Kuala Lumpur | Meet Malaysia
2. The City
Cat is a teacher who works with special needs students in KL. She also works as a divemaster on Tioman Island whenever she travels there for a long weekend or holiday; a teacher never stops teaching, as they say.
Cat was born in KL and has witnessed the city’s rapid modernization.
“It has definitely changed,” says Cat. “It’s a lot more developed. A lot more highways, so many more shopping malls now.”
The world’s second-tallest building, Merdeka 118, towers over the city, a fresh symbol of Malaysia’s up-and-coming economy. Skyscrapers are going up everywhere, both office buildings and residential towers.
Most importantly, there are shopping malls.
“We love our malls,” says Cat. “That’s where we hang out because they’re air conditioned and we don’t have to be out in the sun.”
Malaysian malls are big and extravagant, and packed with shoppers almost every day of the week. They’re worth visiting for the food courts, alone. No joke.
Malaysia has a young middle class that’s enthusiastic about wielding its newfound spending power, and the shopping malls provide that outlet. They’ve got online shopping, too, but as Cat says, the shopping malls are popular because they also function as a social space. Think about malls in 1950s or 1980s America and you get the idea.
In-between the skyscrapers and shopping malls, there still exists the older and more traditional part of KL. The city blocks are lined with old shophouses and street markets that harken back to a simpler time.
Cat says there’s a growing interest in preserving these old places.
“The hipster crowd is trying to bring back our heritage and make it trendy. They used to tear down a lot of the old houses and just build modern things. Now they’re taking back all these old places and refurbishing them.”
The result are boutique cafes, restaurants, and hotels that look quite rough on the outside, but which are surprisingly cozy on the inside. You should take the opportunity to explore them because the ways in which they’ve been redesigned are often very creative.
For example, there’s an old building in Chinatown that’s been turned into a multi-level bookstore where you can lose yourself in a maze of bookshelves. There’s even a map provided for guidance. How many bookstores require maps??
Despite the size and density of KL, you might notice that the atmosphere is quite relaxed. People aren’t in much of a rush, except for when they’re driving. The employees at restaurants and businesses do their work at a more leisurely pace, which is just the culture here.
“Compared to other places in Malaysia, KL is definitely more on-the-go,” says Cat. “But if you compare it to other cities in the world, KL is actually pretty laid-back.”
The secret might be in how the city incorporates green space and nature. There are parks and small patches of rainforest scattered throughout the city, and the rooftops and terraces of buildings are often adorned by plants and trees. It certainly has a calming effect.
The locals can also escape to beautiful vacation destinations like Tioman, Langawi, the Cameron Highlands, and the islands in Borneo. All are easy and affordable to reach from KL.
Likewise, Kuala Lumpur is a super convenient stopping point for scuba divers. Even if you’re spending 2 weeks in Borneo, you can easily tack on a couple nights in KL to start or finish your trip without much hassle or expense.
[And what better way to spend your off-gassing than with gastronomy?]
