Colonial charm rides a wave as favoured destination
Gleaming concourses stretch in a bewildering number of directions under a high, hooped roof at Kuala Lumpur's new central train station.
Called Stesen Sentral, it is the hub for several commuter services as well as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport express, all reached by shiny escalators with ticket-vending machines from levels of shops and restaurants.
This brave new world of train travel is a far cry from the creaking, cramped transport system of old in Kuala Lumpur.
Promotional stands on the concourses offer houses, air conditioners and tickets for Formula One racing. Down on the train platforms, televisions screen bad movies.
But behind the gloss, all is not well. Conversations with shopkeepers produce tales of woe about how they pay high rents on the promise of passenger volumes which have yet to appear.
On Friday, a fire broke out - the second in the station complex - killing two migrant workers. Rumour has it that deportations of illegal workers back to Indonesia have left tempers running high and the talk was of arson.
One short stop along on the KTM Komuter line brings the traveller to the original Kuala Lumpur train station, built in 1911.
Here the mood is refreshingly different. The first Moorish arches appear, hinting at a bygone era of whimsy and style. Wrought iron roofing curves over quiet platforms ringed by the balustrades, cupolas, and minarets of one of Kuala Lumpur's more extraordinary structures.
The romantic traveller will find much to delight - no blaring televisions, no flashing lights and almost no people.
The upper level is mostly occupied by the Heritage Hotel, a colonial-era fantasy of 177 rooms reached by bird-cage lift and broad ironwood staircases.
An Oriental suite features an opium bed and other top suites have four-posters and mosquito nets, while upmarket backpacker dormitories offer air-conditioning to travellers for just M$35 (HK$70) a night.
At Charlie's bar and restaurant, named after the owners' bulldog, patrons can see trains rock by as they enjoy tasty food served by friendly staff.
Battling bureaucracy and a roof structure which 'is becoming Swiss cheese', the Heritage people remind visitors of the quirky joys of travel. Japanese and Myanmar faces appear with every shade of Malaysian and Antipodean staff and customers, swilling beer and sinking liquor shots.
Renovation plans include installing a garden on the roof from where actor Jackie Chan once fell on to a passing train during an action shot. A high-ceiling lounge is becoming a library and Internet cafe, reached via corridors lined with prints of a city once marked by languorous charm.
The one-stop ride from new to old was all that was needed to show that in Kuala Lumpur's efforts at modernity, not all that is new shines true.
