36 Hours in Kuala Lumpur: Exploring a 21st Century Crossroads
When I landed at the brand-spanking-new klia2 Terminal, I couldn’t believe I was in Asia! I had decided to take a free stop over in Kuala Lumpur before heading south to Indonesia for a week. My flight from Thailand arrived late Sunday night and my flight to Yogyakarta left early on Tuesday morning, so I booked two nights at the Tune Airport Hotel and figured that I’d spend Monday exploring the city. Here’s some noteworthy highlights of my short time in Malaysia:
klia2: This airport is way more than just an airport, but example of what air travel should be and will become. While Malaysian Airlines has probably has one of the worst track records in aviation history during the past few months, Air Asia (the country’s Low-Cost Carrier) has had one of the best. They just moved to a gorgeous new terminal with free wifi, great lounges, fast and efficient immigration facilities and a huge shopping mall. Terminals like klia2 are enabling the middle class to travel in ways that were never before possible. I stayed at an airport hotel nearby that was about $40 per night. The best part of klia2 is that it offers a $10, 30-minute high-speed rail link to the center of the city. (Note to travelers: The extra 40RM for the Air Asia “Hot Seat” will be the best money you’ve ever spent.
National Mosque: I was fortunate enough to walk past the mosque between prayers and was allowed to visit during the “non-Muslim” time. The mosque itself is designed using simple, but beautiful modern architecture. I took more time than I expected to roam around the grounds and visit the different tombs and prayer spaces.
Old KL Train Station: Super beautiful on the outside. Kind of a dump inside.
Islamic Art Museum: The main exhibit here is less of an art exhibit are more of a complete history of Islam, which was interesting. I learned a lot about the spread of Islam into SE Asia and Africa. In addition to the building, which is also gorgeous, I found the two temporary exhibits to be the most fascinating. The first was a contest where Muslims all over the world sent in photos of people celebrating Ramadan. The second was about Zakat, or the pillar of Islam that requires the wealthy to give to the poor. The exhibit explained the history of Zakat and how the government has streamlined the process. When people need money, say to continue their studies or grow their business, the agency gives them money with no strings attached except the assumption that if/when someone succeeds that they will pay back into the system. Later at the KLCC mall, I saw a line of about 100 people long waiting to pay Zakat.
KLCC/PETRONAS Towers: I took the tram here to see the biggest towers on earth and found my way into a giant shopping mall at the base. I snapped some pictures of the buildings, ate Indian food and bought a monopod. Sadly, the observation deck is closed on Mondays.
Batu Caves: At the end of KL Komuter line 4, one can find the Batu Caves, or a giant Hindu temple built into a cave at a top of a hill. Like many of the Hindu temples I visited in India, it’s overbuilt and totally commercial, but still kind of cool. The entrance is plagued with thousand of pigeons, which you must carefully make your way thru to the base of a 300 something step staircase. The stairs themselves are actually kind of dangerous for a few reasons… the steps are made for people with baby feet (my size 13’s were tiptoe-ing the whole way up), in addition to dive bombing pigeons, there are monkeys that come up and ask for food. (Oh and packs of Chinese tourists who chase the monkeys around and try to grab their tails… SMH). Once I finally reached the top of the staircase (which I sprinted up after a Chinese tourist threw a monkey at me… honest to god, I’m reconsidering the trip to China.) I could feel my heart beating in my throat, but realized that it was totally worth it. There are about a dozen shrines at the top and each is cooler than the next! (Photos to be posted!)
All in all, KL was a successful layover. It was settled over 1000 years ago, when a monk went to pray at the cross road between two rivers, and the city has held true to it’s origin by offering a crossroads between old and new, east and west and Islam and Hinduism.
The Verdict: Don’t make a special trip here, but if you’re passing thru or can take a free layover, check it out… it’s pretty sweet!
