Retail Therapy in K.L. - Lili
While Eddie was enjoying PWG in Los Feliz (see previous post), I spent a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) en route from Sydney to L.A. visiting my family. KL, like most fast-developing cosmopolitan Asian cities, is a place where people spend a lot of time shopping, eating, and shopping. If you want to sample the best food in the world, enjoy a permanently warm and tropical climate and geek-out on cheap shopping, this is the place to be.
It’s Hari Raya (public holiday) so Bukit Bintang Rd
seems unusually serene on a Monday morning
The night I arrived, we had ‘Bak Kut Teh’ for supper on Alor Road.
BTW, Fried Chilli Frog is NOT your standard M’sian fare.
I took this pic because I was wondering myself: “Do people really eat this?!”
The part of K.L. I love wandering through is “The Golden Triangle” – a bustling touristy area with zillions of tall hotels, street stores, Starbucks/Coffee Bean outlets and giant shopping malls (to rival Hong Kong) selling anything and everything: Designer and quirky clothes, bags, shoes, housewares, digital gadgets, eats, bootleg software and … TOYS!!!
On Monday, my brother and I visited about TEN toy stores, all within walking distance of each other, scattered amongst the mega malls on Bukit Bintang Road.
Cool Toys is a fave with lots of vinyls
(top floor – Hobby Center, Sungei Wang Plaza)
Fantasy Toys (Low Yat Plaza)
- tons of Star Wars, Spawn, LOTR, Anime figures
Graffiti Toys (Times Square – a new megamall on Imbi Road)
… I couldn’t believe how much Incredibles stuff there was. Even bootlegs.
Still have yet to see this movie!
And what’s so good about toy shopping in K.L.?
- Abundance of toy stores!!!
- Toys are CHEAP here! (Ok, some bootlegs, but they look good to me!)
- You can buy blind box figures in complete SETS!!!
- Interestingly, most figures are sold only as a SERIES. The hardcore collectors who run the toy stores will not part with the pieces individually as much as you plead. Which is awesome if you are a collector looking for a bargain. And a pain in the ass if you have limited space in your suitcase! (For example, I was very tempted by this Yamato StoryImage Samurai series)
- Seeing cool stuff that I have never seen anywhere online, didn’t know existed and still have no idea who designed them.
- The stores are open till 10pm. Some even midnight!
OK, I have to gloat. Some of the swag (which btw are not all for me) -
Dude with cleaver (Jason Choy design) $10
Alphabet SHE figures.
I bought a ’mini figure’ set for approx $5
From Crayon Shin Chan Gashapon series.
approx. $7 for set of 4!
Next time, I promise I will stay longer, bring a bigger suitcase and take advance orders.
Upcoming local toy events:
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