Kampung Bahru Kampung Bahru is the oldest Malay residential area in Kuala Lumpur. About ten minutes away from Chow Kit Market, it was founded in 1899 and there are still authentic traditional Malay wooden houses there. On Saturday evenings, one section of Kampung Bahru is a hive of activity.

This market has a totally Malay feel to it, and this is obvious in the style of jewellery and clothes, in the type of fabric, the varied tastes of Malay cooking and in the make of the handicraft on sale.

Little India
Little India is a riot of colours, from the saris hanging from shops to the snacks and sweetmeats on sale from roadside stalls. Find fresh milk, various Indian breads and delicious mouth-watering fare from the numerous eateries. What better opportunity to sample Indian cuisine at really affordable prices.

KL's Little India is to be found in the older section of the city on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Jalan Masjid India is the main street of Little India and the whole place is delightfully reminiscent of a Middle Eastern bazaar with the arrangement of its shops and items on sale.

Chinatown
Every major city in the world has a Chinatown, as does Kuala Lumpur, BUT there is a unique difference to KL's Chinatown, one that is reflective of the multi-racial harmony of Malaysia. Chinatown it is, indeed, but at its very heart sits the Sri Maha Mariamman Indian temple. Colourful statues and sweet scents greet visitors, and the bright hues of flower garlands hanging from flower stalls do much to brighten the vista. Equally colourful are the mountains of Indian sweetmeats and delicacies heaped on the roadside stalls that line the street.

Visitors to the See Yeoh and Chan See Shu Yuen temples will be greeted by beautifully crafted figurines of Chinese mythology and legends all around the temple grounds and also on the intricately carved roof. For a more secular feel of Chinatown, head for Jalan Petaling, where a sea of brightly coloured umbrellas and street vendors await you.

An ideal place to try out your bargaining skills on various things, such as mock branded items, clothes, bric-a-brac, accessories and sculptures. The whole place takes on a different air when the street is closed at 6 p.m. and Jalan Petaling becomes a pasar malam (an open air night market) where you can get anything from food to bags and sunglasses to handicrafts - all along one street.

Take a stroll down Chinatown's crowded lanes and see the Chinese pharmacies or medicine halls of yesterday. They are to be found in the old buildings, proudly displaying the various herbs and animal parts used in traditional Chinese medicine, to cure everything from heat maladies to loss of libido! In search of the perfect complexion? No problem. Take ground pearl powder, mixed with water.