Kuala Lumpur, a city in a hurry

By DEON DELPORT

Kuala Lumpur is a city in a hurry. All over the city cranes hover over construction sites, for new hotels, office blocks and shopping centres.

The streets throb with pedestrians and hordes of affordable and efficient taxis, while overhead construction crews build a rapid transit monorail system which will link the city to the airport.

Surprisingly, there is also a great deal of greenery around the city. Unlike other major cities, Kuala Lumpur's high rise buildings seem to be concentrated in islands of concrete surrounded by leafy residential areas and green lungs. Space does not appear to be a problem.

Among the best places to see the city is from the world's tallest building, the 452m Petronas Twin Towers, made even more famous by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery in the film Entrapment.

Japanese and Korean construction teams were each given the tenders to put up one of the 88-storey towers. The Koreans finished first.

The open space and gardens around the towers are worth seeing.

The other viewing platform is Menara Kuala Lumpur, Asia's tallest concrete tower, which has a wonderful observation deck and revolving restaurant.

On the ground, but closer to heaven, are some wonderful architectural gems created by the various religious communities that make up this city of 1.5 million people.

Near Chinatown is the Sri Mahamariaman Temple, one of the most elaborate Hindu temples in the country. Built in 1873, the temple houses hundreds of intricate carvings of Hindu deities and houses a giant chariot used to transport a Hindu deity during the annual festival of Thaipusum.

Close to the city's main railway station is the National Mosque, the principal mosque for city dwellers. The most striking feature is the multi-fold umbrella-like roof and a 73m high minaret.

Well worth a visit, but set aside several hours, is the Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia. Among the attractions is the Islamic Architecture Gallery, which showcases miniature replicas of renowned buildings such as the Taj Mahal.

A historical site is the former colonial cricket ground, the Dataran Merdeka, which hosted the final Union Jack flag lowering ceremony when Malaysia became independent on August 31, 1957.

Overlooking the cricket ground area is a magnificent colonial-era building that now houses the Supreme Courts and High Courts but was previously the administrative departments of the British colonial administration from 1897 onwards.

There is one major activity that unites the 23 million Malaysians of all races and religions - they are major-league shoppers.

Dotted around Kuala Lumpur are massive shopping centres, where locals and tourists alike are tempted to part with their money.

Three times a year the country hosts the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival, in March, August and December. During this time, shopping malls, retail outlets, hotels, restaurants and duty-free shops in Kuala Lumpur and around the country offer bargains and discount buys.

The current carnival runs from August 4 to September 20.

There are bargains and discounts on designer labels, footwear, cosmetics, electrical goods, children's clothing and household items.

There is no tax on electrical goods like computers, cellphones and cameras, so these are popular items on shopping lists.

Participating hotels and restaurants also offer reduced room rates and concessions on food and drink.

Outside of carnival time, shoppers have a wonderful choice of shopping experiences in Kuala Lumpur. Among the must-see attractions for visitors is the city's Chinatown, along Petaling Street.

There's a large variety of clothing, bags, costume jewellery, video tapes, CDs, cameras, watches, computer programmes and jewellery.

Guides tell visitors this is where one will find the best "fakes" in the city. Shoppers are expected to bargain.

Among the exotic products on offer are food and vegetables of all sorts, including the spiky-shelled durian fruit, which Malaysians adore. It is pungent and strong smelling.

Chinatown is also the site of amazing night markets. These are in fact found all over the country, and become an evening's entertainment.

Malaysia plans to position itself as one of the world's leading shopping destinations by 2003, and the campaign is already bearing fruit.

Since the sales began, the country has seen an extra 300 000 tourists spending well over $NZ540 million.

- INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS (SOUTH AFRICA)