11/29: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Tall Towers & Swaying Footbridges

After arriving at Kuala Lumpur's (known as KL from now on) airport from Yangon, it had been easy getting from there into the central area of the city. The KLIA Expres train had taken fewer than 30 minutes to the central station; from there we hopped on the elevated metro to the Bukit Bintang station and a taxi to our hotel. Bukit Bintang is KL’s ‘Golden Triangle’ and many of the city’s most popular shopping centers and major hotels are located there.

First view of the famous Petronas Towers from park that was just up the street from our hotel.

After spending the last 2 weeks in Myanmar, it was fabulous seeing a beautifully modern city again with highrises, fancy stores and lettering on stores and street signs that we could actually read! 

Walking down the street made us think we were walking down Madison Ave in  New York as there were all the same high end stores found there like Gucci, Prada, etc.

It was great seeing Christmas decorations as we’d missed out on all the holiday festivities this year. We walked first toward the Karyaneka Craft Center. Photos from its Crafts Museum:

The art of vegetable strips weaving is a traditional craft still in practice today in rural Malaysia. The leaves from a wide variety of plant materials are cut into strips, treated and, if necessary, dyed before being carefully woven to produce conical food cones, jewelry boxes and baskets.

There was an interesting display on kites which I enjoyed reading about.

An interesting feature of the traditional wooden Malay house and mosques are their carvings. If the wood is of good quality, it can withstand the ravages of time. But first it must be dried naturally. Carving knives are used to meticulously cut, bore, dig and scrape before certain leaves are used to polish the wood. The early motifs or designs of wood carvings adhered to strict Islamic traditions that prohibits the carving of humans or other living forms. Later on, the shapes of leaves, branches and flowers, etc became a source of inspiration for the woodcarvers.

We spent a few minutes wandering around a craft sale/art show that was in another area of the crafts complex.

Flags of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries that had recently met in Kuala Lumpur.

We walked next to the KL Tower and waited for the free shuttle up the hill to the tower entrance. Photos of KL Tower:

We paid 62 MYR (about $14) for the senior discount for both of us to go up to the observation deck that took us 276 m. It had been the first time in months that we had been anywhere that offered senior discounts. 

The mirror dome in the entranceway was constructed by craftsmen from Isfahan, Iran.

The telecommunications and broadcasting tower is currently the seventh tallest (but was the fourth largest when it was built in 1996) in the world and was the brainchild of a former prime minister. 

The highest tower is Tokyo’s Sky Tree at 634 m tall. Toronto’s CN Tower is third tallest at 553 m - Go Canada!

It was the first overcast day we had had in ages so our views from the deck weren’t as clear as they might have been. 

Gloria, we saw IKEA in the distance and thought of you!

We were glad that we had come here as I had read that the views from the top were supposed to be a lot better than from the Skybridge at the world famous Petronas Twin Towers, above and below.

We were glad that we had come here as I had read that the views from the top were supposed to be a lot better than from the Skybridge at the world famous Petronas Twin Towers, above and below.

Photos of the Reserve:

No chance of our feeding the monkeys!

It was fun walking across the swaying footbridges and looking down into the jungle below.

After leaving the KL Tower and the Nature Reserve, we walked toward Merdeka (Independence) Square and the heart of the Colonial Core of the city.

Photos of Merdeka Square:

I loved the Moorish styled Sultan Abdul Samad Building, above and below, with its copper domes and distinctive clock tower, also on Merdeka Square. 

The building houses the Supreme Court. Great Britian’s Union Jack was lowered in front of the building and the Malaysian flag was hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957 signifying Malaysian independence.

Above, the tallest freestanding flagpole in the world. The huge Malaysian flag that flies from the top can be seen across half the city, particularly at night when it is floodlit.

 We saw this same design repeated all over KL – on sidewalks, stone walls, etc.

Above, the mock Tudor Royal Selangor Club was the social center for high society in KL’s tin boom days of the 1890s and it is still a gathering place for the city’s elite. Its cricket pitch is the venue for Independence Day celebrations.  

At the square’s north end were low memorial arches inscribed with ‘Dataran Merdeka’ i.e. Merdeka Square.

We escaped Kuala Lumpur's fierce heat by going into the National Textile Museum. Photos of it below:

The museum, housed in an elegant, old heritage building of Mughal-Islamic style architecture directly opposite Merdeka Square, showcases the origins, development and techniques of Malay textiles. Seeing the batik displays, above, brought back memories of our tour of the batik factory and showroom in Yogykarta, Indonesia so long ago.

Above, part of the embroidery exhibit. Below, an interesting beaded shoe display which was certainly a first for us!

What stunning fabrics - I just loved the colors and designs.

The sign said 'Traditional Costume' but I don't know where in Malaysia these are considered traditional!

Above, Indian traditional costumes.

The solid gold buckle was part of Malaysia’s National Heritage list.

The gold Modesty Disc, engraved with a floral motif and attached with a string and gold beads, was worn by Indian girls and came from Penang, Malaysia in 1900.

The stunning maroon Ceremonial Cushion Cover, used as a seat for the bridegroom during a Muslim wedding, was the handiwork of a Malay woman in the 1950s.

We both loved the Textile Museum but by 3:30 we were ready to move on and head to the Central Market. Above was the Old Market Square we saw on the way to Central Market.

Photos from Central Market:

The handsome art deco building was built in 1888 as KL’s Wet Market. The building was nearly demolished in the 1970s before the Malaysian Heritage Society intervened to save it. 

It was revamped to become to become a focus for KL’s artistic community. We walked around the main building which had a touristy market with some fine handicrafts and souvenirs.

Ivy: For you!

We then walked to Sze Ya Temple, one of the most atmospheric temples in Chinatown, and one of the oldest places of worship in the city. 

Photos from Sze Ya Temple:

It was constructed in 1864 and its architectural design was from southern China.

Intriguing designs on the temple doors.

Above, we noticed an unusual 5 foot footpath lower than the road as we walked onto Guandi Temple next. Photos of it below:

Guandi Temple is a beautiful Taoist temple that was built in 1888 to honor the great warrior Guandi, the Taoist God of War. A statue of him in his resplendent uniform stood majestically over the entrance. 

 Lina: Notice the date on it! I had so hoped to have this post written before your birthday but unfortunately lousy internet service here in Jaipur, India conspired against me.

There were a lot of incense sticks burning so the odors in the bright red temple were quite strong. I had unknowingly stood directly underneath the burning incense coils which dropped ash on my head! It was only my second time seeing them – the first had been at one of the Chinese Assembly Halls in Hoi An, Vietnam. Perhaps you remember my photos of them too?

Right across the street from the Buddhist temple was the Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman. The most impressive feature of the temple was the 5 tier, deity-covered gopuram, i.e. the temple tower. It was carved in south Indian style and had 228 brightly colored figures from the Indian epic ‘Ramayana.’ (Perhaps you remember our seeing the Ramayana show at the Prambanan Temple in Yogykarta, Indonesia?)

Photos of Sri Mariamman Temple:

It was the first Hindu temple we had been in this trip since our visit to Singapore and it is the oldest Hindu temple in KL. It was built in 1873 as a private shrine for a family but was opened to the public in the 1920s.

We were accustomed to not wearing shoes in Buddhist temples but, in this Hindu temple, we didn’t have the option of carrying them with us which was new.

It had begun to rain slightly so we were lucky to be able to listen to music being played by 2 men on the floor of the temple.

After collecting our shoes, we walked through the still pungent but mostly empty nearby Wet Market, below, with its marble slabs set out for the next day’s fish and meat stalls.

The Wet Market led us to Jalan Petaling, the heart of KL’s Chinatown, next.

Photos of Jalan Petaling:

It was jam packed with market stalls selling fake Gucci purses, pirated DVDs, sunglasses, watches – everything under the sun it seemed.

There was a terrific downpour but luckily we were under the covered market stalls. There had been occasional raindrops off and on all day but neither of us anticipated the deluge.

Enterprising vendors immediately brought out umbrellas to sell by going person to person. We just waited out the brunt of the storm before heading back to our hotel on the elevated metro.

When we planned our trip some 8 months ago, we'd only scheduled one day to explore Kuala Lumpur en route from Yangon to Kathmandu, Nepal. But Air Asia had other plans for us and changed our flight so we had one more day to look forward to seeing the city.

Posted on 12/13 from Jaipur, India.