Setapak: New Vietnam Town?

     Have been staying in Setapak for about 3 years now. There has been many changes around here since. Good and bad. The walkway outside of Sri Pelangi Condominium is now a Chi Chong Gai (Chinatown), the pathway getting dirtier by the stalls nearby. We have people selling clothes, shoes, prawn crackers, water chestnut and (macam-macam) you can imagine. The little Thailand opposite Sri Pelangi Condo is also now an open space car park where you can park hourly or rent monthly.

    Now speaking of the population in Setapak area, especially Jalan Prima Setapak, where there are four main favourite to places rent (Prima Setapak, Sri Pelangi, Genting Court and Plaza Prima Setapak), we notice an increasing number of foreigners, not ang mohs definitely but foreign workers from Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. 

    The foreigners are now much like expats living in the four main favourite places to rent mentioned. During the day, you can see many Vietnamese kids with weird school uniforms and bags walking to school. Their so called international school is actually one of the upstairs shop nearby. During the evening time, you can see the Vietnamese mothers hanging around with their baby carried in sarong. 

   Is this a good sign or bad? Probably good for the foreign workers but for the Malaysian young adults, perhaps its time to move?

Wisdom Tooth Outbreak

After two days of jaw and tooth pain torture, I finally went to see a dentist. I was never a fan of dental treatment but this new born wisdom tooth has caused me sleepless nights. The swell in my jaw made it hard for me to take any solid food. 

My boyfriend recommended this dentist nearby our place and promised the dentist is gentle and nice. So there I went.

Klinik Pergigian Zaara @ Platinum 

The place is just nearby to Columbia Hospital along Jalan Genting Kelang. The outer and inside decor was modern and clean, looked like a hotel instead. I was then a little worried about the consultation fees they gonna charge me. I was greeted by warmth and friendly nurse. The dentist treated my condition with concern and answered my every questions in detail. Unlike other dentists outside where they will recommend their patient to extract whatever tooth in pain, she prescribed me with antibiotics and pain killer. She suggested me to give myself a five days to further monitor the condition. She also asked me if I needed MC! Haha...(it was a Sat so of course I rejected it).

Friendly and chatty nurses =)

At the end of consultation, I only paid RM25 in total. The nurse told me that April is a free consultation month in Malaysia hence I only paid for the medicines. 

So everyone, if you wanna visit a dentist, go in April! 

and God bless my wisdom tooth...

Sri Pelangi Condominium

Suitable for:

• Young working adults
• UTAR students
• Family

Comment:

You can see Sri Pelangi Condominium from the main road of Jalan Genting Kelang. This white color building is situated opposite Prima Setapak as well. Many young working adults and UTAR students like to stay here. There is a bus stop just one min away from the condo where there is buses to Wangsa Maju LRT station and also KL city. As for the UTAR students, there is shuttle bus for them to go and back from the campus.

This area is full of food where you will never get starved. Right below the condo we have Kenny Rogers and Home Town steamboat. If you cross the road, you can find KFC there. And of course right across the condo you will find all sorts of hawker food in a street.

There are many blocks in Sri Pelangi Condominium where the better ones I found is Block 130. Many improvements had been done throughout this year where they put proper fencing around the condo, made a garden for a stroll and also repainted the condo itself (still in progress).

This condo is also near to Chinese morning market. 

Prima Setapak Condominium

Suitable for:

• UTAR students
• Young working adults

Prima Setapak Condominium

A Foot Away:

• Morning market
• A street of hawker food
• Bus stop

Comment:

Prima Setapak Condominium is situated next to Sri Pelangi Condominium. This condo is also one of the most searched/ rented condo around Jalan Genting Kelang area. Most of the people who rented here are UTAR students.

It is popular among UTAR students as you could get all sorts of hawker food just right across the road. The road sides get crowded with Chinese food stalls in the evening starting 5-6pm till late midnight. You can get all sorts of food here. 

Opposite Prima Setapak Condo & also Sri Pelangi Condo where all hawker food lines

Prima Setapak is a high density population condo whereby you might get a little trouble getting into the lifts. However, it does have good facilities such as swimming pool, basketball field and a nice park.

Menara Alpha Condominium

Suitable For:

• UTAR students
• Young working adults

Menara Alpha Condominium

A Foot Away:

• Wangsa Maju LRT station
• Rapid KL & Metro buses station

Comment:

Menara Alpha, like Metroview and Tar Villa has the same distance to LRT station and also the wide selection of hawker food. These three condos are popular to rent by UTAR students and also young working adults.

However, looking from outside of the condo, you could see the walls are kind of grey and dirty. The pointy roofs and bridges that links the blocks look like the castle where the witches stay if you let your imagination runs wild. 

There are also rumor saying that the condo has few cases of suicide. I hope rumor stays rumor.

Overall, you could rent a room in Menara Alpha at a cheaper price range. If you are a tough guy or person, this might be your choice.   


Review:

Those who are vegetarian should rent at Menara Alpha as it has a vegetarian stall right outside the condo.

Vegetarian stall: Situated at the corner shop right outside Menara Alpha Condo

This vegetarian stall opens early in the morning for those who wants a quick take away before heading to work. It sells delicious vegetarian bee hun. 

Tar Villa

A Foot Away:

• Wangsa Maju LRT station
• Rapid KL & Metro buses station

Entrance and  guard house of Tar Villa (the red color Kancil is there since forever and it looks like its gonna disintegrate after touching...

Comment:

Tar Villa is a simple yet comfortable place to live. This place has a good maintenance in terms of cleanliness. It has two blocks only in total which make it a low density villa. Hence, you will find no trouble waiting for the lifts.

The size of the house is small but yet the rental is in par with Menara Alpha. The only lacking part of this place is that it does not have a swimming pool and gym. 

Of course, as the distance to the nearby shops is just 5-10 mins away and you could get a number of hawkers and mamak stalls to fill your lunch and dinner. If you are too lazy to walk there, you can also take the life down to G floor and there is an Indian food stall selling rice and maggie mee. However, the cleanliness of the stall needs to be reviewed as sometimes you might get a fly or baby cockroach in your food!

If you are looking for a decent and low density place to stay, you should consider this.

Metroview Condominium

A Foot Away:

• Wangsa Maju KL Rapid
• Wangsa Maju  LRT station
• Jaya Jusco

Comment:

By looking from outside, it has a much more presentable and clean look compared to other apartments nearby. The environment is peaceful and quiet. Majority of the people staying here are renting as young working adults and UTAR students, 70% Chinese people.

For food, you won't be starving if you live here as there are a wide range of food selection by walking. There are a number of kopitiams at the nearby shop lots. They sell all sorts of hawker food ranging from chicken rice to noodles and others. There is also a Burger Kaw Kaw and BRJ (mamak) nearby in case you itch for a supper. 

Compare to Menara Alpha, the rental is just slightly higher, probably RM50-RM100 difference. With a minimal difference, you could feel safer.

Just a note to take, if you are taking LRT or buses to work, be careful with your belongings as it might not seem very safe along the way. Make a distance if you see someone suspicious walking towards you. Do carry a pepper spray or whistle that will work and help. Do not walk alone at late night!

For those who has a better budget to live in a more comfortable environment, you can consider this place.

CHERAS- TAMAN MIDAH

Taman Midah is a matured Chinese residential area with many Chinese families happily settled there with no intention of renting out their rooms.

However, there is a small area concentrated with condos which are usually rented out. It is perfect for those working or studying at HUKM as there is a back road which leads from the condo area straight to HUKM. It is practically faster to walk there via this shortcut than to drive using the main road. Though of course it is not advisable to walk back at night.

Taman Midah is also suitable for those work near Pantai Hospital Cheras, Cheras Leisure Mall or Cheras Plaza in Taman Segar as these two places are just in the next neighborhood.
 
For those who possess their own transport and don't mind taking a 15-20 minutes (if no jam) drive to Ampang/KLCC area via MRR2, this is also the place for you.

It is also famous for its food street dubbed Taman Midah Wai Sek Kai, equivalent to Jalan Alor's. I used to drop by here once in a while for its Bak Kut Teh. There is also a fruit stall which cater fruits based on season; during durian season, you can find a good selection of Musang King durians over here, while during CNY it converts itself into a stall which sells Mandarin Oranges & Prawn Crackers (Giant packaging).
 
Daily neccesities is within  reach as Taman Midah has it's very own Tesco hypermarket.

Suitable for:

• HUKM Medic Students
• Nurses
• Master and phD students in HUKM

Luxury

• Prima Midah Heights

Comfy Zone

• Prisma Cheras Condominium
• Prisma Perdana
• Laman Midah Apartment

Frugal Living 

• Taman Midah Flat

Shopping Choices:

• Cheras Leisure Mall (GSC cinema)
• Tesco Taman Midah

DANAU KOTA & JLN GENTING KELANG

Condos along Jalan Genting Kelang are the best place to rent for TAR College students as there are scheduled TARC shuttle buses waiting right outside condos like Sri Pelangi and PVs. The Genting Kelang area is also famous for it's close proximity to food.

Everything ranging from Chinese Hawker to Western Cuisine till Nasi Kandar can be found at that area. Of course there are famous repetitive Chinese Kopitiams in between Sri Pelangi and Prima Setapak.

Ever wondered why Genting Kelang is called Genting Kelang? Some might say that the road used to link Genting to Klang. In my opinion it's because of the climate; if you were to walk back from lunch to your condo you will practically be sweating as if you just had some Klang Bak Kut Teh and once you are back to your unit, the wind that blows-in is so chilling that it feels like Genting - and my unit is only on the 5th Floor - I can't imagine how cold it will be like if I was to live on highest floor on a rainy day. Speaking of which, I noticed the thunderstorms in KL are really terrifying as though some demigod in Percy Jackson just stole Zeus' Thunderbolt.

Below is a summary of Genting Kelang.

Suitable for:

• UTAR students (5-10 mins via shuttle bus/Rapid KL)
• Working adults in KL area (preferably with car)
• UKM KL Campus students (15-30 mins if "jam" using Bulatan Pahang road)

Luxury

• Prima Setapak 2

Comfy Zone

• Sri Pelangi Condominium
• Prima Setapak Condominium
• Plaza Prima Setapak
• PVs

Hard to say~

• Setapak Ria Condo 

Frugal Living

• Langkawi Apartment
• Teratai Mewah Condominium
• Pangsapuri Kos Rendah
• Flat Prima
• Block 101 Apartment
• Genting Court

Shopping Choices:

• KL Festival City (MBO Cinema, Parkson & Econsave)

WANGSA MAJU

Wangsa Maju~ Ahh... A heaven for students and young working adults seeking solace in KL. When I first moved to KL, this was my first place I hid my head under. When I say Wangsa Maju, I mean Wangsa Maju Section 2, the one with the LRT Station.

If you've just graduated and still can't get over campus life, Wangsa Maju is a good place to start your assimilation. With KTAR & UTAR being just a few leaps away, this area is filled with students as well as young working adults (most KTAR, UTAR graduates). It's hard but to feel forever 21 living in a place like this.

For a summary of this area, feel free to scroll through the below.

Suitable for:

• UTAR students (5-10mins)
• Young working adults (Banking or insurance industries mainly, professionals)
• Those that work in heart of KL city

Comfy Zone 

• Metroview Condominium
• Tar Villa 
• Menara Alpha Condominium

Frugal Living

• Flat Wangsa Maju

Shopping Choices:

• Wangsa Walk Mall (TGV Cinema)
• AEON Big (formerly known as Carrefour Wangsa Maju)
• Alpha Angle Shopping Centre (Jusco)

Point to Note:

- LRT Wangsa Maju is just 5-10 mins away-- very suitable for those without own car

Wangsa Maju LRT where you can get buses to KL city (Rapid KL) and also taxi services

Wangsa Maju LRT where its packed with working people in the morning and after working hour