When it comes to moving, be it within the city, across the country, or across the world, Facebook and other social media channels have become great places to seek information. A quick search often yields dozens of different groups dedicated to sharing insight and information about cities including schools, places to rent, access to medical professionals, entertainment, activities, etc.
Sometimes however, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. More so, sifting through obvious – and the not so obvious – sales pitches and contradictory information can make decision making even more difficult, especially when you’re trying to do so from a distance.
KL’s expat forums often focus on areas outside the city centre. There are newer, bigger, more population-dense areas that people talk about as the best places to live in KL; sometimes Ampang tends to be overlooked.
KL Eastside Stories is a new Facebook page and YouTube channel dedicated to bring stories about all that is great in and around Ampang – an area just east of the Petronas Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur city centre. There are so many gems in the area – some hidden, some well known – all worth exploring.
The Ampang area is one that has been around for a long time. In fact, the area between the MRR2 and KL city centre is sometimes referred to as Embassy Row, because of the plethora of embassies in and around the area. There are lovely places to go for a walk, golf courses, parks, playgrounds, there is a thriving restaurant scene, schools, malls – the list is endless.
The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) combined the elementary, middle and high school campuses and moved to the heart of Ampang in August 2018, bringing yet another amenity for families in the area. There are other schools/childcare facilities for children younger than three years old along Ampang Hilir and Jalan U-Thant, areas catering to people living in the neighbourhood and further afield.
Traffic in KL can be crazy, especially if you get caught up in rush hour or on either side of a long weekend. It also makes sense to be relatively close to the office, to schools, or amenities like grocery stores, medical services, entertainment and green space. The Ampang area offers residents enough activities and amenities that one does not need to leave the area. That said, proximity to Jalan Tun Razak, a major artery in the city, gives people a chance to get out of town with ease.
Over the coming months, KL Eastside stories will be sharing videos highlighting our favourite places in the area, including activities for families, favourite coffee shops, favourite restaurants, and more. Follow them on Facebook, and check in frequently to see all that is great about Ampang.
*KL Eastside Stories is an offshoot of the Facebook forum Expats in Ampang and in partnership with The International School of Kuala Lumpur. While Expats in Ampang is a closed group for people living and/or otherwise interested in Ampang, KL Eastside Stories is open to everyone. If you like the videos, please share them! If you have any ideas of places and/or activities you’d like to see covered, send an email to kleastsidestories@gmail.com with your ideas and they’ll see what we they can do.
This post is sponsored by ISKL.