Ah yes, the good old urban Geography field trip! All you need is a bus, a tower (although a light plane or very high mountain right near the city centre will suffice), a camera, a positive attitude and a good cafe and you’re in business!
The bus was a very nice coach with a patient and knowledgeable driver. The tower was “the world’s fourth highest” – the Menara KL (KL Tower). The views from up there are quite magnificent and give you a good visual impression of the city layout.
View ENE from KL Tower towards Petronas Towers.
Ampang Jaya where Geoff and Leslie live is off in the distance in that direction. You can see the twin towers from their street, and some houses have views out over the city centre. It’s a little bit like Wellington in that respect.
The cafe was Sao Nam, a superb Vietnamese restaurant in the cafe precinct just off Bukit Bintang. The display of socialist propaganda posters with slogans like “increased food production is the key to expelling the Americans” was very “ironic chic”.
After lunch we wandered through Chinatown for a short time.
Chinatown Kuala Lumpur
Our last stop was next to the Masjid Jamek mosque. The mosque is built right at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, which is where Chinese tin miners set up their encampment in 1857. This later became the administrative centre of the city of KL. The mosque is a beautiful building, as is so much of the Islamic architecture. Several of KL’s modern buildings also show this influence.
Masjid Jamek
Tomorrow I’m heading to Singapore on a “bus” which looks more like a plane – movies, couches, you name it it’s got it! I’m looking forward to checking out the legendary Singapore public transport system!
