Puduraya Bus Terminal review by backpackies

Holy Shit!

That was my expression when i got to know how much the Malaysian Government spent on refurbishing the Puduraya Bus Terminal. 52 Million Ringgit??!!

For that same amount im very sure they could have included a cable car ride from Petaling Street and connect the insanely ‘UNCONNECTED’ LRT system in the city to make it easier for commuters like us.
Well obviously the politicians do not take LRT’s and busses to work. So why bother.

Anyway, this blog is not about being sarcastic to the ‘ever efficient’ Malaysian Government but to write, photograph and show you what are the upgrades to the newly renovated Puduraya Bus Terminal in KL is like.

This is the new Puduraya Bus Terminal after renovation

Well the traffic jam just outside the bus stop is still as crazy as hell. That hasn’t changed.
So if you are on a car or a taxi and you are in a rush. Chances are better if you ask to get dropped further away, and you walk to the terminal. There are cases where people have waited for 1 hour stuck motionless just in front of Puduraya.

For 52 million they put up a mask design over the old building.

The fly over across the busy street

For your own safety, please do not cross the roads. Use the overhead bridge!!

The other side of the road where KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is

We were really hungry when we wrote this blog, so we decided to eat something universal, where every Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Man, Woman and Child can eat!

Kentucky Fried Chicken is the nearest and most convenient fast food outlet near the bus terminal

Finger Licking Good!

We saw an old Auntie just outside KFC, and she was really sad and pathetic. We decided to buy some water and give her some money as well. It seems that her dignity is so intact despite her conditions, that she refused our offerings.
The next time you guys want to help, maybe you can try buying up the vegetables from her instead.

This old lady was selling vegetables by the road side

Taking the over head bridge to the bus terminal.

fly over to the bus terminal

There are now police men stationed at the bus terminal.

Now that you guys have a new air-conditioned cubicle, make sure you guys do your job!

We are guessing that the tourists inside the cubicle must have lost something.

floor directory

The whole bus terminal is air-conditioned

Nice seating area that is very spacious unl

The platforms are numbered accordingly in sequence. Make sure you get your platform number correct when you are issued the ticket.

ATM machines are located on the ground floor

The ticketing offices are all on the second floor.

Ticketing counters are well-organized and the sellers can only call out to you to buy tickets from them, unlike last time where they could come close to you to hassle you.

The digital departure displays are a good touch.

Make sure you check your bus tickets with the departure screen for your platform and departure time

We just hate the metal seats in the waiting area.

The metal seats in the bus terminal is a stupid idea. The metal chairs were really cold because the management of the bus terminal switched on the air conditioning till super cold.
My german friend once said that in Malaysia, the air conditioning is WORSE than winter in Germany!
Each of the chair had a hand rest! So this means that if one person wanted to lie down on the chairs, he couldn’t! This is such a stupid idea! They should have done up cushion chairs without any dividers. Obviously you will always have tired people who wants to sit comfortably or maybe catch a quick sleeper on the chairs since we already spent 52 F**kin millions on the terminal!

baggage storage facilities

There are baggage storage facilities here. Which is good for people who have a late bus and have plenty of bags to carry around. So if they still want to go out to the city to explore, then they can keep their bags here.

This is the counter where you are supposed to leave your bags with

Some light shopping here at the bus terminal. There is nothing to shout about so please don’t get us started!

mini marts and souvenir shops

the platforms are individually numbered

The departure area is still as smokey as last time and it will only be a matter of time before the walls and ceiling turn black in soot

Everything looks so nice and orderly and for one second there you would have thought all those horrible bus touts would have gotten a regular job at McDonalds or KFC. But no! they have moved base further away from the grasps of the police.

So there were no signs of the touts anywhere near the terminal

When you zoom into the crowd! VOILA!

as we zoom in, we can see where the touts are hiding.

Bloody touts are conducting business further away from the main building.
Yes touts nowadays also have uniforms. So don’t think people with uniforms are legitimate!
Our conclusion is that Puduraya Bus Terminal has been upgraded into a more hospitable bus terminal compared to the old one.
We hope we have managed to show you a brief of the terminal and what to expect of it.
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Dayabumi Complex or Kompleks Dayabumi review by backpackies

The Dayabumi Complex (Malay: Kompleks Dayabumi) is a major landmark in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It houses several commercial facilities and is one of the earliest skyscrapers in the city. It is located near the National Mosque, the Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Federal House at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin.

You can easily spot the dayabumi complex in kl

Dayabumi is not an attraction on its own besides the architecture. But due to its close approximation to the Central Market we decided to walk over and shoot some shots.

It was designed in a modern Islamic style. The facade of the tower is adorned with patterns of eight-pointed stars, and Islamic arches at the top and bottom of the tower.

below this globe are the lower level floor for the complex

The Islamic Arches that extend to the top creating a wide space of feel.

We figured it would be great to take the pictures against the sunlight. This was Zcho Yee’s idea (our photographer)

Previously, it was a site of Malayan Railway workshops and depots from 1900s until 1981. Construction began in 14 February 1982. Central Market, which is near the banks of Klang River avoided demolition during Dayabumi Complex’s construction. The building was completed in February 1984. It was owned by Urban Development Authority of Malaysia. (UDA).

Dayabumi Complex was designed by Arkitek MAA and BEP Akitek under the joint venture firm BEP+MAA. The landscaped public realm was designed by Peter Verity (PDRc).The building was built by Kumagai Gumi Malaysia.

We hope that this blog is able to show you what the Dayabumi complex looks like. After taking the pictures here, we went across to Chinatown to have some lunch.  There really wasnt much to see here except the architecture.

So if you are interested on this place, just take the LRT to Pasar Seni (Central Market), if you walk from Central Market you are able to see the complex just beside it.

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Ngau Kee Beef Famous beef noodles in KL review by backpackies

Anyone who is looking for nice decent guesthouses in Kl would definately be staying some where near Bukit Bintang area. Of course you also have the choice of looking for accomodations near China Town (Petaling Street) and also behind Berjaya Times (Something like this place- Equator Hostel)

So if you are staying in Bukit Bintang area, we thought we might as well give you a heads up on the best local eats around the area.
Just on Tengkat Tong Shin, next to Tropical Guesthouse KL is the famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles.
They used to serve only dinner till late but now it seems they are also open for breakfast. (But in the morning, the owner must have hired some foreigners to man the stall). But we ate the noodles at night as well as in the morning, and they taste the same. Here is what we think of it.

The famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodle @ Tengkat Tong Shin, Kuala Lumpur

The seller (both local – in the night and also foreign-day) speak Cantonese (chinese dialect). But to make things easy, thank god they have a menu nailed to the wall behind the stall. Basically you need to tell them

1. What type of beef parts you want in to your noodles (beef balls only, mixed beef meat or with or without beef innards)
2. Soup or dry noodles

famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodle @ Tengkat Tong Shin, Kuala Lumpur

This is a picture of the beef cuts that they use- soft tender cubes

chunks of beef meat all cut and ready to be cooked

Beef stomach that they usually add if you order the mixed meat beef noodles. The stomach is very springy and doesnt really have any special taste to it. Its like eating ligaments from the nose or knee. A very acquired taste really.

Pork stomach and bits of their innards

noodles being cooked in hot water

The noodles are the Wan Thun mee type which are springy! We just love this type of noodles because the springy texture gives the noodles more life in them. When you bite into the noodles, it is half chewy and soft.

deliciously springy noodles with minced beef meat and spring onions

We actually had 2 bowls of noodles here. The first one was at 12am in the morning for supper where we forgot about our camera, so we had to return the next morning for breakfast to take the pictures for this blog.
And like i said previously, the night shift was manned by a chinese man and the day was manned by a Myanmar national. Both of the time, the noodles tasted just as tasty. So you if you are staying within the Bukit Bintang area and want something locally famous. Try to get your hungry butt here!!

We give this place 1.5 thumbs up! For more free travel information, please visit us at www.backpackies.com or if you have facebook (everybody does nowadays) please do add us on backpackies is now on facebook.