Sunday Stroll: Concrete Jungle (Literally) & KL Under a Tourists’ Hat

Peek-a-boo.

Today’s unusual woke-up-earlier-than-usual Sunday took me to a brisky solitude well within the city. One would hardly think peace and quiet still exists in this ever-growing piece of a city. But one would also be surprised to know that squashed in the core of it, is a hidden forest reserve called Bukit Nanas.

Bukit Nanas is the forest that engulfs the majestic KL Tower, proudly perching on the peak of the hill. I would not claim this place to be a lush jungle brimming with all the Malaysian wildlife you were promised on the glitzy travel brochure you took at the airport. But at least it sticks to its word of being a “forest reserve”, despite its small size. For in this crazy babylon of a city, Mother Earth hardly has her own space and air to breathe.

Going there was fairly easy. I hopped on the LRT nearest to my house and got down at Dang Wangi Station. In the middle of the pathway where commuters would usually walk between Dang Wangi and the Bukit Nanas Monorail Station, you will find a cozy Batik establishment called Wariseni. Hidden behind the building lies a lofty staircase to one of the many forest trails.

Pre-Caution: Knee warm-up highly recommended.

As you slowly trudge deep into the forest, the city noise melts away as the sound of crickets slowly engulfs you. But no matter how far you go into the forest, it is hard to completely block off the noise buzzed by the city. It was a surreal experience to be standing on shades of leaves next to giant trees, as if you are the only person on the planet, yet roaring vehicles and the city’s never-ending siren keeps blaring away in the distance like a figment of your imagination.

Nature and Man clashing.

The forest park looked rather well thought-out, or perhaps it used to be. Sadly, trails were run-down, not properly maintained with litter scattered at some parts. The worst were some of the facilities and information boards that were mercilessly vandalized. Harboring an untouched forest without pampered facilities would be more appeasing in my opinion, rather than a forest complete with facilities that looked hopeful in its installment, yet poorly conditioned in its long run. Without knowing, the humiliating state rendered the atmosphere pathetic and depressing. Some areas even looked like post-apocalyptic Chernobyl. Heck, I even stumbled upon a pitiful homeless man.

Screw knowledge, let’s put your head through the hole and pose for a selfie.

This place is supposed to be the exercise area. Now it looks like a sniper haven for jacking off Axis soldiers in Chernobyl.

A poor homeless man. The clothes hanging on the wall behind him suggested he might have lived here awhile. He enjoyed a drunken sleep as his black shorts drenched away with piss.

Despite the eyesores, Bukit Nanas had a bunch of short forest trails to offer. They’re called Denais (I only learned of this word today) and can be found scattered all over the forest. There were a few places of interest like this amazing knotted tree bark for instance.

I wonder how this happened. Forced artificial growth or nature’s wacky attempt at art?

Denai Jelutong, one of the many denais.

Bamboos tightened to a bunch.

Another nice area which would surely appeal to the kids is the Canopy Walk area. The towers and wooden bridges had a sturdy build which hung quite high up. I only wished it branched more inwards through the dense of the jungle, rather than basking under the open city skyline.

Canopies are always fun.

A baby orchid in a mini farm house.

Seeing that I was just next to it, I decided to wander the KL Tower compounds to catch it coming to life as staffs warmed up their smiles in preparation for the herds of tourist buses soon to come.

Erect with a capital E.

Photo says a lot. Rich looking white guy pimping up with two gorgeous ladies while Kuala Lumpur serenades this magical affair with a spectacular pyro show impossible to be seen even in your wildest dreams. The Snow White Castle intro reel in Disney movies can eat it.

A vibrant parrot that’s quite the looker.

Having had enough of Bukit Nanas, I looked up and smiled at the pleasant weather, which made me decide to walk through the city before heading home. I visited Masjid Jamek and put on my tourist cap to get a feel of my own city through a tourists’ lens. I literally had a cap on, which was actually a fishing hat, that made my appearance believable. Hungry tourist touts wrongly assumed I was a wide-eyed tourist from the Phillipines or Manipur.

I stepped inside Masjid Jamek and was amazed by how well they promoted the mosque. Tourists had to register their names in the regular guestbook, and behind the counter were hung beautiful robes and sarongs to cover up people dressed inappropriate for holy areas. There were stacks of pamphlets on the table explaining about the mosque and about the Islam faith compiled in different languages, written in a non-provoking way comfortably accessible for people of all beliefs.

Korean tourists saddling up their robes.

Elegant building, inspired by Moghul architecture.

Curious Mat Sallehs reacting to the sanctity.
Inside the mosque, tourists can stand and look at devotees going through their daily prayers. A multi-language Quran also sits on top of a reading pole for all to inspect and study.

A young friendly guide thought I was a tourist as soon as he attempted to approach me for a briefing. He was cordial and chatty, and mentioned he did this voluntarily. He particularly enjoys enlightening people about the beauty of his faith.

I exited Masjid Jamek and circled around the Sultan Abdul Samad Building towards Dataran Merdeka. As expected, tourist buses lined up along the field, and swarms of colorful people were jumping about taking photos after photos all over the place.

Dataran Merdeka. I stood for awhile looking at the antics of this group of Chinese tourists. I can’t for the life of me count how many absurd photos they took of themselves, the cameras were not even aiming at the buildings that should be the main focus in the first place!

Loved this mosaic tile of Tunku Abdul Rahman at the base of the flagpole.

Behind the massive flagpole, I entered the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery. For RM5, you get to walk through interactive exhibits of a fragmented history and evolution of the city. The admission fee also served as a cash voucher you are able to redeem at the cafe, so I’d say it was absolutely worth it.

European birds looking glamorous for the cameras.

Old newspaper cuttings and photo films of nostalgic KL.

There was a batik exhibition at the courtyard area which was quite the artsy setup.

Model of KL. Interestingly, an unknown cluster of tall buildings occupied Kampung Baru.

I checked out the Kuala Lumpur Library next to the museum just for the hell of it. And boy was it quiet. I haven’t stepped into a library since my college days, so it felt a bit rusty and awkward tiptoeing through people who are prone to be disturbed by a pin drop.

Bookshelf maze.

The watch said 1:30pm as the sun glows fiercer. I decided to call it a day, but who leaves Masjid Jamek without savoring a banana leaf meal?

So away I went floating through the foreign part of Kuala Lumpur, significantly populated with the new Malaysian demographic. It felt weird to walk through different layers of the city. One minute, you’re surrounded by naive tourists having a great time, another minute you’re rubbing shoulders with immigrants swarming around everywhere waiting for God knows what.

The new “dan lain-lains” of Malaysia?

Homeless guy taking a nap in broad daylight. Speaks volumes of the state of the country it’s in.

Dodgy alleyway to the banana leaf joint.

You know it’s an epic meal when the sleepy ‘high’ kicks in to occupy the remains of your weekend.