Getting to Know Kuala Lumpur
With only 2 weeks left in Thailand, we were still undecided on our next step - Vietnam? Penang Island? Kuala Lumpur? This stop — the one before meeting friends in Singapore — had been a question mark for a while. Ultimately, we decided on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — or “KL” as the locals lovingly call it. This city was easy to fly to, on the way to Singapore, well known to be a good spot for expats, and a change of scenery from our small town living in Thailand.
As we watched Youtube videos with Alya about Malaysian history, Masha and I realized how little we actually knew about the country. It turns out that Malaysia was a British colony, and only gained independence from Britain in early 1960’s (after a long period of various forms of dependence) along with Singapore, and then almost immediately spun off Singapore as a separate state. We learned about the division between Malaysia and Indonesia as a result of Britain and Holland splitting the region in early 1800’s. Despite this, Malaysia’s and Indonesia’s official languages (Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia) are virtually the same language. Bahasa Melayu is still evolving, and English references are being wiped out by the current government as we speak. These facts were new to us all — and reinforced once again how much is left to discover everywhere we go.
Whirlwind KL Tour
We were only spending ten days in Malaysia, so we wasted no time in getting a proper tour of the place. Now, Masha was still only 3 weeks out from her broken ankle, so we needed someone to drive us around. We opted for the cheaper version of a tour - i.e., a knowledgeable drive to just show us the city’s highlights. And this particular guide - Mr Jeff - was known to be a fact machine Tripadvisor. He peppered us with dates and names and stories. As he drove us around the city for a day, we learned, for example, that Malaysia has a rotating monarchy — Masha’s favorite fact! Specifically, it has nine royal families, and the country’s crown rotates among them in a fixed order — for five years at a time. In yet another moment of minor serendipity, Kuala Lumpur’s territory’s head became the new national king while we were there 😂.
Accordingly, when we showed up to see the royal palace, the gates were very closed, and we had to make do with snapping photos from a safe distance. At least Alya got to pet the horse
Then we visited the Tugu Negara, Malaysia’s monument to fallen heroes (mainly from WWII), which overlooks the city
We also stopped by Independence Square (where independence was declared some sixty years ago), framed on one side by the spectacular copper-domed Sultan Abdul Samad Building, previously housing offices of the British colonial administration
Oh and if we weren’t sure we were tourists before…
And then, of course, we visited the largest Buddhist temple in Kuala Lumpur. Even though by this point in our trip we were really templed out, Masha climbed four floors on crutches in the hope of experiencing something mind-blowing. Let’s just say it was OK. How templed out were we? This much
The main room of the temple wasn’t super different from the Thai ones we saw, but the outside seemed to have a more Chinese bent
What I found interesting about the temple though was how it blended in with the rest of the city — the green park on one side, and the jarringly new constructions on the other
On a different day, Alya and I also took a drive to Batu Caves, which are a series of open sky caves in the hills near Kuala Lumpur. In the late 19th century, Tamil immigrants built a series of small Hindu temples, and it has become a major tourist draw since then. Part of the attraction are the two hundred colorful steps leading up to the caves, marked by a huge Murugan statue. But just as cool are the sneaky monkeys that have made these steps there home, and woe be to any unwary tourist who brandishes foodstuffs or bright earrings in front of them
Not so obvious from these pictures is the sudden and shocking poverty and squalor surrounding the caves. Perhaps, unbeknownst to us it’s actually located within an actual Indian immigrant slum, but the half a kilometer foot path between the road and the colorful steps felt very much like stepping into central Mumbai, so just be ready.
Bird park
On yet another day, Alya and I went to visit Kuala Lumpur’s famous Bird Park, described as “the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary.” The park has a mix of free-roaming birds, large netted pavilions, and traditional cages, and the variety of birds was truly impressive
Check out this massive pelican-stork
We’ve been around free-roaming peacocks before, but this was another level
As previous owners of a cute little parakeet, some of the exhibits triggered a bit of nostalgia for us and we succumbed to the temptation to become parrot stands
For an even smaller fee, you can feed little parakeets. Although we have of course seen our bird drink water, it was always out of a larger saucer so that you couldn’t see it was actually drinking — she would seemingly just peck at it pointlessly. But here, starting off with a thimble, they drank all of it before our very eyes!
The park has all kinds of parrots , but for the largest and coolest ones, you have to go to the show that happens several times a day
The food!
With the tourist sites out of the way, we could spend a week simply enjoying Kuala Lumpur in all its unusual (to us) glory.
The way we experience places is first and foremost, through its food. So on the first day I went to the market and got a sampling of the local fruits
The dragon fruit is well familiar, but I had never seen the snake fruit and mangosteen in the US
We also ate out and ordered in quite a lot. The most prominent Malaysian dishes are flavorful curries and stewed meats; roti are pretty common as well. I tried to sample them as much as I could in our brief stay
The best was probably this beef stewed in a combination of lemongrass and spices we couldn’t even identify that we had to order over and over on Ubereats as it came with vegetables (finally!)… and of course this durian tart Masha lovingly bought me through great personal sacrifice 🎆
As a large metropolitan city, KL also has a wide array of other Asian and world foods. We sated our thirst for South Indian, and you can read about our incredible sushi experience here.
But to my surprise, unlike our visits of Thailand, India, and Singapore, seeking out more “authentic” curries at local eateries was not a rewarding enterprise. At least to our palates, they were often lacking in flavor or with bad meat. Oh well.
Cocktails
The cocktails, on the other hand, thoroughly impressed. I was intrigued to find out that KL is home to two of the top 50 bars of Asia in a recent ranking — Penrose and Trigona. Since we were only there for a short while, I could only visit one — luckily, Trigona was two blocks away!
No question this place is high end. The presentation was top notch
The most interesting cocktail was the Sienna (in the middle), with reposada tequila and pickled carrots, served in Aviary-style infusion bottles.
The bartenders and other patrons were very talkative. They peppered me with suggestions for chicken and rice restaurants, Malay restaurants and bars, and encouraged me to visit islands off Sabah for their spectacular beaches.
I got to know a couple celebrating a birthday and escaping their kids at home. They both worked for Western companies, but still had to live on the outskirts of the city. When I asked for must-see but not obvious sites to visit, they brought up Batu Caves — which neither of them had ever visited! That’s how it often goes.
We also talked about the strides Malaysia had recently made as an independent nation — and the still pressing issues, including ethnic tensions simmering underneath. After more somber and reserved cocktail bar visits in Thailand and Japan, KL proved a much more social experience.
Enjoying the climate
Malaysia was the most southern point we had been to on this trip, so Masha was apprehensive about the heat. And if you catch the midday sun, it is indeed blistering. But when clouds come in, it quickly becomes a very mild 80, pleasant and almost too cold to swim — were the pool water not so warm.
And, thankfully, it often was cloudy. Our guide described KL as having two seasons, hot and humid and hot and wet. Even during the latter, the monsoon season that we caught, according to him, it usually only rains a few hours in the afternoon. But when it rains, it truly pours
Apparently, the difficult weather is at least partly responsible for the city’s obsession with malls (which, it turns out, they borrow from their neighbor Singapore, who take it to its absolute zenith)
Yes, this mall had 10 floors of goodness, including that enormous atrium all decked out for the Chinese new year. There is an entire mall neighborhood in KL, and one mall gently transforms into the next… you never even have to leave.
Kidzania
Finally, the story of Kuala Lumpur wouldn’t be complete without talking about Alya’s favorite thing in Asia — Kidzania!! She loved it so much, we went twice. A mini version of a modern city, Kidzania is populated by all the same mega-corps, but run by kids, for kids. There is a Kidzania in 30 different countries — but since it is in Texas in the USA, we had not yet visited it. Masha had been trying to take Alya to one for years — we failed Mexico City, London and Tokyo — but we finally succeeded in KL!
After arriving at Kidzania via its “airport” — served by AirAsia in KL — kids can serve as secret agents, pilots, TV anchors, performers, dentists, firemen, medics, spa consultants, bakers, and delivery drivers among many other cool professions. They get citizen passports, with stamps, and they earn money for doing their work. Kidzania bucks can then be used to purchase items at the departure lounge
Alya — through plexiglass — scrubbing up to go into surgery
All this can happen without parental involvement, and parents are allowed to hide in a tiny little lounge next to the ambulance bay which has a “No Kids Allowed” sign. Masha stayed in this little refuge for hours wondering how this city could have so many accidents (almost as many as there are serial killers in Miami), with fire engines and ambulances blaring at regular 15 min intervals with its occupants. After two days full of Kidzania, Alya can’t wait to go again.
I am not sure we can say exactly the same about KL. We have been in cities that Masha has cried over leaving. KL was not one of them. Yes, it was interesting to learn about the new culture, and it was a very convenient and futuristic place to be. The malls, entertainment, luxury housing with its rooftop pools, and friendliness of the folks here was lovely. But in the end, it is a big, busy city, without the history of a Paris or a Buenos Aires. And like many rapidly-erected futuristic cities, it has its growing pains and not so equitable worker arrangements. I am glad we got to see it, just like I was glad to have seen Dubai and its tall reflective peaks. And that’s that.