Expatypus

Sungei Wang is probably Kuala Lumpur's most interesting shopping mall. It's also the one that the largest number of people seem to have an aversion to.

Basically, if you like people-watching and visual stimulation, you'll love Sungei Wang. But if you hate crowds, the place will make your skin crawl. It's packed almost all the time, especially on weekends when you can barely walk through the corridors. There are shops appealing to all ages, though Chineese teenagers are particularly well represented.

With everything from clothes shops and banks, restaurants and electronics dealers, to a post office, video arcades, travel agencies, a bowling alley, a supermarket (Giant, in the basement of Parkson Grand) and even medical clinics, it's a city in itself. All it's missing is a place to overnight - actually, it wouldn't be surprising to discover people are living somewhere in the building.

For a real local taste, try the austere but huge and popular food court on level 4. It's best during lunchtime; many of the restaurants close up later in the afternoon, and by evening only a handful are still operating. Few meals up there cost more than RM4.

Getting there

Sungei Wang is located at the corner of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail. It is directly connected to KL Monorail's Bukit Bintang station.

The mall is adjacent to BB Plaza and they connect on most levels; really, it's difficult to tell when you've passed from one to the other unless you're paying attention.

An overhead pedestrian bridge (the same one used for the monorail station) connects Sungei Wang with its more upscale neighbor Lot 10.