15 July 2023
Kuala Lumpur (KL for the locals) is certainly high on the list of our preferred destinations in our Asian itinerary to date. It’s a city of sleek skyscrapers and lush gardens, a great combination of technology and nature, with a cosmopolitan atmosphere; multiple religions and cultures from around Asia coexist peacefully there.
We were very pleased that Samirah could also join us there for a few days, KL is a short hop by plane from Singapore where she is currently working.
Samirah, like us, also enjoyed the delicious food there, a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes (mirroring the key ethic groups living there), available from street markets that can be found just about everywhere. Our favourite was at Jalan Alor, a hawker’s market in Bukit Bintang. It isn’t fancy, with its fold-up stools, plastic plates and a roll of loo paper for a napkin, but the noisy atmosphere, smoke and sizzle make for tremendous fun. We especially liked the sweet-spicy, perfectly charred chicken wings from Wong Ah Wah, (less than a dollar for five wings) and the nearby BBQ chicken satay.
When we needed to escape KL’s sticky heat and torrential downpours we headed off to the malls. The Pavilion is a sprawling complex, packed with shops and bistros carrying everything from luxury fashion houses to local brands (plus plenty to eat). The Starhill Gallery is a short walk away, with more high-end fashion in stock, but also offering a fantastic book store, the Eslite.
For more reasonable prices, there is not better place than Petaling Street, in Chinatown. We got there using the free bus system that loops continuously around the city centre. It is an assault on the senses, with its merchandise-packed shops and food stalls laid out on every corner. Nearby is the Central Market where you can buy high-end arts and crafts.
No trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL for the locals) is complete without a trip to the Petronas Twin Towers, a landmark which dominates the city’s skyline. Once the tallest building in the world, a 20 dollar ticket brings you to the Skybridge on the 41st and 42nd floors and then further up to the Observation Deck on the 86nd floor,
Close by is the KLCC Park, a 50-acre landscaped park featuring a man-made lake, sculptures, reflective pools and fountains on the 1 km walking and running trail. There are over 1900 trees, making the park verdant and refreshing in the heart of the city.
KL is also the starting point for numerous day tours offered to other attractions in locations outside the city. We went on two day trips, to Malacca (see separate post) and to the Cameron Highlands.
Once upon a time, Malaysia’s sweaty British colonialists fled to higher ground, founding hill stations where they could retreat from the heat and jump-start a tea industry. The most famous are in the Cameron Highlands. These 1300m-1829m heights offer plenty of hikes, as well as strawberry plantations, and souvenir stalls but the quintessential Cameron experience is sipping a bronze-hued cuppa while looking out at the rippling carpet of tea plantations.
Boh Sungei Palas not only has emerald hillsides to gaze upon, it also has the most informative displays on tea-making, as well as offering a factory tour showing how the famous brew is made. Interestingly, the machinery they use came from Belfast when it was opened in 1929 and is still in operation today! We also visited a splendid tea house overlooking the estate at the Cameron Valley Tea House.
For our trip to the Batu Caves, an incense-cloaked Hindu temple complex on the outskirts of town, we ordered a Grab - Southeast Asia’s answer to Uber. You’ll see its 140ft gold statue of Murugan, the Hindu god of war, long before you arrive at the limestone caves, which house murals, shrines and families of macaques. Don’t get too close — they’ll steal your phone, food or indeed, anything shiny.
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