Kuala Lumpur is a booming metropolis that never seems to sleep. From its humble beginnings as a tin-mining outpost on the mud banks where the Gombak and Klang rivers met (hence its name 'Muddy Estuary'), Kuala Lumpur has grown rapidly into a world-class city in just over 100 years. Kuala Lumpur then was barely made up of a few shacks but today, Kuala Lumpur or 'KL' - as it is more affectionately known - can boast of being home to the world's tallest building as well as the world's longest fully automated light rail transit system (...if that kind of thing excites you).
In my guide to Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley - I shall divide the city up into areas which locals tend to use to orientate themselves.
Old Kuala Lumpur is centred around 'Chinatown' and 'Merdeka Square' (Independance Square) and here you will find the exact birth-spot of this city. Still bustling with noise and choas, day and night, Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown is one of the few authentic Chinatowns left in this region that continues to trade like it has done for over 100 years.
The 'Golden Triangle' situated just Northeast of Chinatown is modern Kuala Lumpur. This is where you will find the Kuala Lumpur City Centre project (known as 'KLCC' district)combining the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur Symphony Hall and the Suria Shopping Centre set within acres of landscaped gardens and lakes. Apart from the KLCC project, most major international hotels will be found on this golden stretch along Jalan Sultan Ismail and up all the way towards Jalan Bukit Bintang which is located in the heart of the 'Bukit Bintang' (Star Hill) district. 'Bukit Bintang' has traditionally been Kuala Lumpur's fashion district with shopping malls and hotels inter-twined to entice visitors to 'shop-till-you-drop'.
The 'Lake Gardens' - an oasis and green lung for the Klang Valley actually makes up almost a third of Kuala Lumpur's land mass. Not many people expect to find this, but is a showcase of KL's greenery which has thankfully been preserved. Home to the National Monument, National Museum, Official Prime Minister's Residence, The Parliament Building and Queen Elizabeth's old holiday retreat (now the Carcosa Hotel), this area is lush and has mansions dotted within it to prove the point. Acres of parkland, jungle and cultivated gardens located near the exclusive Royal Lake Club oddly makes walking in this city an attractive option again...but I would only do this here and nowhere else.
Bangsar - a suburb west of the city (and the Lake Gardens) and located near the new Kuala Lumpur Sentral station, was initially a large rubber estate but was razed in the early-1970s, to become a suburb much needed to cater to the growing generation of middle-class, baby-boomers starting up in Kuala Lumpur at the time. Those babies have since grown up and with them, Bangsar has become one of 'the' areas to live in and (sadly...) more importantly to 'be seen' in. Sidewalk cafes a la California and tapas bars with 'al fresco' dining have sprouted together with a host of smart minimalist bars and fine restaurants which were all once convenience stores. World-renowned DJs from Ibiza and New York hold invitation parties here and world leaders can be seen dining along Jalan Telawi Tiga - the hub of this semi-pedestrianized district.
'Petaling Jaya', a housing concept that was designed by the out-going British administration in the late 1950s, today makes up the largest connurbation of residents within the Klang Valley. Thank goodness it doesn't look anything like Milton Keynes (England) but then again is not far off. 'PJ' as it is better known is a system of grids - with Sections (Seksyen) and numbered streets (Jalan), so Jalan 3/72 would locate street no.72 in Section 3...not the most inspirational of places but nonetheless purely functional.
Damansara, located between PJ and Bangsar is a rather pleasant 'green' area of the Klang Valley, which also has the advantage of being conveniently located near the city centre. Here you will find some of the larger homes within the city with a few shops dotted about but little else...oh and the 'Science Centre'(?). Of late, Damansara and its neighbour 'Mont Kiara', have experienced some development in bars and restaurants, largely as a result of the spill-over from neighbouring Bangsar located just at the next hill.
Subang was built as a new-town and an extension to Petaling Jaya during the 1980s, further out west along the Federal Highway. Although being just as functional as PJ, Subang has actually managed to develop in its own right owing to its distance from the city centre. Subang residents have taken full advantage of its wide open spaces and thus has some of the best golf courses in the world and not to mention some of the largest shopping malls in the Klang Valley too...along with the ubiquitous IKEA store.
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