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KUALA LUMPUR
 Kuala Lumpur the grand gateway to a fascinating destination.
In the same way, the city brings together Malaysia's past and
present, its many constituent cultures, and even its
remarkable natural treasures, allowing first-time visitors an
invaluable opportunity to see Malaysia as a whole before
setting off to explore its parts
Kuala Lumpur is situated midway along the west coast of
Peninsular Malaysia, at the confluence of the Klang and Gombek
rivers. It is approximately 35 km from the coast and sits at
the centre of the Peninsula's extensive and modern
transportation network. Kuala Lumpur is easily the largest
city in the nation, possessing a population of over one and a
half million people drawn from all of Malaysia's many ethnic
group
More than any other spot in the country, Kuala Lumpur, or "KL"
as it is commonly known, is the focal point of new Malaysia.
While the city's past is still present in the evocative
British colonial buildings of the Dataran Merdeka and the
midnight lamps of the Petaling Street
 nightmarket, that past
is everywhere met with insistent reminders of KL's present and
future.
In the botanical and bird parks of the Lake Gardens one is
treated to a first glimpse of the unsurpassed beauty and
variety of Malaysia's plants and animals. In the vibrant
Central Market, music, crafts, and cultural practices from
Kelantan to Sarawak can be explored and experienced. And in
the National Museum, the dizzying multiplicity of Malaysia's
cultural history comes into focus.
The city's bustling streets, its shining, modern office
towers, and its cosmopolitan air project an unbounded spirit
of progress and symbolize Malaysia's unhesitating leap into
the future. To some, this spirit seems to have been gained at
the loss of ancient cultural traditions, but in many ways KL
marks the continuation rather than the loss of Malaysia's rich
past. Like Malacca five hundred years before, KL's commercial
centre is a grand meeting place for merchants and travelers
from all over the world.
With a height of 1,453 feet, the world's tallest buildings now
rise above the skyline of Kuala Lumpur. They are called the "Petronas
Twin Towers", and, inevitably, they have become the symbols
for the astounding growth that has taken place in Malaysia
over the last two decades. As fate would have it, however,
their supreme status will probably be short-lived: by the year
2001, Shanghai's World Financial Center is expected to top off
at record-breaking 1,508 feet.
Sunway Lagoon is Malaysia's premier water theme park. Located
in Bandar Sunway, just minutes away from the Sultan Abdul Aziz
Shah International Airport in Subang, the water theme park is
a recreation of a sunken mining wasteland. Spanning some 80
acres, the theme park's emphasis on largely water-based with
wild adventure rides and amusement games.
Within the five acre water park are water-based attractions.
Here you can hurtle down a waterslide, drift by on the Lazy
River Ride or Tube Ride, listen to the thundering roar of the
man-made waterfall or thrill to the surf of the Surf Pool.
Mid-western frontier fun comes alive at Fort Lagoon Wild, Wild
West. You can take a ride on a Grand Canyon River Rapids, go
on a Buffalo Bill Coaster ride or go speeding down the
Colorado Splash.
Adventure Park takes you on more adventure where you can ride
in Apache Pots, test your nerves on the Flying Carpet or ride
the skies on a Galleon. Other attractions include runaway
train, pedestrian suspension bridge and sky flyer.
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