Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. It is big and bustling. Two million people in one hot, sweaty concrete jungle of a city. I visited KL once before on business and did not like it much then. It is hard to like anywhere in the tropics when you must wear a business suit. My impressions this time remained similar. It is always hot, typically over 30°C and usually humid. There is an awful lot of reinforced concrete and glass. The airport is an hour’s drive from the city centre but only if you are lucky. Took us over twice that in the mid-afternoon traffic jam. We had had time for a short stroll around as night fell. A restaurant selling freshly made pasta right next to our hotel made a pleasant end to the day.
Kuala Lumpur is the sixth most visited city in the world, with 8.9 million tourists per year. It hosts many cultural and sporting events. It is also one of the world’s major centres of MICE tourism. Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions tourism refers to a specific type of business tourism in which organized groups are convened for professional, commercial, or networking purposes. The MICE sector is a fundamental component of the “events industry” and includes a wide range of activities such as conferences, congresses, conventions, forums, summits, exhibitions and trade shows, seminars, symposiums, workshops, product launches, board meetings and shareholder meetings, executive retreats and incentive programs, recognition events, celebrations of corporate or organizational milestones, and team-building initiatives. The city houses three of the world’s ten largest shopping malls. In short, it is a place I would rather avoid; however, we wanted to take a break between flights.
In the morning, we took a half day tour to visit a few places. First up was the Batu Caves. The cave complex contains many Hindu temples, the most popular of which is a shrine dedicated to Murugan. There is a ludicrously big statue of him by the steps up to the cave temple. We clambered up the brightly coloured steps and were genuinely impressed by the temple inside.
It was very busy though. I think it is always busy here. We arrived back at the bottom of the steps as just the same time as the rain. It can really rain here. Kuala Lumpur commonly floods because the drainage development has not kept up with the rest of the city development. We got soaked. We didn’t get cold. There was no drop in temperature at all. Not long after the rain stopped, we were dry again.
Next came the Thean Hou Temple. One of the largest Buddhist temples in Asia. Built by the Chinese 40 years ago and dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu. It is rather magnificent and very colourful. Dragons everywhere.
We got taken to the China Town area. There is an enormous outdoor market here which appears to specialise in a wide range of foods and an even wider range of counterfeit goods. Bags, perfumes, watches and all the other stuff found in the upmarket malls close to here – but at a fraction of the price. It was interesting to look around. But only for a short while.
The final stop of our tour was the landmark Petronas Towers. These two towers dominate the skyline at 450 m. From 1998 to 2004, they were to the tallest buildings in the world. Since then, a succession of taller buildings has sprung up. The Burg Khalifi is almost twice as tall. We grabbed a photo and then wandered off to find dinner. On the way, we found an impressive collection of supercars parked outside a mall. While waiting for Diane, I looked at the Gucci shop. One shop, about twenty handbags and no price tags. It is a strange way to do business. Gucci bags can easily cost up to £4,000 and then it still will not be lightweight, waterproof, easy to clean or secure. We enjoyed a lovely Indian meal and then retired to the hotel to prepare ourselves for leaving in the morning.
