Kuala Lumpur
We took a two-hour morning flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur International Airport,
then by bus on a modern six-lane expressway 45 miles (75 km) into the city.  Kuala Lumpur is
the capital of Malaysia and its largest city.

Touring Kuala Lumpur we were impressed by the very many modern tall buildings, the amount of
construction in progress, the Masjid Jamek Mosque, beautifully landscaped parks, clean
well-maintained streets with upscale shopping centers and department stores, etc. --- a
world-class city in every way. Our tour included stops in Chinatown and at the impressive Royal
Palace.  When Malaysia gained its independence the nine Rajahs who had been the nominal rulers
of nine states each in rotation has been crowned King of Malaysia for a five year term; a
unique system which seems to be working.
Royal Palace, Kuala Lumpur
Royal Palace Gate.
That afternoon we planned to visit the extensive Lake Gardens, especially the large Bird Park.  
From our hotel, the Grand Plaza Parkroyal, we took the monorail to the station nearest to the
Lake Gardens and intended to walk the rest of the way.  We had no good map of the city, got
lost, and then took the monorail back to the hotel.  Sorry not to have visited the Lake Gardens,
but we did have an interesting walk through residential areas we would not have seen otherwise.
The following day we went on an optional excursion which featured going up the Petronas
Towers, the world's tallest building.  We went on the "sky bridge" connecting the twin towers,
providing us with bird's eye views of Kuala Lumpur.  At the ground floor exhibit area we saw a
video and displays describing the construction and features of the Towers.
The Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.  This
was for several years was the tallest building in the world.