All stories about "Kuala Lumpur"

The 2008 Beijing Olympics are still four months away, but they've already started with a bang. Activists who oppose China's occupation of Tibet have been holding huge protests as the Olympic torch makes its customary pre-games lap around the globe. In the past week, the torch toured Paris and London with an entourage of local policemen and Chinese security personnel. In spite of all the guards, protesters forced the torch to be extinguished for the first time in modern Olympic history. If you want to get in on all of the "Free Tibet" fun, the Olympic torch will be stopping in fourteen more cities between tomorrow and April 29th. The good people at Google have made a map showing all of the remaining cities along the torch's route. The tour includes such exciting destinations as San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and the hometown of everyone's favorite despot -- Pyongyang!

There's still plenty of time to plan a trip to go protest the torch in any one of these great urban oases. Protesters get to meet other cute politically involved types and rub elbows with the world-class athletes who carry the torch, all while enjoying the fun of screaming and flinging yourself at angry law enforcement personnel. So why not fly around the world following the Olympic torch and going apeshit? It's all for a good cause. It's kind of like the civil rights movement, with sightseeing instead of big dogs and high-powered hoses.

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Two different "wardrobe malfunctions" occurred during the Pussy Cat Doll's recent performance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and they've earned the LA-based group a $3,400 fine. Carmit Bachar suffered a nip slip, while Ashley Roberts "was accused of revealing her private parts after her tiny pair of shorts left little to the imagination." As a result of the two skin-shows Malaysian officials deemed the Pussy Cat Dolls' routine "sexually suggestive" and subject to fine. One question: had anyone ever seen the Pussy Cat Dolls prior to booking them? "Sexually suggestive" is their collective middle name. [via]

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To do Kuala Lumpur so fast is of course a tease, so here's how to get the most out of what's likely a layover. Get into town by rush hour -- even on Monday, rainy after-work traffic was brutal. Pick a place to stay the night slightly off the main drag, Jalan Sultan Ismail, and save landmark hotels like the Shangri-La for meeting up for cocktails before heading out to the Central Market, or for noodles and durian in Chinatown. In the morning, you can watch the Thai & Malay working girls and ladyboys pack up for the day, get roti channai for breakfast from a street vendor, and change your cash for a little extra local currency to get a last minute cab to the airport (the monorail is lovely, too). Then say your farewells to Malaysia at high speed on the freeway in a blur of palm trees and billboards. The photo starts below.

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I don't know how can! I just don't know anymore! Fortunately, Kuala Lumpur's new Tune Hotel -- first of an ambitious chain -- knows how can. They claim room rates starting at RM9.99 (about US$3) per night. Searching around placed most rates at about RM30 or a little more, with only an occasional dip to RM20. Still, dirt cheap, especially for rooms that look pretty cool, considering. Bare-bones and spartan, yes, but we're not talking the grim facelessness of a pod hotel. And the website is all fun and comic-booky! You do get an ensuite bathroom and shower, though you must fork over a little extra for air conditioning or towels. The unfortunate truth of ultra-cheap hotels like this: While they can start out nice enough, inevitably they cannot maintain the place against wear and tear perpetrated by the hordes of backpacker scum sure to descend on the place. So get it in while the getting's good, if you're so inclined.

Tune Hotel [via Travelpost]

-- Chris Mohney

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If you're not high enough on the frequent-flyer food chain to have access to your airline's airport lounge -- or if certain airports don't have your preferred lounge flavor -- you may be in luck. Plaza Premium Lounges is an independent chain of pamperatoriums operating out of several airports (Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and in their first non-Asian location, Vancouver). Prices vary by airport, but the equivalent of about US$30 gets you all-day access to the lounge, TVs, showers, WiFi, and a free buffet. You also get one glass of complimentary wine, with other drinks and add-on services available for a fee (massages, etc.). The generically pleasant facilities are anything but swank, but when compared to the rest of the airport(s') facilities, the Plaza Premium Lounges look like veritable Shangri-Las.

Far from the madding crowd - Vancouver's airport enclave [Cheapflights]
Plaza Premium Lounges [Official site]

Previously: Smokes on a Plane, Marriott Checks You, Airline Uberluxury... On Video, The Best Airports for Business Travelers, Riding the JFK Chopper

An interesting roundup of the world's newest skyscrapers comes courtesy of Slate architecture critic Wiltold Rybczynski. He calls the era of 1996-2006 a "golden age of skyscrapers," spurred by post-9/11 architectural concerns, and I'm inclined to agree thanks to all the architecture porn contained therein. On Rybczynski's hotlist:

· The Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur
· Norman Foster's new Hearst Building in New York
· The Swiss Re building in London, aka the "Crystal Phallus"
· Barcelona's 31-story experimental Toree Agbar
· Miami's 70-story Brickell Flatiron
· Dubai's 45-story Ali Rahim/Hina Jamelle's "seamless" residential tower
· Malmö's "Turning Torso"
· Louisville's 61-story Museum Plaza, aka the "Giant Chair" (Pictured)
· Frank Ghery's great exploration into skyscraper building, the upcoming New York Times Building
· The winner for the world's most experimental skyscrapers, Fiera Milano

The new age of the skyscraper [Slate]

[Neal Ungerleider]

Previously: How Hotels Got So Opulent, Top Seven World Hotels, Hotel Fasano, Shanghai Shortlist, EuroCheapo’s Guide to NYC Hotels, Sao Paulo Report

Chalk this up as an awesome April Fool's prank: Gay site Utopia-Asia's 4/1 press release told the story of Tongziland, the world's first gay amusement park. Planned for Johor Bahru, Malaysia, the park's centerpiece is a 10-story tall "Tower of Rainbow Pride" and as for the rest of it, well, we're jealous this baby doesn't exist in real life:

Preliminary designs for the park call for an authentic Chinese dynastic palace throne room populated by animatronic figures of famous gay Emperors and their favorites, a branch of Osaka's Takarazaku all-female theatrical extravaganza, a Thai-themed sports complex with transgender kick-boxing arena and Iron Ladies volleyball court, Cinderfella's Enchanted Castle sauna, an Old West themed Lesbian Round-up, and the 10-story tall Tower of Pride with rotating disco and high-powered lasers.

Malaysia to Host First All-Gay Theme Park [Proceed At Your Own Risk]
World's First All-Gay Theme Park [Utopia-Asia]
Gay Malaysia [Utopia-Asia]
Gay Johor Bahru [Utopia-Asia]

[Neal Ungerleider]

[Photo: Proceed at Your Own Risk]

Previously: Eatingasia Foodblog, Number Eight Hotel, Hotel Maya, The Palm: Fake Island Frenzy, Futsal, Malaysian Style

Maybe it's just the natural lure of the exotic, but many of the best foodblogs seem to focus on Asia. EatingAsia is no exception -- it's currently based in Kuala Lumpur, but the knowledgeable blogger roves a good bit in subject and scope. A particular pleasure of this blog are the lush photos, which approach or achieves pro-level food photography in most every shot. Worth a long read.

EatingAsia [Official site]

Previously: Number Eight Hotel, Hotel Maya, The Palm: Fake Island Frenzy, Roundup Roundup #13, Futsal, Malaysian Style

Number Eight, a Kuala Lumpur budget hotel, embodies the rarest of combinations: a guest house with the aesthetic of a trendy boutique. Located in KL's Golden Triangle district, Number Eight is a converted shophouse that provides inexpensive, stylishly-appointed rooms. After suffering the slings and arrows of drab, depressing Thai flophouses for the last month, my heart leapt with joy at the sight of Number Eight's bottom-floor lounge area: gray and burgundy walls, soft lighting, plush couches, and vases full of fresh flowers arranged on an enormous oak table littered with recent English-language periodicals. Dorm rooms go for 30 Ringgit (about US $8); rooms with private bathrooms range from 85 to 120 Ringgit (approximately $23 to $32). All rooms are air conditioned, and rates include continental breakfast.

Number Eight [Official site]

[Newley Purnell]

[Photo: quesarah]

Previously: Hotel Maya, The Palm: Fake Island Frenzy, Roundup Roundup #13, Futsal, Malaysian Style, Measuring Up to the World's Tallest Skyscrapers

Malaysia Airlines has a number of early-spring sales on trips to the Mysterious Orient. Notable is a $569 fare from Los Angeles to Taipei (additional taxes and fees of about $170) and the somewhat less exciting $747 LA or NYC to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur (additional taxes and fees of about $200). Book by February 28 for travel through March 31, and note that flights leave Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

LAX to Taipei as low as $569, roundtrip [Malaysia Airlines]
Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, $747 roundtrip [Malaysia Airlines]

$499 Paris 4-Night Air+Hotel: This Air France package puts you in a decent, basic, centrally located hotel and allows for weekend travel at the low rate. The price assumes New York departure, with hotel upgrades and other departure cities available for a price. Travel's valid through March 25, with taxes and fees coming to about $90.

$674+ to Asia: The lowball of this Cathay Pacific sale is $674 for New York to Hong Kong, but fares from Los Angeles and San Francisco are good as well (to Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, etc.). Good for travel through March 31, with taxes and fees starting at about $190.

$499 -- Paris: 4 Nights & Air [Travelzoo]
$674 & up -- Fly to Asia (R/T) w/FREE Stop in Hong Kong [Travelzoo]
Top 20 [Travelzoo]

The Roundup Roundup collects recent "roundup" articles or general material about cities and city travel worldwide.

Bangkok
Fashions to Thai for [Telegraph]

Buenos Aires
Worked up into a fútbol frenzy [Houston Chronicle]

Celebs
Where the Boldface Crowd Is Going [NYT]

Damascus
Withstanding winds of change [Guardian]

Hotels
Changes in store for hotel rooms, rates [LAT]

Kuala Lumpur
Out of the Shadows [NYT]

Lima
The party starts at midnight and lasts until dawn [National Post]

Lisbon
Port Authority [Daily Candy]

London
Keep It Lean [Urban Junkies]

New Orleans
Is it too soon to party? [Houston Chronicle]
Mardi Gras still a party in New Orleans [Chicago Tribune]

Stuttgart
Industrial strength [Guardian]

Vienna
Viennese swirls [Guardian]

Fresh from a $10 million renovation, the Hotel Maya is one of the first properties in Kuala Lumpur aspiring to contemporary designer-hotel cool. Set downtown within ambitious spitting distance of the Petronas Twin Towers, the 207 rooms are divided into standard but roomy studios and sleek suites. The decor incorporates a lot of merged natural elements and man-made material, like bamboo with glass and dark metal, etc. Some of the photos look a little too Pier 1, though on enough of a grand scale that you probably won't mind. The hotel also sports three restaurants and two bars, one enthusiastically touted as an "enclosed marble structure" with skyline views. Rates begin at RM500, with various packages and promotions available.

Mayan Civilization [Time Asia]
Hotel Maya [Official site]

Previously: Futsal, Malaysian Style, Measuring Up to the World’s Tallest Skyscrapers, The Palm: Fake Island Frenzy, Cheap Air over Asia, Kids Don’t Swing That Way

The folks over at the New Straits Times recently let us know about Kuala Lumpur’s newest sports obsession: Futsal. Malaysians have made a trend out of the indoor soccer variant, played five-to-a-side on an astroturfed minifield.

A Uruguayan import, it's has also been experiencing popularity around Singapore, Thailand and southeast Asia in general. More importantly—there's the aggro factor. Played with an ultralight ball, futsal has one very fun difference from its cousin: between the small field and lightweight ball, games quickly become violent. Think soccer with rugby tactics, kids.

In Kuala Lumpur, NST reports the place to go is the Sports Planet chain, which sounds suspiciously like New York’s own Chelsea Piers:

It has a New York street feel with pulsating R&B and hip hop music blaring and old barrels that are used in creative ways as bins, etc.

Most of the noise, though, comes from spectators who fiercely stomp their feet and cheer for their teams at the elevated viewing gallery in the first two main courts.

Get Your Kicks Here [New Straits Times]
Sports Planet [Official Site]
Futsal [Wikipedia]

Who doesn't love GIANT BUILDINGS? If we could all live in a seamless cityscape of bristling towers that poked the very footsoles of God himself, we'd be every one of us a happy child. But the business of creating the world's tallest buildings is about to enter an entirely new era. Chicago's Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) -- which through whatever provenance is recognized as the global referee on tallness -- is currently merging its database with the fine folks at Emporis (a real estate info firm), who are currently the keepers of the authoritative World's 200 Tallest Buildings list. There's always quibbling over total height -- some measure to the roof, some to the "mast" or "spire," and some even to the antennae. As you can imagine, builders want to measure all the way to the tennis ball stuck on the tallest FM aerial. The current standings and what the future holds, right after the jump.

The Italy-based online mag Resorts just launched, and while it does look like some expensively produced and infuriatingly cumbersome Flash-based hotel advertorial, at least it points the way to the latest supervillain resort in Dubai. The Palm is another of Sheik Mo's nutty operations to vastly expand the United Arab Emirates' watefront by constructing huge complexes of artificial islands. Three vast palm-shaped archipelagoes will gradually sprout up over the next few years. The first and furthest along, at Jumeriah, is also the smallest at a mere 5.5 kilometers. This first Palm offers three zones (Crown, Crescent, and Trunk) sporting themed villas, hotels, condos, and every other conceivable flavor of saleable or rentable real estate. When all three Palmseses come online, they will add 360 kilometers of "coastline," 60 hotels, thousands of apartments, and dozens of restaurants, shopping centers, "aquatic parks," and other amenities. Resort also mentions the Regent Kuala Lumpur, which is certainly opulent -- but c'mon, it's no goddamn artificial island, now is it?

Resorts [Official site]
The Palm [Official site]
Regent Kuala Lumpur [Official site]

Previously: Star Power, Dubai: Petrodollar Paradise, Tennis, Anyone? On a Helipad?, Ski Dubai! Or, Purchase a Private Florida-Shaped Island Near Dubai, World’s Most Expensive Hotel?

Just like every other region on the planet, Asia has spawned a litter of low-cost regional airlines. National Geographic rounds 'em up and gives the lowdown on each. Several offer the same kind of gleefully nonsensical fares as offered elsewhere, such as AirAsia's occasional one-ways out of Kuala Lumpur for under $3. Other short hops between cities like Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, and Hong Kong run to more believable but still inexpensive territory ($30 to $70 one way).

Smart Traveler: Cheap Hops in Asia [National Geographic]
AirAsia [Official site]

Previously: First-Class Fear, Jetrosexuals: Less Jet, More Sex, The Tao of Airfare Upgrades, Shocker: Airport Food Sucks, MobiCombo

Register with Cathay Pacific's CyberTraveler program, and you can purchase the All Asia Pass for $1,099. What does this mean, grasshopper? I shall tell you, and listen well, for there are many fare-bumping pitfalls on the way to enlightenment. Firstly, you may only travel now through December 1. You must depart from New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. You may only travel on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. But once you get to Hong Kong, you can fly around to (and among) Bali, Bangkok, Cebu, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Nagoya, Osaka, Penang, Sapporo, Seoul, Singapore, Surabaya, Taipei, Tokyo, and Xiamen for 21 days. You could travel Sunday-Thursday, but that involves another $500. And don't just think you can stroll up to the ticket counter and hop on and off planes with immunity. Oh no: space is limited. Limited, I tell you! Don't believe those physicists and their jabber about infinite space! Best to by the pass, then book all your flights in advance. You'll spend three weeks zipping around Southeast Asia in a manner sure to attract the attention of international authorities. Travel light.

All Asia Pass [Cathay Pacific]