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TripOut Gay Travel:
Kuala Lumpur

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Gay Friendly Rating: Gay Friendly Rating Tolerant and friendly; but be mindful about PDAs.
Can you handle Malaysia's colorful, crazy, throbbing Asian metropolis?

Kuala Lumpur Fast Facts:

  • Gayborhood Malaysia is legally unfriendly to gays, but this code is rarely enforced today. So while LGBT life tends to be on the downlow in daylight, it thrives in gay bars, clubs, and restaurants.
  • Malaysia Airlines is Malaysia's national airline, and it's hospitable, colorful, and thoroughly modern. And unlike our domestic carriers, you even get a meal on short haul flights. A girl gets hungry, la? (Tel: 800-552-9264. http://www.malaysiaairlines.com.)
  • Offering a climate-controlled escape from KL's nonstop summer heat, the city's modern indoor shopping centers are gorgeously designed, feature everything from food to art galleries and attractions, and international big chains (The Gap, etc) to fashionista labels (like UK's sassy Top Shop, Hugo Boss, and China's Shanghai Tang). The aesthetics-centric Starhill Gallery (181 Jalan Bukit Bintang.starhillgallery.com) is a must-see. The lower level is home to a labyrinth of gorgeous, gay-friendly upscale restaurants - SHOOK is one of the most popular. Regardless of where you eat, you HAVE TO use the downstairs level's bathroom, a spa-like wonder of stacked slate walls coated with peppermint oil, cinematic lighting, and a staff member who manually pumps sink water. Also don't miss the outer spacey passageway to next door's JW Marriott Hotel. Other shopping centers of note include Pavilion (next door to Bukit Bintang's Grand Millennium hotel), Avenue K (designed by France's Christian Liagre), Berjaya Times Square, and Sungei Wang Plaza (which stocks locally-designed street wear).
  • Good Eatin' Available in most KL bookstores, The Star Guide to Malaysian Street Food (approx. $11USD) is excellent, reviewing the best stalls and storefronts around the country. Almost everywhere you'll find iced Air (water) vendors, flavors ranging from Watermelon-Rosewater to Chocolatey Milo. One sad note: bacon and pork can be tough to come by, and the "beef bacon" offered at so many breakfast buffets is downright gnarly.
  • Malaysia's own futuristic Dubai, and a center for government and its employees, the township of Putrajaya is an architectural wonderland located about halfway between KL's city center and the KL International Airport (you literally can't miss it). From a giant, colorful Putra mosque to numerous striking bridges, it's well worth a stroll/drive through.
  • One of Malaysia's natural gifts is its wealth of exotic tropical fruit including the colorful Rambutan (a brightly fuscia-colored Lychee relative covered in rubbery tendrils). Love it or hate it, the Durian is amongst the most popular. "Smells of hell, tastes of heaven" locals say of the powerfully stinky Durian, which emits a scent so heady that it's forbidden/discouraged in hotels, rental cars, and public spaces. One of KL's most savory, and accessible to newbies, preparations is restaurant Lai Po Heen's Durian Pancake, a delicate crepe containing whipped cream and Durian sections (see Mandarin Oriental KL in hotels section). But Durian addicts beware: according to locals, its gases can be literally toxic - consuming too much Durian in combination with beer will allegedly kill its consumer (and we're talking a LOT, like 2 whole Durians' worth).
  • Since no local queer publications exist as yet, website Utopia Asia (http://www.utopia-asia.com) and Purple Lab (http://www.purplelab.net) serve as up-to-the-minute guides. Purple Lab is a lesbian social network with over 6,000 members and hosts mixers and parties on a quarterly basis. Meanwhile, biweekly magazine Time Out Kuala Lumpur (http://www.timeoutkl.com) is an indispensable guide to what's new and notable - their restaurant listings/reviews are superb and very current.
  • When it comes to exchanging money, higher denominations of US bills - specifically $50 and $100 - sometimes receive better rates than smaller ones. Every city has its own special annoying set of characters, and KL's are monks who stalk the streets and approach you with "good luck" cards, for which you are expected to make a contribution or suffer from bad karma. They're like human chain mail!

Kuala Lampur: Tropics on the Downlow

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One of the world’s most striking (and tallest) man-made structures, Kuala Lumpur’s The Petronas Towers are an iconic image indeed: A pair of almost alien-looking, textured metal and glass skyscrapers joined by a slender walkway. Both up close... Read More Kuala Lampur: Tropics on...

Kuala Lumpur Top 5

Don't leave town before checking out...
TripOut Top Five
  1. Menara KL Tower
  2. Blue Boy
  3. Bata Caves
  4. KLCC Aquaria
  5. wondermilk cafe

Recommended In Kuala Lumpur:

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Hotels & Inns

Restaurants

Bars & Clubs

  • Gay+ Gay+: this place is super-gay! Have Fun! 0
    Blue Boy 50 Jalan Sultan Ismail
  • Gay+ Gay+: this place is super-gay! Have Fun! 0
    Frangipani 2/F Changkat
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    La Bear 8-0-1 Queen Avenue
  • Gay+ Gay+: this place is super-gay! Have Fun! 0
    La Queen 5 Jalan P Ramlee
  • Gay+ Gay+: this place is super-gay! Have Fun! 0
    Maison 8 Jalan Yap Ah Shak

Shopping

Sights & Activities

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