Charming Kuala Lumpur
Returning to Australia from Europe in June, 2024 my girlfriend and I decided on a few days in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on the way home - as the plane stopped there why not! A chance to relax after our hectic trip and to see a few of the sights. It’s hot, different to Bucharest though as it’s very steamy.
We set out on a 4-hour city tour with our guide Louis. We learned that the Malay Chief of Klang established Kuala Lumpur as a mining town in 1857. A British colony for some years, the Federation of Malaya gained its independence in 1947 and in 1963 Malaysia was formed with Kuala Lumpur remaining the capital. The city is fondly shortened to KL - the residents are known as Klites.
Our first stop Istana Negara - the King’s impressive Palace with its 22 domes. Malaysia has a system of a rotating monarchy - the only one of its kind in the world - the King is elected to a five-year term by, and from, the nine rulers of the Malay states. With a Constitutional Monarchy, it has a Parliamentary Democracy.
We visited Independence Square where stately buildings date back to British rule. The Royal Selangor Club first founded in 1884, a meeting place for high-ranking members of the British colonial society, looks over what was the grassy cricket pitch, these days used by the public at festivals and other events.
We stopped at the Golden Triangle, where a mosque sits at the confluence of two muddy rivers - the Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang from which the city derives its name - Kuala Lumpur means muddy estuary.
Next stop Thean Hou Temple, one of the largest and oldest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia, so colourful with its bright lanterns, gentle chanting and incense wafting in the air. The adjoining garden dedicated to the 12 Chinese zodiac signs
At the National Mosque, we donned hijabs as required by Muslim modesty rules. The interior not as ornate as many mosques I have visited, but the white dome accented with coloured stained-glass windows was beautiful in its simplicity. The zigzag roof unusual and could be seen from many vantage points around the city.
A well-balanced tour, as we knew little about Malaysia. As with all big cities, the roads are congested, however we noticed all the drivers are patient and tolerant - much more pleasant than at home!
The hotel’s roof top bar overlooked the city with a view of the Petronas Towers, which we visited the next day. The skywalk was booked out for days, but we were happy to wander the gardens and admire the tallest twin buildings in the world, designed by Argentinian architect, Cesar Pelli.
At 452m each, the towers were, from 1998 to 2004, not only the tallest twin towers in the world but the world’s tallest buildings, surpassed later by Taipei 101 in Taiwan. The double-decker bridge connecting the two towers on the 8th and 12th floors, the highest double bridge in the world.
Malaysia has another claim to fame too - they were the first Asian city to host Commonwealth Games in 1998.
We walked around the large shopping centre and found an unusual coffee shop - Bacha Cafe - a stylish café founded in Marrakech in 1910, the store displayed with rows and rows of decorated coffee tins. There were over 100 different types of coffee beans to choose from, some for the morning, others for the afternoon then a list for anytime! Quite a daunting decision, but with the waiter’s help we chose Rosenheim coffee beans - the description was:
Grown in the Oxapampa jungle located in the Amazon mountains at 1,600m above sea level, this plantation produces just 69 kilos of wonderful, handpicked, sun-dried coffee every year.
All the coffees served in brass pots poured from on high into elegant fine China cups and served with Chantilly cream. A lovely experience.
On our last day though we decided to visit the KL Bird Park which was the highlight of our stay.
Peacocks roamed the pathways, displaying their fabulous plumage in the hope of winning some female attention however the peahens just looked on with disdain! Hornbills, Malaysia’s National bird perched in trees and fluttered overhead. I love flamingos and we saw six.
A few toucans, macaws and other exotic birds. All live under high, large netted areas, so they feel right at home. We were impressed - all the birds looked well and the park very well maintained. Some people opted for professional photos with the birds, but we decided just looking at such a colourful variety of beautiful birds was enough for us.
Malaysia has a lot to offer - we hope to make it back here on another trip to visit Little India, the markets, try more of the local food and venture into other parts of the country. As you will see in this 5 min video developed by Expedia, Malaysia has a lot to offer.