Masyarakat Park in Petaling Jaya (Malaysia)

At least Metro Manila has Pasig River. The folks from Malabon and Novaliches have their Tullahan River. Kuala Lumpur, unlike most thriving great metropolises, doesn't have a major river flowing through it. The ones they have, Titiwangsa and KL Lake Gardens, are man-made, albeit worth visiting. Thus when I ventured into another pond at Taman (Park) Masyarakat, it was like finding needle in a haystack.

My destination was Petaling Jaya (PJ), essentially a new city (declared a city in 2006) and a satellite township of Kuala Lumpur, located in the Petaling district of Selangor. If you think it's far from KL, you'd be mistaken. It's just 5 stops from KL Sentral's Kelana Jaya line, a mere 2 ringgit travel. I've long wanted to visit.

From the train station (Taman Jaya LRT), you could visit the Amcorp Mall, a 4-level shopping and business complex, situated just across a football field. To it's left is the city's green lung, Masyarakat Park. It's a great place to just watch people walk by, jog, fish (yes, there's plentiful in the lagoon), etc. There's a couple of children's park in the vicinity too. There are places of worship in the area: Christian churches (St. Francis Xavier Church), a Hindu and a Taoist Temple. I may have to check them out one of these days. Mostly though, the area isn't meant for tourists so I kind of felt like I was eavesdropping on the locals. Not quite.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Lost in Klang

Have you ever found yourself in a place you were never even consciously aware existed? At least not until you stepped on its grounds, getting off a bus. This adventure took me there.

I was in Shah Alam. And so I took a minibus from beside Plaza Alam, after downing a bottle of coke. It was sweltering and I was thanking the heavens for Coca Cola (2.50 ringgit or $0.71 or PhP34.20). I hopped in a minibus aware that the driver nodded to my asking if this was headed to the Shah Alam train station. It was 3:30 PM. I sat somewhere in the middle of this rickety cramped little moving box – a public utility that’s a far cry from the usual comfortable AC buses that populate Malaysian cities. Knowing that my ride was just gonna take 20 minutes the most, I relaxed and enjoyed local color. Women fully decked in glimmery silks covering their hair and arms. It could get hot and sweaty under all those garbs, I thought, but they make for a polychromatic canvas. Very colorful.

But the minutes rolled on and on. 20 minutes passed by, but we were still going… where? The scenery outside started looking more rural, the streets a little less combed; the buildings a little craggy. If I had the whole afternoon and evening to spare, I wouldn’t mind. I always welcome such eventualities. They make for interesting discoveries.

But no! Not this time, please. I had to get back to KL, check out from my hotel, then take my night plane to Dhaka. The reality of a strange faraway city – one of the poorest in world statistics – wasn’t lost on me. The thought made me nervous, but nevertheless excited. There are psychological mechanics involved in visiting strange new places like Dhaka. Bangladesh seemed so distant and exotic. I was still on the bus with these thoughts. Then 30 minutes passed, and the bus was moving into a highway. Oh dear!

I felt helpless. All I knew was that I’d have to sit this through and remedy the situation where the bus stops. I couldn’t just get off in the middle of nowhere – highways can be deceivingly serene, impersonal. I was praying this ride wouldn’t have to be so far away. An hour later, we parked at the Klang Bus Terminal. It didn’t look like an “official terminal”. Buses just parked beside a row of small stores – like a market.




I got off the bus and started looking for clues as to where I am. This couldn’t still be Shah Alam. It wasn’t. Malay words paraded my vision until I read something a wee bit familiar – Klang! Oh yes, Klang is a city name – a destination, a final stop for a train ride, further away from KL.
I am in Klang! And am very lost!

The crowd outside was randomly scurrying along. There’s a small rotund – a roundabout standing beside a post office. There’s the Mydin Shopping Complex (Medan Selera Plaza) – a shopping arcade. But there was no train station in sight and I needed to be in THAT station soon. I asked around. They kept pointing south, so I headed there.

From a distance I saw a white mosque dominating the skyline – with a central golden dome and side towers topped by smaller domes of similar mold. To its side is a single minaret that looked like an inverted fountain pen. Ganda!

Two blocks and a busy intersection later, I was headed towards a bridge. The proverbial river runs through it – the Klang River. A river dividing the city into the north and the south part of Klang. The afternoon sun was still bearing down its heat at 4:30. This was a particularly long 15-minute walk. As I reached the other end of the bridge, I noticed a 3-tier winding stairs going down a street – 2 ½ stories below the bridge. I asked a passerby, “Train station?” The lady pointed down the stairs, under which was a commercial street of neatly lined shops. Jalan Stesen – or station road! MY train station road! ;->

Klang River

My feet took me through shops showing ready-to-wear items, fly swatters, floor mops, kitchen stuff. But there wasn’t a lot of business going on. So few people walking my way. Less than a hundred meters, I saw the signage. Wow! Finally! The Klang Train Station. I was overjoyed – like hitting a minor jackpot. Happiness is sometimes derived from little victories like finding a ride.

Jalan Stesen (Station Road) taken from the bridge

I headed to the station booth and got a ticket to KL – 3.60 ringgit ($1.02 or PhP49.10). My KL-to-Shah Alam fare was 2.50 ringgit and Klang was a stop away from the Shah Alam station. I saw a grocer and opted to end my long day-out with another can of coke at 1.60 ringgit ($0.45 or PhP21.70). I walked a hundred paces beside the platform and went up the flyover to cross the other side.

Klang Train Station along Jalan Stesen

I was right back on track! By 4:55PM, my Klang train left for KL, arriving after 14 stops at 5:40PM. I heaved a sigh of relief. Now I was ready for Dhaka. Or so I thought!

Just outside Klang train station.

Klang station platform

A service train at the Klang station.

Fast Facts on Klang:
Klang, also spelled Kelang, is the royal town of Selangor, on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia before Shah Alam. The town is named after the Klang River, which cuts the town in half, and sits at the western end of the Klang Valley.
Things to see in Klang:

- Kris or the Kris Monument- Raja Mahadi Fort
- Royal Palace – sultan of selangor’s palace- Crab Island – if you want a little sand and sea adventure, its 30 minutes away by boat
- Fishing at the smelly Port Klang- Little India enclave along Jalan Tengku Kelana – Malaysia’s biggest Indian street- Shopping Centers – AEON Bukit Tinggi Shopping Center, Bukit Raja SC, Klang Parade, Shaw Centrepoint, Centro mall, Klang City Square, Carrefour, Tesco, Giant Supermarket
- Eat bak kut teh (pork rib tea) - the Hokkien-style dish of pork ribs cooked in a strong, dark herbal stock, served with tea on the side. This is the city’s specialty culinary pride.

And this is the Eye in the Sky!

Little India, Malaysia's biggest Indian street. This photo only courtesy of wikipedia's keanloong.

Klang is a coastal city in West Selangor. KL is to its northeast. This map only courtesy of www.dromuz.com.

Shah Alam The City - At The Cusp of Discovery

The Blue Mosque taken from the front lawn of a deserted tourist information center.

Shah Alam is a young city. Established as Malaysia’s first planned city in 1963, it was granted state capital status in December of 1978 – replacing Kuala Lumpur as the state of Selangor’s capital when KL became part of the federal territory and the country’s capital. Lying in the Klang Valley west of KL, and some 2 hours away by train, this relatively new city is divided into 56 sections (counties).

There are hardly any write-ups about Shah Alam and the few that a tourist gets spotlights – almost exclusively - the Blue Mosque. Having said this, I visited Shah Alam intent on discovering more than just the famed mosque. After all, my previous visits to other Malaysian cities have continuously surprised me. They were progressive and urban; they were clean and tourist friendly. More importantly, they were accessible. Shah Alam is no different.

Shah Alam’s commercial hub is mostly situated at the city center – sections 13, 14 and 9, and I found myself walking around, mentally taking down notes. There were hotels and commercial complexes, amazing architecture surrounding the city. From the Blue Mosque, I wandered on foot – from the Park Grounds and lake side, the museum, then ventured around the malls – SACC Mall, Anggerik Mall, Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam Sentral Mall (these 4 stand within the same vicinity). Further ahead is the Independence Square and the Plaza Perangsang. 

Just across the Blue Mosque is the behemoth Shah Alam Stadium which can accommodate 80,000 people – the nation’s 2nd biggest sports stadium. Wet World Water Park is a bit out of the city center – you’ll pass it on your KTM Komuter bus ride from the train station to the city center. Education seems to be a major priority in this state. There are several primary and secondary schools around the city (19 high schools and 33 elementary schools) giving Shah Alam a vibrant youthful vibe. Taxis and buses are numerous, although there were hardly any pedestrians walking around as I was roaming the city. Where are the people, I kept asking myself.

Kompleks PKNS Mall

Museum Sultan Alam Shah - open daily except Mondays, 9:30-12:15PM then 2:45-5:30PM. Free admission.

Being a planned city, Shah Alam has the advantage of sprawling space and access. City streets have provisions for bus stops, street lamps, adequate pedestrian walks and passage ways, etc. From a first-time visitor’s vantage point, everything is well developed and the city rides on a bustling economy.

If I wasn’t rushing on getting back to KL to catch my night flight to Dhaka, I would have loved to explore Shah Alam further. I’d probably be back in Malaysia before the year ends, so if you are from Shah Alam and you’re willing to show me more of Shah Alam the way a local resident knows of it, I’d welcome an invite. Haha. Would be interesting to roam this city with a friendly soul – for a change.

This is the Eye in the Sky.

Children's playground - but where are the children?

Anggerik Mall - a three-blocks walk from the back of the May Bank bus stop.

Partially occupied Anggerik Mall.

Ceiling of the Anggerik Mall - this is mostly peppered with textile shops. I could count the people inside.

The posh SACC Mall where I bought 6 dvds from Video Ezy.

Local residents queueing for bus cards.

SACC Mall dome ceiling.

A huge bouquet adorns the entrance of the SACC Mall.

Flowers on hanging pots decorate the streets.

Independence Square just across the Shah Alam Sentral Mall

Dataran Shah Alam

Shah Alam Theater just across the sprawling grounds of the Blue Mosque's park gardens and lake. Someone pointed out my earlier mislabeling (see comment below).

A coffee shop in Plaza Alam Mall - just across is a street where a mini-bus waits for passengers to a train station. Apparently the wrong station for those heading back to KL. This was the Klang train station, which is almost an hour away from Shah Alam. I asked the bus driver if this was headed towards the Shah Alam train station. Idiot that he was, he nodded. So I lost an hour - and I had a night flight to catch back in KL.

To get to Shah Alam from KL, check out this earlier blog post - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/06/getting-to-shah-alam-blue-mosque-visit.html

Shah Alam and Klang City - Magic in the Klang Valley

Blue Mosque in Shah Alam, Malaysia photo courtesy of flickr's lloydi


On a whim, I decided to go on a day trip to Shah Alam, a city 20 kilometers west from Kuala Lumpur, situated in Klang Valley at the province of Selangor. I took the KL Komuter train from KL Sentral, then the Rapid KL Bus from the Shah Alam station to the city center. The highlight of this little adventure would be this enormous Blue Mosque located around a serene park and lake. I loved being able to see what was inside. As midday drew on, hundreds and hundreds of faithfuls began trooping inside the mosque. Non-muslims weren't allowed inside the huge Prayer Hall but I was able to sneak a peek from the door. I was even able to photograph what was inside, which wasn't allowed.
CARMEN WHO?

Later that day, while shopping for DVDs at the spiffy SAC Mall (at a video shop called Video Ezy), I caught a film that starred the Malaysian guy who completed the Jericho Rosales-Carmen Soo triangle in the telenovela "Kahit Isang Saglit" (Just For a Moment). I asked them if they have films starring Carmen Soo, this spectacular Malaysian actress. After consulting some other shop staff, they arrived at a concensus - they didn't know who she was. They're familiar with the Malaysian actor though, as well as the boxed set series of the Jericho-Kristine telenovela "Pangako sa Yo" (My Promise for You) which is prominently displayed on their shelf. The very same thing happened back in KL.
Carmen Soo isn't actually a household name in Malaysia, which is not to say that she isn't a great actress. It took ABS-CBN to actually discover her. I can only be proud that it happened on Philippine shores. Carmen is a darn good actress! She will be sorely missed now that the series has come to an end.
On my way back to KL, I took the wrong minibus which actually travelled to Klang City (instead of the Shah Alam station)! This was 2 train stops farther away from the Shah Alam station. I did ask the driver but it must have been lost in translation. He was just nodding away probably to get rid of me.
I found myself at a new city outside my itinerary. Medium sized malls, a bus garage, a mini-plaza, a post office that doesn't sell postcards, a towering white mosque from a distance... I knew I was lost. I just had to get to the nearest KL-bound train station. And this had me walking from Klang's small plaza and through a 10-minute leisurely stride crossing a bridge. Fun times getting lost.
This is the Eye in the Sky.