Eat, pray, shop in Little India

The Indian enclave in the Brickfields neighbourhood is not only a feast for the eyes but for all the senses. The streets and alleys exude a fragrant aroma of sandalwood, spices, and garlands of jasmine and lotus flowers. Many food stalls serve typical South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes. There are also beautiful temples filled with Hindu gods. Eat, pray, shop in Little India, Kuala Lumpur’s most colourful neighbourhood.

Culinary
A banana leaf curry

A banana leaf curry

Eating off a banana leaf

There is plenty of food in Little India. The popular ‘banana leaf’ restaurants are everywhere; this is where the main meal is served on a banana leaf. The menu includes delicious curries, with great options for vegetarians. Other delectable snacks are the vadai (savoury fritter-type snack) and stringhoppers (steamed noodles made from rice flour) – most food stalls have their own speciality.

The Sri Kandaswamy Temple at Jalan Scott

The Sri Kandaswamy Temple at Jalan Scott

Hindu sanctuary

Just like India, Little India in Kuala Lumpur is home to a blend of faiths and houses of worship. Churches, mosques, Hindu temples and Buddhist sanctuaries stand side by side. The most colourful building is the enormous Sri Kandaswamy Temple, a prime example of Tamil architecture. This temple serves as an important reminder that a large part of the original immigrants hailed from South India and Sri Lanka. This 100-year-old temple is the lively centre of many religious festivals and ceremonies.

Shopping for saffron

The most important shopping street in Little India is Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Here you will find many small shops packed with large piles of saris and fabrics. While saffron is usually only sold in small portions, here it is sold in large bags, just like cumin and cinnamon. To shop for modern products, head to KL Sentral, the newest commercial hub in Brickfields. The centre is located in and around a former shunting yard.

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Culinary

Spicy curries, grilled satay skewers and noodles in all shapes and sizes: the streets of Kuala Lumpur offer a delicious culinary feast. The food on the street is as diverse as the city’s inhabitants. Malay, Chinese and Indian food stalls stand side by side. Their stoves operate night and day so there is plenty of time to explore the diverse cuisine of Malaysia, one food stall at a time.

Arts & Culture

Only 15 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur lies the most popular Hindu sanctuary outside of India: the Batu caves. The series of caves is decorated with a large number of colourful, painted images of Hindu gods. The largest cave can be reached after climbing 272 steps – an enormous steep stairway not only used by pilgrims and tourists, but also by monkeys. Every year, the frenzied Thaipusam festival takes place at these caves.

Nature

Walk through the treetops of the tropical rainforest and come face-to-face with a spider monkey. Cool off in the jungle in a colonial mountain village at an altitude of 1500 metres. Or take a nocturnal boat ride in a sampan surrounded by thousands of flickering fireflies. In addition to cities and beaches, Malaysia boasts a spectacular natural world full of bizarre plants and animals.

Arts & Culture

No other buildings quite define the Kuala Lumpur skyline like the most famous twins in town do: the Petronas Towers. These buildings soar 452 metres into the sky and were once the highest towers in the world. The twin buildings’ record was shattered with the opening of the Taipei 101 in Taiwan 6 years later.

Beach

Though the islands of its northern neighbour Thailand may be more famous, Malaysia’s hundreds of islands are certainly just as pretty. These islands are less busy than those across the border and also easily accessible. Relax on a tropical beach, explore the rainforest, soak up the culture of colonial towns, breathe in clean mountain air and snorkel among beautiful coral: Malaysia’s islands offer all this and more.

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