Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kampung Baru is the oldest Malay settlement in Kuala Lumpur.  Located just across the Klang River from the Petronas Twin Towers and modern Kuala Lumpur, the community protects and preserves an ethnic Malay lifestyle.

The entrance to Kampung Baru is grand and as soon as I pass through, I enter the shops, markets and restaurants of the district.

Entrance to Kampung Baru

 Shops and restaurants

In 1900 the Colonial British Administrators designated Kampung Baru as a Malay agricultural settlement, to allow the residents to maintain their rural lifestyle inside the city.  I stroll down streets full of traditional Malay houses, generally built of wood and each with its own distinct personality.

 Traditional Malay houses

The tall modern buildings around the Petronas Twin Towers are visible from all over the district, a reminder of modern Kuala Lumpur across the river.

 Modern Kuala Lumpur across the river

I pass the school and observe the sign on proper dress for attendance.

Schoolhouse

Proper dress

And, I spot a few things that are the same world wide, a car wash and a modern restaurant sticker on a car.

Car wash

I wonder how you become a VIP at McD?

I wander most of the streets of the district, watching the morning life start up in this Malay district and leave through the entrance at which I started.

 Heading back out past the shops and restaurants

Walking through and observing this traditional Malay community go about its daily business has been a great introduction to the Malay culture of Kuala Lumpur there is definitely something appealing about preserving a rural-lifestyle community in the middle of the bustling city.