Kuala Lumpur city proper has around 2 million people; the Klang Valley conurbation around it has roughly 8 million. Malaysia has about 34 million.
The city was founded in 1857. That is worth holding on to: it is younger than Melbourne, younger than the telegraph, and everything about how it looks follows from having grown very fast, very recently.
The layout
There is no single centre. Kuala Lumpur is a set of districts connected by rail and motorway.
The colonial core — Merdeka Square, the river confluence, Chinatown and Central Market. The oldest part, and walkable.
KLCC — the Petronas Towers, the park, the mall, the office towers.
Bukit Bintang — shopping, hotels, Jalan Alor, nightlife. Linked to KLCC by a covered walkway.
KL Sentral and Brickfields — the transport hub and Little India.
The Lake Gardens — the museums, the mosque, the parks, west of the centre.
Kampung Baru — the Malay village, north-east, in the shadow of the towers.
Bangsar, Mont Kiara, Damansara, Petaling Jaya — the western suburbs where most of middle-class KL lives.
The three communities
Malaysia’s population is roughly 70% Bumiputera (Malays and indigenous peoples), 23% Chinese and 7% Indian, with the proportions different in Kuala Lumpur, where the Chinese community is much larger.
This is the result of colonial labour recruitment for the tin mines and rubber estates, and it structures everything — politics, language, food, festivals and law.
They live alongside each other rather than merged. There are three school systems, several religious legal frameworks, and an affirmative-action policy for Bumiputera that has been in place since 1971. Malaysians will discuss this with you; it is not a secret. It is also legally and socially sensitive, and a visitor is better placed listening than offering views.
Language
Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, written in the Latin alphabet and closely related to Indonesian.
English is very widely spoken — it is a compulsory school subject, it is the language of business, and in Kuala Lumpur you will rarely need anything else.
Also spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Tamil and others.
Worth knowing:
- Terima kasih — thank you. Sama-sama — you’re welcome.
- Selamat pagi / petang / malam — good morning / afternoon / evening.
- Berapa? — how much?
- Sedap — delicious. Use it and watch the reaction.
- Lah — the ubiquitous sentence-ending particle in Malaysian English. Do not attempt it.
Religion
Islam is the official religion and Malays are constitutionally Muslim. Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Taoism and Sikhism are all practised freely and all have significant communities.
Practically: dress modestly at religious sites, expect the call to prayer, expect halal to be the default at Malay establishments, and expect a Friday midday pause when many Muslim-run businesses close for prayers.
The climate in one line
32 degrees every day, humid, and a thunderstorm most afternoons. It shapes everything — see the heat, the haze and the monsoon.
Money
Ringgit (RM). Cards in malls and hotels, cash at hawker stalls.
Where to start
Three days in Kuala Lumpur for a route, getting around for the Touch ’n Go card, and what you should know for the practical rules.