Steamy Malaysia

This post comes to you from the Departure Terminal at KLIA, Malaysia's largest international airport. I'm waiting for a shuttle flight to Singapore where I'll transfer to a Qantas flight for London. I've just completed a week-long business meeting in a resort near Putrajaya. It's my first trip to Malaysia for almost five years.

The weather has been hot and steamy all week with regular tropical rain showers falling most days. Sadly, I've had little time to explore the immediate area. I did catch glimpses of Putrajaya when en route to the airport. It's a planned city located about 40 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur. We drove along the shore of the equally planned Putrajaya lake where several local landmarks were clearly visible.

The national convention centre was notably prominent on the opposite shore. This large, grey flying saucer-shaped building is perched on a low hill affording spectacular views of Putrajaya. It's hard to believe that this entire city was nothing more than a rubber plantation less than twenty years ago. Today it's home to more than 78,000 people, with plans to accommodate another 400,000 before its completed.

Earlier in the week we drove into Kuala Lumpur itself for dinner at KLCC, a mall located at the base of the Petronas Towers. These towers were the world's tallest buildings until the completion of Taipei 101 in Taiwan. The building was flooded in light when we arrived, making for an impressive and memorable sight.