Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (May 16)

Kuala Lumpur, or KL, is the capital of Malaysia, and with a population of over 2 million one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. The Klang Valley (greater KL) has almost 8.6 million people, and traffic congestion is one of its visible effects. Built near tin mines in the late 1850s, KL was founded at the junction of two rivers, the Klang and the Gombak, which transported the tin ore to the Klang port. The twin Petronas towers - headquarters of the state petroleum company - were the tallest buildings in the world until Dubai topped them with the Burj Khalifa. Now KL’s new Merdeka 118 ranks second tallest building in the world. 

A ship sponsored tour drove the 90 minutes from the port to downtown KL, where we saw a pewter factory, the royal palace, Independence Square and the surrounding British administration buildings, the old train station, the new national mosque, the Petronas Towers, the Art Deco municipal market, Chinatown, the old train station, and the new tallest building in the country, Merdeka 118.