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An Unabashedly Luxurious Weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysiaby Judy Babcock Wylie
In the Malaysian culture, concepts such as the biggest, tallest, oldest, and most expensive are important distinctions. This is a place where appearances do matter. Be sure to wear your most elegant watch, hire a sleek car, plan to dress smartly and be sure to slip your credentials into any chat with a local. If you don't, they'll ask you anyway, since rank and standing are of great interest. You'll feel welcome, as the biggest numbers of non-Asian tourists that visit Kuala Lumpur are Brits on their way to business in Asia or a holiday in Australia. Kuala Lumpur, which means "muddy estuary," began in 1857 as an outpost for Chinese tin miners at the joining of the Klang and Gombak rivers. By the turn of the century KL had become the colonial capital of the new Federated Malay States. Malaysia earned its independence in 1957 and KL later became the official seat of the country's government.
When you do venture out of your room to eat, you'll be stunned by the variety. Malaysian food is spicy and is often simmered in coconut milk, but there are also other cuisines to try. Whether it's mee goreng (fried noodles) at an outdoor food stall or braised whole fish at an elegant Chinese restaurant, KL is an eater's delight. The most happening and lively place to eat is Shook! on the lower ground floor of the Starhill shopping centre. Four open kitchens prepare Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Western grilled items as hip black-clad waiters wearing headphones take your order and radio it to the kitchen. The wine list includes every continuous vintage of Mouton Rothchild from 1945 to 1997. The open, noisy, but festive space rises several stories above you. The Bon Ton Restaurant on Jalan Kia Peng offers East-meets-West cuisine such as crab ravioli and papaya long bean salad in a converted bungalow where fans whir overhead and there is a colonial feel. The retro Coliseum Café, on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman opened in the 1920s, and although it has no actual menu, it's still famous for sizzling steaks and a Sunday tiffin of chicken curry. The waiters are known for not smiling. For Chinese food, the Shanghai restaurant in the Marriott is excellent, as well as the Shang Palace in the Shangri-la Hotel. For delicious fusion food that's not too wacky, such as almond and miso-crusted lamb rack, try Cilantro at MiCasa Hotel Apartments, with its chic bar downstairs and sleek dining room upstairs. Order the foie gras as a starter. Tamarind Hill, on the outskirts of the city in Ampang, serves Thai and Vietnamese dishes in a bungalow that was owned by a British rubber planter, complete with wooden floors, wide verandahs and surrounding greenery lit with romantic oil lamps and torches. The stir-fried tamarind prawns are great.
In the morning, pick up a copy of the New Straits Times and look for the cartoons by Lat, a popular and irreverent KL cartoonist who sometimes gently lampoons the city and its residents. To further orient yourself, head for Menara Kuala Lumpur, a combination telecommunications tower and tourist attraction built in the shape of a gasing, or Malaysian spinning top, a good place to get an eagle's eye view of the city. High-speed lifts take you to the viewing gallery or to a revolving restaurant called Seri Angkasa one level up, a spectacular place for lunch or dinner, with a buffet featuring Malaysian cuisine.
Some visitors to KL skip the sight seeing and go right to the shopping, which ranges from Blockbuster CDs to Gucci handbags. The city's answer to Knightsbridge is the new Bintang Walk, a pedestrian walkway stretching roughly a mile between the big vertical shopping centers such as the trendy Lot 10, and Starhill, a seven-level 100-shop mall with its own concierge, and which houses Versace, Prada, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. As you walk by in the heat of the day, the air conditioning wafts out as if people were inside fanning the air with money. As you stroll, Bintang Walk temps you with outdoor cafes, gelato bars, oyster bars, gourmet coffee stands, sushi counters and wine bars. When you finally get to the shops, there are a few local items to look for. Malaysia has a century-old reputation for fine pewterware, made from an alloy of tin combined with copper and antimony. You can find it made into platters, vases and candelabra. Royal Selangor is the most famous brand, and is sold in major malls and hotel gift shops.
Karyaneka and the Kompleks Budaya Kraf, on the same site on Jalan Conlay, are best for Malaysian handicrafts, from jewelry to weavings to baskets. There is also a craft village of 13 kampong houses on the site that sell textiles, batik and art, where you can buy directly from artists.
ASEANA is a collection of ten upscale gift, antique and handmade clothing shops located on the ground floor of the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre). There are shawl-sarong sets and smart day wear made by designers such as Marilyn Tan, Bobby Ch'ng and Ghea, silk- wrapped boxes, tea pots and sculptures arranged in a museum-like setting. I bought a long slender antique wood rice- planting tool, and was struck by how similar it was in shape to the futuristic towers that soared overhead, representing KL's future. LINKS Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board |
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TM
It was well past two o'clock in the morning after a late night flight into Kuala Lumpur's new KLIA airport when we arrived at the boutique-sized Ritz Carlton, expecting to see a sleepy doorman. Instead, as the door opened we were greeted by two employees busily scattering rose petals in our path and two others holding ceremonial gold rods bursting at one end into stylized palm fronds. Once on our floor, the strong smell of mint wafted over us. "We have drawn a soothing herb bath for you after your journey," purred the concierge with a slight bow. Welcome to Kuala Lumpur, now the best gateway to Asia, offering trendy shopping malls, a spanking new Star Wars airport and high rises sprouting on every corner. But its biggest strength is still the gentle Malaysian culture where people aim to please. It remains a place you can sit on the verandah of an old colonial hotel and sip a gin and tonic, enjoy a long Malaysian massage, or indulge in great Malay, Chinese or Indian food served from street stalls to fine restaurants.
KL, as residents call it, located midway along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is a city where a mirrored skyscraper may tower over a humble Hindu temple across the street, but the jumble of architectural styles is softened by acres of greenery. The historic center is studded with Moorish fantasy-style Colonial buildings with gleaming gold domes and minarets, designed by British colonial architects. in Malay and Victorian architecture, Chinese shop houses and late-night street markets and the place still feels exotic. But your eye keeps going up to admire the artistic tops of all the new high- rise buildings that scrub the skyline, including the city's pride, the twin Petronas Towers, currently the tallest buildings in the world.
As the capital city, Kuala Lumpur now sports the latest in data ports and infrastructure, but thanks to the still-recovering Malaysian economy, even the finest hotels remain a good value. The Shangri-La is the classic grand business hotel. Its quietly elegant Shang Palace has won awards as the city's best Chinese restaurant: don't miss their famous dim sum at lunch. For an utterly sybaritic treatment, call their Fitness Centre for a "Winery Treat," 150 minutes of being scrubbed down with vitamin E-rich grapeseed followed by a mud wrap, an aromatherapy body massage and a facial. The Regent has impeccable service, marble baths, and a stunning view from its Regent Club floor lounge. The Mandarin Oriental offers its usual polished service in a relatively new property nestled next to the twin towers. The Ritz Carlton is small and traditional, but its attentive service includes a technology butler who makes room calls. 
The best place to start exploring the city's history is at the grassy plot called Merdeka ("Freedom") Square. The mock Tudor building on one side is the Royal Selangor Club, which once served the British colonial elite. Check out the Sultan Abdul Samad building across the street, with its swirling outdoor staircases and assorted copper cupolas, built by British architect A. C. Norman in 1897 and crowned by Malaysia's answer to Big Ben, a forty-meter high clock tower. South of the square is the Masjid Negara, the National Mosque that can handle ten thousand worshipers, and the Moorish-mania Railway Station, with its seven minarets. East of the square is the pastel Art-Deco Central Market, once a wet market but now full of restaurants serving fish-head curry and shops selling antiques, batiks, fabric fans, baskets, puppets, herbal remedies and small rounds of cane sugar wrapped in palm leaves. Not far from the Central Market is Chinatown with its jumble of shops selling discount athletic shoes, cheap clothes and small appliances. Jalan Petaling is the famous street here, which is closed in the evening for a night market. If the press of crowds and the glitter of fake Rolexes appeal to you, go, otherwise tuck into the Bull's Head pub in Central Market , popular with expats, for a drink instead.
The most romantic place for afternoon tea (or to stay if you can get a reservation) is the 13-suite Carcosa Seri Negara, a historic colonial inn located in the former Victorian home of the British Governor, located high on a hill above the Lake Gardens. The suites have old etchings, brocades and Malaysian objects d'art., no doubt enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth during her stay. On the way down the hill, stop in at the Butterfly House inside the Lake Gardens, and better yet the Bird Park, which winds around streams and pools where local species such as the hornbill live in realistic habitats. Roughly 13 km north of the city lie the limestone Batu Caves, home to the country's most famous Hindu shrine. As you climb the 272 steps almost straight up to the Temple cave, monkeys scamper ahead of you on the stair railing, looking for handouts. There are three caves, the Dark Cave, with its brilliant rock formations, the Museum Cave which has scenes from Indian mythology and the Temple Cave, which is nearly 100meters high, with water dripping slowly through and the sun sending shafts of light down on worshippers. 
Songket is a heavy tapestry fabric embedded with gold and silver threads, and woven on a traditional floor loom. It's often made into jackets, vests or handbags. Intricate Kelentan silver craft jewelry, often filigreed using silver wire, or hammered with patterns, is made into brooches or other costume jewelry.