"Kuala Lumpur" a Kuala Lumpur Travel Page by phil_uk_net

Some people say that all big cities are the same but of course they are not and they all have their own identities.

The Muslim presence in KL is quite noticeable, in the people and architecture. You will see a lot of women with veiled heads and lots of minarets on the buildings - more reminiscent of the Middle East than the Far East. There are also some remnants of Malaysia's colonial past with English style buildings and patches of grass that were unmistakeably cricket pitches at one time.

As with other cities in this region there are large Chinese and Indian communities that add their own flavour to the surroundings.

It is unfair to make rash statements and draw conclusions after only staying in a place for a short time, but I will anyway!

KL seemed to me to have a point to prove - possibly to the rest of the world but more likely to its nearest neighbours. This came across while visiting the modern areas and noting, for instance, the importance of the height of buildings etc. It appeared to be a very important thing to the Malaysians that the Petronas Towers and TV tower are some of the highest structures of their kind in the world. I noted lots of propaganda about the significance of these buildings and how they signify the development of Malaysia and its future potential on the world stage. Personally, I'm not convinced by some steel and concrete structures.

Another case in point is the monorail system that is being built. I talked to a few locals who told me that it wouldn't be of much use. The impression I got was that KL has to have one because it is a (perceived) sign of a modern, futuristic city. It reminded me a lot of the famous Simpsons monorail episode!

KL is quite different from Bangkok and Singapore if you are travelling there from one of these places but still worth staying in for a few days.