Malaysian KUL

I’m sitting back in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA to its friends), sipping a beer and enjoying their free wireless internet service. My flight leaves in two hours, and I kind of wish I had a bit longer at this airport. This is because KLIA is a great airport. Which is fitting, because KL is a great city.

Really great. I’ve spent barely a day and a half here, and I’m all set to move in. I can’t think of anywhere else I’ve ever been that can compare. New York is a fantastic place, packed with culture, world-renowned landmarks and with a distinct edgy flavour – but it’s not as good as KL. I loved Zagreb, with its enchanting city centre and outdoor cafes spilling onto the roads to create a lively, friendly, exciting atmosphere – but KL is better. And for all I enjoyed Korea, even its thundering, bustling capital Seoul can’t rival its Malaysian counterpart. I’m flying back to Aberdeen and, well, oh dear: no competition, it’s like Barnet vs Barcelona.

KL is something special: a cosmopolitan capital without pretension, an Asian metropolis clean and orderly, a concrete jungle packed with greenery, a city pretty head to toe. It’s on the ascent and has a long way to go, and the optimism is palpatable everywhere. It’s Asian Muslim, and has married the best of both worlds without succumbing to the negatives. It’s developing with a direct eye on being developed. Architecturally, it’s magnificent, with one dead-gen world famous landmark surrounded by a host of other original, delightful structures. It’s peaceful, friendly, leisurely, fun.

It’s great, basically.

Of course, just 36 hours there; can that be enough for a considered view? Probably not. All I really saw was the city centre, plus a wander round Chinatown and the Indian part. I went to the top of a tower – the KL Menari Tower – and viewed the city from above, and almost all cities look good from 250m up on a clear day. I stayed at a wonderful, soothing, stylish hotel, and where you stay always facilitates your experience. But then, people fall in love in an instant, so they say; love at first sight when their eyes meet from across the crowded room. Only time can tell whether that first jump of the heart develops into a lifetime of growing old together, or is a passing infatuation over all too soon. But what I do know is that no other city has ever come close to matching KL’s first impression, and I feel I’ve only scratched the surface as a superficial tourist.

As you might be able to tell, I rather liked Kuala Lumpur. Likewise, I rather liked Malaysia. After the grim, disturbing hell that festers in Nigeria, Malaysia reaffirms faith not in humanity. This isn’t a perfect nation, but to be honest in my week here – albeit spent very pampered – I’ve seen very little imperfect with it. As I say, I’ve barely scratched the surface. But the place has been a revelation, and I can’t wait to go back.

My day and a half, basically, has been spent relaxing and doing a few tourist things. I could quite happily have spent my entire time in my hotel, but felt it prudent to do a little sightseeing. I took a long wander round the shopping centre of the Petronas Towers, and bought a gold-plated chess set for £300. This might seem excessive but the moment I saw the set I knew I had to buy it: it was beautiful, and if I had refrained I’d be bitterly regretting it now. I wandered for a while in the evening, through the Indian part of town, then to what I think was part of Chinatown, where I allowed myself to be hustled into an outdoor restaurant, where I stuffed my face with barbecued squid and 660ml bottles of Tiger. I queued early in the morning to get a ticket for the Petronas skybridge (the bridge linking the towers). I wandered up to the KL Menari Tower and watched the city from above. I bought books, drank coffee, sat outside, and looked at all the Asians.

Because KL is cosmopolitan, but Asian cosmopolitan moreover. From the West, it’s easy to lump Asians into one category, or perhaps two – Chinese and Indian. But a wander through KL and it’s clear how distinct all the nationalities are – the aforementioned Chinese and Indian in their various forms, Malaysian of course, Japanese, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Pakistani, Arab: all these were seen. There were hardly any Westerners or Africans. All this multiculturalism meant, of course, one important thing: great food.

But I see that I should really be moving on towards making sure I’m on this flight, otherwise I’ll be trapped here. Which might not be so bad. But duties call in Aberdeen, and I’m sure I’ll be sent off somewhere else within a few days – maybe even hours – of getting back, so I’ll just have to lodge a request to go on future Malaysian jobs, and perhaps strongly encourage my company to open an office here.

Hotel Maya

I've stayed in quite a lot of hotels in my time, and certainly in the last year with work. Hotels, like girls, come in all shapes and sizes, some cheap and some classy, some not worth even a night, others worth a whole week. Usually with work, the hotels are pretty decent 4 star affairs, with a swimming pool, bar, restaurant and alright location. One time I had a three bedroom suite, with two levels, all to myself, and the most recent one in Kuantan was a resort hotel on the beach.

But now, the hotel I'm staying at in Kuala Lumpur on my day's holiday before going home, is the best yet. It was booked and paid for by me, and I've outdone myself. This is simply the best hotel I've ever stayed at.

It's called the Hotel Maya and is situated smack bang in the city centre. It has genuine style, dark wood and glass with all the right curves and angles, but has the substance to match it. It's got all the obvious things a good hotel room should have (but often doesn't), like big TV, DVD player, broadband internet for free, stupidly big bed, but also has the other less obvious things that a seasoned hotel veteran requires: free coffee, free water, iron and ironing board, kettle, and they even surprised me by supplying an umbrella, which I've already put to use.

In my enthusiasm for this hotel, I've taken some photos that I'd like to share with you.

This is the room as you first see it. Observe the style, confidence and calm.


The desk is particularly impressive, as it can be slid along to suit your personal taste. Thoughtfully, as seen centre top of the picture, a plug adaptor is supplied for those without the three pinned plugs. Top right is a case containing all the information you might require about the hotel.


This reclining chair is a masterstroke. For not only is it ideal for resting on and viewing the city through the wall-to-wall window, but it amply demonstrates the implicit understanding of style from whoever designed this room. Because it's pink! In a room of cream and dark browns, this is a bright pink chair, and it works perfectly.


The view from my window - the KL Menara Tower. I can also see a children's school and playground, lots of trees and some pretty buildings surrounding a courtyard. Other rooms will have a view of the Petronas Twin Towers.


This is my room as seen when standing by the window. You'll immediately notice the room and the bathroom are only separated by glass, although there is the option of drawing a curtain across for privacy. This makes the room seem more spacious, and much brighter.


The shower has wooden flooring, a stool if all the standing tires you, and the option of a handheld nozzle or water from vertically above.


Yet more style. Soaps on offer include "Sandalwood & Oatmeal Scrub Soap" and "Honey & Oatmeal Scrub Soap". The latter, I believe, can also be eaten for breakfast.


A poor photo, I'm afraid. This is of the side of the TV cabinet, which opens out to reveal a coffee machine and a fridge. It took me half an hour to figure out the coffee machine, but then, I'm particularly stupid when it comes to these kind of things. It turned out my main mistakes were not filling it with water, and accidently turning the dial controlling the amount of coffee poured to virtually zero.

I ♥ K L

Sleepy in Malaysia

I'm in Malaysia, and really enjoying it, but good golly I'm tired. With skipping forward eight hours, spending a day in the air, being forced to fast for a medical, and being thrust from hotels to base, I've lost track of what day it is, and my body refuses to believe what the daylight and various timepieces are telling it. Hence, I went to sleep at 10pm last night and woke promptly at midnight, and refused to go back to sleep again.

Apart from the random attacks of drowsiness though, Malaysia is extremely pleasant. Even the Halliburton base, where I've been working for the last couple of days, is alright. The hotel resort I'm staying at is great. It's right next to a massive stretch of beach that's pretty unpopulated by tourists, and is fully equipped with plenty of facilities, should I have time to use them. The breakfast is perhaps the best I've ever seen. Yes, make no mistake, I am not one for idle exaggeration, the breakfast here is terrific. This morning I ate what I think was the largest breakfast of my life, with three giant courses of Chinese-style noodles washed down with about twenty glasses of fresh orange juice. I could barely finish my coffee after.

I got here on Tuesday night, following three flights, which doesn't include the first flight of Monday morning of Dublin to Inverness. It was delayed by an hour, and with the terrible weather conditions causing it, the road to Aberdeen was pretty poor. I arrived at work just in time to realise that the only way I could possibly make the first leg of my flight, to Heathrow, would be to drive like a man possessed in Aberdeen rush hour. I've never missed a flight in my life, but I came damn close this time. Check-in had closed, but a sly wink and shimmy of the lips persuaded the woman behind the desk to let me slip through.

Everything after that was routine. To my perennial disgust, I was placed in economy class, but for the 12 hour Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur leg I managed to score the best seat there. While others were crushed in unquestionable misery, I had a seat at the front, with good leg room and nobody sitting next to me. I attribute this to the sly wink and shimmy of the lips I threw at the check in girl at Heathrow.

I'm staying in a hotel near a place called Cheratin, which is near a city called Kuantan, which is on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, on the South China Sea. I've had absolutely no time to get a proper look at the place yet, as work duties have seen me on base, sorting out equipment, and undergoing a medical.

All impressions so far have been positive. I'm in a Muslim part of Malaysia, but it's not a crazy version of Islam preached here, and everything's very relaxed. Loads of women are working on base, and the interaction between male and female is normal, which is sadly not the case in some of the other Muslim states I've visited. The people are friendly, the place isn't poor at all, and the pace of life seems comfortable. Even the driving, which some claim to be a bit crazy, really isn't anything compared to any of the African nations I've seen. No, Malaysia, on first impression, is a charming place. I just hope I get a chance to see it more.

It's looking a little unlikely. The job I'm on may not go ahead, so as soon as tomorrow morning I might be preparing to go back to Aberdeen. If this happens, I'm going to arrange a day in Kuala Lumpur, so I can sample a bit of the place at my own leisure. And then I'll just have to mark Malaysia down as yet another place I want to revisit, and get to know on my own terms.