Malaysia (Post Covid-19 - Staycation No 38 Pre-Merdeka (National Day) to Dataran Merdeka & River of LIFE, Kuala Lumpur) Aug 29 & 30 2023

August 31 Malaysia National Day

Go British - Colonial Walk, Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur City Gallery
Memories of Kuala Lumpur 

" The Sky. The Earth. The Humanity. These 3 elements are closely intertwined. If nature & humanity are in close harmony, the world will be a better place to live & explore especially for wanderlusts & travellers " 

The story of Merdeka & The Memories of Kuala Lumpur - Numbers say a thousand words about Malaya now Malaysia ! 130 years of Portuguese influence, 183 years of Dutch rule, 127 years of British administration, 3 years 8 months of Japanese occupation, the birth of Kuala Lumpur on 1857; 7 shouts of Merdeka (Independence) on August 31 1957 (I was a 7 year old primary school kid then) in Merdeka Stadium, formation of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah & Sarawak on September 16 1963, Kuala Lumpur became a City in 1972, 66 years of National Day celebrations ---- in the meantime, time flies (century comes & go) & the years keep rolling by ..... a new era begins in the City Centre of Kuala Lumpur, the launch of River of LIFE in 2011 to beautify the City Centre at the confluence of Klang & Gombak rivers near Masjid Jamek area, a newly completed Merdeka 118 Tower standing tall near Chinatown due for opening in late 2023 ...

In conjunction with the Malaysia's 66th National Day celebration, I made 2 solo morning pre-National Day visits ie August 29 & 30 2023 starting from Masjid Jamek to Dataran Merdeka & the surrounding area in the City Centre of Kuala Lumpur - bringing sweet memory of my Good Old Days roaming the Kuala Lumpur city since the 1970's till the recent years ! 

Bus loads of tourists are now back in Dataran Merdeka (after 3 years of terrible life during the Covid-19 pandemic period) - They came, they saw & they left, leaving behind a fond memory of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia !  

Although I did not attend this year National Day celebration in Putrajaya but my two morning visits to Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) on the eve of the National Day were a meaningful one & keeping the spirit of Merdeka very much alive on this special day is every Malaysian's wish ! It's easy to talk about independence but maintaining it is a challenging & formidable task, so to speak ! 

For this year National Day celebration, I believe if you are a travel bug & enjoy visiting Malaysia, give yourself a treat to savour the traditional Portuguese seafood stew in Melaka Portuguese Settlement area, go Dutch when eating in a group, play a game of cricket in Dataran Merdeka playground with locals or communicate in Prince Charles English with locals who speak Malaysian style English ie Manglish & say Konnichiwa whenever you meet a Japanese in downtown Kuala Lumpur .... so enjoy your stay in this multi-ethnic & religious country with a fistful of dollars ! 

The Chronicle of Malaysian colonial history (Portuguese, Dutch, British & Japanese) & the birth of Kuala Lumpur city :

1511 > 1641 - Malacca under Portuguese rule (total 130 years) 

1641 > 1825 - Malacca under Dutch rule (total 183 years)

1786 - Penang under British occupation 

1824 - Singapore under British rule

1826 > 1941, 1945 > 1957 - Malaya (now Malaysia) under British rule (total 127 years)

1857 - The birth of Kuala Lumpur city, capital of Malaysia

1873 > 1885 - Yap Ah Loy, Founder & Chinese Kapitan (Chief) of Kuala Lumpur  

1941 > 1945 - Malaya under Japanese occupation (total 3 years 8 months)

1957 August 31 - Malaya gained her independence from British

1963 Sept 16 - Birth of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah & Sarawak. Singapore separated from Malaysia on August 9 1965 & became independent 

1972 - Kuala Lumpur was given city status 

2011 - launch of the River of LIFE to transform the Klang River into a vibrant & liveable waterfront 

Historic landmarks & events associated with the Birth of Kuala Lumpur City & River of LIFE. 

Old Kuala Lumpur

1) The birth of Kuala Lumpur city in 1857 - started right here near Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad, Jalan Tun Perak, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur; once upon a time, a tin mining settlement town .... the name Kuala Lumpur in Malay simply means "Muddy Confluence" as the city is located at the confluence of Klang & Gombak rivers which flow into Selangor river.

2) Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad (1909), Jalan Tun Perak, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur - one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Moorish style with iconic white domes design, the mosque sits at the confluence of the Sungei Klang & Sungai Gombak rivers. It is easy to visit this old mosque as there is a Rapid KL LRT station located next to it ! 

3) The legendary Yap Ah Loy - the 3rd Chinese Capitan (Chief) who was an influential person & played an important role in the law & order of Kuala Lumpur until his death in 1885. 

Historic landmarks & events associated with the British colonial days

1) August 31 Independence Day of Malaya (now Malaysia) - also known as National Day is the independence day of the Federation of Malaya (Malaysia achieved her independence from the British Empire 66 years ago) ! It commemorates the Malayan Declaration of Independence of 31 August 1957 as defined in article 160 of the Constitution of Malaysia. 

2) Flag of Malaysia - flying high in City Centre, Kuala Lumpur & public places throughout the various states of Malaysia in conjunction with the National Day celebration which falls on August 31 each year ! 

3) 7 shouts of Merdeka in Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur on August 31 1957 (66 years ago !) - Merdeka is a term in Indonesian & Malay which means "Independence" or "Free"; on August 31 1957, after the Declaration of Independence was read, Tunku Abdul Rahman (the 1st Prime Minister of Malaya) raised his hand & together with government officials & 20,000 people gathered at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur & shouted "Merdeka" seven times in declaration of freedom; the overall design of a newly constructed Merdeka 118 Tower, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur resembles that of an outstretched hand gesture of Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaya 1st Prime Minister) while chanting "Merdeka or Independence" - a new nation called Malaya was in the making & a new chapter of LIFE was about to begin for Malaysians !  

4) Countdown Clock, Dataran Merdeka, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur - part of the River of LIFE project to breathe new life in the city, also a landmark which reminds you of the history of independence of the country ! 

5) The spot in Merdeka Square where Malaysia flag was raised to replace the British Union Jack flag. 

6) Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka or Independence Square), Jalan Raja, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur - Merdeka means Independence, Dataran is Square; one of the most important historical landmarks in the history of Malaysia 

7) The Flagpole (1989), Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur City Centre - 2nd tallest flagpole in Malaysia, 100m high, this was the place where the Malaysian flag was hoisted for the 1st time in the country's history upon gaining independence from the British rule (1826 >1941, 1945 > 1957;  Japanese Occupation 1941 > 1945).

8) Old Chartered Bank Building (1909), Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur

9) National Textile Museum (1905), Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

10) Old Government Printing Office (1898) - now occupied as the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, an information hub with souvenirs  & art for sale, cultural exhibits, Arch Cafe etc 

11) Panggung Bandaraya (Old City Hall) & City Theatre (1896), Jalan Raja, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

12) Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad (1894) - a Mughal architectural design located along Jalan Raja in front of Dataran Merdeka & the Royal Lake Club 

13) St Mary Cathedral (1894), Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur 

14) Central Market (1888), Jalan Hang Kasturi, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

15) Guan Di Temple Chinatown (1887), Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

16) The Royal Selangor Club (1884) - a social club founded by the British, located next to the Dataran Merdeka. 

17) Sin Sze Si Ya Temple (1883), Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

18) Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (1873), Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 

River of LIFE, Jalan Benteng, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur - shedding the murky past, a conservation heritage project to beautify the areas surrounding Sungai Klang & Sungai Gombak.

Sungai (River) Klang - Kuala Lumpur (in Malay language, the name literally means "Muddy Confluence") was founded in 1857 at the confluence of the Klang & Gombak rivers.  

Merdeka 118 Tower - a 118-story mega tall skyscraper (679m) with a unique spire design in Kuala Lumpur, world 2nd tallest building after Burj Khalifa, Dubai (UAE); the building is designed with a mixture of diamond-shaped glass facades to signify the diversity of Malaysians, the overall design was made to resemble & inspired by Tunku Abdul Rahman's outstretched hand gesture while chanting "Merdeka" when he proclaimed the independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957 ! 

KL City Gallery - owned by ARCH, tells the story of Kuala Lumpur through photos, prints & miniatures, located right in the heart of Dataran Merdeka, my 30 minutes visit (free admission) to KL City Gallery was an interesting & educational one, the pictorial presentations provide the visitors a good perspective of Kuala Lumpur city's past, recollecting the historic moments & events of yesteryears !  

1) A brief history of Kuala Lumpur city with important years were re-enacted here - an ex-tin mining settlement, Yap Ah Loy (the 3rd Capitan) & his contribution to the development of Kuala Lumpur in 1880's, British 1st Resident General of Federated Malay States Sir Frank Swettenham, the formation of the Malay Federated States, Japanese army invaded Malaya in January1942, chanting of Merdeka by Tunku Abdul Rahman on August 31 1957, Kuala Lumpir achieved city status on 1 Feb 1972 .... 

2) The Old Kuala Lumpur - street names & heritage buildings 

3) Kuala Lumpur Golden Jubilee 1972 > 2022 

4) The Arch Cafe, KL City Gallery 

5) Arch Kuala Lumpur, KL City Gallery

6) Miniature Lifestyle - KL City Gallery 

7) Instagram Spots, KL City Gallery - Street Pillars & Cityscape Art 

8) Models of Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower & other sky scrappers unique to Kuala Lumpur.