14 November Kuala Lumpur
I arrived at Kuala Lumpur’s huge KLIA2
terminal—Air Asia’s base—conveniently in the early afternoon. Malaysian
immigration welcomed me with a 90-day permit, then I caught a bus to KL Sentral,
the public transport hub for the city center. Once again I went with an Airbnb,
this time in a high rise just half a kilometer from KL Sentral, an easy walk. I
was next to the South Indian community of Brickfields with its many temples,
restaurants, and shops. In foodie heaven, I had Indian cuisine for all but one
meal during my stay in Kuala Lumpur! Usually I would go to a South Indian
‘banana leaf’ restaurant for breakfast, then have lunch or dinner of either
South or North Indian cuisine in Brickfields or at an Indian community near
Masjid Jamek.
I looked forward to 10 full days of wandering the many art
galleries, museums, historic sites, and parks of the city. Although this is
Malaysia’s biggest center, the capital is in Putrajaya, a monumental planned
city off to the southwest, which I also hoped to visit.
15 November
Kuala Lumpur
I headed northeast by light rail to see two art exhibitions at
Ilham Gallery www.ilhamgallery.com/
in a stylish skyscraper. Malaysian artist Latiff Mohidin had a show called “Pago
Pago” of works made while traveling in Europe and Southeast Asia from 1960 to
1969. I found a photo exhibit “we will have been young” by multiple artists on
the subject of youth to be on the depressing side, however.
In the
afternoon I set my sights on visiting the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, still the
world’s highest twins, and managed to snag a ticket for the popular tour. First
we went up to the Skybridge, a two-level connecting bridge that connects the two
towers at the 41st floor about half way up. I could see the sleeves in the
Skybridge that allow
the towers to sway slightly differently as well as views of Kuala Lumpur City
Center Park below and high rises all around. Next, a pair of elevators shot us
up to the top of one of the towers at the 86th floor to see details of the tower
architecture and expansive city views.
The huge
Suria KLCC shopping mall has many attractions
including the science
museum Petrosains visible on the top floor.
We are on the
Skybridge between the Twin Towers.
You can see
outlines of dancing fountains, now at rest, below in
Kuala Lumpur City
Centre Park in this view from the Skybridge.
Detail of tower
geometry from the Skybridge
The Malay village
Kampung Baru and beyond from the 86th floor
And the long way
down!
Enjoying the panorama from the top
Tower close-up
16 November Kuala Lumpur
Wanderings today took me to Jamek Mosque at the meeting point of the silt-laden
Klang and Gombak Rivers, from which the city’s name Kuala Lumpur ‘muddy
confluence’ comes from. Nearby I strolled past heritage buildings that surround
the vast Merdeka Square where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957. One
of the old Mughal-Islamic buildings now houses the National Textile Museum, and
I enjoyed seeing the many weaving exhibits and examples. Nearby I took in the
sound-and-light show at KL City Gallery centered on a large and elaborate model
of Kuala Lumpur.
Jamek Mosque at the river confluence
Clocktower of
the Sultan Abdul Samad Building overlooks Merdeka Square.
Batik exhibit in
the National Textile Museum
Detail of trousers
made of Chinese brocade ebroidered with silk (Heirloom of Terengganu royal
family, ca. 1900)
This headdress
traditionally worn by Orang Ulu men in Sarawak is made of rattan, beadwork, and
goat hair.
This huge and highly detailed model in KL City Gallery
shows how the
city may look in the future. This is just a small section!
17 November Kuala Lumpur
I walked northwest into the
rolling forested hills of the Lake Gardens area, stopping to enter the bright
and airy Masjid Negara (National Mosque) with its pretty 18-point
turquoise-tiled roof. The main prayer hall had major construction work going on, but I
could peek inside and get an idea of its beauty.
Masjid Negara, from the Islamic Arts Museum
A courtyard inside
Masjid Negara
Prayer hall
Continuing the Islamic theme, I visited the nearby Islamic Arts Museum—my favorite in the city. It’s an elegant building with multiple domes and very extensive exhibits of mosque models, illuminated sacred texts, and arts and crafts of many cultures.
Ceiling dome, one of several
Al-Qur’an
(Hafiz Osman, calligrapher); 17th Century A.D.,
Ottoman Turkey
Underglaze
painted tile from Iznik, Turkey, 1575-85 A.D.
Astrolabe from
Morocco, 17th C. A.D.
Portraits of Mughal
empresses on ivory (detail)
Probably from Delhi, 19th C. A.D.
Model of Sacred
Mosque (Al Masjid Al Haram), the holiest site of Islam, in Mecca
It contains
the holy Kaaba and is the place that all Muslims face to pray.
Court of the Lions
in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain
The last Islamic kingdom of the Iberian
Peninsula built this grand palace complex in the 14th C. A.D.
18 November Kuala Lumpur
A monorail took me to the Titiwangsa area, where I
made a long hike to the National Visual Arts Gallery, a massive pyramid-shaped
building with several contemporary exhibitions going on. Afterward I tried to
enter neighboring Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, but it had closed for a major
renovation.
Latiff
(National Visual Arts Gallery)
This is the artist who had the “Pago Pago”
show at Ilham Gallery.
19 November Kuala Lumpur
I returned to Lake Gardens for a
second visit to the Islamic Arts Museum, then continued into Perdana Botanical
Garden with its showy orchid displays. Farther north I reached the hilltop
National Monument with an imposing sculpture to the defeat of the Communists in
1950. A walk to the northeast brought me to the modern complex of Bank
Negara Malaysia Museum & Art Gallery. I enjoyed seeing the extensive art
exhibits, mainly prints. As closing time loomed, I quickly went through the
banking exhibits, but found them of less interest.
Bright
colors in Perdana Botanical Garden
The dramatic Tugu
Negara (National Monument)
Tindohuan Di Aku Ku
(woodcut, 2015) by Jerome Manjat
Back to Beginning of Southeast Asia Backpacking Nov.-Dec. 2018