Kuala Lumpur, the City You Don't Expect

Second part

Climate

Hot and humid. Very hot and very humid. Rain only toward evening but out of 4 days it rained a couple of times, not even that hard. Even when it rains the temperature never drops and the coolness is only at the moment of the rain, afterward it becomes even more muggy because of the heat released by the asphalt.

Hotel

Don't go too low with the stars or you'll end up imprisoned in a dive. European standards kick in from 4 stars upward. We stayed at the Renaissance. A nice 5-star with a pool and all the services of a wonderful hotel. We paid about 105 euros per night but bear in mind that we wanted to treat ourselves to a two-room apartment on the 23rd floor! Otherwise the price for a double is about 80€ including breakfast. All the hotel's associated services are included in the price, like the pool and the gym, while the SPA is paid. At the pool you'll also have towels and there's a convenient bar service to eat or drink something. The prices are acceptable, you can eat for 7 euros. The hotel has very high security standards and there's even a metal detector through which you're checked every time you enter the hotel—for Westerners the checks are very lax and never invasive.

There's also a meticulous check of cars entering the hotel area. It's a bit intimidating but in the end let's not forget that the country is Muslim and even though it's rather peaceful, it's not a given that some "hothead" might cause some trouble. In any case, welcome this extra security. In many shopping malls we saw armed vigilantes and metal detectors but even the local population seems to appreciate these extreme measures.

Swine flu

There's a great psychosis and in any case you can't remain immune to it. In public places many people wear masks protecting their mouth and nose. At the airport you're forced to pass under a screening test that measures body temperature. Everywhere there are signs on how to prevent swine flu with a series of instructions that in the end are nothing but the most basic notions of personal hygiene. But seeing hundreds of people with masks, I must say, disturbs even the bravest at least on a psychological level. To be fair, the newspapers reported that in September the cases of this flu in Malaysia were over 200,000 and so the numbers were rather high, considering that a good part of the population lives in rural areas where there isn't really great attention to hygiene. Anyway, washing your hands always after taking public transport or washing with hand sanitizer is a good thing.

In any case they place sanitizing dispensers at the exits of the subways for public use and they clean the handrails and the carriages twice a day (I swear it's not a joke). Stuff that in Rome they'll have cleaned twice in the last 10 years…

Third part

Petronas Towers and Suria shopping mall

Going to Kuala Lumpur and not seeing the Petronas is practically impossible. If for no other reason than they're 88 floors and over 450 meters tall, so they're visible from all over the city. They are undoubtedly fascinating, perhaps especially at sunset when the lights make this example of modern architecture and economic power (they are the headquarters of the oil giant Petronas) fascinating and imposing, even more so than in the sweltering heat of the day. Visiting the towers is possible and it's free but you can only go up to the skybridge, that is, the bridge connecting the two towers, which is 170 meters above the ground.

To get there there are no tickets to buy but you have to get them for free at the Petronas lobby in the morning…there are 1500 tickets a day and during holidays or vacation periods it's practically impossible to get them because by 8 in the morning they're all gone. In any case I highly recommend going to the Menara Tower, the other tall building in KL which with its 421 meters allows you to see the Petronas "almost from the same height." Very beautiful is the KLCC park with its little lakes and a lovely promenade. You can take beautiful photos there even in the evening, though entering the park itself is forbidden then.

The Islamic religious police in fact patrol the park and close it to prevent it from being a "temptation" for young Malaysians…unfortunately it's not possible to get inside the park unless…you pretend you know nothing, go in, take your photos and get a scolding from the police. By saying you didn't know and especially by showing your camera you won't risk anything, also because they'll see you're tourists. I did it (I'm certainly not proud of it but other photography enthusiasts did the same) but in reality there are no signs or physical obstacles except at the front of the park. I respect everyone's cultures and religions but after an 11-hour flight and a few thousand euros spent, it seemed right to me to take photos of a skyscraper. At the lower part of the towers there's a superb shopping mall, perhaps the most luxurious in KL, it's called Suria and it's open every day until 22.00.

Great shops, even if a bit more expensive than the street stalls, but with the possibility of buying non-counterfeit goods too. Very beautiful interior architecture with scenic displays and lots of restaurants where you can eat well spending little. We fondly remember a Japanese restaurant where we ate excellent sushi and tempura with grilled meat and fish, spending 22€ for two (drinks included). It's on the top floor. It's wonderful. Also interesting is the tourist card that's given free to tourists at the shopping mall's information center, with which you get additional discounts at participating shops. Affordable prices: you'll pay 7 euros for a polo shirt, or 10 euros for a pair of jeans.

Menara KL Tower

As mentioned, it's the second tallest tower in KL, almost 30 meters shorter than the Petronas. You can go up to the observation deck which is over 100 meters higher than the Petronas skybridge. The Menara houses Malaysian television and on the top floor the Seri Angkasa restaurant, located on a revolving structure. To eat there you must book (or have your hotel book) at least a couple of days in advance and elegant attire is mandatory, at least a jacket for men. To enter the tower you pay about 7 euros per person and the last entry is at 22.00. Bear in mind that the tower closes at 23.00 but at 22.30 they'll start bugging you…the spectacle is impressive and the view of the Petronas from the same height almost makes them appear small. Obviously it's advisable in the evening. To get there, if you intend to do it on foot, you have to climb up the hill that hosts the tower.

Once at the information center there's a free shuttle service that takes you to the tower entrance because the climb would become truly prohibitive, especially for its length…unfortunately the last shuttle is at 21.30 and so in the evening you'll have to take a taxi to go down. Don't worry because near the ticket office there's also a budget taxi service so …you'll say where you need to go, you'll be told the price, you pay in advance and then wait for the taxi to arrive. Be careful because the line could be long due to tourists who have lingered during their visit. To get down with a taxi ride of 5 minutes (or a little more) we paid 2.5€ (little in absolute terms but a fortune by their standards).

Chinatown

Petaling Street is the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur. It's a truly very imposing Chinatown with a rather long street where thousands of stalls selling everything and more pile up chaotically. Obviously everything is fake and everything is negotiable, even beyond half the starting price. The final part of the street is nothing short of claustrophobic, extremely narrow, you go through one at a time and the vendors will stun you, pull at your shirt, almost attack you. Impossible to see anything in peace, impossible to take your time. Everything happens very quickly, everything happens at supersonic speed. There's no time to see, there's no time to observe. Everything happens fast, almost frantically. The typical products are bags (Louis Vuitton is the best seller) and obviously watches, Rolex above all. Prices that start from absurd figures but always close around 15-20€.

There's also the possibility to eat, of course, in numerous restaurants along the street where the hygienic conditions cause some concern but in the end, closing your eyes, you can manage! Also excellent are the massage centers found in Petaling. We found one in front of the group of outdoor restaurants that asked 30 Ringgit (6 euros!) for a 30-minute foot massage that was truly regenerating and toning, especially after a long, muggy day spent walking. The massage centers usually close late, even after 23.00. The service is truly up to par, with clean towels, a refreshing cold tea at the end and very good essential oils.

fourth part

Indian Quarter

Very cute and evocative, it starts from Merdeka Square (the square where independence from England was proclaimed in 1957) where the city's New Year is celebrated. Very nice is the visit to the Masjid Jamek mosque, which can also be visited by women. The staff is very courteous and you're only asked to wear a chador and not to enter the prayer areas. You're free to photograph anything you want. There's also an unavoidable market…a delirium I'd say, the Masjid India. A tide of messy stalls with people shouting from every corner and above all with a clash of smells that will put your stomach to the test…there are also many shops selling batik and silk not only made into clothing in bright colors but also by the meter.

The prices are very affordable and you can also negotiate in the luxurious shops, where I recommend you shop because outdoors getting ripped off is always around the corner, especially because we're tourists. I recommend the Globe Silk Store even though it's rather touristy—I saw locals buying silk and batik by the meter.

Malay Quarter

In Kampung Baru is the Malay quarter and we thought we couldn't not take a look. I'd say that among the three main districts it's the one that shocked us the most. There's a level of poverty I'd call extreme; the market is rather squalid with rough tables selling foodstuffs that give off rather unpleasant smells (at times the stomach-churning efforts were merciless). Picture stalls selling fish exposed to the sun at 35°C who knows for how long (maybe days)….or selling rice and coconut milk soups that are then packaged (if you can call it that) in plastic bags like the ones we use for our frozen food and placed on tables in the sun…all nice and puffed up…often fruit is sold together with hardware items…obviously the same stall.

In short, the hygienic conditions already precarious in the Kampung Baru district rapidly plummet and even the people clearly have less fun, there aren't many tourists (in fact we didn't see one) and we tried not to take photos because they watched us insistently. Maybe it was intimidation but we didn't trust it, we really stood out even just by the fact of being dressed differently from them. Interesting is the part near the skytrain where there's a colorful fruit market but we didn't venture into it because the chaos and smells of the first part had really put us to the test.

Masjid Negara Mosque

A gigantic and very modern mosque, it has a minaret 73 meters tall. After taking off your shoes and putting on appropriate clothing (for men too) it's possible to visit it. There are also interesting tables in English explaining the fundamentals of Islam and the movements one must make to pray correctly. There's also a sort of comparative table with the Christian religion to highlight the differences. Like: with us there isn't a person who imposes prayer or who is superior, with us there isn't a God who stands above your heads…and so on. I imagine if there were something like that in reverse at St. Peter's, how they would have taken it…

Lake Titiwangsa

There's a legend. From this lake, located on a hill above KL, it's possible to admire the city skyline and take fantastic photos. I say legend because we asked several places (at the hotel and the tourist information) but everyone told us that you can't see any skyline and that moreover after sunset, for the same reason as above, the religious police close the park and so it's not possible to enter without a permit. I mention it because Lonely Planet lists it as a "must" of the city and this is the feedback we got.

Conclusions

A chaotic city, truly on the edge of exasperation. Smells, flavors, traffic…there's really a rather big problem with order. But it's a typical situation in Eastern countries where, apart from modern centers, it's hard to find situations similar to European ones. But that's also the beauty of it, isn't it? Otherwise we go to London and good night—instead, I must say that at the beginning the shock was enormous but after a few days it draws you in…the people, the haggling, the friendliness and the respect that everyone seems to have is very profound.