Railway Stations, Kuala Lumpur

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Favorite thing: Original tip written in 2004
The view of KL and its surroundings from the new KL Hilton @ Sentral is expansive and beautiful. To get there, you need to you drive up the ramp to the hotel carpark and past the lobby, you will have the view of the newly developed area of Sentral, Brickfields laid out at your feet, and the view of Kuala Lumpur from the distance. Besides the Telecom Towers in the distance, you can also get a great view of the National Museum and the surrounding greenery of the Lake Gardens and Carcosa Seri Negara and parts of Bangsar and Damansara.

The best time to drive here is on a Sunday morning before 10.30 am because at this time, the sunlight is still light and fresh and clear. From this high vantage point, the city looks new, fresh and vibrant and indeed, it is full of possibilities!


Fondest memory: Some Colourful History-this tip was updated in August 2006
The area in and around Brickfields has come a long way. The town of Brickfields begin its life as a series of settlements and houses built along the banks of Kuala Lumpur 's famous Klang river (the estuary or meeting points of the Klang River is what gave Kuala Lumpur its name). It was initially home to railway workers who were mainly migrants from Southern India. At that time, the head office of Malayan Railways (now known as "KTM" or Keretapi Tanah Melayu), and the main railway tracks and some godowns were located in Brickfields, and that's the reason why the railway workers home was also situated here. The area flourished when petty traders and small businesses set up shop here. In the era of the British rule, it was also the home of large brick making kilns, thus the name "brick fields" or fields of bricks. (or so I'm told!).

This area is also home to the Malaysian Association for the Blind, where the visually handicapped are trained in certain vocations, including body massage and telephone skills. Many visually handicapped people continue to live and work here so please drive slowly when you're in the area.

In recent years, the area was redeveloped and the new KL Sentral Station was built here making it a transport hub to connect international travellers from KLIA (by Express Rail Link / ERL it takes 27 mins from here to KLIA) to downtown Kuala Lumpur. Buses, taxis, the Putra LRT & KTM Commuter service & KL Monorail also links to KL Sentral. With the development of several up-market hotels such as the Le Meridien & KL Hilton @ Sentral, this part of Brickfields has come a long way from being a "field of bricks" and now, expensive condominiums sit cheek by jowl alongside older railway worker houses. It shows a face of Kuala Lumpur that is unique, colourful and hopefully will not totally disappear in time to come.