Venture Beyond the Kuala Lumpur Skyline

With its dazzling skyline, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as most people call it, always leaves a lasting impression on visitors. A jungle of skyscrapers spreads throughout this Malaysian capital. They culminate in a spectacle of city lights encircling the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers, which stand like the sky-touching, larger-than-life cornstalks clad in silvery luminescence. But the real gems of KL lie in the discoveries of those who venture beyond the skyline.

River Transformation Project

Not having been to KL in over ten years, I was struck by the wave of restoration projects giving the city a new facelift. One of these is the River of Life project, aimed at rehabilitating the Klang and Gombak rivers that run through the city.

The project transformed the once-infamous cesspool rivers into a lively boardwalk promenade at the point where the two rivers converge near the Jamek mosque.

At night, the entire river gleams in a mystical blue haze. The time-warped tunes of Malay oldies playing in the air evoke a sense of nostalgia.

The striking murals on the surrounding buildings come alive to tell the stories of early settlers along the river through nuanced brushstrokes—workers unloading goods from boats, children playing in the river, elephants taking a cooling bath etc.

The “Little India” of KL

The street food scene in KL mirrors the country’s multiracial society.

In Brickfields, the “Little India” of Kuala Lumpur, a mix of Indian restaurants—from Northern and Southern Indian to Sri Lankan cuisine, low to mid-range prices—are tucked away among the shops and flower garland vendors.

As I settled in at a South Indian banana leaf rice restaurant, a server laid a large cut of banana leaf before me. Another server arrived with a cart of tiffin containers and started filling the leaf for me—a scoop of steamed rice, a katori of rasam (a soup made from tamarind and spices) and yogurt, a small serving of stir-fried veggies. All topped with a generous piece of crispy papadum.

Chinese Food with a Local Twist

Pudu is a predominantly Chinese neighborhood that was once a thriving tin mine. It is where locals come to get Chinese food off the tourist path. A street sign pointed me to Wai Sek Kai (Glutton Street). As the name suggests, I was about to throw my diet out the window and eat to my heart’s content.

There is always something to grub on in the neighborhood. Enjoy dim sum, claypot chicken rice, roast pork rice, dumpling noodles, black sesame desserts, you name it. I stopped at a stall piled high with durians, the green spiky fruit that claims the title of “king of fruits”.

These custard-like, flesh-covered seeds—often draw a raft of love-hate reactions—were packaged according to their grades. Prices typically range from $5 for lower grades to over $30 for higher-grade variants.

Traditional Malay Village in the Heart of KL

Few people know that in the heart of KL lies a dwindling Malay village known as Kampung Baru. Here traditional wooden houses and fringed palms sit dwarfed by the Petronas Twin Towers in the background, struggling to survive the encroachment of development from all directions. Here, you can find home-cooked Malay food that goes beyond the usual tourist spots.

Nasi Lemak, the nation’s best-loved breakfast, is a fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk, served with chili paste and topped with fried anchovies, boiled eggs, peanuts, and cucumber.

The village is famous for its grilled fish, or Ikan Bakar in Malay. Smoked in banana leaves, the fish tastes best dipped in spicy shrimp paste and lime before eating.

Public Green Spaces

As much as KL is among the top ten cities in the world with the most skyscrapers, it has plenty of green spaces to buffer the urban sprawl. Among the city’s green oases is KL Forest Eco Park, a gazetted forest reserve since 1906. The highlight is the treetop canopy walk comprising four suspension bridges that span an arched circuit across the forest. Connected by viewing platforms, the bridges giving visitors an aerial view of this ecological heaven.

While crossing the bridge with a group of tourists, a family of silvered leaf monkeys leaped onto the ropes holding the bridge railings, hissing at us as we approached.  We debated for a good ten minutes if it was safe to proceed. We decided to put away our belongings and take a chance. Avoiding eye contact, we made our way past them without incident.

Take a Walk down Memory Lane

A nondescript cul-de-sac turned into a social media sensation through the power of art, Kwai Chai Hong, literally translates as “Little Demon Alley”. The “Little demons” refer to the hoodlums who used to hang out in the alley. The narrow alley presents a living gallery of murals. The paintings on darkened walls, covered in climbing vines, depict scenes of everyday life in the 60s. Some incorporate vintage collectibles to accentuate a three-dimensional effect.

Murals fitted with a QR code in the corner linking to sound bites bring the characters to life creating an interactive experience. I scanned the code beneath a woman clad in a tight Mandarin gown, looking out the window. A fluffy boa draped around her neck runs down the length of her arm. A sultry voice echoed, as if straight from a brothel of a forgotten era. “Hey cutie, want to have some fun? I will make the best deal for you!”  It came off a little cringey, but nostalgic enough to bring a smile to my face.

Bookstore with an Eccentric Vibe

Housed in an old cinema repurposed into a bookstore, BookXcess@RexKL epitomizes literature and funky art, blended into an eccentric vibe. Built around the original layout of the cinema that was once destroyed in a fire, the interior still shows scars of burn marks from the fire. The books arranged in a labyrinthine maze of shelves, stretch vertically and horizontally across multiple levels. Some shelves feature carved out open nooks for readers to settle in with a book, making them look like part of an art installation.

KL is Home to the Second Tallest Building in the World

My last day in KL coincided with the Malaysia Day celebration. The Merdeka Square, where Malaysia declared independence from the British in 1957, was a spectacle of color and sound.

Looming behind the iconic clock tower is Merdeka 118, now the second tallest building in the world. This skyscraper is designed to look like Tunku Abdul Rahman, the founding father of Malaysia, holding up his hand the moment he declared independence.

Standing in the middle of the square, I took in the panoramic grandeur of the sweeping cityscapes.

67 years after independence, KL has come a long way from its early days as a muddy estuary—literally what “Kuala Lumpur” translates to in Malay. KL joined the ranks of world-class metropolises. But the true character of the city manifests in its unique culture and heritage. That truly connects the past to the present.

 

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