Kuala Lumpur - Petaling Street Part II

Besides the countless number of stalls which are the main draw here, Petaling Street is also a food haven. There are lots of coffee shops and street stalls selling all kinds of local favourites like beef noodles, curry rice, char kuih tiaw, rice parcels, etc. Venture into some of the side lanes and you may come across some hidden gems.

There are lots of fruit sellers here, and what they have are generally better then those at the supermarkets, cheaper too.


Roasted chestnuts has been an old favourite at Petaling Street. The smell of freshly roasting chestnuts is quite intoxicating.

It is quite fun to eat under the stars on a cool tropical evening. The food is generally cheap and delicious, 'cause you are not paying for the air-cond.

This beef noodle stall has been here for ages.


A "bak chang" stall - glutinous rice parcels steamed in lotus leaf.

Kuala Lumpur - Petaling Street Part I

If you are a tourist visiting Kuala Lumpur, no doubt you would have heard about Petaling Street. Its one of our infamous tourist traps, located at the KL Chinatown. I haven't been there for years, and recently decided to make a visit to see what its like now.

The Chinese name for Petaling Street - "Chee Cheong Kai", is derived from its history as a centre of production for tapioca flour in KL. Walking around, you can still see the history and heritage of the area in the old buildings. However they are unfortunately overwhelmed by the street bazaars that have taken over several main streets in Chinatown. The main Petaling Street is now a pedestrianized mall which is covered by a transparent roof providing some shelter from the elements.

The street itself is now completely occupied by small stalls selling all kinds of stuff - cigarette lighters, t-shirts, caps, fake handbags, sunglasses, CDs, DVDs - you name it and they've got it here. Part of the fun of visiting Petaling Street is to wonder through this maze of petty traders, and to see the endless range of products on sale. I didn't actually buy anything, but it was fun watching the crowd trying to drive a bargain and getting a bit dazed by the sheer choice of mostly cheap knock-offs on offer here.



Even an aspiring belly dancer will be very happy here.


The range of things you can get here is truly mind-blowing.
Petaling Street is definitely a KL experience you don't want to miss - not necessarily for the shopping but for its historical ambience which still exists here and there, and for its prowess as a magnet which can draw people from all over the world.

Phuket - Turtle Village at Mai Khao Beach

It is quite surprising that for such a touristy place, Phuket doesn't really have big shopping centres. What is does have are lots of street vendors and small tourist-oriented shopping arcades. Some of these are quite nicely done. Like this small shopping arcade at Mai Khao Beach near JW Marriot.

The shopping arcade is called Turtle Village. It has a large turtle sculpture right in the centre courtyard. The design bears some signatures of the Bill Bensley Design Studio, so I suspect that they might have a hand in this project.

The design is vernacular mixed with neo-classical elements.

Turtle Village is an upscale arcade with an interesting mix of art galleries, fashion boutiques, souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants. The most popular outlet here seems to be the Coffee Club - an Australian chain cafe. When I was there, the place was packed. There is even a small supermarket with lots of Japanese groceries.

Bangkok - Siam Discovery and MBK

If you are looking for something that is a little bit different from the standard shopping mall, head over to the Siam Discovery Centre which is right next to Siam Paragon. Siam Discovery is actually adjacent to Siam Centre - one of the oldest shopping malls in Bangkok. Together they occupy about 4 floors of shopping space. Here you will find shops selling local designer labels, very nice Thai pottery and dinner ware, furniture and art.

For a bargain hunter's paradise, head over to the MBK - Mah Boon Krong, which is connected to Siam Discovery by a skywalk. This is a huge 7-storey shopping centre selling all kinds of stuff from leather goods, fashion, handbags, mobile phones, electronics, CDs, DVDs, etc. Basically most of the things you can get at the Chatuchat weekend market you can also find them here, but in air-conditioned comfort. There are reportedly over 2,000 shops in this gigantic place, but who's counting !

Even the skywalk linking Siam Discovery and MBK are turned into shopping zones. It can be difficult to navigate your way through the crowd.

MBK - or Mah Boon Krong shopping centre.

The plaza between Siam Paragon and Siam Discovery is often used for outdoor events. While I was there, there was a free concert for the launch of Toyota Yaris. The crowd was unbelievable. 

Bangkok - Siam Paragon

Siam Paragon is the poshest shopping mall in Bangkok. It is located along the famous Soi Sukhumvit, next to the Siam MRT Station. 

The exterior design is quite standard, essentially a square box building with a bit of decoration and nice landscaping to differentiate itself from the rest. The most striking feature of this shopping mall is the main entrance lobby - the walls and balconies are covered with verticle planted walls filled with exotic plants. There is a water feature right in the middle of the lobby, with a few planted archways providing a truly unique and beautiful interior.

The rest of the shopping centre is quite standard - predominently white design with polished floors and spacious shopping concourse. Besides shops, there is also a huge cineplex, and the Siam Ocean World, one of the biggest aquariums in Asia.

The beautiful entrance lobby.

The white interiors.

Huge crowds are a common sight at the plaza outside the shopping mall.

Bangkok - Central World

Like most major Asian cities, Bangkok is a shopping paradise. There are countless shopping centres, from the most high-end to bargain-hunting grounds. In fact at night, whole streets are transformed into street markets selling t-shirts, souvenirs, dvds, fake watches, etc.

Central World is one of the latest shopping experience in Bangkok, reopening in 2006 after extensive renovations. It is now the biggest shopping complex in Southeast Asia, with over 550,000 sq. m. of floor space.

Once you enter the building, you could be anywhere in the world. Globalization has homogenized the shopping experience to the extent that most people in the world are going after the same branded stuff. This can get depressing when you are travelling, as your expectation for a unique experience is drowned out by multi-national corporations trying to make a buck. 

Architecturally the building is quite interesting, with a diamond-shaped curved glass skin covering over the old building facing Soi Sukhumvit - the main street. The extensive use of glass on the facade gives it an expensive modern look, but I kept thinking about the amount of tropical heat that must be getting into the building.

The interior of the shopping centre - you could be anywhere in the world.

There is a huge gourmet supermarket in Central World that must be a heaven sent for Bangkok foodies. I know if I live in Bangkok, this would be my second home !