Kuala Lumpur is Malaysia’s political, business and commerce center as well as the nation’s air transportation hub. While I don’t rate it as highly as Bangkok, Singapore or Hanoi, it is still a decent major city. I have actually visited it twice though both times I didn’t spend too long.

The city’s most iconic symbol is the Petronas Towers, which I visited during the day and in the evening. Besides admiring it from outside, make sure to go inside to check out the mall at the base of the tower or go up to the observation level. At the back is a park which is also pleasant to walk around and take photos of the towers.

The center of Kuala Lumpur features Lake Gardens, a giant park which has a lake, a botanical garden, a deer park, a butterfly park, and a bird park, which I visited. It is a large aviary divided into several zones, but not all birds are flying around freely as some are caged. There are some peacocks that walk around on the paths and it is always beautiful to see one spread his tail feathers.

Along the boundaries of the park are the National Mosque, where friendly volunteers approach you to talk about Islam, and several museums including the Islamic Arts Museum, which I found very fascinating, and the National Museum, which was underwhelming and did not have a very large collection. Some of the museum’s more interesting displays were tin mining, ancient weaponry, and cultural clothing, as well as decent bit of information on the nation’s history.

Merdeka Square was where the Malaysian flag was hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957 to signify the nation’s independence. It features a large field surrounded by several colonial buildings including the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (top photo), which served as a former British colonial office and is now a Malaysian ministerial building, and the Royal Selangor Club, a social club founded by the British in 1884 which is now a place for elite members of Malaysian society.

Lake Gardens (above and below)

Peacock inside the huge enclosed bird park inside Lake Gardens

Ministry of tourism and culture building with Indo-Saracenic architecture typical of many Malaysian colonial buildings

National Mosque (above and below)

Masjid Jamek 
Merdeka Square, with the red-roofed Royal Selangor Club, founded in 1887, on the left 

National Museum of Malaysia, the country’s main history museum
Mural of Hang Tuah, a Malay military hero and admiral from the Kingdom of Melaka (Malacca)
Tin dredge used for tin mining, one of Malaysia’s major industry in the past