Doug and Kerry Hudson in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, South East Asia

World Trip >> Asia >> Malaysia >> Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur was our next stop in Malaysia after the Cameron Highlands. Our poor sore feet could take no more punishment, and besides, we were starting to find it decidedly chilly up there! And so we returned to the blistering heat and humidity. Bright sunshine and blue sky greeted us on the morning of our single day in KL, as it is known. It was going to be a hot one!

We made our way on foot to the Petronas Towers, the landmark of the KL skyline. The lack of pedestrian crossings and the heavy morning traffic made it very difficult, but we got there eventually. We soon forgot all those problems, however, because the Towers were awesome! Not only do they stretch upward for a staggering 451.9 metres, but they do it with such style and ascetic appeal. We got free tickets to visit the Skybridge, 41 floors up. Kerry was nervous, but overcame her fear very bravely. She certainly couldn’t have gone up there a year ago. The view up there was superb, even though the Towers still soared for another 200 metres above us.

Down from the Skybridge, we had a quick look around the Galleri Petronas, which was also free! It featured an interesting exhibition of antique Western art showing Malay people, places and traditions.

Next we took a taxi to KL station – also known as the Taj Mahal, after the building it so resembles – to start our walking tour. We saw a lot of interesting buildings, including the enormous National Mosque, the crumbling Kompleks Dayabumi, Merdeka Square and the Royal Selangor Club, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, disappointing St. Mary’s Cathedral and the Masjid Jamed at the river’s confluence. We also had a side trip to the big Central Market ("not markety enough"), Chinatown ("too touristy"). To escaped the intense heat and humidity, we ducked into the Plaza Putra and ate a very tasty mutton curry for lunch.

Refreshed again, we struck out for bustling Little India. This was much more authentic, with lots of colourful silks and saris, fake flowers and interesting potions for sale. One man seemed to be selling King Cobra blood, a cure for impotency. He was certainly attracting a worrying amount of attention from the Malaysian male population!

After a tasty dinner, we returned to the splendid Petronas Towers and made ourselves comfortable in the warm evening air to watch the dancing fountains, occasionally taking another photo as the Towers lit up even more magnificently.

We really enjoyed our time in KL, finding it much easier to cope with than Bangkok, yet having much more of interest than Singapore. The next day we made our way to our final destination in Malaysia: the historic port town of Melaka.

World Trip >> Asia >> Malaysia >> Kuala Lumpur

Last updated: Sunday August 27, 2006