Page 56 - Globale Traveler

hasn’t entirely swept aside its heritage. One of the most notable hold-outs INFO TO GO
is the traditionally Malay enclave of Kampung Baru, located immediately Most international
to the north of the landmark Petronas Twin Towers. The district poten- flights arrive at Kuala
tially boasts the most valuable real estate in the city yet stubbornly remains Lumpur International
a low-rise jumble of modest tin-roofed houses and hawker stalls (as the Airport, 28 miles south
rickety roadside cafés and shops are locally known). The district’s elders of downtown, which
continue to resist the developers, though it is probably only a matter of began operations in
time before Kampung Baru makes way for modern Kuala Lumpur. 1998. A non-stop rail
In the city as a whole, development continues apace. One of the service, KLIA Ekspres,
biggest civic projects, the Mass Rapid Transit metro system, opened its first links the airport to
line in December 2016. A second line is scheduled for completion in 2021, the KL Sentral Station
with a third at the planning stage. The MRT is part of a fully integrated downtown; the journey
public transport system that includes a monorail, commuter rail lines and takes 28 minutes. The
bus routes. old airport, Sultan Abdul
A new financial district currently under construction, the Tun Razak Aziz Shah Airport, 18
Exchange, will include as its centerpiece a new 106-floor tower, The Ex- miles west of down-
change 106, 130 feet taller than the Petronas Twin Towers. Its dominance town, is predominantly
of skyline will be short-lived. Another rising skyscraper, Merdeka PNB 118 used for domestic
(aka KL118), will top out at 2,070 feet on completion in 2024. services and regional
A much less showy project aims to improve the quality of life in the
URBAN DESIGN: international flights to
Klang and Gombak river bifurcation (top), and scale city. By 2020 the Klang and Gombak rivers will be cleaned and more than Singapore and Indo-
model of the Tun Razak Exchange project (bottom) 60 miles of riverbank will be beautified for recreational use. Project by nesia.
project, Kuala Lumpur is transforming itself into one of the world’s great
PHOTOS : © PABLO HIDALGO | DREAMSTIME,
© ABDUL RAZAK ABDUL LATIF | DREAMSTIME cities for business and pleasure, come rain or shine.

56 globaltravelerusa.com FEBRUARY 2018