Kuala Lumpur's towering issues

REBECCA ROWE describes how to make the most of a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur.

You want go on City Tour, the Malaysian porter, resplendent in gold and white, asked eagerly as he unloaded my bags in the hotel room.

"Maybe ... " I hedged, having just flown 12 hours from London and wondering about the prospect of sleeping away the following day before my 9 pm flight to Auckland.

"You have whole day," he reminded me, beaming.

"Yes," I said, eyeing the luxurious bed, longingly.

"The City Tour very good. The tour leaves at 10 am, noon and 3.30 pm. You visit 15 sites in KL, five hours, pick-up from the lobby." He continued espousing the virtues of the tour.

I assured him I would think about it.

At 10 the next morning I was woken from a heavy, jetlag-induced sleep by the doorbell. Groggy, I explained that I had not booked into the 10 am tour but would probably, now that I was awake, attend the noon outing.

The porter apologised effusively and I gritted my teeth. By the end of the day, I would realise the episode typified the Malaysians' friendliness and eagerness to help.

I was also eternally grateful for the wake-up call as the tour was much more satisfying than spending a day in the land of nod.

Kuala Lumpur (or KL, as it is affectionately known) is fascinating. You could call it a city of towers. The Malaysian capital is home to not only the world's tallest building and highest flagpole, but also the fourth-highest communications tower, the Menara Kuala Lumpur, a structure which measures almost 100m higher than Auckland's Sky Tower.

A visit to the Menara is an engineer's dream. Before ascending to the observation deck at 276m or the revolving restaurant at 282m, you can view a short documentary describing the intricacies of the tower's construction: it took four years to build and measures 421m, with 45,000 cu m of concrete.

The architectural design was based on an Islamic tradition in architecture called Muqarnas with designers brought from Iran to construct glass arches at the lobby entrance. These impressive domes represent the seven layers of the sky, and symbolise mankind's journey towards perfection.

But even if you're not into such intricacies of architecture and engineering, it is worth a trip up the Menara for the view.

One structure stands out in the skyscraper-studded vista: the Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest building and setting for the movie Entrapment, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery.

Measuring 453m (88 storeys) in height, these stainless-steel towers are connected by an aerial bridge at the 40th floor. Visitors can go as far as the 42nd floor for free, but the building is closed to the public beyond that as the oil company Petronas, which built the towers in 1996, uses the top floors for its headquarters.

Be prepared to queue early, as only 500 tickets are issued daily and the towers close at 3 pm.

The world's tallest flagpole, flying a 25m x 35m Malaysian flag, is also free to view.

But KL is not simply a concrete jungle of human-built structures. Dense forests of palm trees line the motorway in and out of the city (the airport is about 45 minutes' drive from the city centre) and there are several places you can visit to provide a taste of Malaysian culture or to indulge in essential retail therapy.

A handicraft market explains the intricacies of the batik, as well as the opportunity to buy exquisite scarves, skirts and other garments. A second market offers leather goods.

For those seeking designer-style clothing at cheap prices and the chance to rub shoulders with the locals - China Town is the place to head.

Imitation brand watches, bags and clothes abound at a fraction of the normal price. I spotted some tracksuit pants, for example, bearing a well-known sports label for the equivalent of $NZ12.

They don't last long, our guide warned us, adding that he would never shop there.

After five hours I returned to the hotel, exhausted but happy, and mentally thanking that insistent porter.

Tallest towers

CN Tower, Canada, 553m

Ostankino Tower, Russia, 537m

Shanghai Tower, China, 450m

Menara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 421m

Sky Tower, Auckland 328m