Kuala Lumpur guide

A friend and I went to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix on April 8, 2007, and had the happy fortune of meeting an outstanding driver and guide to that city whom I would like to recommend to readers of ITN.

At our hotel, upon arrival we signed up for a half-day city tour, but it was obvious that the small minibus provided would not comfortably hold the number of larger-sized passengers, so a separate van was provided the two of us for our tour.

Upon learning that the driver, Patrick Nunis of Pat’s Transport Services (phone 012 333 9039, fax 603 9130 3975 or e-mail patricknunis@yahoo.com) also was available for driving and touring, we engaged him for a custom tour of the countryside around Kuala Lumpur and used his services for trips to the race track and airport in Sepang, since we had some special requirements that made the lower-cost fast train service between the city and airport unworkable for us.

Patrick is available for hotel transfers, sightseeing and KLIA airport pickups. A pleasant travel companion who was reliable in his services, he was highly knowledgeable about both the usual and off-the-beaten-path sights of Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding area.

His base rate of 40 ringgits (about $12) per hour for either one or two passengers in the van was very competitive with the cost of scheduled tours, plus there was the advantage of having a customized itinerary. One-way trips to and from the airport run more due to tolls and his having to drive back without passengers.

One of the trips we took with him was to the new capital city of Putrajaya, which should be seen for its immensity of scale and impressive landscaping.

JOHN W. FOSTER

Waterford, CT