Kuala Lumpur

Matt and I had a great time in Kuala Lumpur...we needed some fun after everything that has happened in the past month! It was great because we had no expectations for KL. We didn't know what to expect...but we loved it! It is a beautiful, green, lush city. It is clean, the streets are wide, and it feels alot less crowded that Hong Kong. While we did see some other travellers, the whole city wasn't geared for tourists, so it had a nice, laid back feeling.

One of the nicest parts of KL is the diversity. It is a mix of Chinese, Malay, and Indian people and which has led to a really interesting fusion and non-fusion of cultures. (If that makes sense...what I mean is that the cultures have held on to their traditions but also borrowed things from the others.) Also, KL used to be part of a British colony, and yet most of the Malay people are muslim, so the buildings are a really cool blend of colonial and Islamic styles. The city is gorgeous! Even the airport was awesome...it had a sort of peaked roof and in the center of our terminal was a tiny section of enclosed rainforest with windows all around it so you could see the rainforest while sitting and waiting for your plane. This was especially cool while it was raining.

Also, the public transportation was great...you could get anywhere you wanted on the monorail, light rail, metro or commuter train. But then, I am fascinated by public transportation in any city, as invariably it is always light years ahead of what we have in the US. (Except maybe in New York.)

I really liked the location of the hotel we stayed at, the Federal Hotel. We were rgiht on Jalan Bukit Bintang, close to all of the shops, monorail, and street stalls.


Meagan in front of Petronas Towers 


Matt at the monorail station