Christmas in KL

I read that the biggest bookshop in all of South East Asia has recently - like four days ago - opened in Kuala Lumpur. Of course I have to go check it out. Getting there takes over an hour - initially on the light railway (LRT) and then something called the BRT, which is a closed system with elevated tracks for dedicated use by electric buses. No other traffic can get on it (I’m not even sure how they got the buses on it.

When I get to my destination, Sunway Square, I discover that it’s not just the bookshop which is new - the mall itself is only two weeks old. It has a LOT of places to eat and just a few shops - I have a coffee at another branch of 103 and note for future reference that the Public House is next door. The mall has a small lagoon and waterfall, and an upmarket supermarket - the Village Grocer. I get something that looks like it might be tasty for Christmas.

The bookshop is indeed very large - they claim there is a kilometre of walkways. It has a really nice collection of stationary but as a bookshop, it’s a bit of a disappointment - it’s a BookXcess. I’ve been in a couple of their branches elsewhere - Ipoh and RexKL - and their focus is on getting books cheaply so they can be sold cheaply. That’s a good ambition, but it doesn’t make for a very comprehensive fiction selection: in fact the fiction collection is remarkably small here.

The original aim for the space was to use it as a library for Sunway University, part of which is in the mall building. That plan changed - either for financial reasons or the view that physical books don’t matter - so that now students are expected to find a space in the bookshop to work (it’s still called The Library). I do see quite a few work areas but they are fully occupied. At least it’s open 24 hours a day.

I don’t buy anything, and head to the Public House for a beer: empty. There’s a food court half way back to the bus stop, so that will do: the beer is noticeably cheaper than in Chinatown. I have dinner (a spicy prawns and noodle dish) in one of my favourite KL cafés, Mountbatten, which I discovered when I stayed in nearby Masjid Jamek. Surprisingly they are empty as well. I joke with them on the way out about having five staff just to serve me. It’s a nice space, and just an 8 minute walk from my hotel, so I pop back in the morning for a great coffee - there’s a bit more life this time round.

Since it’s Christmas Eve and the Four Points by Sheraton has a bar, I go there for a nightcap - a Four Pillars gin from Australia. It’s only on the seventh floor. but it’s a nice space and the staff are very keen to look after me. Looking at Merdeka118, I see it’s weeping: I don’t know what’s upset it.

Going back to my hotel from the bar, I’m suddenly caught in a “snow” fall.

Before Christmas, I’d been into the KLCC Mall (under the Twin Towers). The place was manic! The foodcourt had nowhere to sit. I tried to buy a book - although I did find what I was looking for, the queue to buy it was immense, so I gave up. I did have one success, however, when I popped into Marks and Spencer on the way out.

I often don’t do anything for Christmas, but this year I do a little more than mince pies, although things go a little wrong: I have a reservation at JP Teres at the Grand Hyatt for lunch. It’s a posh traditional Malaysian restaurant. My thinking is that I’ll have a leisurely buffet lunch and relax in the bar for a bit. It turns out the buffet is off, thanks to it being a public holiday and the bar doesn’t open until 6. There is an outside bar, but it’s too hot to drink there and no one offers me a drink with my meal. So I drink a lot of iced water, have satay and a spiced lamb stew. The white lumps with the satay are rice cakes - impervious to receiving any flavour from the satay sauce.

I have another reservation - for 10 at night. Merdeka118 is the second tallest building in the world (679 metres). The first 74 floors are used (or maybe still to be used) as offices but from floor 75 up, it’s a Park Hyatt, which opened in August. They are very generous with the snacks included with the drink.

I can’t actually get much of a view outside - the glass is quite reflective and slants outwards so I can’t get close to it. The people up here are much better dressed than me - I have pulled out a long-sleeved shirt, but am otherwise in my travel clothes.

I have a last beer on the street before retiring for the night.

Cheers!