CHINATOWN

While KL's mosques connote an air of calm and solace, no place better symbolizes the opposite end of the city spectrum - the break-neck speed of commerce - than Chinatown.

Malaysia's Chinese population, some 30 percent of the country's total, immigrated to Malaysia as early as the 15th century, but largely in the 19th and early 20th century, capitalizing on the spice trade of the Melakan Straits as well as running Malaysia's tin mines - once the country's main source of income. The Chinese immigrants were hard-working and entrepreneurial, and today, Malaysia's Chinese are at the center of much of the country's commercial activity.

In Chinatown, you can witness in this commerce first hand. Indeed, along Petaling Street, the heart of Chinatown, you will see just about anything and everything being sold. Values can be had, as bargaining is most definitely the order of the day. Along Petaling Street, one word may come in particularly handy: "setengah," which means "half." Locals will often yell out "setengah!" as soon as they hear the first price a vendor offers. It is a practice worthy of imitation.

Chinatown is a fun place to explore, with a myriad of narrow alleyways and a variety of shops. One of the most interesting shops is the Chinese herbal medicine store. Here you will find hundreds of herbs and roots that are all meant to remedy any ailment and/or promote general good health. Coming down with a cold? The storekeeper may just recommend that you boil fresh ginger or hyacinth beans in water with sugar.