After one month in Kuala Lumpur - how accessible is it really?
What a whirlwind it has been. As the first destination we visited after deciding to sell all our possessions and home to retire early and slow travel, KL has been very interesting. After lots of previous travel experience, we were under no illusion that KL would be much like any other big city. At times chaotic, noisy, yet full of energy; a dynamic start to our slow travel journey.
What we didn't anticipate was how easy it was to fall in love with this multicultural hive of activity. The energy contagious, it’s people full of ready smiles and around every corner a welcome surprise. Don't get me wrong like any large SE Asian city there is rubbish, drain smells, skinny cats and lines of scooters blocking the sidewalk. But there is also community, tolerance and a readiness to embrace the new, which certainly makes travel with being a novelty on your scooter, less daunting.
Development in the city continues apace. There are attempts to make accessibility part of their city plan but it is certainly challenging, make no bones about it. Barriers to stop scooters accessing areas, limited kerbs, and the need for more lifts and ramps. Through trial and error we found the areas that were more walkable than others. The central city around the Petronas Towers was easy to navigate, especially with the covered walkways that are even air conditioned although finding them in the huge malls was sometimes a challenge. We learnt to ask the security guards who were happy to give you directions. Near our apartment, the Quill Mall did not have a ramp on our side of the building but on the front it did. It had fantastic disabled toilets in every block of toilets in the building. Something you don't even find regularly in the Western world. Just be prepared to always carry some tissues with you as they don't always have paper. They are pretty clean though. Lifts are common in most large buildings but we visited a local wet market that had a food court upstairs only able to be accessed only by escalators or stairs.
Our one bedroom apartment, in the Majestic Residences near the central city was partially accessible. The foyer and entry had no stairs. There were four lifts but because we were there at Christmas they could get quite busy and sometimes there was a wait. However there were heavy fire doors on each level to access the hallway for your apartment and also you stepped down into the hallway which meant you needed to step up into your apartment. As I travel with my husband, Baz, I had him to lift my travel scoot up and down this step. I can also still partially ambulate while using a cane, in a wheelchair this could be problematic. Our apartment was roomy with a place to store the travel scooter but there was a step down into the bathroom and a small one down into the walk in shower. The pool was fantastic and as it is one of my only forms of exercise I enjoyed it most days. The gym and roof terrace were up a set of stairs so not so easy to get up to.
The MRT which is the most cost effective form of transportation is partially accessible, but as there is no consistency with the lifts we used GRAB as it was very reasonable. The app makes it simple to order a car whenever you needed and once the driver realised that the travel scoot could fold and go in the boot they were happy to take you. This is how we got to sightseeing places like the fully accessible Botanical gardens, which are well worth a visit. KLCC park right next to the Petronas towers is also a lovely green calm space to find respite from the busyness. I loved the KL Bird Park which was mostly accessible although some other paths were quite steep. It has fully disabled toilet in the central block of buildings. The variety of birds; many roaming free, the atmosphere and gardens made it well worth the entry fee and we spent a few enjoyable hours there.
Batu Caves is another wonderful place to visit. It has vibrant Hindu temples both above and below a set of 272 stairs and although these are problematic to climb there is enough to look at at the base to make the journey of approximately 30 minutes drive in a Grab, worthwhile. The setting is very peaceful with golden statues, a fish pond, pretty vistas over jungle clad limestone caste cliffs and of course great people watching. It is mainly accessible at the base although there is a step up into the temples and you need to remove your shoes. There is a large cafe which I didn't go into but I would imagine it has a good toilet. Overall if you have time it's well worth a visit especially if you enjoy photography.
The only entry fee we paid was for the KL Bird Park as there are many free things to do in the city.
Dining out and food in general is very inexpensive. We cooked some breakfasts in our kitchenette and bought snacks and water from the supermarket at the mall. Small locally owned restaurants and street food vendors offer tasty cheap meals throughout the day. Jalan Alor street market in Bukit Bintang is the most famous eating area, vibrant at night with a variety of street and restaurant food. Prices are certainly higher than local markets and it does get very crowded in the evenings.Eat where the locals go for great food, exceptional value and interesting decor. There is a massive variety of Cuisines because of the multicultural vibe. We ate Chinese, Japanese, Pakistani, Middle Eastern and of course Malaysian food which mean you never tire of eating these less expensive options. Western food can be more expensive but looking at the takeaways like Burger king and KFC they are cheaper than the Western world if you get a craving. If you need your coffee fix you will find modern cafes are a similar price to the Western world, so I bought mine in the mall at a Coffee Kiosk; it was as good as a Cafe but half the price.
So in conclusion Kuala Lumpur is a very enjoyable city to visit even for the mobility impaired. Certainly do your own research especially of accommodations. You can ask as many questions as you need, to have peace of mind that you are booking a place to stay that meets your needs. It is a modern city but there is a good mix of cultures and older heritage areas to keep it interesting and fun to explore.
I have learnt to prepare for the worst, hope for the best and deal with the challenges lack of mobility throws at you. It is certainly more important in a city like Kuala Lumpur and the real benefit of slow travel is that you have time. Time to research, assess your own tolerance for challenges on any given day, and to say that maybe that adventure can wait for tomorrow. Colourful KL will be waiting for you!