Page 54 - Globale Traveler

destination one | KUALA LUMPUR

Rising Star gleamed under a pristine sky. I took the elevator down COMING
to the lobby and stepped into an apocalyptic twilight.
AND GOING
While I had been enjoying the view from my
room, a storm had massed in the opposite direction.
port valid for at least six months
Now it broke. The heavens opened, with thunder and All U.S. citizens require a pass-
Kuala Lumpur transforms into a lightning. The last taxis at the hotel rank had been beyond arrival. Visas are not
required for business or tourism
world-class city for business and claimed. I had no hope of catching a ride in time for visits of up to 90 days. Visitors
my meeting.
pleasure. BY RICHARD NEWTON Late afternoon downpours are common. The can apply for extensions at the
Immigration Department.
traffic plows relentlessly through streets transformed
DURING MY FIRST TIME in Malaysia, I made a to rivers while pedestrians take cover for the duration.
rookie mistake. I had a meeting scheduled across town If you’re not already in a taxi when the rain starts, OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
at 5 p.m. Forty minutes would be plenty of time to get forget it. Bahasa Malaysian and English;
there by taxi, or so I thought. While I prepared, my For all its modern trappings, Kuala Lumpur there are more than 100 tribal
hotel room was bathed in afternoon sunshine; outside, remains a tropical city. Its rhythms — even its name — languages.
the dense skyscrapers of downtown Kuala Lumpur are defined by its environment. Founded in 1857 at the

54 globaltravelerusa.com FEBRUARY 2018