Where I finally take a bus, get lost in Dutamas and have the best ‘cempedak’ flan

On August 12, the struggle against inertia was a daily challenge. The desire to avoid staying in bed was ever-present, pushing me to go out, walk excessively, and, when feasible, indulge in a delectable pastry. Last week, I attended an event at a hotel that was centrally yet remotely located, not easily accessible via public transport, and required multiple trains and a bus for travel.

The journey was unnecessarily lengthy, with excessive walking involved. Instead of a Grab ride, I chose the bus and a bus ride, opting to purchase coffee or a croissant. A significant part of my complicated journey to reach the hotel involved reaching the Semantan MRT station and taking a bus. The bus initially circled Bukit Damansara before returning to Semantan MRT, which I found amusing.

However, a woman with insufficient credit on her Touch N Go card had to disembark earlier but managed to reboard the bus when it returned, albeit at a different stop. To reach my destination, I had to board the bus to Arte Hotel and then walk for an additional 15 minutes. I managed to stop by Lacher Patisserie at The Met, which served an exquisite cempedak flan.

It had the ideal flakiness and a base of genuine cempedak pulp, not flavored cream. While I appreciated the brief pause, I found it disheartening that this particular location in KL—despite being near a conference and exhibition center and Matrade—lacked adequate transit facilities. It became apparent that the area was designed for those who are driven, not drivers.

The streets were poorly lit at night, even though a renowned hotel and the city's reputation as a metropolis were present. Disappointingly, I will return to the area for The Met, a fine dining Indian restaurant, due to a fantastic Indian restaurant called Jhol. I may pen an article about it next week. This week, I pondered why, in this vast capital of this flawed yet beautiful country, some places remain inconvenient destinations, unless one is exceptionally enthusiastic about cempedak flan. This is the personal viewpoint of the columnist.