I
love KL–KUALA LUMPUR! And that’s why today and for the next few weeks, we are
at home exploring some of the older parts of this charming city.
Some
know Kuala Lumpur as a metropolitan city that never sleeps. Some call her a
city that always eats, and that’s how she grows and keeps on rising to expand
her waistline to form what we call today the greater Kuala Lumpur. The greater Kuala Lumpur’s area is covered by
10 municipalities surrounding Kuala Lumpur city and is today home to over 7
million people from various parts of the country and world. And speaking of ‘eating’, one would hardly
ever go hungry at any hour. Just drive out a couple of kilometres, and you are
bound to bump into a friendly neighbourhood restaurant or stall.
There
are newer parts of Kuala Lumpur which I also like, but our early morning walk
today is to look at the older jewels. The time is 6.15 am. It’s a rest day, and
the city is mostly ours for the next few minutes.
My
first stop is one I had passed by every single day during my secondary school
days commute: the Kuala Lumpur City
Central Railway Station. Grab your perfect spot across the street, wait a few
minutes and there! Watch that magnificent sunrise over the beautiful
Neo-Moorish styled domes and horseshoe arches. The station is located on Jalan
Sultan Hishamuddin (previously known as Victory Avenue). This was built in 1910
to replace an older station at the same site. The design of the station was
undertaken by Arthur Benison Hubback, an English architect who had also worked
on several other notable buildings in British Malaya.
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| The station |
This
station was once the central station for long distance intercity commuters up
until 2001 when the traffic was diverted to the new Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL
Sentral). Today the station serves as a
stop. The building also had a hotel to serve its passengers (Heritage Station
Hotel). I did once have coffee at the coffee house at the Heritage Hotel some
20 years back, decades before I started my coffee trail blog.
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| The new day starts. |
On
my left, opposite the railway station, is another famous landmark, the Hotel
Majestic. Stay with me–there are lots of
dates to digest here. Be assured, history was once one of my favourite
subjects, and if you have read some of my other postings, you would realise
that connection. This hotel originally opened in 1932 for guests. Just like the
railway stations, this building’s architecture was also influenced by the
transitional hybrid of neoclassical and Art Deco styles. The 51-room hotel then
served as a more luxurious option compared to the Heritage Station Hotel across
the street. In the past, Hotel Majestic had also been used for political
reasons - as a transit camp by the Japanese occupation government and then
years later as an important party and government meeting venue during pre- and post-independence
from the British.
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| A new life! |
In
1983, the hotel was officially closed for business, and in 1984 the building
was used as the national art gallery. In 1998, a new gallery was constructed
and took over that role as the new National Art Gallery (on Jalan Tun Razak). A
few years later, the Hotel Majestic was refurbished, remodelled, and once again
became alive in December 2012. Today it has 253 rooms in a new tower along with
47 rooms from the original majestic tower wing. I don’t know what happened to
the remaining four bedrooms.
Next
to the Majestic Hotel, heading towards the direction of the city, is another
Neo-Moorish styled building belonging to the railway station authorities. It is
used as an administrative office.
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| KTMB Administrative Building |
I keep to the path and approximately 200 meters away from the station is the National Mosque, a beautiful 16-pointed star green-blue roofed styled building that has a capacity for 15000 people. I learned a few more new details - the original structure was designed by a 3-person team (the UK and Malaysian architects) and was built in 1965. Its original roof was a pink structured one. If you have a picture of that, please do share it here. I would love to see it.
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| National Mosque |
Keep
walking, and you’ll pass by the Methodist Girls Secondary School, but you would
not be able to see it from where you are, as it is quite hidden. The school celebrated its 120th anniversary
in grand style in 2016.
Across
the street is the Daya Bumi complex, comprising a 35-story tower building and
the General Post Office Building. Here is where you can get your first day
covers or previous covers/special stamps, PO Boxes, and other special postal
needs. Don’t ask why, I know I am not a celebrity, but I did have a dedicated
PO Box for a very long time here in the 90s 😊 and this would indicate to you how
often I’d come here in the past. I did not get any real mail, but it got filled
with lots of marketing brochures. Both buildings have a white marble finish.
This complex was designed jointly by two local architect companies. The design
is Modern Islamic. It was completed in 1984. The tower is a commercial
building. This was used as the main office for Petronas before the Petronas
Twin Towers was built. ** At present, I don't have a close-up picture of the
building, but you have a glimpse of it above (view with the railway station).
After
the tunnel, you will find yourself in another historic landmark. Take a deep
breath because this is a grand place. You’ll see a lot here, but let me help
you visualise some of them. First Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square).
Located in the square is the Royal Selangor Club founded in 1884, once the
meeting place for educated and high ranking British colonial society. I think
it is still difficult to get membership in this club 😉. It was at Dataran Merdeka on the
midnight of 30 August 1957 that the British Flag was lowered and the Malayan
flag was raised. To the north is St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral which was built
in the mid-1890s.The cathedral is an example of English Gothic architecture.
This is open for all visitors.
In
front of Dataran Merdeka is the grand Bangunan Abdul Samad building. The
building was first used in 1897 as government offices during the British days.
The building also housed the superior courts of Malaysia (Federal, Appeal and
High courts) up until the early 2000s. R.A.J Bidwell and Hubback were both
responsible for its design. This is a 2-story building, stretching along Jalan
Raja. This was the largest building in Malaya. There are three towers with
copper-clad onion domes; the central one is the 41m high clock tower. This
clock still functions today. It is 7.30 am now!
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| Here I stand, tall and proud of who I am |
The
Dataran Merdeka area is usually closed to motor traffic on weekends, and this
becomes a favourite hangout for tourists and locals. This is a common place for
events of all scale – such as national day marches, flora parade, cultural
shows, marathons and sporting events. During FIFA world-cup, live matches are
shown here on the giant display, so join me and others for the next. This
morning there is a group of super-bikers assembled here before the start of an
expedition. I cheered them on as they left.
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| The Supporting Force |
Kuala
Lumpur is the national capital of Malaysia and is one of the leading economic
powers in South East Asia. Tilt your head up. Across the river, the odds of
sighting a local or foreign bank building nearby is good. This area is also the financial centre of the
country. I am now at the end of Dataran
Merdeka, and if I go straight north on this road, I’d be at the well-known
shopping district. But it’s still too early to start spending.
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| The 'bank' of banks. |
As
I write this entry, though it was just a short walk, it has opened me up to a
lifelong wealth of knowledge and a deep sense of appreciation for the roads I have
travelled on and the greatness of the buildings I see every day. And of course, as usual, there is always
coffee for you and me no matter where. I am back home; the fragrant morning
city air is still wrapped around me. I wanted something personal. I made myself
a Normandy coffee, a recipe from The World Encyclopaedia of Coffee, a book my
friend and colleague Joyce had lent me when she heard about my blog (and of
course, not forgetting my sister for getting me that huge and heavy hardcover
of the same. It survived TSA!! I will read every word of it!!). Normandy coffee is a tangy-apple-spiced hot
espresso, just right to absorb in all that well-flavoured history I learned today.
It is named after a region in France known for its apple orchards.
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| Spice up the day with a Normandy |
I
hope my morning walk has set you on the trail of curiosity to explore your city
and perhaps mine too someday. I can’t wait to hear your experience, so tell me
more about it. Until then enjoy the walk, take in your city, enjoy your cuppa,
maybe a Normandy, and have a good week ahead.
*
Note: references are made to online archives for historical facts.