We have been living in the city of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia for the past couple of weeks, and it has been quite a change to stay in one spot, unpack our bags, and settle into domestic life (or a semblance of it). We found a nice apartment in the area of Bukit Bintang which has the highest concentration of shopping malls I have ever experienced. There are at least four major malls within a five minute walk, and the real advantage for us is the plethora of restaurants and markets located in and around these malls.
One of our first impressions of the city when we arrived was the crazy traffic. Our taxi ride from the airport took over an hour and the drive in on the multi-lane highway often came to a standstill. The city does have an extensive transportation system (including bus, rail, and taxi), but the rapid growth of KL over the past several years (it is the fastest growing region in Malaysia) has contributed to the congestion. Add to this the multiple construction projects all over the city along with a massive expansion of the rapid transit system, and gridlock seems to be a constant state of affairs.
One of our first impressions of the city when we arrived was the crazy traffic. Our taxi ride from the airport took over an hour and the drive in on the multi-lane highway often came to a standstill. The city does have an extensive transportation system (including bus, rail, and taxi), but the rapid growth of KL over the past several years (it is the fastest growing region in Malaysia) has contributed to the congestion. Add to this the multiple construction projects all over the city along with a massive expansion of the rapid transit system, and gridlock seems to be a constant state of affairs.
The wide range of architectural styles is a marvel in KL. Even though it is a relatively new city by comparison to other cities we have visited (originating in the 1850s), there is a great combination of ancient and modern styles, along with great examples of colonial, Asian, and Malay Islamic structures. One of my favorite buildings is the Petronas Towers (seen in the picture above), and at 1483 feet tall, they were the tallest buildings in the world up until 2004.
The building on the left is the Dayabumi Complex, and was one of the earliest skyscrapers in the city.
The building on the left is the Dayabumi Complex, and was one of the earliest skyscrapers in the city.
Shopping seems to be a national pastime in KL, and many of the malls here are quite modern with wide ranges of stores catering to every economic sector. The Pavilion, a mall that is a five minute walk from our apartment, includes stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, and Rolex (we don't shop there). There is also a whole section called Tokyo Street that includes a great "dollar store" along with dozens of other little shops and stalls. The best part however is the multiple restaurants and the most amazing food court I have ever seen; there are at least 40 vendors selling every kind of cuisine you could possibly want. With the amount of people we see eating out, it would seem that food is also a national pastime, which is perfectly fine with us!
There are some great museums in KL, and our first experience was at the National Museum (Muzium Negara), where we learned about the fascinating history of Malaysia. It did takes us a while to get there, and after travelling on the monorail, walking through Sentral Railway Station, then through a hotel (where we could see the museum across the highway), back outside to cross the highway, we finally reached our destination - definitely worth the trek however.
This museum pictured on the left is the Textile Museum, located in a heritage building dating from 1905 in the popular area of Merdeka Square. There is also a planetarium, a science museum, an Islamic arts museum, and so much more. We definitely won't run out of things to do.
This museum pictured on the left is the Textile Museum, located in a heritage building dating from 1905 in the popular area of Merdeka Square. There is also a planetarium, a science museum, an Islamic arts museum, and so much more. We definitely won't run out of things to do.
As a result of the many different religions practiced here, there are a variety of temples, mosques, and churches to cater to every faith. The architecture is amazing and in some cases, quite progressive. The National Mosque (Masjid Negara) has a dome in the shape of an open umbrella, and is bright blue in color. The Federal Territory Mosque on the right is massive and can accommodate 17,000 worshipers at one time.
When we first decided to stay in KL, we thought that two months would be plenty of time to see everything we wanted and give us time to travel around Malaysia as well. Time is quickly passing however, so we will definitely need to pick up the pace. On the other hand, sometimes it is nice to just relax for a day and go see a movie. Yesterday, we decided to try out the "gold class" tickets at the Pavilion Theater. It was quite an experience sitting in the comfy leather seats with our feet up and a blanket (the air conditioning gets pretty chilly), We ordered a couple of beers and some popcorn, and it made for a great afternoon, and in my opinion, the best way to see a movie!