The Past is Present: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“How do you get to the Petronas Towers Observatory?,” we asked. We had obviously found the tall unmistakable buildings—the twin towers connected by a skybridge were once the tallest buildings in the world from 1998-2004, so they are hard to miss across the Kuala Lumpur skyline—but at the ground level, it was a bit confusing with its jumble of malls and carparks, so we asked a security guard where to go. “Walk through the mall over there,” he said, “turn left at the Gucci, and you’ll see the entrance.” Ah, turn left at Gucci, of course.

It’s fair to say that we knew almost nothing about Kuala Lumpur, or even Malaysia more broadly, before we arrived, so we weren’t expecting to see this kind of luxury. But KL (as everyone calls it) is a shiny, modern capital city of almost two million people. Maybe too shiny and modern, to be honest. But we were pleasantly surprised by the way its backdrop of industry and immigrants showed through in its modernity, giving this multicultural city a bright spot that may otherwise be obscured by the shadows of the gleaming skyline.

We chose KL as the starting point to meet up with some longtime friends with whom we’d be traveling over the next twelve days, Emily and Min Xiu, both of whom Karen met in our college days (but who did not yet know each other until this trip). It turns out KL has been an ideal meeting place for centuries. The Malay Peninsula, jutting out from mainland Asia, is situated along the most direct sea route between India and China, the Melaka Straits. Blessed by geography, the region became a booming trading post in the 1400s. The Melaka sultans became rich, which attracted attention from the outside world. Over the next few centuries, the age of colonialism saw control of this region bounce between the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. It finally settled with the British under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824, which gave Indonesia to the Dutch while Britain gained control of the “Straits Settlements”—Penang, Melaka, and Singapore, known as British Malaya.

The other reason this region was so coveted by savvy rulers and traders alike was because Melaka was once the world’s largest producer of tin, and then later, rubber—two critical resources needed to support empires constantly engaged in war. With rich tin deposits in the hills, KL’s strategic location at the convergence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers made it the meeting point for tin prospectors (indeed, Kuala Lumpur means “muddy confluence”), and like the Gold Rush in California, many came to seek their tin fortunes, including numerous Chinese gangs and familial clans. Later, many of these and more then became similarly rich with rubber plantations that fueled the Brits’ (and the world’s) demand for new motor cars. Given all this, pre-war WWII KL was decidedly wealthy, enjoying piped water and electricity and becoming one of the prettiest cities under the British sun.

That wealth remains today. It was evident on the streets: having just come from Ho Chi Minh City, we were expecting another chaos of motorbikes and noise pollution, but there are few motorbikes in KL, as most people drive cars or take the wonderful metro system. It was evident in the sky: there was skyscrapers galore, with hundreds of towers piercing the sky, only eclipsed by the amount of cranes building even more. And it was evident in the malls: not because they all have the fancy Gucci stores of the world, but because they have air conditioning. Because it is so hot and humid, everyone congregates in the malls, leading to developers trying to one-up each other to see who can build the best, and often most outrageous, mall. Indeed, many malls double as entertainment complexes, and some of the best food in the city can be found in the malls’ food courts. For better or worse, then, the mall is the center of social life in KL, to the point where we felt like we barely saw actual people on its pretty streets—an odd feeling for such a large city. But that all changed, thankfully, when the sun set. KLCC Park, at the heart of many malls and office buildings, came to life at twilight and in the dark, with locals jogging around its water features and watching the Bellagio-like fountain light show at the base of the glowing Petronas Towers.

While the malls and the newer areas around them sometimes felt impersonal, KL retains some lively historic neighborhoods that truly define its experience. In Chinatown, street markets fronted beautifully restored shophouses, while marigold stands and Indian buffets pump out exotic smells in the Brickfields. Beautiful colonial buildings line the riverfront and around Merdeka Square, where independence was announced in 1957 and where we enjoyed a drink at the colonial Coliseum Cafe, an institution that has been around for almost a hundred years. There are also great cultural institutions to visit, from the city’s historic Jamek Mosque and stunning modernist National Mosque, to the perfectly appointed Islamic Art Museum with its showcase of mini Korans, genealogy lines, astrolabes, Arabic calligraphy, and an awesome exhibit featuring mini models of renowned mosques worldwide (many of which we recently visited in person in Uzbekistan, which made it so much more fun for us). Finally, many of KL’s modern high-rises are worth a study, either from the 89th floor viewing platform of the Petronas Towers or from the ground, as they feature innovative and often eco-friendly design, including one that we loved that appeared to have an entire forest on the building’s facade—fitting, as KL used to be in (and is still surrounded by) the jungle.

Above all else, what makes Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia as a whole, most interesting is its diversity. Because of the many immigrants who came to the Straits Settlements over the years, there is no majority people in the city; KL’s population is 46% Malay, 43% Chinese, and 10% Indian. There is also a non-majority mix of religions, with 46% Muslim, 36% Buddhist, 9% Hindu, and 6% Christian. And there is diversity within those populations too, such as the Peranakans, who are the mixed descendants of the original Straits Chinese and the local Malay and who showcase their own culture across the country. All this translates into a unique urban fabric, where large open-air mosques sit next to colorful Hindu temples, which themselves are downwind from the incense burning out of Chinese temples. While there have been ethnic tensions at times, we felt that the diverse groups mostly coexist well together.

(Notably, though, we read and observed that coexistence does not necessarily mean they work together in equal harmony; in fact, the local Malays—who have struggled in the last century compared to the Chinese there—once felt so disenfranchised that Malaysia put in place a nationwide social-economic affirmative-action plan, called the New Economic Policy [NEP] of 1971, which requires 30% of the country’s corporate wealth be in the hands of the Malay people within twenty years; by 1990, it had only improved to 19%, but a Malay middle class did emerge and their poverty fell dramatically. We found this policy extremely interesting, conciliatory, and forward-thinking, despite its mixed success.)

As always, diversity is best reflected in the food, and the best part about traveling with a group is that we were able to sample many different dishes! We enjoyed excellent Malaysian Chinese food at the restaurant of Patrick Teoh, a local star actor and radio personality known as the “voice of Malaysia,” who is also a friend of Min Xiu’s and with whom we had the pleasure of dining with one day. There, we had delicious Chinese char siu and siu yuk pork, as well as poached chicken and Malaysia’s popular char kway teow seafood noodles. (The restaurant was located in a mall, of course.) We ate Indian food in Chinatown, gobbled down many coconut sugar Kaya toast at breakfast, and drank the ubiquitous Malaysian teh tarik (tea with milk that is mixed back and forth in glasses as a mixologist would do, “pulling” the tea and giving it its name). And though we were unable to make it to some of the local morning street food markets, we did have some delicious seafood at the more touristy Jalan Alor night food market in Bukit Bintang.

The diverse population on the peninsula also meant that to communicate, a common language was needed. Lucky for us, that language was English. We were impressed with how well everyone throughout the country spoke English, which made it easy for us to get around. Almost too easy, as we failed to learn any Malay words other than thank you (“terima kasih”). But the people were very friendly and always eager to talk, which made up for it.

One time, we were trying to find a street stand selling chendol, a Malaysian version of shave ice with local toppings such as red bean, jelly, coconut milk, and sugary syrup. As we were looking lost, a man came up to us offering to help. We told him what we were looking for, and he directed, “Turn left at the McDonald’s, go up into the mall, go through the mall, go out of the mall, then turn left.” Ah, through the mall, of course. We eventually found the chendol stand and gobbled up two bowls—but not before first stopping at Sephora inside the mall to buy some moisturizer as we chilled in air conditioning.

Karen & Michael

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 5-6, 2020