May 2006
Kuala Lumpur is a haphazardly active city, so actively developing that the guide books seem to be more wrong than right at times. It has a wide array of excellent food choices, and plenty of sights to see. Although the population is a thorough mix of Western, Indian, Chinese and (Muslim) Malay people, there seems to be little tension between the groups nowadays. The city ranges from very developed and western like the areas around Bangsar, the foreign district, and the Petronas Towers, to a chaotic jumble of buildings, roads and power lines in parts of the city centre. Overall, it is not a city that is friendly to pedestrians. Street crossing lights (when available) are always red, or only turn green for five to ten seconds. In other areas, it takes a lot of convoluted running about just to cross the street. To get to the National Palace, we had to run across a highway, cut through buildings, and take a seemingly infinite number of overpasses, tunnels, and bridges just to find out that it was not open to the public. Tourist information is not entirely accurate either, considering how it was them who recommended we go to the palace in the first place!
The city welcomes openly welcomes foreign travellers, and is reasonably open. The only exception is that women have to cover their hair, and men have to wear long sleeves and trousers when entering a mosque, which is reasonable, even though It is worth visiting if you are in the area, but make sure to hire a car and a driver!
