The Other Twin Towers

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur excited about finally getting to see the one time tallest buildings in the world (1998 to 2004), the Petronas Towers. We were not disappointed. We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb (we should hire ourselves out as advisors by now since we've stayed at so many during our travels) which was located on the 23rd floor of an apartment building two blocks from the towers. The towers have 88 floors and we were able to visit the 86th floor to take in the incredible view. The skybridge that connects the two towers is on the 41st and 42nd floors. We found ourselves constantly looking up at the unique Islamic inspired design of the towers. Our rooftop pool on the 33rd floor was the perfect place to view these magnificent structures especially at night. If we looked in the opposite direction, we saw the KL Tower which reminded us of our own CN Tower. The whole downtown area of Kuala Lumpur is one skyscraper after another. This city seems to be in a competition with Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, and a few other Asian cities as there are cranes at work everywhere.

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and largest city in Malaysia with almost two million people. It is famous for its towers but also has lots of other interesting sights. It is not a very old city and was only founded in the 1850s as a tin mining town. Its name means 'muddy confluence' and is at the meeting point of two rivers which flood regularly. The British controlled Malaysia  until 1957 but since there were so many Chinese, Indian, as well as Malay people working in the mines and living in the city, there are many distinctive neighbourhoods. The government part of the city is very British with touches of Muslim influence. Right across the Merdeka Square from the House of Parliament sits the very exclusive Royal Selangor Club where you can't order a drink if you are a woman at Southeast Asia's longest bar. The Malaysian National Monument (a war memorial) sits on top of a hill with a great view of the downtown area.

The malls of Kuala Lumpur are something else. The KLCC sits at the base of the Petronas Towers but the biggest shopping area is the Bukit Bitang where there are supersize malls like the Pavilion and Times Square. We kept on asking ourselves (as we looked at the prices), who is shopping in these places. And yet they were full of shoppers (or windowshoppers). We spent more time in the smaller markets in Little India and Chinatown where deals were to be had and just about anything was for sale.
One thing that does hit you is that despite its multicultural flavour (and speaking of flavour... the food is incredible), this country is devoutly Muslim which attracts the super rich tourists of the Arab countries. Everywhere you turned there were Saudi or Kuwaiti tourists and they were definitely able to afford the higher mall prices. The tension between the Malay Muslims, the Chinese, and the Indian groups is a continuing concern here especially since the last election when it bubbled up again.
Malaysia is a beautiful country with delicious food (the variety is amazing), gorgeous green scenery, and friendly people. It was the perfect place for us to rest and recoup before heading off to explore China.