Kuala Lumpur : Sky scrapers, hot weather….and a new culture !

After 36 hours of travelling (with 9 hours transit in Mumbai) we finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur!!! So hot!!! More than 33 degrees with a humidity rate close to 100%!!! It changes compare to Cape Town! And even more if you look above your head: each building seems to be bigger and taller than its neighbour and the futuristic architecture takes us in its world… On the other side of the road, a small fabric shop very colourful calls us and the small “cook” next to it makes us want to buy a spicy rice and a pink pastry : Welcome in Asia: the contrasted, colourful, odorant … and often crazy continent!

And when you think about Kuala Lumpur (or KL for those in the know), you think about the « Petronas Towers ». These twin towers were built between 1992 and 1998 and culminate at 452 meters. They are now the symbol of KL. We didn’t visit the bridge which links the two towers because it’s expensive and when you are inside you don’t even see the towers!!! That’s why we visited the Menara Tower. It’s a TV –Tower (like the Eiffel Tower) with a height of 421m (only 301m for the Eiffel Tower). From the first platform at 256 m we had a great view on the city!

Menara Tower

Petronas Twer and our Pomme Pidou

Skyline of KL from Menara Tower

KL has also one of the tallest flag pole of the world (100m) dominating the Merdeka Square. It was installed in 1957 after Malaysia’s independence!

Arriving in this new country also allowed us to taste new products and new specialities. First: fruits: Walking in the Indian corner, we tried 4 fruits that we never saw before:

From bottom (hairy litchi) clockwise : Rambutan, Mangosteen, Salak (or Snake fruit) and Dukong

And it is to notice that a lot of small shops on the markets are « smelly » ; it’s not because it’s dirty or non hygienic (okay sometimes ….) it’s because of the durian. The durian is a stinky fruit which is forbidden in public transports, hotel, etc etc, but which is “good”. We tried it once in Mozambique, it’s not that bad but it’s not our favourite fruit, if you know what I mean…

We also tried local food. We are not sure that it was Malaysian food because Malaysia seems to be a mix of several cultures: Chinese, Indian, Indonesian… But it was good, tasty and spicy!

KL is a modern city with a big melting pot of cultures. For shopping lovers, you’ll like KL and its huge luxurious shopping centers, for those who like culture, you’ll find Hindus, Buddhists temples and mosques. The food will make you travel in Asia and if you need green space, go to Lake Gardens and walk in the middle of birds, butterflies, orchids…

We were happy (and lucky) to be hosted by Shikka, an Indian woman living in KL to work. We spoke a lot about differences between European and Indian cultures… and she gave us a lot of tips to travel in her country!!!

After, we took a bus to Cameron Highlands, North from KL. It’s a mountain area which allowed us to cool down after the hot temperatures of KL (but that's another story ;-))