One of the quirkiest, and to my mind charming, legacies of the British Empire are the hill stations dotted round South and Southeast Asia. Chosen for their cool climates, and endowed with an architecture redolent of “home”, they provided a welcome respite from the realities of living in the tropics. Once independence came to the … read the full post

While Chinatowns are all round the world, Little Indias are rather rarer. Except in Kuala Lumpur that is, which as of last year, has not one but two of them. Or not, depending on whether the area in central KL, which has been known as Little India for decades, has been officially stripped of its title. … read the full post

Most independent travellers coming to Kuala Lumpur are probably unaware that one of Asia’s largest entertainment and gambling complexes is less than a hour by bus from central KL. Located at about 1,700 metres above sea level, Resorts World Genting is a modern reworking of the colonial hill station concept. While places like Cameron Highlands … read the full post

For a city so in love with new high-rise buildings, not to mention motor vehicles, Kuala Lumpur is surprisingly green. Not in an eco-friendly sense, although that is improving slowly, but in terms of how much vegetation there is in among all the concrete. It is also well served by public open green spaces, most … read the full post

Anyone wandering round Kuala Lumpur could be forgiven for thinking it’s one big construction site. Everywhere you look, a new shopping centre or high-rise building is taking shape. A good deal of this frenetic building activity is understandable, as KL’s growing population needs places to live, work and shop. Unfortunately, much of the city’s remaining … read the full post

Some cities in the world are a pleasure to walk in. Others, somewhat less so. Kuala Lumpur, with its energy-sapping climate, would be a tough place to be a pedestrian at the best of times. But combined with inadequate pavements, dangerous road crossings, and drivers who never, ever, stop for you, it can often be … read the full post

June 30, 2011 marked a sad day for rail travel in Southeast Asia, with the last Malaysian train rolling into Singapore’s historic Tanjong Pagar station. Such is the charm of the art deco station that starting or finishing a journey there was one of the main reasons for travelling by rail. Neither Singapore nor Malaysia … read the full post

As recently as 20 years ago, Kuala Lumpur was a predominantly low-rise city, with hardly any buildings more than a few storeys high. Fast forward to today, and the situation could not be more different. KL is awash with shiny new high-rises, and on every street it seems that yet another temple to modernity is … read the full post

Given that window shopping is the most popular cultural activity in Kuala Lumpur, it may come as a surprise to visitors that the city has a thriving contemporary art scene. To be honest, it’s probably somewhat of a shock for many residents too. The main problem with seeing contemporary art in Kuala Lumpur is that … read the full post

One of the first things about Kuala Lumpur that will strike many visitors is how green the city is. Shiny new buildings abound, but so do beautiful old trees. And it is not just vegetation in among the concrete that is thriving; KL also has three large urban parks: KLCC Gardens, Titiwangsa Lake Gardens and … read the full post