Definitely In KL

Question….

What do you do if you just happen to have the tallest flag pole in the world, plonked to one end of a square in your capital city?

Answer...

Stick the worlds largest flag on top of it, that’s what you do.

(Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur).

Flag poles to one side Kuala Lumpur, or KL as we travellers like to call it, has a couple of other tall things, of which it is very proud of. Not least is the two skyscrapers that make up the Petronas Towers, which for a few years were the tallest buildings in the world. They still are the tallest twin towers in the world, probably, or at least the tallest in South East Asia, certainly the tallest in Malaysia and definitely in KL.

They are magnificent to see day or night, they make a breathtaking city scape. What KL lacks in natural beauty such as Cape Town, Rio and Sydney, they certainly make up with, with the towers. They are special at anytime of the day, but at night they are just WOW. The good folk of KL adore them and its easy to see why, they are their north and south poles, they stare at them, they navigate by them, they meet under them, they drink, dine and romance with them.

To the people of KL they are just awe inspiringly tall and I have to say, even though I am twice as tall as the average person from KL they are awe inspiringly tall to me also. In fact I feel exactly the same as they do about them.

But, it turns out that its not just tall flag poles and tall twin towers because KL also has the 7th, yes the 7th tallest communication tower in the world. On top of the tower is a revolving restaurant, which is without doubt the highest revolving restaurant on a communication tower in KL, possibly in South East Asia and maybe the world.

The restaurant itself is a little over the top in a sort of 70’s disco way, its the sort of place John Travolta in his white suit swishing his hips and humming Night Fever wouldn’t be out of place in. Its all chrome, mirrors and purple lighting. The evening meal is in the form of a buffet, which if I am honest is not my preferred dining option. But what makes this interesting is the fact that your table rotates around the tower, whilst the buffet stays still in the centre. Which means every time you want to refill your plate you literally have to go hunting for your food, because it will have moved. Then with a plateful of food, in the low lit disco of a restaurant you have to then find your table again, dodging a hip swishing John Travolta.

There is a lot of buildings being constructed around KL and all of them seem to be a high rise something or another, no one seems to be building just a house, or even a small shopping centre or office block. It does seem that if you are going to build in KL today you start by digging a massive hole, about 50 meters deep and at least the size of a football pitch, this will be your footings.

So Malaysia, or at least KL is a place of tall buildings and things, which I guess is a sort of counter balance to the population, who are short. As I discovered this shortness can catch you out at times. For example, if a guy goes to a toilet for a pee in most countries of the world, there will be a line of urinals which are at adult height and one a lot lower for kids and Ronnie Corbett look a likes. In Malaysia its the other way around.

There is no end to Malaysia’s amazing things as soon after leaving KL I was to find myself in the oldest rain forest in the world and walking on the longest canopy walk in South East Asia, I think.

CLICK HERE for snaps of Malaysia and the rest of my SEA16 trip