Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) – Day One

Upon arrival at about 8 a.m., and after about an hour wait for my luggage at the airport (exactly what I wanted after 26 hours of travel!), it was then another hour to get from the airport to my hotel by car. But it felt good to finally be someplace where I could relax, get a good breakfast, and shower before my day out in the city.

Kuala Lumpur is the largest city in Malaysia, at 2m people (8.8m in the greater metropolitan area). Founded in 1857, in Malay its name means “muddy confluence” (maybe not the best marketing), and it has three of the ten largest shopping malls in the world; a local explained to me that the reason they love malls is because of the air conditioning.

Of course, I’d done a bit of on-line investigating prior to my arrival to figure out how to spend a day in the city. Some of my best sources are the NY Times’ “36 Hours in . . . ” series, TripAdvisor, and a simple search. But – if you haven’t tried it yet – give ChatGPT a whirl for a recommended itinerary. You’ll want to give some context on what you like to see and do – walking vs driving vs public transportation, museums/religious sites/parks/architecture/shopping, what days of the week you’ll be there, how many hours you’ll be out, and the like. But keep in mind that ChatGPT won’t necessarily know the details of what’s going on NOW (such as openings/closing times or maintenance issues, current exhibits) – in two instances I learned this the hard way – so you’ll want to do some of your own snooping. But I’ve used ChatGPT in several cities, and it works just great.

So – I was off. I’d already decided that this would be a day of walking, despite the distances to some sights I wanted to visit, because after sitting on an airplane for as long as I had, without exercise, I wanted to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. Of course, it was hot and humid air – the temps were probably in the 90’s – and I sweat ALOT – but it felt good. Nearby my hotel were the Petronas Towers – a pair of interlinked towers, each 88 stories high and, from 1996-2004, the tallest buildings in the world. Photo opp!

My first stop was to be the Kuala Lumpur Eco Forest Park – apparently a garden- and tree-filled oasis in the middle of the city with elevated walkways that enable views of the city and the top of the forest. But . . . it was closed for renovation! So much for ChatGPT! But on the way I did get a chance to stop at the (sad-looking) Telecom Museum – which had a much-needed public bathroom.

From there, though, (almost) all was successful. The city has a remarkable blend of towering skyscrapers, including the Merdaka 118, the second tallest building in the world, and narrow streets lined with small retail shops for the locals – an innumerable number of clothing shops among them. The wider boulevards are loaded with motorcycles (though not nearly as many as Ho Chi Minh City), cars, and trucks, and the smell of exhaust along those main roads is, well, horrible. So you’re torn between keeping an eye on the traffic, looking in the windows of all the retail (hotels, restaurants, cafes, hostels, lots of little shops selling cheap men’s and women’s clothing – dresses, wraps, head scarves, men’s slacks, polo shirts; most joints empty of customers and only with bored staff sitting out front. How do they all stay in business?) and looking skyward at all the skyscrapers. I wouldn’t say it’s a beautiful city – at least not the parts that I walked through – but it is sprawling and, like all big cities, teeming with activity and noise and the the urban mix of high-and-low.

My stops included Chinatown and Petaling Street, an outdoor shopping strip of small stalls – sneakers, T-shirts, jerseys, baskets, slides, jewelry, elephant pants and shorts, purses, wraps, leather goods, electronics; food stands – fruit and vegetables, ramen, duck, ham hocks, pig ears, soup, ices, fried mushrooms and roti and tacos and fries, cookies, cakes, ice cream. Tiny alleys, small eateries, locals and tourists alike. And big, huge wall murals – bold and colorful. 

I also paid a visit to the Hindu Sri Mahamariamman Temple, built in late 19th century. I had to check my shoes to enter – the proprietor wanted 20 cents, but I only had a 5RM bill, so he let me go in without paying. It has an amazingly ornate outer tower – lots of carving of people and animals and gods, brightly painted. Inside, the Temple complex had just a handful of people walking around, admiring the several little chapels and carvings.

Another stop was to be the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, a massive old government building, but – it too was closed for renovations (curse you ChatGPT!) and draped in scaffolding and coverings. But that had me near the “River of Life” – a concrete river with view of a mosque at confluence site, and close by the Kuala Lumpur Cultural Center and an “I ❤️ KL” statue.

After five hours, more than 6 1/2 miles, and lots of sweating, I’d had enough back to my hotel before dinner.

And what a dinner it was. I’d decided to treat myself to a Michelin-starred joint for dinner, in this case “Dewakan,” because of its focus on ingredients endemic to Malaysia (and it actually has two Michelin stars).

After a 10-min walk to the Naza Tower, where the restaurant is on the 48th floor, I was escorted upstairs to the restaurant by the building’s lobby security guard, and was then met by a server, who took me into the kitchen where she introduced me to Nic, who – in turn – gave me a tour of the kitchen and explained the food prep stations, several local ingredients, and showed me where they ferment food items. From there, I was escorted to a small lounge waiting area until my table was ready – a wait of about 10 minutes for the second sitting they do each evening.

The 14-course (!) meal unfolded over 2+ hours, with a rotation of young and very friendly chefs and wait-staff introducing each course. I added a five-glass wine flight, and a young sommelier introduced and poured each glass. One big plus is that they explained how to eat each dish – which utensils to use or with fingers and making your own taco or – with the final dessert course – just dipping the cake into the side of cream. Some favs – the rice tempeh, the slice of beef on the cow plate as well as the brains on the same plate, that final dessert course, the non-cacao chocolate, and the broth just before dessert. The rooster cockle had a spicy flavor and was delicious.

And – to put it all in perspective – there was a spectacular view of the Petronas Towers from the floor to ceiling windows. All-in-all, a really wonderful experience and a nice 10 minute walk back to the hotel on a slightly cool and comfortable evening, the end of my first day in Kuala Lumpur.