National Monument Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar

On a palm-fringed plaza, with fine views of KL's skyscrapers, stands this bombastic monument. Commemorating military sacrifices in the name of Malaysian freedom, the National Monument's centrepiece is a bronze sculpture of soldiers (one of them holding aloft the Malaysian flag), created in 1966 by Felix de Weldon, the artist behind the Iwo Jima monument near Washington, DC. A royal-blue pool and curved pavilion heighten the grand impression. Nearby is a cenotaph to the Malay fighters who died in WWI and WWII, and at the foot of the hill a sculpture garden commemorates the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Snack stands, toilets and a small cafe can be found slightly downhill from the monument plaza.