Singapore

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Kuala Lumpur

 Cameron Highlands

Taman Negara

Kuala

Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur  is  a spectacular  hi tech city; of towering skyscrapers and shopping malls; linked by overhead railways and monorails.  At a tenth of the size of Bangkok; with plenty of green space and hills; it  is an enjoyable city with an old Colonial heart.

I  stayed at Pujangga Homestay  guest house. It  is a tiny and  very friendly place in a quiet back street. In layout looks and feels like English  terrace house. I had  a neat room out the back. It felt very homely here. Situated in the the area known as the Golden Triangle in the Arabic area; there was a dozen shopping malls in walking distance. The biggest ; Times Square;  has around 13 floors under two  50 story office towers.

The Petronas Towers! Well they are a national Icon comparable to Cambodia's Angkor Wat. They are truly spectacular buildings 1400ft tall and linked by a sky bridge. By day they are an amazing site; but at night the are glittering towers that appear to be made of silver and gold glass. They were designed to reflect the Islamic culture of Malaysia by Ceasar Pelli who was responsible for the Canary Wharf Tower! (where did he go wrong there!) 

Modern Kuala Lumpur city

  Times Square                                 Petronas Towers                                        KL Monorail

    reflected in the British Council Bldg                                                          KLCC Shopping Mall

The Petronas Towers dominate the new KLCC as it is known.  At 452m high; these immense towers had a short reign as the Worlds tallest building in 1996 when topped out. The Shopping centre and Concert halls on the ground floor are both spectacular and good architecture which reflect the Islamic culture of the City. At night the Petronas towers look as though they are towers of crystal glass. and from the 41st floor Sky bridge; you can get a fabulous birds eye view of the city.

KLCC at night

Reminders of the old British rule are centered in the original heart of the city. This is  centered around the "Muddy Confluence" and Merdakka Square which was once the old cricket ground

The renamed Merdakka or Independence Square, was the centre of the 48th Independence celebrations which started at midnight on 31st August 2005. There was no sign of the reserved nature of the Malays here that night. It was an explosion of national pride; fireworks and partying which went on until the small hours.

The Malays are a proud nation, I recall a taxi driver proudly telling me that I was traveling in the National car (a Proton) of Malaysia. It was a battered  version of an aging Mitsubishi that was 10 years out of date before it was made here. They are so proud of it that a model is on display in the National History museum.  

Merdakka Sq                                        Muddy Confluence                                    St Mary's Cathedral

The National History museum is a creaking old relic of the British Raj which does have some interesting displays of the history of this once turbulent country. The intense dislike of communism was very obvious. The Role of Islam is highlighted and the British rule noted politely. The British imposed a kind of British Raj Architecture; which owes more to India than South East Asia. There are some glorious examples shown below.

Malaysia may be an Islamic nation, but it is a very soft form of Islam . Most women wear headscarves; alcohol while not banned is not widely used by Malays.  There are plenty of bars in the city catering for tourists; but prices are high. $3 to $5 USD for a small beer . There are many mosques; but the calls to prayer are muted when compared to North Africa.

Shopping is an obsession here and the high end luxury goods market is well catered for.  Every multi national store and designer label is catered for here.  Timberland; Beneton,  Marks and Spencer; Debhenhams . in huge air conditioned shopping malls. My first attempt at buying trousers in Bukit Bintang resulted in prices of up to $75 USD for what I could have bought for $10 in Phnom Penh.

Thean Hou Temple

Needlessly to say I found Chinatown a better place for bargains! China town is interesting and the Old Station  is like a Indian temple; though sadly underused. It is just a commuter line station now. Petaling Street is the Refurbished hub of Chinatown and is a modern covered market; framed by  the old Chinese Shop houses. Tucked away is a real gem; the Old China Cafe. Unspoiled by progress it is  a very rare example of an ancient Chinese Coffee house and well worth looking for.

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