Nicknamed ‘The Garden City of Lights’, Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and a modern skyline city embracing new ideas and technologies.
Exploring as much of this Malaysian city as possible can be daunting. To make it easier, I’ve identified the top 5 unmissable places Kuala Lumpur has to offer.
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park
This aviary covers over 30 acres and is home to over 3000 birds. With more than 200 species of birds, 90% of them are local and only 10% are imported. Inside the aviary, travellers can sample the local Malaysian cuisine at the Hornbill Restaurant – although eating a meal here can be tricky, as the birds are somewhat curious.
Try and sit with your back still for long enough, and then turn around slightly to find a new bird friend peering around your shoulder to see what’s on your plate. Try not to lift up your plate for a photo because the birds are very likely to peck from it. A tried and tested theory!
Petronas Twin Towers
Like two shiny beacons, the Petronas towers are a symbol of Kuala Lumpur’s wealth and main commodity: Petronas oil. From afar they are an impressive sight – up close they are giants, and one photograph simply can’t capture the buildings in their entirety.
Kuala Lumpur Tower
The majestic Kuala Lumpur Tower joins the Petronas Twin Towers in the city’s impressive skyline and offers the highest viewpoint of the city open to the public – competing with its arch-rival, the Petronas Towers, as the city’s landmark building.
Batu Caves
Climbing 272 steps in midday 30-something degree heat looked relatively easy from the bottom of the stairs. During the walk up, however, this assumption was ripped to shreds like the bananas in the mouths of the monkeys who align the steps. The steps lead to the Temple Cave, home to numerous Hindu Shrines under its arched ceiling.
The Batu Caves is like a spiritual octopus. Its arms of influence stretch beyond members of the Hindu religion and embrace people from every walk of life, religion and circumstance. That is why the Batu Caves is such a special place to visit – it transcends time and place.
China Town
China Town is mysteriously contained within a few roads of bargains and sales, not spilling out into the roads beyond like one would imagine. From the outside, nothing gives the average tourist a clue of what to expect. Walk a few steps inside, and the stalls lining the roads come alive.
Your senses are taken through a whirlwind experience with every colour imaginable in the form of t-shirts, wallets and bags on sale at the stalls. The aroma of freshly-brewed coffee wafts down the street like a lazy warm afternoon, and finds you long before you find the source. Hundreds of Malaysian flags hang above China Town’s streets, creating a vibrant ceiling of red, yellow, white and blue.
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