Putrajaya a grandiose dream<\/p>\n
Julia Yeow, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Putrajaya, Malaysia<\/p>\n
A majestic room in the west wing of the prime minister's official
\nresidence offers guests a commanding sight of Malaysia's newest
\ntourist attraction -- the sprawling administrative capital of
\nPutrajaya.<\/p>\n
The view from the prime minister's official home, a mansion
\nbuilt on a hillside, offers glimpses of a two-tiered concrete
\nbridge, and a large pink-domed mosque built along one of the
\nworld's largest man- made lakes.<\/p>\n
These commanding sights are just some of the attractions at
\nthe 4,580-hectare city which was carved out and built from
\nscratch from a vast land of rubber and palm oil plantations.
\nThe US$5.3 billion city was the pet project of former prime
\nminister Mahathir Mohamad, and the veteran leader's grand plans
\nare not finished yet.<\/p>\n
Mahathir named the city after Malaysia's founding father,
\nTunku Abdul Rahman Putra, adding jaya, the Malay word for
\n\"success\".<\/p>\n
Government buildings that mix modern facilities with
\ncenturies-old Islamic architecture are a common sight, and rows
\nof apartment blocks and even shopping malls have begun to take
\nshape.<\/p>\n
Visitors can take a guided tour of the prime minister's
\nresidence, called Seri Perdana, which includes visiting a banquet
\nhall, a prayer chamber featuring walls carved with Muslim
\ncalligraphy, a meeting room and a guest lounge.<\/p>\n
Officials estimate that more than one million people have
\nvisited the halls of Seri Perdana in just over three years.<\/p>\n
\"The house is very beautiful,\" Wang Qi Hong, a college
\nlecturer from China, said at the end of his tour of Seri
\nPerdana's bougainvillea-filled garden. \"I would have liked to see
\nmore of it.\"<\/p>\n
Another landmark is a massive mosque constructed in rose-
\ntinted granite with a soaring 116-meter-tall minaret. Built to
\naccommodate 15,000 worshipers, the structure also hosts a
\npermanent exhibition of rare copies of the Koran.<\/p>\n
But Putrajaya not only offers sights of grand architecture; it
\nalso boasts of breathtaking scenery with it's meticulously
\ndesigned and manicured hills and freshwater wetlands teeming with
\nswans, flamingos and nearly 60,000 trees and shrubs.<\/p>\n
Besides trekking in the wetlands, nature-lovers can take a
\nstroll at Putrajaya's Botanical Gardens, which contains more than
\n700 plant species from across Asia and Africa.<\/p>\n
The place also boasts a 170-meter-long bridge enabling
\nvisitors to walk through a canopy of a rain forest.<\/p>\n
A breathtaking artificial lake that covers more than one-tenth
\nof Putrajaya's total area also beckons the more adventurous
\nvisitor. Tourists can choose to go kayaking in the seven-
\nkilometer-long lake or cruise on gondola-like vessels.<\/p>\n
But despite all the attractions, the metropolis is eerily
\nquiet, a sign of difficulties convincing people to move their
\nlives from chaotic, vibrant Kuala Lumpur to the new city, located
\nabout 40 kilometers away.<\/p>\n
Authorities are also hard-pressed to boost Putrajaya's modest
\nnumber of foreign visitors -- an estimated 200,000 in 2003 -- and
\nlure millions of Malaysians who have never set foot here.<\/p>\n
\"If I were to go someplace for a vacation, I wouldn't choose
\nto come to Putrajaya,\" said Sam Wong, a resident of Kuala Lumpur
\nvisiting Putrajaya for the first time.<\/p>\n
\"It's architecture and grandiose (quality) is worth making a
\nvisit, but there aren't enough attractions to make it a holiday
\ndestination,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, officials say the lack of interest is just part of
\nteething problems, and plan to build more attractions in
\nPutrajaya over the next three years, including a gargantuan
\nshopping mall, artificial picnic beach, water theme park and
\nmaritime museum.<\/p>\n
\"Once everything is in place, Putrajaya will be an awesome
\ncity to visit -- it gives visitors a blend of the extremely
\nmodern, with the beauty of nature,\" said an official.<\/p>",
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