The Modern Capital of Malaysia

The largest city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur or short KL, functioned for many years as the country capital. Today it is still the official and legislative capital of Malaysia, but a new administrative capital called Putrajaya was constructed in 1995, 40km south of Kuala Lumpur and much closer to the international airport. KL Federal Territory has got 1.2 million inhabitants. The name “Kuala Lumpur” means “muddy estuary,” a reference to its fertile location at the confluent of the Klang and Gombak rivers.

Right were the two rivers meet is the location of one of the nicest buildings in KL, the Masjid Jamek. It’s one of the oldest mosques in the city, built at the start of the 20th century, in a Moorish style. There are a few other beautiful historical buildings around on the huge Merdeka (Independence) Square, just across the Klang river. East of Masjid Jamek is Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown around Petaling Street, with Chinese shops and restaurants. This is also the main budget hostel area in town. The Central Market here is selling beautiful tourist items like chopsticks, woodcarvings or batik cloth for good prices. On the second floor is an excellent but small food court.

Another major tourist area, called the Golden Triangle, has upmarket accommodation and exclusive shops. It is located a few km to the northeast of the Masjid Jamek area. This is the home of KL's most famous sight, the Petronas Towers, previously the highest building in the world. The first floors are taken by the exclusive KLCC shopping centre. The area is partly under construction, but this process was slowed down during the financial crisis of 1997. In the south of the Golden Triangle is the 421m high KL Tower, with a nice but expensive view on the city.

Garden enthusiasts should head for the huge Lake Gardens (100 ha), south of Merdeka Square. The gardens consist of an artificial lake, a butterfly park, an orchid garden and even a planetarium.

The national mosque to the south is a huge building with a blue-tiled triangular roof and a high minaret. A little further is the old KL train station, a nice colonial building with a few Moorish elements.

Located north of the city are the so-called Batu Caves, located in a limestone rocky hill, with nice Hindu temples and abundant with monkeys.

Quick Tips:

The KL people can roughly be divided into a few groups. The majority of people are Malays, related to Indonesians. They are Muslim, mostly of the moderate kind. However many women wear veils, and the Muslims will not eat pork. About 25% of the population is of Chinese descend and 10% of Indian. The rest consists mainly of European, Arab, East-Malaysian or other Asian people.

Although Bahasa Melayu ('Malay language') is the official language, many older people speak only the language of their origin like Tamil or a Chinese language. English is widely understood, especially in shops or tourist area's.

The weather in KL is hot and humid year-round. Average temperature is around 25ºC. Rainfall is mostly in the form of heavy but short showers, and rather equally divided throughout the year.

The local currency is the Ringitt (short: RM or ), with RM 1 around 25¢. Compared to other Asian countries, Malaysia is not cheap, but still much cheaper than many western countries. A bunk bed in KL will cost you around RM 25 and a double room at least RM 35 for a basic room. A basic meal will cost you RM 5 to RM 15.

If you are into Asian cuisine, food will be the highlight of your trip to KL. Malay favourites include satay (meat skewers) or nasi lemak (coconut rice), served with hot sambal sauce. My favourite Indian food was flat “roti” bread with plain curry, butter or eggs, served as breakfast. Nice Chinese dishes are char kway teow (stir fried thick rice noodles) or nasi ayam (simple but excellent chicken rice). Nonya cooking is a regional mix. Do try my favourite dish, a spicy noodle soup called Laksa. Of course, burgers, steaks, or pasta are available for homesick people. The best and cheapest places to get food are food courts in the shopping centres or the evening hawker stands. Chinese and Indian food can also be found in cheap restaurants.

All major soft drink brands are available, like Pepsi or Fanta. Bottled water is cheap and good, as tap water is not recommended. Beer, mostly Carlsberg or local Tiger beer, can be bought in supermarkets and bars, but it is expensive. A big bottle in the shops will cost you RM 10 (€2.5). A local speciality is "teh tarik" (pulled tea), or sweet condensed milk with hot tea poured on top.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting around in KL is quite complex, as there are many means of transport, but efficient as you can get almost everywhere by public transport. Of course, around Chinatown or in the Golden Triangle area, the easiest way to get around is on foot, because most sights are at walking distance.

Metered taxis are widely available and rather cheap, but are slow during rush hours. Be careful of unmetered taxis because they are not licensed and might trick you in paying too much.

Main bus station is Puduraya, east of Chinatown, with long distance buses to Penang, Singapore or Melaka. Inside the Klang valley you can take omnibuses. The government-owned bus company Rapid KL took over the two biggest companies Intrakota and Cityliner, to try to make bus transport more efficient. Minibuses doing set routes are used for shorter distances. Useful bus stands are Puduraya, Bangkok Bank near the Central Market, Chow Kit, north of the Twin Towers and Lebuh Ampang, north of Chinatown.

For many destinations it is easier to use the railway system. Kuala Lumpur's central station (KL Sentral, don’t mix with Kuala Lumpur station), south of Chinatown, offers long-distance train travel to places like Singapore or Butterworth. Local trains are known as KTM komuter. There is one line to Port Klang and one to Seremban and Rawang. The efficient LRT system, similar to a subway, consists of 3 lines staying within the city boundaries. One line will stop at major sights like Masjid Jamek and KLCC (Petronas Towers). Last rail transport system is a monorail linking KL Sentral to Chow Kit. This one offers interesting views on the city. Public transport is cheap in KL. A bus or train ride in KL will cost you around RM 2 (50¢).

If you arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport or KLIA, the city is still 50km away. Cheapest way to get there is to take a local bus from the car park to Nilai KTM station on the Seremban/Rawang line. It will cost you RM 5 to get to KL Sentral. From the same location there is a direct "Express bus" for RM 20. An express train offers the fastest way. It takes only 30min to KL Sentral and will cost you RM 35. A taxi service to the city is available, at a fixed price of RM 70. Get the ticket at one of the taxi counters.

The Lake Gardens of Kuala Lumpur (Taman Tasik Perdana in Malaysian) are a huge and beautiful park, almost 100 ha in size. The gardens were constructed in 1880 as a colonial getaway around an artificial lake. Due to later extensions to the gardens, the lake is now located in the south west of the whole park. You can rent small rowing boats and pedal boats to get around the lake. The lake gardens itself consists of large lawns lined with big tropical trees, flower beds, ponds, fountains, grassy hills and jogging and hiking trails crisscrossing around the gardens. It is a very popular place for locals and tourists alike on fine days.

A few other natural attractions are within the garden boundaries. In the north are the excellent Hibiscus and Orchid gardens, a real treat for flower lovers. Due to Malaysia's tropical climate there are always a few blooming specimen available with magnificently coloured flowers. From the lake gardens you just follow the signs up the hill. Entrance to the flower gardens is free, and the flowers are beautiful. A shop selling the flowers, gifts, snacks and drinks is available within the grounds. Just to the west of the Orchid Garden, across Jalan Perdana, is the free Deer Park. In here, spotted deer roam around in the bushes. Due to the dense shrubbery at places it is not always easy to spot them. Look out for the so-called kancil, the small (40cm long) Malaysian or lesser mouse deer.

Also in the north of the gardens, to the east of the Orchid garden, is the butterfly park. The park is a recreation of a tropical rainforest, the natural setting for most of the 6000 butterflies. The butterflies are mostly nicely coloured rainforest species, but also a few brown or yellow coloured moths. Entrance to the butterfly park is RM2-4 (0.5-1 euro). More south, to the east of the lake, is the great bird park, featuring birds like ostriches and hawks in cages, but most notable for its free-flight aviary, apparently the biggest in the world with 3ha and species like the kingfisher, various types of hornbill and parrots. Entry to the bird park is again RM 2-4. Completely in the south of the Gardens, even beyond the National Mosque, is a planetarium, the National Museum and the Islamic Art Museum. The latter one must be one of the nicest one of its kind around the world.

The Lake gardens can easily be reached from Merdeka Square in the north, close to Masjid Jamek LRT station, or the huge blue-tiled National Mosque (difficult to miss!), close to the nice Old Railway Station, currently the LRT station named Kuala Lumpur (not to be mixed with KL Sentral).

Right at the confluent of the Klang and Gombak rivers lies one of its most interesting places, the Masjid Jamek or Friday Mosque, named after the Muslim holy day. It was built on the location where Kuala Lumpur was founded and on the place of an old Malay cemetery. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century in a Moorish style. It used to be the town's main mosque before the huge Masjid Negara (National Mosque) was built at the south side of the Lake Gardens. The building consists of a central prayer hall, topped with three white domes. The central dome was rebuilt after it collapsed in 1990. On a regular day, there will only be a few people around to say their prayers, but on Friday the whole prayer hall and the nearby streets fill with people. This is a sight not to be missed when you are in KL that day.Masjid Jamek is within walking distance from that other major Moorish-style building, the Sultan Abdul Samad building on the huge Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). This beautiful building was designed by the same architect as Masjid Jamek, namely Arthur Benison Hubback, and built in 1897. It was named after the then sultan of Selangor, the Malaysian state surrounding Kuala Lumpur. The building, topped by a copper dome, used to house the Supreme Court, later named the Federal Court, and the Court of Appeal. After the move of these courts to Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya, it currently houses the Commercial Division of the High Court of Malaya.The Dataran Merdeka Square in front of the building used to be the cricket field of the Selangor Club. It was here that Malaysian independence was declared in 1957. An eye-catcher on the square is the huge flag post, one of the largest in the world. Apart from the Sultan Abdul Samad building there are a few other interesting buildings on the square, the National History Museum, the neo-Gothic St. Mary's cathedral and of course the Tudor-style Royal Selangor Club Complex.The easiest way to reach Masjid Jamek is by LRT train. The Masjid Jamek station is a major junction in the LRT system. Masjid Jamek is also on walking distance from the Bangkok Bank bus stand, one of KL's main bus stands.

The former tallest buildings in the world, now surpassed by the Taipei 101 building, are still the world's largest twin towers at over 400m. They are one of the most beautiful modern steel and glass office buildings. Apparently a different company was hired for each tower, competing to be the first to finish their tower. The building was ordered by and named after Malaysia's National Petrol company (Petrolium Nasional Berhad; for short, Petronas in Malaysian), the state-owned oil and gas company. All the 88 stories of tower 1 are occupied by Petronas company and a few of its affiliates and subsidiaries. The offices in Tower 2 are leased to other companies like Microsoft, McKinsey, and Al-Jazeera.

A sky bridge linking the twin towers is located on the 41st and 42nd floor, at 170m above ground level. For visitors this is the highest point that can be reached without official permission. To visit the towers you can get your free ticket from the ticket counter in the basement (follow the arrows). Tickets are only issued in the morning. The best thing to do is to come here early. The counter opens at 8:30AM and when you get your ticket at that time, it will only take a few minutes before they bring you to the elevator. When you arrive later, your ticket will only be valid for a later time. I arrived here once at 11am, only to be allowed in the elevator at 2:30pm. Visit is limited to a fixed number each day, so if you come to late, you might also have the chance that you are not allowed in anymore that day, especially on weekends and national holidays.

At the base of the twin towers is the fancy Suria KLCC shopping centre. The first floors are taken by expensive fashion boutiques, computer shops, health care stores, bookshops, jewellers and even a cinema, a concert hall and an art gallery. Most shops feature exclusive brands, but due to the distance to producing countries like China or Indonesia, cost price is considerably lower than in Western countries (but still to high for me; for people on budget other Malaysian shopping centres feature less posh brands at cheap prices). There are two food courts available on the second and on the fourth floor, with reasonably priced Asian and Western food. A decent meal will cost you RM5 to RM15 (€1 to €4 ). A few more upmarket restaurants are available on level four, and a few cafés and bakeries are available on the ground floor close to the entrance and throughout the shopping centre.

The easiest way to reach the Petronas Towers is to take an LRT train to the KLCC station. The station has exits to the Suria KLCC shopping centre and to the square in front of the towers

The Batu Caves are holes located in a limestone rock formation (batu means rock), towering 100m out of the surrounding plains and thus visible from quite a distance. The place was already long known to local Orang Asli tribes, but was only 'discovered' at the end of the 19th century by William Hornaday, an American on a hunt with some local guides. The place was overgrown with the jungle in those days. A few days later they found the largest cave in the area, nowadays called Gua Lambong. Hornaday compared this cave with a Gothic cathedral, due to its size and form. Soon after its discovery, it became a tourist attraction to the colonisers, with elephants bringing the people and their servants to the caves and picnics organized nearby. Local Hindu population made up a legend on the origin of the Caves, supposedly a ship and its crew turned to stone after the captain denied his mother for her humble descent. Soon the Caves became a place of worship to the Hindu population of Malaysia.When you go through the entrance gates to the Batu Caves, you will come to a square in front of the limestone rock. This square is dotted with colourful Hindu temples. Since Januari 2006 you can see here the 50m golden statue of Lord Murugan, the second son and an incarnation of Lord Shiva. When I was here in 2003, the statue was only starting to get a shape, but it was obvious that it was going to be a huge statue. A little to the left of the square is another nice Hindu temple and a cave at the bottom of the limestone rock. Access to the cave is on a walkway crossing a small pond and the cave contains an art gallery with strange Hindu statues and paintings.Major sight in the Batu Caves however is the so-called Cathedral Cave, 50m above ground level. Access to the cave is via a huge staircase at the back of the square, just next to the golden statue. You have to climb the 272 brightly coloured steps to get access to the cave. Locals sell a colour paper 'diploma' to people who climbed the steps for a few ringgit (€1), making a nice souvenir. The cave is a huge cavern, hence its name. The sides are lined with statues and the ceiling is dripping with water. It is remarkably cool inside. If you walk towards the end the ceiling is open, so daylight can enter here. In this area they built a small temple as well. Inside and outside the cave, you will notice quite a few monkeys living in the area.The caves are located just north of KL Federal Territory, 10km from the city centre. To get there you should take bus 11 or 11d from Puduraya. Ask the driver to drop you at the caves. Entrance to the caves is free and the bus ticket will cost around RM2 (50¢).

My favourite place for buying souvenirs in KL is definitely the Central Market (Pasar Seni in Malaysian), located at the western edge of Chinatown, close to Masjid Jamek. Due to its air-conditioning it is also a good escape to the city's hot and humid weather. The market consists of different small shops divided over two stories. The ground floor contains shops selling different tourist objects for good prices. Objects on display include carved wooden boxes, batik cloth (a special colouring technique with wax), stone items and of course standard tourist fare like plastic Petronas Towers, keyrings saying "Malaysia" or T-shirts with a picture of the Batu Caves. The upper floor has got more upmarket speciality shops, like the famous Royal Selangor Pewter store or a shop with beautiful but expensive hand-painted kites. At the far end of this floor is an excellent but small food court, with Nasi Lemak (coconut rice) or Penang Laksa (spicy noodle soup) for only a few ringgit (€1 or €2). The prices are not fixed except in some shops and for food.

In nearby Jalan Petaling street vendors put up their stalls in the evening, selling low-quality tourist items, exotic and excellent fruits, meat skewers, fake designer watches, counterfeit Nike shoes and pirated DVDs and software. The latter moved more inside after a few crackdowns by local police, but people will approach you to accompany them to their rooms where they still sell these items. Use your best haggling skills to get lower prices (half price seems fair). Masjid Jamek and Kuala Lumpur LRT train stations and Bangkok Bank bus stand are all within walking distance from the Central Market area.

One km south of the Petronas Towers is the Kompleks Budaya Kraf (cultural craft complex) on Jalan Conlay. This is the place for locally produced handicrafts. The prices are fixed (no haggling) and normally a little higher than in the Central Market, but the quality is better. Excellent batik, woodcarvings and pottery is available. In the garden of the complex is the "artist colony" where you can see craftsmen at work in nice wooden huts. From the garden you also have a good view on KLCC's skyscrapers. To get here walk 200m east of Raja Chulan or Bukit Bintang monorail station or take bus no 168 from Bangkok Bank bus stand.