Infatuation: That’s a fairly strong word. Such a word generally conjures up memories of doodling your crush’s name on your notebook. But, it also describes how we felt about Kuala Lumpur.
Who wouldn’t be infatuated with a city that has tall-sweeping rainforest trees nestled in between a modern monorail and cloud-kissing skyscrapers. Or futuristic buildings like the Petronas Towers corrupting the tropically-heated skyline. Or how the heat rises in the daytime, but gets washed away in the afternoon by thunderstorms. If Kuala Lumpur was my first crush—the nerdy guy with glasses in my high school gym class—then consider me swooning.
From the very moment we landed in Kuala Lumpur, even the moment when I felt the self-induced social dismay from my wearing of shorts, Kuala Lumpur had my attention. We were ready for everything the city had to offer, like:
The Petronas Towers…From the Viewpoint of the KL Towers
Who in their right mind would pay 30 USD to go up a tower to take a picture of a city skyline. That’s why we decided to go up the KL Tower instead of the Petronas Towers. It’s the same view for less than a third of the price.
The view from the KL Towers
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
The National Museum of Malaysia
I was surprised how empty the National Museum of Malaysia was. For the Louvre, we had to wait a short time in line to enter (it would have been longer if we didn’t get the pass). For the British Museum, we were surrounded by hundreds of other people staring intently at the Rosetta Stone. This was not the case for the National Museum of Malaysia. The museum has so much educational information about the history of Malaysia: how it became an Islamic country by trading spices with Arab traders; its role during its colonial era, and its current role in the world. It’s the best place to become informed about Malaysia…much better than Wikipedia…
We’re NUTS for the geometric shapes of the National Museum of Malaysia
The Taman Tasik Perdana Park
Who doesn’t love a field of deer in the middle of a major city? So close are these deer that you can almost reach out and touch them…if it weren’t for the obvious chain link fence divide that keeps them safely enclosed.
That’s the Taman Tasik Perdana Park: a beautiful oasis in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. During colonial times, it was set aside for those who desired to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The park does its job well. As we passed a busy highway and crept underneath an insanely busy street, we were instantly transported into the most serene park ever. I couldn’t even hear the street noise anymore.
Taman Tasik Perdana Park
I miss this serenity now.
Some kind of berry tree at the Taman Tasik Park
Deer! In the middle of the park
Those are just three places that made Kuala Lumpur memorable, a small handful of all the city had to offer and what it could teach us. We loved Kuala Lumpur. I’m doodling their name on my notebook right now.
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