Port Klang, Malaysia

Arrived in Port Klang this morning. It’s purely a port area - nothing to see here. This is the port that the gateway to other cities, namely Kuala Lumpur (KL). We spent almost a week in KL a few years ago so didn’t feel the need to head there. Instead, we booked a ship excursion to Putrajaya, about an hour and a bit from the port. Our tour took us to the the botanical gardens, the Putra square where there’s a pink Putra mosque (97 per cent of people in Putrajaya are Muslim), as well as a scenic drive past the buildings with interesting architecture.

Putrajaya is a planned city that was the brainchild of a former prime minister. The goal was to centralize federal government administration outside of KL, though KL remains the capital of Malaysia and where parliament sits. It’s about an hour’s drive from KL.

It was planned as a garden city and intelligent city, with about 40 per cent of the area assigned to green spaces. Construction began in 1995, including housing for government employees as well as administrative buildings, lakes and parks. Today, its population is around 100,000 and is thriving.Read more