A Truly Asian Experience Part 2 - Petaling Street, Chinatown

As you can tell from the title, this is part two of my Malaysia blog series.  We decided to take the bus to Petaling Street, Chinatown and it took about 2 hours with all the stops.  The bus was quite comfortable and you can take a short nap if you feel like it.  They'll drop you off at the nearest bus station and you have to take about a 5-10 minute walk to the hotel.

We decided to stay at the Hotel Chinatown 2 because of its location inside of Chinatown and because it is near an LRT train station namely Pasar Seni Putra.  From the hotel it's a another 5-10 minute walk and from there you can pretty much go to any of the tourist attractions.  More of that later on.

In Malay, Petaling Street is called Jalan Petaling and like other Chinatown's all over the world it's a pretty busy street all day.  You can do a lot of your souvenir shopping here and the great thing about staying at the Hotel Chinatown 2 is that you can bring your loot right up to your hotel room.

Petaling Street, Chinatown

Chinatown during the day.

The hotel itself is located right along Petaling Street itself and is about right in the middle.  A perfect spot for your adventures.  Not only can you do a lot of shopping there but you're also just a few minutes away from some awesome restaurants such as Nando's, Arabesque, and the local Chinese restaurants to name a few.

A shop underneath the hotel itself.

Blurry shot of the hotel lobby.

Hotel Chinatown 2 is clean, safe, and the staff is friendly.  It's a pretty basic accommodation and if you're looking for something more spacious or luxurious then this is not the place for you.  But if you're the type of traveler who is on a budget, love adventure, and who doesn't mind the hustle and bustle right outside of the hotel then this is for you.  Besides, the beds are comfy, there is hot water, and you can't hear the noises from the street in your room.

Along the street you can find various little trinkets for your souvenir shopping.  But it's also just a short walk away to the new Kasturi Walk and its air conditioned Central Market where you can do a lot more souvenir shopping, chocolate shopping, and where you can eat authentic Malaysian cuisine at the food court on the 2nd floor.

These places are just a few minutes away from Petaling Street and it's worth checking them out.  In order to not get lost, get a map from the hotel.  It's especially worth checking out the Central Market if you're planning on taking home a lot of chocolates.  My wife is a sucker for chocolates and they give you a pretty good deal if you buy more than 1 piece.

The food court is also worth checking out especially when you're always hungry.  It's a really good deal if you're on a budget since a meal will set you back about 6 RM on average.  This does not include the drink since that is sold separately.

The above is only a small percentage of what you can do from Petaling Street.  If you love to walk there is plenty more to see.  Come back for the next part of the blog.