kuala lumpur: sticky, sweaty, and kinda lost
so i'm in kuala lumpur now, and honestly, i'm a bit overwhelmed. it's huge, it's hot, and it's humid. i just checked and it's 25.88 degrees celsius with 89% humidity and it feels like 26.85 right now, hope you like that kind of thing. also the pressure is 1014 hpa, but i don't really know what that means, just that it's sticky. here's a map if you're lost like i was:
the city is built at this muddy river confluence - klang and gombak, which in malay means 'muddy confluence' - and let me tell you, it's muddy. they say it was founded by chinese tin miners in the mid-1800s, which explains the old colonial buildings and the fact that it was part of selangor until 1974 when it became a federal territory. someone told me that the british colonial influences are still visible in the architecture, but honestly, all i see are tall buildings and a lot of traffic.
the geography is... well, it's a valley with mountains to the east and the strait of malacca to the west. it's hilly and the kelang river runs through the center. the climate is tropical rainforest, which means it rains a lot - about 2400 mm a year, with the wettest months being march-april and october-december. we're in october, so you can imagine how much it's raining. also, it's prone to flash floods. the highest point is bukit nanas at 94 meters, which is basically a hill compared to the skyscrapers.
if you get bored, subang jaya, klang, petaling jaya, gombak, putrajaya, and cyberjaya are just a short drive away. i tried to go to petaling jaya yesterday but the traffic was so bad i turned back. someone told me that the public transport is pretty good, so i'm going to try the trains and the airport link (klia) today. the city is surrounded by selangor state, which is kind of weird because it's an enclave.
the city is known for its skyline - the petronas twin towers (88 stories) and merdeka 118 (118 stories) are insane. the twin towers used to be the tallest, but now they're just really tall. the kl tower is 421 meters, which is the mast height. there's also the golden triangle commercial hub. other sites include colonial architecture along the embanked kelang river and batu caves nearby. i haven't made it to batu caves yet because of the rain, but i hear it's worth it.
the food is supposed to be amazing, reflecting the multicultural mix of malay, chinese, and indian. but honestly, i haven't had much because it's been raining so much and i'm tired. someone told me that the street food in the golden triangle is the best, but i'm not sure if i can handle the humidity and the crowds. the population is about 1.98 million in the federal territory, and it's a mix of everything. it's the financial and economic hub, so there are a lot of business people and tourists.
things to be aware of: high humidity, heavy rain, flash floods, moderate pollution, and seasonal haze from indonesian fires. the traffic in the center is terrible, but the suburbs are better planned. the area gets a lot of rainfall, with drier months in june-july. so if you come, bring an umbrella and a raincoat.
overall, it's a city that's grown from a tin-mining town to a financial powerhouse. the strategic river confluence and the flatlands on the west coast helped it grow faster than east-coast cities. it's a fusion of colonial, modern, and tropical valley geography. but right now, i'm just tired and sticky. maybe tomorrow i'll feel more energetic.
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