We had a lightning tour of Kuala Lumpur (KL, as the locals call it) today. KL came about as a town built around a tin mine, and it blossomed into eventually becoming Malaysia’s capital. KL is inland, about 60 km from Port Klang, where we docked this morning. (I can’t see “Klang” without thinking of Leo McKern in “Help!”)
Our first stop of the day was the “Blue Mosque,” formally known as the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, or the SSAA Mosque. It’s located in Shah Alam, a city between Port Klang and KL. It’s the largest mosque in Malaysia and the second-largest in southeast Asia. The 350-ft. tall dome is the world’s largest dome on a religious building.
We then fought our way through the end of rush hour into KL proper. Other than the tropical trees (betel nut, papaya, banana, etc.) that gave away the tropical location of the city — and the fact that people drive on the left — the drive into town looked very much like a commute into any large American city. We stopped first at the National War Memorial, which commemorated Malaysia’s struggle through three wars (WWI, WWII, and the Communist insurgency of 1948-60).
A large statue depicted Malaysia’s victory over the Communist rebels, which secured the country’s freedom and independence.
Next we stopped at Independence Square, which is more in the center of the city. This is where the British flag was lowered for the last time, on August 31, 1957. The ornate building shown below was the headquarters of the British government in Malaysia. The building now houses Malaysia’s Ministry of Information, Communications, and Culture.
Our drive through downtown took us past much older neighborhoods, where the juxtaposition of old and new in KL could be a little bit jarring.
We wended our way through traffic back to the city center, where we stopped for a quick photo opportunity in front of the Petronas Towers, probably KL’s most famous landmark. They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, and are still the world’s tallest twin towers.
KL’s traffic is massive, but there is a monorail and a metro system in the town. It looked to be very livable. Our guide explained to us that KL-ites like to eat six times a day (or, at least he does) — breakfast, snack, lunch, tea, dinner, supper — and that many restaurants stay open until 6 am to accommodate late diners. The KFC outlets run 24/7.
There were plenty of other eateries throughout the downtown area (and many a Starbucks).
We next went to the KL Tower, a large communications and observation tower like Toronto’s CN Tower. At just short of 1,400 feet, it’s the world’s 7th-tallest freestanding tower.
While waiting for our guide to get our tickets, the signage made me think that learning Malay phonetically might not be too hard.
The entryway to the elevator lobby is done up like the entrance to a mosque. The ceiling in the elevator lobby looks like a cut crystal dome.
The observation deck is 905 feet above the ground. There’s a great panoramic view of KL and the surrounding countryside.
After our visit to the tower, we had only a few minutes left to do some shopping at a local handicrafts center. I really wish we’d had time to spend the night—or several nights—here in town. It seems like a vibrant, clean, fun, and surprisingly inexpensive place. All the Malaysians we met were extremely friendly, and we certainly felt like welcome guests rather than “foreigners” while visiting the country.
On to Singapore!