KUALA LUMPUR



It was after 1:00 am on December 26 when the flight from Hong Kong arrived in Kuala Lumpur. I had prepared for a grilling not unlike what I had had in Hong Kong, but it did not come. After getting through immigration I went down to the bus bay and took a bus to Sentral. At Sentral I paid 5 Ringgit for the short taxi ride to Backhome backpackers in Little India.

Little India


Kuala Lumpur is not as imposing as Hong Kong, but I found it every bit as likeable. On my first day I wandered around afoot, going as far as Chinatown and Kampung Baru. There was more greenery here than in Hong Kong, and not as many people or skyscrapers. The heat and humidity, however, verged on unbearable. I spent much of my first day at KLCC Park, in the shadow of the iconic Petronas tower. Every evening a sizeable crowd assembles here to take in the fragrant air of the park and gaze at the world’s tallest twin towers. 
At KLCC Park. Behind me are the twin towers of Petronas.
The KL Tower as seen from downtown

Staying in Little India meant walking past an Indian restaurant every tenth step. I had not been too anxious to give Indian food a go but after subsisting on Big Macs in Hong Kong, I was aching for something a little more salutary. My chase for a salutary diet led me to Chapati Center--a hole-in-wall restaurant across the road from my hostel. That was the day I fell in love with Indian food. What took the cake for me was the Lemon juice, which, somehow or other, comes scalding hot in the upper half of the glass and ice-cold toward the bottom. I must have bolted down three or four glasses in that first sitting. I now consider it condemnable to visit Kuala Lumpur and not have Indian lemon juice.

Perhaps what I liked best about Kuala Lumpur was its greenery. It is among the most vegetated cities I have toured. On its streets and parks, rows and clusters of marigolds, hibiscus, frangipani, crotons, and a host of other kinds of plants command attention. The best place to take in all this floral variety is the Perdana Botanical Garden near Sentral, which I visited on December 28. To be sure, it is not as impressive as the botanical garden in Singapore but between its bamboo garden, bird park and artificial fountains, it offers a lot to marvel at.
 The streets of Kuala Lumpur are richly vegetated

 The Bamboo Garden at Perdana
Kuala Lumpur had its disappointments too. On my final night, I had wanted to let my hair down. Kuala Lumpur’s nightlife, however, turned out to be even more dispirited than Hong Kong’s. The nightlife district of Bukit Bintang, which I had read positive reviews about, is nothing more than a parade of steakhouses blasting oriental music into the street. Then there’s the nuisance of the Chinese-looking pimps who solicit on the street. The first time I encountered one—an elderly man with very few teeth--he approached me furtively and called “lady, lady”. I thought he had me mistaken for a woman before I realized what was going on: he was asking if I needed a woman. The next one was a better marketer: he promised “good price” and “long time”. No thanks, I said, and walked back to the train station. The next morning I left for Cambodia.
 
 

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