheaper especially if you're a not a solo traveller.
- Spare extra time for the long trip back to the airport. The traffic can be nightmarish. More than that, the immigration process sometimes takes forever. In 2014, I missed my plane partly for this reason despite arriving at the airport two hours before flight time. On my latest trip, it was still slow but the queues were a lot shorter.
