Kuala Lumpur: Inimitable capital city of Malaysia

THERE are several cities that I would readily revisit, ranging from Cleveland to Aden and Addis Ababa. The one that I would go to given half a chance is undoubtedly Kuala Lumpur, the inimitable capital city of Malaysia.
Although I have been there several times for professional purposes and for the sheer love of the place, I would gladly go there again to cover the capital and cities I have not yet seen. The country is simply unique and its founders and before that the British colonial regime must be given credit for planning and building one of the finest cities in Asia.
The city has neither a winter nor a summer in the proper sense because it remains pleasant and moderate all year round. It is unfortunately suffering from the harrowing smoke that drifts over it from Indonesia. Farmers there burn their jungles to make way for agriculture and their government does not appear to be able to do anything about it.
When we landed in Kuala Lumpur for the first time with some members of the family we were shocked to see the smog and suffer its effects. Authorities advised people to stay indoors if they had chest problems. As we did not have much time to spare we managed to get used to the punishing blanket of smoke until we moved out a few days later to the seaside city of Renang.
But that shock did not mitigate my admiration for Kuala Lumpur, or my determination to return when the opportunity presented itself. More admirable was the fact that the Malaysian government, after it regained independence from Britain, had managed to catch up with neighbors like Singapore in a short time. Within a few years the country was counted among the Asian Tigers. These now include Taiwan, another miracle of course, South Korea and Thailand. Fast-growing Indonesia is already being billed as another ‘tiger,’ given its size of several thousand islands, its huge population and proven resources.
I decided to go downtown expecting to see prototypes of similar areas in the continent but I was impressed again when it turned out to be unlike the downtown zones of the older cities like Mumbai, Bangkok, even those of Singapore.
I started with the main bazaar near the fascinating railway station built during the British days. The British had borrowed largely from their own Indo-European buildings in the main Indian cities with particular resemblance to Victoria Terminus and Western Railway offices together with the municipal palace.
The area had good shops selling items at moderate prices and like almost every area of the capital was fairly clean with nice restaurants. These served Malaysian and Indian fare, including the country’s famous tea with milk and sugar already mixed.
I went back to the area several times and each time it had been upgraded. Although I needed a taxi to take me from the Shangri-La Hotel to the town center, I did not mind that. Taxi prices were well known and fixed by the municipality, making bargaining with the drivers absolutely unnecessary.
The same principle applies to practically everything else in the country. So organized that you never feel done in or cheated, whether you eat at the Shangri-La or at an Indian café serving curried food twenty kilometers away under the shadow of the temple with hundreds of steps. Other shopping places include posh areas, which sell every brand under the sun. Because cities like Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai have about the same, high-quality range, I decided to visit antique shops. These are many and varied.
The Twin Towers are one of the most famous landmarks in Asia. They are astounding, extremely well built and lighted and altogether very pleasant to visit, stroll and indulge in its restaurants.
Like most other places, the Twin Towers called Petronas and the KL tower in the center not far from the national mosque stand over the 1.6 million people. The population is growing rapidly although uncontrollably covering an area of 243 sq. kilometers. Greater Kuala Lumpur has more people and land area but its present size is just fine as it ensures its prosperity, due to a firm policy of not permitting an influx from either the countryside or other regions and neighbors. The capital and other cities have held on to their fairly high standard of living.
The city, according to its history, has its origins in the 1850’s when the Malay chief of Klang, Raja Abdullah, hired some Chinese laborers to open new and larger tin mines, for which the country is famous. The miners landed at the confluence of Sungai Lumpur meaning Muddy River and Sungai Klang meaning Klang River. It developed into a trading post and then on to become one of the loveliest cities in Asia.
In 2001 Putrajaya, the brand new federal administrative center of Malaysia, is a federal territory as well as the seat of the federal government and it is likely to remain modestly populated as long as the government continues to control the influx of workers from Indonesia.
Connections with other cities are well advanced and they are well worth visiting, especially Penang by the sea and Langkawi Island. Reduced travel rates from the Gulf are offered by Malaysian Airlines so it would be advisable to visit the country for two weeks during school holidays if you want to take the family along.
• Farouk Luqman is an eminent journalist based in Jeddah.