Bukit Bintang: Kuala Lumpur’s 5th Avenue
Bukit Bintang has earned its reputation as the most populated shopping district in the country. Slow traffic, a sea of shoppers, luxurious brands, and interconnected malls are the elements that made up this lively region in the city.
I can’t find the appeal of malls, unlike most Malaysians spending their weekends going up and down the escalators, window shopping, or hunting for promotions and sales. With the convenience of food, apparels, and free air-conditioning, people will stay within the compound.
After my graduation ceremony, I stayed for two nights in the Bukit Bintang area. My hotel is a walking-distance from the Pavilion mall, so I could use up the remaining energy to walk back to my residence. I have experienced the two polarised scenery in Bukit Bintang, a novel sensation which I hope to record down.
The Morning
I miraculously woke up at six-thirty in the morning, despite the post-graduation convocation hangover. Forcing myself out from the hotel room, I headed towards the Pavilion mall for breakfast. The road was void of rushing cars and motorbikes, only fallen leaves and puddles from last night’s rainfall. The air smelled fresh, no acrid smoke from exhaust pipes.
Malaysian malls operate at ten. A few cafes welcomed the early birds before they head to their workplace. I settled myself at a red and white illy cafe. I might have tried their coffee before, but my brain could not recall the memory. A ‘wait to be seated’ sign board stood in front of the entrance, yet there were plenty of seats inside. I observed the interior until a barista invited me to enter the premises.
My bird-sized appetite refrained me from having a grand breakfast so I settled on one hot cup of Marocchino caldo and one earl grey macaron. I looked out the window, counting the passersby walking to the bridge to KLCC. It did not take long for my order to arrive. What surprised me was the size of the coffee cup; it was as big as the macaron. The coffee was extremely bitter, as if they had forgotten about the cocoa powder and hot chocolate. However, the macaron tasted adequate. Overall, it was pretty expensive for a cup of coffee.
There are people hurrying to work. They barred visitors from entering, so most would just loiter at the fountain area. I stumbled across a two-storey Uniqlo at Fahrenheit, which was opened way before their designated opening hours. Venturing around the premises, I had picked several garments which I could wear in the UK during the cold seasons. After making my purchase, I went to meet up with my friends at Lot 10.
The Night
Everyone says the best time to immerse yourself in Bukit Bintang’s atmosphere is after the sun goes down.
The sky was drizzling, but no one was bothered to get a little wet from the raindrops. Among the hurrying crowd, you would find a few people selling balloons and roses on the street, hoping someone would purchase them. As you lose yourself within the moving streams, the sense of time would fade in this bright night.
After a day's walk around the shopping area, Eemaau felt more exhausted. She had yet to recover from last night’s ceremony (and so do I). She had to call a Grab car to send her back home. However, her ride would take around 10 minutes to arrive because of the ever-congested Bukit Bintang roads. To ensure her safety, Tiffany and I accompanied her until the driver arrived. After all, this beautiful shopping area earns its reputation as one of the breeding grounds for pickpockets and harassers.
Once Eemaau left, Tiffany and I walked around the Pavilion mall before heading back to our accommodation.
Date of visitation: 18th-20th June 2022
How to get there:
MRT and KL Monorail to Bukit Bintang station, both stations are near Lot 10.
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