`In' with quick, traditional urban getaways

Sun, 09/21/2008 9:49 AM  |  Supplement

In Kuala Lumpur, it's not only all about modern skyscrapers, malls, fancy restaurants and hotels, clubs, bars and other sorts of contemporary stake-outs. Believe it or not, the city is quite cultured, and in its own unique way, continues to cling to traditions and culture. Here are several places where you can gain insight into the more conservative KL while soaking in breathtaking sights.

Naili's 116-C, Jalan Taman Dato' Senu, Kampung Cempedak, Sentul Pasar, Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is not exactly a seaside city - far from it, actually. But you can actually dine in a beach resort-styled setting in the city at Naili's. As you enter, you'll be greeted with sights of fishing boats, surfboards and palm trees. The restaurant seats 450 to 500 people, and offers Malay, Chinese and Western dishes.

Customers can also enjoy dining experiences like Japanese-styled seating on a bamboo floor; up in tree houses; at a table overseeing a large "beach sunset" backdrop; and candlelight dinner beside a colorfully lit water fountain amid lush greenery. Meanwhile, the fishing boat near the cashier serves as a grill where seafood can be grilled in various styles. Ice-blended, cold and hot drinks as well as non-alcoholic cocktails are concocted in several beverage huts in the venue. Opening hours 6 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.

Lookout Point To cool off from the humidity of KL, take a drive up to the top of a cliff in the Sungai Putih forest reserve (in Hulu Langat). Here a lookout tower as well as a cluster of restaurants at Lookout Point, 300 meters above sea-level, offer breathtaking views of about 80 percent of Kuala Lumpur, as well as the entire city suburb of Ampang Jaya and some parts of Petaling Jaya, a suburb located near KL.

Lookout Point's surroundings can get chilly on rainy days, but thankfully parking is adequate. Bring along coats, and be prepared for the food served at the several dining spots to turn cold after five minutes. Recommended restaurants: the Lookout Point Arabian Restaurant, serving yummy kebabs; and Cafe Gasoline, serving Hong Kong-type foods such as tantalizing peanut butter toast topped with ice cream.

Museum Orang Asli Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur This three-level museum (free entry), managed by the Orang Asli Affairs Department, showcases Peninsular Malaysia's early inhabitants' history, customs and traditions; and their social and economic development. Informative highlights - displays of the various tribes' lifestyles including their dwellings, personal adornments, arts, costumes, musical instruments, hunting and agricultural tools, animal traps and traditional medicine.

On the lower level, the 100-seating and audio-visual system-equipped mini-theater is where briefings are given to schoolchildren. The Peninsular's orang asli population, divided into three main ethnic groups - Negrito, Senoi and Proto-Malay, consisting six tribes each - populate areas shown on a map near a small cannon and wireless set exhibit from the Senoi Praaq (fighting people). The term refers to the Police Field Force's two battalions comprising mainly orang asli formed in 1957 for jungle warfare against communists.

Other notable exhibits include models of bamboo and bark dwellings, bamboo rafts, dugout canoes and utensils like long wooden spoons and forks. Also, admire music instruments like the rebab (two-stringed fiddle) popular among the Proto-Malays; drums; violins; gongs; and genggong (jaw harp) synonymous with the Temiar tribe.

On the upper floor, there are small models of graves and structures like the Sangkak and a Sewang house, used traditionally to treat the sick and for ceremonial events. Also displayed are agricultural tools like wooden pickaxes, antan (rice pounder), mengkuang padi baskets; and domestic tools like wooden "lighters" to start fires, bottle gourds and bamboo cups.

Visiting hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday to Thursday. For more info, call (+60 3) 6189 2113, ext 216 (museum) or (+60 3) 2161 0577 (Orang Asli Affairs Department).

-- Tan Hee Hui/Contributor

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