Shifting from India to Kuala Lumpur

The first response has to be that KL is rather polluted.  This is because it lies in a valley and the air does not flow sufficiently to remove the particles generated by vehicle exhaust fumes, industry, etc. It is visible as you drive into KL and looks quite a lot like heat haze. The result is a thin black layer descends on horizontal surfaces. This substance is a little tarry in consistency but can be removed with water and a suitable detergent, such as floor cleaner. Evidence of this is found everywhere as black residues on buildings, tiles, etc. To expand further, about 3-4 times a year, the paddy fields are fired in Indonesia, the smoke tends to blow to Malaysia and hang around for 2-3 days at a time. These phases are noticeable due to the smokey smell in the air and the brownish yellow haze that it causes.

Ampang is a very large area, so if you could be more specific which street is his forthcoming location that would be helpful. The reason being that I expect he would like to use public transport from home to office.  Brickfields is at Sentral Station, so he would have access to a number of train lines if you lived there. There are a couple of different train lines that serve Ampang, so once again, more detail would be helpful. Bangsar is on the Kelana Jaya LRT line (next stop is Sentral Station heading towards Ampang), but very few condos are close to the station and a walk will be necessary. The closest condo is Gaya Bangsar and the smallest unit (about 700 sq ft) is the only type potetentially within your budget. Your budget will restrict you choice, but older condos tend to be less expensive and you get more bang for your buck. A lot of Indians also live around the Jalan Ipoh area.

Mont Kiara , Sri Hartamas & Damansara Heights are not currently on a train line so a car or taxi would be necessary. There are shopping malls in or near these places.

The party places are often in Shopping Centres. Otherwise there are couple of other streets that have lots of entertainment choices. It is expensive to party. Beer costs from RM20 a pint upwards to RM30 (for the same type and size or Tiger). Wine is around RM20 per glass. There are happy hours and offers, so it pays to shop around. Clubs have entrance fees in terms of purchasing a drink (c. RM30). Water and soft drinks cost at least RM12 per serving and cocktails are not much different price if they contain alcohol or not. There are ladies nights during the weekdays at some places. Beer starts to cost around RM30-40 per pint as the evening goes on, because the bars usually have higher prices the latter it gets. Bar/Restaurants close at 3am and some clubs close at 5 am.

If, as I suspect, your hubby is going to be working quite close to KLCC station or Ampang Station on the LRT, you could live in the central business area or at Cap Square. There are lots of shopping complexes in the centre. Close to Brickfields and Bangsar there is the massive Mid Valley Mall.

Thanks Gravitas.
We are planning to purchase a second hand car. Our stay tenure in KL will be for 2 yrs only. hubby's office is in Dataran Palma, Ampany(not sure is that is name of street or building).

public transport is for me for day travel. also, suggest if the monthly rental should be increased for a decent condo.

Are you suggesting Bangsar  or brickfield?

Just providing some background information. The area in Ampang where the job will be is not that close to any of the places you have mentioned as possibilities to live in. There are train services to Ampang LRT nearby, but they require changing lines to travel there from Bangsar or Sentral. The drive would be horrendous. There may be some condos around Jelatek station, Sri Rampai or Setiawangsa that are on the LRT line - that would mean you could get to Suria/KLCC and Brickfields or Bangsar Village Mall (10 min walk from Bangsar LRT), change at sentral and go to Mid Valley etc. I don't know the Ampang area very well, except for places like Beverly Heights and Okay Perdana. There is a shopping centre called Ampang point, but again I have never used it. There is the Great Eastern Mall in the vicinity as well.

Hi,
I happened to bump into this forum. I am local here and been living here in Ampang for as long as I could remember and I am renting out a unit at Ampang Boulevard Condominium. The condo is a walkaway (10minutes walk) to Dataran Palma, Ampang (beside Ampang Point). You can try Googlemap to see the locations.
Ampang is near to the heart of Kuala Lumpur (within 10minutes drive with clear traffic). There are a lot of clubs around the KLCC (twin tower) area along Jalan Doraisamy, Asian Heritage Row and it is near Jalan Bukit Bintang as well (clubs like Zouk, The Loft, just to name a few).
My unit is a 3bedrooms 2bathroom unit. Fully furnished inclusive of air conditioned rooms, water heater, WiFi and a cable TV (Astro). The condo has the facilities of swimming pool, sauna, gym, half basketball court and minimart.
You can drop me an email at mizzlizzie227@gmail.com and I can tell you in details about the unit and how to maneuver yourselves in this area.

Hi Fiesta10,

Frankly speaking, all the areas that you have suggested are far from Ampang and inconvenient for your husband to get to work as he would be spending literally hours in rush hour traffic every day. I agree with MizzlLizzie and suggest living either in Ampang or the Golden Triangle.

Mike

hi all, thanks for your suggestions.
we recently got to know that his office would be in Technology Park Malaysia, Puchong-Sungai Besi Highway, Bukit Jalil. We are kinda contemplating between brickfields & bangsar. More towards bangsar as i have read in this forum that brickfields is crowded and bangsar has relatively new and good houses.
Please correct if my understanding is wrong,

Hi,

I would suggest you to look for condominiums near your husbands area...It would be very comfortable and convenient...His office area is decent and many good condominiums are there...Just check Savanna Condominium...Very safe and new condo...Feel free to ask if u need anything..Welcome to Malaysia

Thanks Mouny. I just checked few condo in Savanna. These are good and really close by to hubby 's office.

Wanted to check public transport status, is it well connected or difficult? Are there good shopping areas nearby for daily needs and leisure.

Bukit jalil area(your husbands work location) is less crowded...There are not many shopping malls...But it has got Train station,you can go anywhere by using LRT which will be convenient..But for groceries and all no problem in that area,you have got big malls for that..Best place in Kl for shopping malls is Bukit Bintang...its heaven for women..So many malls in that area..

Fieta10 - Sorry missed a post or two and therefore could not figure out how Bukit Jalil came into the equation. Driving south in the morning is relatively easy as it is against the main traffic flow. Is your husband still intending to drive?  Bukit Jalil is on the LRT line and so is Bangsar. There are also shuttle buses to the Technology Park from KLCC and Sentral Station. But if your potential residence were in Bangsar, you would probably need a car as well to get about the area as it is rather hilly in most parts and places are a bit inaccessible with one. Many people find that Bangsar has lost its appeal to some degree because a lot of low cost (social) housing has been erected in the area and that has changed the environment and made it less international and safe. The two shopping malls in Bangsar are popular with many people, though, so is Mid Valley Mall.  Personally I don't use them due to heavy traffic at weekends and that many of the shops are just over-charging. Some people like to socialize at Bangsar Shopping Centre. I don't think expats use the entertainment area around Bangsar Village Mall so much these days. One thing is that lots of beggars come up to the tables and hang around the venues. Bangsar LRT station is a long way from most of the housing except the new Bangsar Gaya condo, which is right next to it. Otherwise it is a taxi to get to the station or a long walk. If you lived in Bangsar you would have access to the KLCC and Bukit Bintang shopping haven and by taking the train back to Sentral Station, you can change lines there and get to Mid Valley Megamall. In short, unless you can afford to live in Gaya and potentially have two cars, Bangsar may no not really be so convenient.

thanks gravitas. We recently got to know that his office will be in Technology Park Malaysia, Bulkit Jalil. So we are looking at close by areas.

Yes, fiesta10 already told us that her husband will not be working at Ampang area but instead at Technology Park.... Bukit Jalil is definitely a reasonable place to consider.

Hello fiesta10, there are a couple of places you can look in Bukit Jalil. I will list down these places so that you can have a rough idea of what to look for :
1. Treez Bukit Jalil , new and nice condominium ranging from 1400 to 1800sqf price rm2700 to rm4300, 6 minutes to Technology Park.
2. Coville Bukit Jalil, condominium ranging from 1293sqf onwards price RM2500 to RM4000, 4minutes to Technology Park
3. Savanna 1 Bukit Jalil nice condominium ranging from 1212sqf onwards RM2000 to RM3500 3 minutes to Tecnology Park

Treez and Savanna 1 would be a much more newer condo, the distance I got it is from google so maybe there might be some small difference.
These are the few places I would recommend, hope it helps. If you need any further assistance from me please let me know. Happy hunting.

thanks all....info has been really useful... will write again for further help...

Cheers  !!

Y don't u stay at ampang,  seems ur husband office somewhere ampang ... specially apartment in front ampang point shopping mall

[Moderated: No free ad pls]

hi all,

we have decided to stay in bangsar...we have looked up few condos and mostly would be finalising on Casta Vista...the offered rent is 3500...we are trying to negotiate to 3000...
also are there any other condos in 3000-3500 range in bangsar?

can try suasana, gaya bangsar is nice.. but I think more pricey since is a new one.

Fiesta, its a long, traffic filled drive from bangsar to ampang point. your hubby will be spending 2-3 hours a day just driving. brave guy :-)

his office is in technology park....which should be 1 hr drive...