Travel Memories: Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The first time I visited Kuala Lumpur as a young child from Australia, having only heard the city’s name aurally, I was mystified as to why it it had been (in my thinking) named after a furry, grey, tree-dwelling marsupial native to my homeland. In somewhat of an anticlimax, it turns out ‘Kuala Lumpur’ is actually Tamil for ‘muddy confluence’, presumably in reference to the settlement initially established in 1857 at the point where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet. And while this may not be the most glamorous of labels, Malaysia’s capital is today a thriving, bustling metropolis of nearly 2 million people. Certainly no koalas here.

Perhaps the most iconic landmark of modern-day KL are the Petronas Towers. The world’s tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004, they still hold the record as the tallest twin towers on the planet. And at 452 m (1483 ft), you can see why. Built as the headquarters for Malaysia’s national petroleum company, they also give visitors the chance to get a bird’s eye view of the city, either from the Skybridge linking the two edifices, or further up on lofty level 86. Way at the other end, in the basement underground, is (as is so common across Asia) a shopping mall. I personally was happy to admire them from street level – and they look particularly spectacular at night, the glinting glass and stainless-steel columns soaring upwards like space-age needles. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).