Sparkle And Hope in KL

"The Sparkle Project" beams out hope, and that cheeky and enchanting face, from the retaining wall below the train tracks in Kuala Lumpur.

There was a lot of street art all along this space, on both sides, for much of the train lines. A little colour and creativity to brighten the commute on the busy RapidKL Light Rail.

Contrasts of Kampung Baru in KL

Inspired by Yomadic's post, I went for a wander around the village of Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur to check out the authentic Malay style of living, right here in the city.

Just one stop away on the train from the ultra-modern KLCC and it's endless maze of shopping and lights, this village has it's own stores and local restaurants, it's places of worship, and school. It was quiet in the middle of the day, with only a handful of people about the narrow streets.

The ramshakled houses and stores, and the stalls and markets, are a treat to see after all the steel and lights and windows of the rest of the city. All with the imposing Petronas Towers in the background.

As I walked through I was approached by a couple of locals at different points, keen to help me find my way to the station, thinking that I was lost. They clearly don't get many tourists among these streets, as they go about their usual life in this pocket of KL.

The Big M in Kuala Lumpur

The sight of the twin buildings of the Petronas Towers is the iconic view of Kuala Lumpur; the view that confirms that you are in KL rather than any other big city in the world.

The night I arrived, I popped down to the KLCC to take in the view of the buildings from their foot. Here, hundreds of Malaysians and tourists alike had gathered around the pool in front of the buildings and the mammoth shopping centre, to watch the fountains and coloured light show.

I took in the view of the buildings from the pool edge, meant to be in the form of an "M" for Malaysia, with the bridge spanning across at floor 41 and 42.

I went back the next day to take in the view in the sunlight and blue sky - the detail and the balls at the top seem to twinkle in the sun, making the pillars of modernity seem pretty and enchanting.

With the idea of watching the sunset sink behind the Towers, and with yTravel Blog's view recommendation in mind, I found my way through the underground system from KLCC over to the Traders Hotel at the end of the day, and rode the elevator to the 33rd floor and the SkyBar.

I took a seat by the window to keep the Towers in view, and ordered a drink, as the clouds rolled in from the mountains to my right, and the sun tried to show it's sinking colours to the left.

This colour show, and the spectacular storm that ensued, gave me a totally different view of the Towers, occasionally disappearing from view all together through the heavy rain.

Ordering another drink to wait out the storm, and delighting in the bar with the hotel pool right through the middle, the sky then cleared and produced a perfectly clear view of the Petronas Towers once more, all lit up for the night.

Kuala Lumpur

Picking KL for my stopover on the way to my return to SE Asia was a toss up, but spending a full day yesterday exploring the sights, I was pleased with my choice.

I made my way over to the Merdeka Square (or Peace Square), and admired the gorgeous Sultan Adbul Samad Building on the edge of the square.

Originally built as past of the British rule government, hence the Big Ben clock, following Malaysian independence the style and purpose of the building was changed. It is now the high court.

The building sits on the edge of the square, which is surrounded by impressive buildings. One of these is the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, which has free entry.

I popped in for a break from the heat, but managed to take in the history of the city. They also have a room upstairs with a miniature model of the city, present and future, which gives you a great birds eye view, and also allows you to see the vision of the current buildings in construction. The world's second tallest building is part of the way to it's completion, which you can see below - the modern second tower on the right.

The Merdeka Square also has the Royal Selangor Club on it's other edge - and a concrete cricket pitch in the middle of the grassy square. Here is where the colonialists played cricket! Imagine!

From here, I walked around the back of the Sultan Adbul Samad Building to take in the view of Jamek Mosque, which is currently closed for renovations. Back to the train station, I got another train token to explore another area of the city.

Looking for the National Mosque, I thought that I had spotted it from the station, only to discover that the beautiful white buildings with it's domes and towers to be the KL Railway Station. Impressive!

The building across from this, the KTM Building, was equally grand and impressive, apparently combining British and Moorish architecture. Although there are no clues from the outside about what this building's business is.

By the time to did find the National Mosque, with it's modern take on it's features, it was prayer time and not open to non-Muslim tourists. I contemplated waiting it out, and I had read that you would be provided with appropriate clothing to be able to enter, but the heat and the lure of a cool break inside somewhere won me over. The view of the structures from the open entrance was intriguing, and so reverent.

At the end of my day exploring KL, I ventured back to Chinatown and the Jalan Petaling Market for dinner, picking an assortment of skewers, which were cooked up for me while I waited at the tables behind the stall. Delicious! 

Jalan Petaling Market

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon did not leave loads of time to explore on this first day of my stopover, after making my way to my AirBnB residence for the next two nights - but I was very keen to make my way to one of the night markets I had read so much about.

Taking the monorail, with the station attendant's suggestion, I alighted at a very quiet station, and followed the paper signs to Chinatown. Just when I was starting to doubt the girl's directions, and that of the signs, a street appeared with the Jalan Petaling Market all lit up.

The first section was rows and rows of stalls selling t-shirts and soccer guernseys, watches, handbags, and the usual assorted market wears. Again, I doubted the market, with such limited food smells...but kept making my way through.

With lanterns lit overhead, this market was bustling and full of life. Soon I reached a more open section with some food stops. But right at the end of the market is where the good stalls are, cooking up all sorts of things right there on the street.

There is the hot pot stall, with assorted things all cooking away in pots hanging around eye level to the street. There are stalls and stalls of fruit, some varieties I have never seen before, so colourful!

I ended up eating before I found the satay and assorted skewers stall - I think I know what I will have for dinner tomorrow night! He has everything available, threaded on sticks, ready to be thrown on the grill right there - octopus, satay covered meats, broccoli, corn cobs, yum!

The Maharajalela monorail station was the best option, bringing me through the market stalls, and easy to find from the elevated walkway from the station.