Mesmerized by the city - Kuala Lumpur

For those of you that don't know it yet... I'm a city girl. Even though I grew up in a village in a country without 'real' cities .
Even in my tiny country I like to live in a city. I like the hustle and bustle, the contradictions, the anonymity of large groups of people, the inventivity that comes from living in a confined space and the chance meetings. 

Petronas towers

So if we're travelling I always try to spend a few days in a BIG city. My favourite used to be Bangkok, but I changed that to Shanghai in 2009. Thus far Asian cities seem more 'alive' to me than Western cities.

Offerings on sale

So when we went to Kuala Lumpur in 2013 I was curious what she would be like. She was... demure. Being in a muslim country means that alcohol and nightlife isn't abundently present.  Not that I need alcohol but it does change the atmophere.

Best satay, one street from the über touristy nigh market

But there are a few nice night markets with lovely street food, lots of big and small shrines and chinese temples. And the contrast old versus new, hitech versus traditional is everywhere.

A few old houses in between modern high rise

So Kuala Lumpur on the whole... I like the multitude of Chinese temples, and some of the street food, but wasn't as vibrant as I had hoped.

One of the many Chinese temples