Kuala Lumpur

October 2–4, 2013

Right off the bat, I was brazenly ripped off by the taxi driver. The three Chinese wise men in front of his speedometer didn’t prevent him from playing me for a sucker.

And then I was ripped off by the city itself.

I fully expected Kuala Lumpur to be another Asian star, like Hong Kong, Taipei, or Beijing. Instead, it turned out to be the same kind of misconception as Los Angeles in the US. A small patch of skyscrapers surrounded by a whole bunch of nothing interesting. And the tallest skyscrapers, the ones on all the postcards, require a three-day advance reservation to visit.

The Asian miracle is doled out strictly here. Enough buildings for some nice views, but that’s it.

Everyone else lives in panel high-rises, which are decorated with birdhouses on the top (à la South Korea).

A payphone.

A license plate (the diagonal of the 4 is curved here, like in New Zealand or North Korea).

An old public trash can.

A modern public trash can.

An electrical box.

A meter box on the left, some other kind of box with handles in the middle (I came across this model several times), and a concrete cable marker on the right.

A lamppost.

A fire hydrant.

A post box.

All the advertising billboards downtown are LED displays.

Many hotels and office buildings have taxi signs with beacon lights out front (like in Libreville or Singapore). When the beacon is flashing, it means someone in the building needs a taxi, so the driver pulls in.

A digger.

Beware of purse-snatchers (like in Tallinn).

Parked in the wrong place? You get a wheel clamp!

A red pedestrian light with a surprisingly hideous pictogram and lettering.

A green pedestrian light with a surprisingly hideous animation and lettering.

A bus stop.

A seat at a bus stop. It takes just one look to figure out that you won’t be able to lie down here.

Storm drains along the curb.

Every truck has its registration address written on the door.

Nom.

The robot mannequin waving a flag at a construction site is brilliant. Eliminates the need to hire a living person for the same task.

Generally speaking, the city, like all new Asian developments, isn’t conducive to long walks. Everything is designed with cars in mind (unlike Japan, for instance).