Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia has been oft written about. However another piece on a personal experience will only add to the charm that the city offers with its fusion of modern architecture with that of the old city.

A walk through Kuala Lumpur sans a visit to the stand alone Petronas, is in itself a fulfilling experience when one gets to walk around the modern town as it merges into its historical fold.

Late evening stroll in the central business district of Bukit Bintang, the entertainment, fashion and food hub of Kuala Lumpur is something that takes away the feel of a tiring day. Housed with Changkat Bukit Bintang, a place to pub crawl; Jalan Alor, housing local restaurants and hawkers along with Arabic and western cuisine, Beryjaya Times Square and Pavilion Mall, housing most of the world’s best in fashion.

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Berjaya Times Square

A refreshing evening at Bukit Bintang was followed the next day with a visit to the King’ Palace, or Istana Negara in Malay, which means National Palace (derived out of the Sanskrit words Sthaan which means resting or sitting place and Nagar which means Town or in this case, Country).

A must visit, the Istana Negara main gates are flanked by horsemen who take turns to guard every hour, when there is a change of guard cerermony…and the guards don’t smile. The Istana Negara, located on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Hamid in the northwestern part of Kuala Lumpur is home to monarch of Malaysia, Yang di-Pertuan Agong.  This Palace replaced the old residence in 2011.

This was followed by a visit to the National War Memorial or the National Monument.  Dedicated to soldiers who laid down their lives in the struggle for freedom against Japanese occupation during World War II, it also commemorates those who fought during the Malaysian Emergency (1948-1960).

A 15meter tall structure, the National Monument was designed by Felix de Weldon, and is a successor to the earlier Kuala Lumpur Cenotaph constructed by British colonizers to commemorate British Malayan Soldiers who laid down their lives during the 1914-18 war.

Kuala Lumpur, which means muddy confluence of the rivers Gombak and Klang, houses the River of Life.  The two rivers merge towards centre of the city, which also is a place where the old city and the modern infra of Kuala Lumpur merge seamlessly.

Kuala Lumpur – Confluence of the Rivers Gombak and Klang

The old city houses the Malaysian Heritage Walk (Kasruti Walk), which is adjacent to the 1888 Central Market.  Across the street is the bustling China Market or Jalan Petaling.  The old buildings of Kuala Lumpur consist of the National Textile (Muzium Textil Negara) and the British Administrative Building that are beautiful in architecture.  The hustle and bustle of the China Market and Central Market are quite pronounced as right across the street are some really homely streets that are sleepy towards afternoon.

Malaysian Heritage Walk – Kasturi Walk

Kuala Lumpur – Jala Petaling (China Market)

Jalan Petaling – Hazelnuts being treated with coffee beans to lend them the brown glow

National Textile Museum

Kuala Lumpur – Adminstrative Bulding

Kuala Lumpur – Old City Streets

Kuala Lumpur – Old City Streets