Tag Archive for: Kuala Lumpur

Some curious facts about Malaysia

In total, we spent 28 days in Malaysia and we have visited Kuala Lumpur, Borneo (Kuching), Penang (Georgetown) and Langkawi. Our main purpose was to do a „little travel break“, meaning that we wanted to use some time for ourselves, travel slower and take time to understand what we have already experienced during our world tour till that point. This little break felt great, especially in Kuching where we could enjoy moments of a „normal life“.

What we understood in these 4 weeks in the country is that there is too much to discover and therefore we will definitely need to come back. Here are some of the facts that we learned about Malaysia:

Fact #1 Diversity

In Malaysia, you can find a great diversity of landscapes: beaches, jungle, big city life, small city life, islands, mountains and hills etc. Even if we stayed for a short time we got to experience a bit of everything. We got to know the variety of food on the island of Penang and in Borneo, we explored the jungle wildlife of Bako National Park, we enjoyed some time at the beach and hiking in Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur impressed us with big skyscrapers and well organized public transportation – Malaysia really offers everything.

Fact #2 Religion and ethnic groups

It is not only the way nature defines the diverse landscapes, but also the cities are shaped by their population described as a diversity of nationalities with different cultures and beliefs. In Malaysia, you will find many different ethnic groups. The Malays are the biggest community, practicing Malay culture and customs and following Islam. Also, their language (Malay) is the national language of the country. The second-largest group is the Malaysian Chinese (23%) followed by the Indian community that, with 2 million people (7%), is the smallest of the three main ethnic groups.

English is spoken all over the country as Malaysia has been under the British Empire till 31.August 1957. That day was declared as Independence Day and public holiday (Hari Merdeka).

KUCHING BORNEO MALAYSIA

Fact #3 Palm oil

The next fact is a critical one, but we think it is important to be spoken about. Malaysia is after Indonesia the second largest producer of palm oil. Palm oil comes originally from West Africa, but nowadays 80% is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia, which means around 60 million tons of oil per year. The problem with the cheap oil is that is used in many different industries (auto, food, cosmetics, etc.) and the request is permanently increasing, therefore more and more rain forest is burned down, which creates an extremely dangerous threat leading to the extinction of orangutans and other animals.

Fact #4 Petronas Towers

The most known symbol of Malaysia are definitely the Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur. They are the tallest twin towers in the world, and from 1998 to 2004 they were the highest building in the world. With 451.9m high they also feature the highest 2 store bridge in the world in the 41st and 42nd floor.

KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA

Fact #5 Modern country Malaysia

We must say that Malaysia has a similar culture and natural environment to the one in Indonesia, but it is much more modern than we thought at the beginning. Not only in Kuala Lumpur, but also in other cities you can find a very good infrastructure and transportation methods, modern buildings, commercial centers and malls.

There is so much more to say about Malaysia and we really hope that soon we will get another chance to not only visiting Kuala Lumpur while changing flights but also have another longer stop in this modern country.

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Kuala Lumpur – the beautiful capital city of Malaysia

Our time in Nepal was short and even if we wish it could have been a bit longer, the first signs of the upcoming monsoon convinced us to plan an early escape. The last week of May would find us walking on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.
Our expectations for Malaysia were low since we were only searching for a good place to stay away from the rainy season and rest after more than three months of being constantly on the road. But we were very much impressed by how beautiful and modern the country is and Kuala Lumpur happened to be at the same level as many European cities.
But, despite the fact that we had good weather on our side, we appreciated every drop of rain. The high temperatures kept us most of the time inside our accommodation until we were able to adapt to it properly.
Luckily, the Malaysian capital city has a well-organized public transportation system, so we hadn’t had to move much on foot, but still be able to see most of the landmarks that we planned to visit. There was even a free bus system that connected most of the touristic attractions. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and Merdeka Square were just some of the stops on our route. Apart from skyscrapers and a sophisticated transportation network, Kuala Lumpur’s streets are filled with markets, restaurants and gardens, all bringing together a diverse community of people of different traditions and beliefs.

KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA

The Skyline of Kuala Lumpur

One of the highlights of our stay in Kuala Lumpur was admiring the skyline at night from the top of one of its skyscrapers. Heli Lounge Bar has a large terrace opened on the roof of the building. It is enough to order a drink and that will serve also as a ticket for a spectacular view. The Petronas Twin Towers and the communications KL Tower are dominating the urban landscape.

KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA

 

But there is fun happening also outside the city’s center. Take a train or a bus to the Batu Caves, to admire impressive rock formations, some of them hosting large Hindu temples. Visiting the Dark Cave requires a higher fee than the other caves due to conservation efforts, but instead promises to offer more entertainment to adventurous explorers.

 

A large variety of foods is available on almost every street in Kuala Lumpur. Chinese and Indian restaurants are widely spread, together with well-known brands that offer western food.
We arrived in Malaysia at the beginning of Ramadan and while the holy Muslim time is considered to be low season, we were more than happy to enjoy our stay away from the crowds of tourists. Ramadan also brings people together during the many buffets that offer tasty and cheap street food. So we could say that Ramadan time can be a food lover’s paradise.
One week later we took a flight to Kuching, on the island of Borneo where we went to discover other parts of the country.

See more pictures from Kuala Lumpur here.

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