Selamat Detang ke Kuala Lumpur

(Conclusion)

Kuala Lumpur, as I described in the first part of this article, is at once a city of familiarity and surprises. Though we possess similar physical features and use words which the Malaysians also do, Malaysian culture has a different texture than ours owing to its predominantly Muslim heritage. That’s why it would be quite easy for us Filipinos to warm up to Malaysia’s capital yet still expect to embark on a journey of discovery.

A most convenient way to fly to Kuala Lumpur is via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, especially on its World Business Class. Here I was delighted by the impeccable service, generous seating space, satisfying meals, and a flight that started and ended on time.

I also described some of the city’s tourist attractions – the imposing 88-storey Petronas Towers; the colossal Putrajaya Mosque in the 4,581-Putrajaya Complex just outside Kuala Lumpur; the 421-meter high Menara Kuala Lumpur telecommunications tower, the tallest in Asia, where we enjoyed dinner in its revolving restaurant; and the modern Swiss Garden Hotel where we were billeted.

With KLM Sales Manager (Philippines) Joey Laurente, Outsource PR Managing Director Gerry Zorilla and four fellow-Filipino journalists, we continued our leisurely tour of the sights of Kuala Lumpur guided by Paul Raj of World Express.

Since I’ve always believed that trips anywhere would not be complete without sampling local cuisine, I enjoyed our lunch at the Seri Melayu Restaurant at No. 1 Jalan Conlay. I heartily recommend this restaurant to first-time visitors (and even frequent ones!) because, with its Malaysian-themed interiors (including a typical wedding dais) and dishes from various Malaysian states, it provides a quick introduction to the richness of Malaysian cuisine.

Similarly, a visit to the Craft Complex (also at Jalan Conlay) familiarized our group with Malaysian crafts including batik, ceramics, hand-loomed songket (woven with cotton, silver and gold thread), jewelry and pottery. Here we found a crafts and an artists’ colony, shops, a crafts museum, a sidewalk café and a batik and weaving gallery.

Next came a more physical tour – climbing 272 steps to reach the awesome mountain-top limestone Batu Caves. Little monkeys hang out on the way up and inside the caves so you have to be careful not to munch on or hold anything they might grab! Since I had never entered a cave that huge – it was almost like entering a cathedral – with sunlight streaming in through a gap in the cave roof, I thought it was fascinating that Mother Nature had somehow managed to carve such a formation.

Descending was much easier and off we went to the Central Market. Now this is the place to go to if you’re the kind of traveler who simply must bring home pasalubong for your friends and family. The variety of handicrafts and novelty items here is amazing and they’re sold at prices much lower than in other shops.

A visit to Kuala Lumpur would not be complete without a tour of the world-renowned Royal Selangor, the world’s largest pewter factory and Malaysia’s top souvenir maker. Its products, exported to 20 countries, are created by over 500 workers skilled in the fine arts of designing, casting, polishing, soldering, engraving (by hand or computer) and finishing pewter (composed of 97 percent tin, three percent antimony and copper) which they turn into everything from jewelry to display items. Royal Selangor also produces sterling silver items.

Time flew so quickly and it was time to head home after less than three days in Kuala Lumpur. I couldn’t wait to tell my fellow Filipinos to go visit Kuala Lumpur. It’s a bustling modern city steeped in tradition, yet without the horrendous traffic jams we have here in Manila. In Kuala Lumpur you can choose to be laid back or on the go, whatever suits you at the moment.

By the way, there are even better reasons to fly to Kuala Lumpur via KLM. According to Gerry Zorilla, KLM has added (since June 29), another flight between Manila and Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur every Friday until Oct. 25. This move is expected to boost local tourism, as an additional inbound flight is expected to carry in more tourists.

KLM also flies from Manila to Amsterdam everyday except Wednesdays (departure time is at 7:40 p.m., arrival in Amsterdam at 7 a.m.). Flights coming from Amsterdam en route to the Philippines are also scheduled everyday except Tuesdays (departure time at 7:45 p.m. and arrival in the Philippines at 6:15 p.m.).

Gerry adds that KLM has an ongoing Double Miles Promo until Sept. 15 of this year. Passengers can earn double World Perks Bonus miles by registering for this promotion at www.klm.com.ph when flying round-trip from Asia to any point in Europe onboard KLM. You can enroll via the KLM website to start earning bonus miles when you fly with KLM.

KLM and its partner airlines operate a route network connection of over 360 cities in 78 countries in six continents.

For inquiries on KLM flights to Kuala Lumpur, call tel. no, 8154790/92 or visit the KLM website at www.klm.com.ph.

(E-mail the author at [email protected])