Hugh Ujhazy tells us about the best places to behold KL from up high and appreciate this miraculous growth.

Seventy percent of the world's seven billion inhabitants live in cities. While Kuala Lumpur doesn't make it on the top cities by population (Shanghai takes top honors in that category with over 17 million within its borders), it does rank number 25 by population density, with just over 7,300 people per square kilometer (ahead of both Shanghai and Singapore). From its origins just over 150 years ago with the arrival of a motley crew of Chinese miners searching for tin, the population has skyrocketed to 7.2 million people in an areas of 243 square kilometers. It's no wonder that "build higher" is the cockerel cry for developers everywhere.

PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS
There's plenty to chase in this city ringed by jungle decked limestone crags. The world's tallest twin towers, the PETRONAS Twin Towers, loom large over the heart of KL at 452 meters and from 1998 to 2000 were the tallest buildings in the world (now dwarfed by Burj Khalifi in Dubai at 829 meters). Around the skirts of these behemoths, a swirl of condos and office buildings scrape the tropical skies around the Kuala Lumpur city center.

Getting up close and personal requires an early trip to the base of the KLCC towers to get a ticket to the Sky Bridge. Perched 170 meters up the PETRONAS Twin Towers, the sky bridge spans the 57 meter gap between the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors. Open from 9am to 5pm, it is probably at its most spectacular as one of the daily rainstorms bears down on KL. Reopening in January 2012 after renovation, tickets are RM10 and can be purchased on the day at the base of the towers.

KL TOWER
Standing off to one side atop Bukit Nanas, the edifice that started the "reach for the skies" mentality remains aloof. Completed in 1994, KL Tower (Menara KL) rises on a slender gleaming white concrete stem before flowering to the bronzed base of the observation tower, telecommunications level and revolving restaurant. At 276 meters from the base of the tower, the public observation deck is the tallest accessible viewing platform in the city. Offering panoramic views over the PETRONAS towers and the entirety of the city, clear days allow for views out toward Genting Highlands and beyond.

From the top of the seventh tallest telecommunications tower in the world, the bowl in which KL sits can be appreciated. Ringed by sheer jagged cliffs cast with a blanket of variegated greenery, condo towers, roads and all the signs of human population lap at the skirts of the limestone cliffs as the city swells toward these stone barriers.

Construction litters the landscape as old buildings fall and new rise in their place, higher, brighter, all adding to the significant reflective index that is the city of KL.

Some brazen souls bungee jump off the observation deck; hurtling from high up with rubber band around their ankles creates an adrenaline rush that is hard to match. From 250 meters above ground, it is 7 seconds of fall time to the ground with the assistance of gravity.

Feeling a little less adventurous or with an allergy to rubber, base jumpers also like tall structures. Strapping a bit of silk and string to their backs (a.k.a parachute) they leap off the conveniently wide top of the telecommunications tower and manage a controlled descent via steering vanes built into their parachutes. Nice.

Another excellent way to appreciate the heights of Kuala Lumpur is to take a sightseeing ride on a helicopter. Along with an experienced pilot, you and a few of your friends can cruise over the city for an hour or so, getting up close and personal with the skyscrapers of the KL skyline.

FURTHER AFIELD
Heights are to be had further from town, though better suited to those who prefer their platforms to be geologically ancient. Driving through the old town of Ampang out toward the waterfall at Hulu Langat, a quick stop beside the road offers vistas across Ampang and down into the heart of the city. The highlights of KLCC and Menara KL are readily visible from the viewing platform as layer upon layer of habitation marches back toward the horizon like waves assaulting a beach.

To block this out, head to the FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) forestry reserve and feel small at the feet of growing towers. Taking the short trail out of the parking lot to the base of the canopy walk, view the city of KL in the distance from between broad shiny leaves and the rustle of branches many meters from the ground.

For the ultimate high near the capital, climb 1,860 meters above sea level to the Genting Highlands complex. Travel time of around 45 minutes (due to new expressways taking travelers out of city), the hotel and casino complex atop this peak near the city has been in operation since 1965. Also accessible via a cable car called the Genting Skyway which covers 3.38km to reach the peak. Often shrouded in cloud, the climb navigates steep hairpin turns past an amazing Chinese-pagoda-topped temple and awe inspiring views at every turn.

The 87 miners who staggered through the jungle stopped at the delta of two rivers to begin their quest for tin. Since then, their stories have been submerged beneath the steady march of Malaysian development. Climbing steadily higher, the underpinnings of this growing city remain visible. Seek them out from ground level then climb the heights to see this Asian dragon from a new angle. It will not disappoint.