Holiday with Mum - Kuala Lumpur

We arrive in Kuala Lumpur by coach having driven from Penang. Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is known, means ‘muddy estuary’ in Malay and is the capital of Malaysia. As we drive into the city Tony, our Malaysian guide points out the new royal palace that the King moved into last week. The old palace was occupied by the Japanese during the war, so retained bad associations. He explains that 9 of the 13 Malaysian states have a Sultan and they each take it in turns to be the King, each for a 5 year period – so some of them may never have the chance to be King.

We stop at Independence Square and get off the coach to take in the sights and atmosphere. On one side is an amazing red brick building which was built by the British as their administrative centre during their rule of the country. It is a beautiful Moorish design and when it was built it was the biggest building in the country. On the other side is an old club house for high-ranking British officials and between the two is an area of grass which was originally a cricket ground. This is the place where the British flag was lowered and the new Malaysian flag raised on 31 August 1957 to mark the birth of the new independent country. At one end of the square there is a modern raised area of wide steps with an enormous flag pole 100m high with the Malaysian flag flying. I really like the feel of the square; perhaps because of the familiar British feel of it; but more so I think because it seems really unusual to have a main capital city square of grass and this gives it a relaxed feel.

Old British administration building in Independence Square

Old club house and cricket pitch in Independence Square

Our hotel is centrally located in a high-rise area and surrounded by about 10 shopping malls and – the newest of which have all the top brand names. As I type this I am in a bar with free-wifi, just around the corner from the hotel and the 3 shops that I can see across the street are Gucci, Prada and Bvlgari. I don’t know whether the shoppers are tourists or locals, but they seem to be busy.

Top brand shops

Shopping district

I have mentioned before that Malaysia is a Muslim country, but the religion of consumerism surpasses that and in the shopping malls it is Christmas!

Christmas in the mall

Kuala Lumpur’s most iconic building is the Petronus Twin Towers, which is the headquarters of Malaysia’s national oil company. When this was built in 1998 it was the tallest building in the world.

Petronus Twin Towers

Normally you can go up inside the towers and across the sky bridge, but at the moment they are closed for refurbishment, so Mum and I decide to take a trip to the KL Tower, which is rather like the Post Office Tower in London, to get a high-rise view of the city. We take the overhead monorail a couple of stops to get there.

KL Tower

Monorail

View of Kuala Lumpur from the KL Tower