“Malaysia, Truly Asia”

The television commercials had been singing their message to us for months, “Malaysia, Truly Asia.” It’s a great ad campaign, with captivating images of white sand beaches, rivers flowing through verdant jungles, orangutan and proboscis monkeys, and glimmering, modern Kuala Lumpur. We longed to get to Borneo, to find the perfect spot for some more diving, to keep wandering, exploring, discovering, but alas, time had finally become an issue. Four months in Southeast Asia isn’t nearly enough, and somewhere was going to get shortchanged. Sadly, for us it was Malaysia. We would only have a few days in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. In any case, the rainy season had begun on the side we wanted to dive, and Borneo was going to be expensive (we tried to console ourselves).

KL Overview

The 5-hour train ride to Kuala Lumpur was smooth and uneventful, with pretty views of jungle greens and small, dusty towns and villages. On arrival, we were happy to find another foodie-friendly city with modern comforts, but still rough enough around the edges to keep things interesting. Of course there are the famously glittering Petronas Towers (where apparently we just missed Matt Lauer, who was broadcasting from there while we were in town), KL Tower, an easy to navigate monorail and elevated transit system, but there is also plenty of green. The Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve that  surrounds KL Tower is big enough to get lost in, filled with mischievous monkeys and other wildlife. Lake Gardens, originally set aside by the British during the Colonial era is a huge recreation and relaxation space, including hibiscus and orchid gardens, a Deer Park, Butterfly Park and a big, artificial lake.

Batu Caves

Just north of the city, Batu Caves are set in a limestone hill at the top of many stone stairs with lots of monkeys running around grabbing what they can from careless tourists.  Dedicated to Lord Murugan (his enormous, 142 ft statue stands outside), the cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, and is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam. During this celebration, thousands of people crowd into the caves, traveling from near and far to demonstrate their faith. The main cave has a ceiling almost 300 ft high, and is filled with all kinds of niches and small shrines.

Forest Research Institute of Malaysia

Not too far away, the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) is a 600-hectare tropical rainforest research facility.  A walk through the nature trails (including a cool canopy walk) reveals a glimpse of some of the thousands of native species of flora and fauna that inhabit the preserve.

KL Neighborhoods

Another day or two could easily be spent wandering the different neighborhoods of the city. Near Merdaka Square, in the Old City Center/Old Town area, there are some very good museums, as well as many historic buildings. The Sultan Abdul Samad building, for example, is magnificent.  (Also noteworthy, Merdaka Square was the starting line of Amazing Race Asia.) The Royal Selangor Club’s Tudor style building is on the other side of the square.  Chinatown isn’t far from here. The Golden Triangle is northeast of here, with big shopping malls, higher-end hotels and the famous Petronas Towers. To the south of the city, Brickfields is home to KL’s Little India.  Midvalley, south of the city is another big shopping destination.

Photos of KL can be viewed HERE.