Kelang river at Kuala Lumpur city centre

This continuing 'idle January' piece should add a missing piece for the section called "Fascination for rivers" at the middle sidebar. First let me quote what has been written in the supporting article Fascination with rivers - the Middle West Coast...

11. Sungai Klang

About as big as Sungai Selangor but given more importance due to the existence of Malaysia's main ports near its mouth apart from the fact that it flows through the city of Kuala Lumpur. I have seen the parts in the city perhaps thousands of times due to the fact that I've spent years staying in the Klang Valley. I have seen the wide parts near the city of Klang maybe tens of times but could have seen more if not for the fact that I try not to go there more often because of its often bad traffic condition. But all in all I never took enough pictures or make stories about it. Perhaps I have taken it for granted and need to make amends... will do one day.

After spending time buying orchids (read Al-Rasyid and the orchid farm) we spent the rest of the day at home indoors. The next day Monday I followed my parents to an uncle's place at Damansara Heights where we had lunch before I decided to head for Kuala Lumpur city by public transport and walked around. At the Central Market LRT station I saw a nice view of the Kelang river and decided to take pictures. Furthermore it is time that I fill the missing part about this river for the "Fascination with rivers" section.

You see it has been a while since I walked at these parts of the city and took the LRT. Then I noticed there's a pedestrian bridge connecting to the old train station across.

That was how I got to take rather interesting pictures from the middle of the river. Oh, the previous picture is headed upriver, this one is downriver...

Next I walked towards the famous cultural market/shopping complex, the Central Market. I don't know when was this sheltered walk built, as far as I could remember it was not around when I last walked here and that should be within 2 years ago.

I went pass Central Market to take another angle of the river. This one is heading downriver.

For upriver from the same spot you can see where the tributary Gombak river flows into the Kelang river. This is the place where Kuala Lumpur got its name... kuala is the Malay word for estuary referring to the Gombak river mouth, lumpur means muddy. So Kuala Lumpur simply means the muddy estuary which is how it was when the city was started with a settlement more than a century ago.






A close-up zoom showing the signboard Sg. Kelang (Sg. short-form for sungai or river). But don't be mistaken. The one seen above is the Gombak river. The Kelang river which is below the signbboard is out of view.

Here's a look at the Kelang river. These parts look smaller than the Gombak river. Perhaps the latter adds volumes to the downriver portion after where the 'muddy estuary' or original Kuala Lumpur lies?