Kuala Lumpur Part Two

When we have been in Kuala Lumpur for more than two nights we have so far stayed at the Corus Hotel opposite the Petronas Twin Towers in KLCC. This is simply because we have both come to know the area there well and no longer waste time and energy getting lost! From the Corus it is possible to walk underground almost all the way to the Suria Mall and most importantly to the KLCC Stesen, a fact that carries high value in monsoonal rains and equatorial sun and also when you've had a busy day exploring all that the city has to offer.The Corus receives mixed reviews on Tripadvisor but we have always had good rooms and helpful receptionists - maybe they have marked us as loyal clients - but maybe we might try another of the many well reviewed hotels in the area next time.

Centre Hall of Suria Mall, KLCC

 Kuala Lumpur is a rapidly developing city with changes noticeable after an absence of  only a few months. The Suria Mall is a very up market centre under the Petronas Twin Towers and was opened towards the end of 1999. Apparently two different companies constructed each tower and they differ only by about 3mm - according to my engineering LTM. There is a bridge between the towers about half way up and if you are an early riser you can queue to get tickets for a trip up there but once there you are not allowed to take photos. Many people instead go up the older KL tower for a better view and to take their photos. Not me though as just looking at a stick in the ground going skywards makes me feel nervous - earthquakes and all that history. I felt the same with the similar constructions in Auckland, Sydney and Tokyo.

Suria Mall, KLCC

 There are six levels to the Suria Mall and Ramlee Mall, all housing fashion houses such as Gucci, Chanel, Giorgiani Armani, Rolex, Harrods . .  all of them! The Japanese Isetan is often a great place to buy lovely quality clothes if you are lucky enough to be there during their twice yearly big sale period and they seem to have a permanent "Market Place" on one of the upper levels that usually produces a pleasing bargain. Parkson Grand there is more upmarket than Parkson Bukit Bintang and I was surprised to find Marks and Spencers there too as I remember it as more of a Target from my time in the UK. The jewellery shops are lovely to look at although they display only about a dozen things in their windows. One necklace I took a liking to cost MYR 125,000 - I have good taste - but not today, thank you!  I was instead satisfied with a couple of lovely gold pendants - much more my style!

Miss Sixty tickled me the first time I saw it! I can't figure the name! Does it suggest that you should miss out being sixty and be 59 or an earlier age of your choice forever ? If so, the brand is aimed at those who perhaps miss out on everything after twenty! Slim tailored jeans and jackets, brief tops . . . Then again, maybe the suggestion is that if you remain a "Miss" when you hit Sixty you will look great in that gear!

As well as six levels of wonderful shopping opportunities, the Suria Mall has Cinemas, a Convention Centre and a Science Centre - Petrosains - on the upper level. I believe that there is also a fish spa somewhere there as well.

The food Court - Signatures - is a great place to try out the quick version of foods from Malaysia and many other countries. We favoured the outlets that cooked the food in front of us and some of our favourites were Tepanayaki dishes and Otak Otak. I intend to cook Otak Otak one day soon. It's a spicy steamed fish dish with the recipie including tumeric root, ginger, shrimp paste and coconut milk and although the fast food version wasn't the real deal it was delicious. Kuala Lumpur is a foodie's delight with resturants and food stalls cooking food of all types that will surprise and delight your taste buds. We usually ate our main meal at a resturant at lunchtime and had a quick but tasty light meal at the Mall at night. We often ate at places that surprised us as they were hidden behind a shop or stall and noticed only when we paused to look at something. My rule is always to eat only food that arrives at my table steaming hot and this seems to work well as so far I have never had bad food problems. The benefit of that rule is also that I get to eat the local food with the local people.

View from the Food Court, KLCC

The lake usually has fountains going and is especially pretty at night. We spent one new Year's Eve here watching the fireworks and enjoying the company of a crush of Kuala Lumpur's residents. Everyone was very friendly and jovial and it was a great night.

The National Mosque, Kuala Lumpur

The highlight of our last time in KL was a visit to the National Mosque. I had hesitated making this visit in the past and gave some thought about this as I have visited all other religious places of worship, some repeatedly, without any hesitiation at all. I decided that the current fear mongering tactics by people and governments who have their own agendas may have contributed to my hesitation so it was time to satisfy my curiosity and desire to know more than just what is put out by those with vested interests, religious and political, via the information media.

Inside the National Mosque

Although I had no ideas of what to expect a  mosque to be like, this was a surprise. The geometrical shapes and colors together with the large circular type area created such a beautiful and calm atmosphere that it was easy to be relaxed and at peace. A guide explained that there were no pictures at all and that the arrangement of geometric patterns all had meanings and portrayed the messages of the five main prophets of Islam.

Our friendly guide

 I was delighted to see a group of women sitting and standing at a side door and went to investigate to find that a wedding was in  progress. I got talking to a young woman who told me that she was the groom's cousin and also that the bride was also her senior at school. She explained that it was not the usual Malay wedding but an Arabic one since the groom was of Arabic descent and that was why the bride was not at the groom's side.

The groom is in the centre, wearing the light
coloured clothes, beside the man in the dark jacket.

Thr Groom's cousin

Part of the outer praying area

The floor of the inside mosque was marked out with lines to allow room for the worshippers to pray. The men are at the front and the last third at the back was where the women worship. If there is a big crowd, then the women go upstairs. The inside area can hold 3000 people while this outside area can hold 9000 more.

Our guide was very informative, explaining practical things such as why devout men and women covered the whole of their bodies with loose clothing, the marriage rights of women and also about the prophets. Eventually she quietly enquired as to our religious belief and when we didn't have an answer for her she suggested that perhaps we were Buddhist and turned aside to pick up a phamphlet. When I read it later, I discovered that Buddhism is the "religion" that Islam has the least tolerance for because Buddhism has no god. [ I use " religion' because esentially Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy.]

Non Muslim female visitors are provided with this highly visible purple robe. I had thought that such clothing would be very hot but surprisingly I was quite comfortable although that may have been due to the design of the building and the water features creating a cool atmosphere.

I left the Mosque having had an interesting and informative time and I'm glad to have seen this beautiful place. This experience, however, again emphasised that devout practitioners of all religions are not at all different when they declare that they have the one true God and religion and aim to make believers of those who are not of the same persuasion.

This Hindhu Temple was in China town

So, my last two posts give something of my experiences and impressions of Kuala Lumpur. There's much I haven't included and there is more to see and do when I get the chance to go there again. I will definitely be doing that and I am also hoping to visit other places in Malaysia for a longer period.

Salamat Datang!

Kuala Lumpur

We stumbled across Kuala Lumpur again about three years ago at the time the yellow shirts took over Bangkok's International airport for ten days or so and we became stranded in Vientane, Laos. [ We didn't mind this, actually, as we loved our Laotian holiday and were happy to have it extended and at no cost to ourselves.]  We were about to leave the hotel for the flight back to Bangkok when we got one of those "Where are you guys now?" texts from our daughter. We've had so many of those texts now that when we see the first word we know that something momentous has occcurred and we need to access a news service. [Just don't let it happen when we are in Sri Lanka as world news reports appear in real slow motion there.] Until that event we had been in the practice of making Bangkok our base for our Asian holidays but after we experienced modern day Kuala Lumpur on that occasion, Bangkok hasn't seen us at all.

The famous Twin Tower

Kuala Lumpur has been a very easy city to enjoy. To start with, it is very easy to get there on Airasia which has fares that are very much cheaper than any other airline, provided that you can book well in advance and are flexible with your travel dates. The planes from Australia are new and comfortable and the travel time of a little more than eight hours is better than the effort to go anywhere via Bangkok or Hong Kong as we used to do. Airasia flies just about everywhere in Asia at low cost and even to the United Kingdom however there are some things you need to know before booking. For example, it is a no refund airline and you pay for what you want [ meals, sufficient baggage allowances for your personal needs for example] so lots of research is necessary before committing to buying a flight. I've lost count of the number of flights we've had with this airline but all have been very good experiences.

Anyway, Airasia gets us to Kuala Lumpur!

What keeps us coming back is that it is a fabulous city which is growing rapidly without losing too much of its unique characteristics. It has an excellent rail and monorail system so it is easy and cheap to get from place to place quickly and safely. To our surprise we have often had people insist that we take their seat. Now, where else does that happen?

Train Approaching K Sentral station

 Although I have travelled on the trains many times in the past three years, it was only last week that I realised that the train I was on was driving itself! The realisation was such a lightning bolt that I just had to confirm it with a local passenger. She seemed bemused by my question and, as she answered  " think so", I guess that this is correct. This photo was taken standing where the driver's seat would normally be. There was a sign saying "keep clear for manual control" in front of me. I remember going on a driverless train between terminals at the Hong Kong airport when it was newly opened and thinking that it was not as much fun as trying to see what the people on Floor 10 of the building at the end of the wing were having for supper when landing at the old one. Now [probably] all the trains in a city are driverless!

The stations are very well lighted, clean and the staff very efficient. Escalators take you deep down to the underground stations and back up again but if you want to keep fit you could also race up the stairs beside them. There are plenty of signs to ensure that you go to the correct platform and behave properly. Buying a ticket is a simple matter as you have a choice as to queueing at the ticket office or buying at a machine with the prices for destinations from each station clearly indicated on maps above the ticket offices. Just before I left for this trip, a visiting friend showed me a small knitted bag in which she kept her money cards and notes attached to her clothing and I realised that was the perfect idea for ready train fares as it eliminated opening a wallet with a lot of people around. Pockets just don't work for ladies as money kept there spills out easily when looking for a tissue etc.

 One of the train lines has at least one carriage reserved for female passengers and I thought that an excellent provision and should QR be so kind, I would make use of myself at home. There are places where women are hassled a lot when travelling on buses and trains so it was great to see somewhere that takes care of its women.

As I was with LTM I could not investigate this excellent facility.











What makes Kuala Lumpur special for me is not its variety of shopping attractions, its amazing variety of architecture, wonderful transport system, interesting religious buildings, museums, and Oh ! the sumptious food. It is its people. They are so colourful - and I don't limit that adjective to their clothes! Just sit in a food court and you see groups of friends - Malay, Chinese, Indian - all eating, talking and laughing together. Rest your feet while you wait for your energy to recover in a shopping mall and the chances are that a lady - usually one about my own age but not necessarily so -  will quietly start a conversation with you are very much higher than any other Asian country that I have visited. I also love it that I see couples of all ages very comfortable with each other, often holding hands, looking at each other, talking quietly as they walk, wait for a train or mono rail or do their shopping. Eating and shopping together seem to be social occasions enjoyed immensely by families and friends. I can't help but compare this with otherAsian countries where such occasions are mostly quite different.

I had a lovely conversation with this young lady as I selected two scarves at her shop in Ampang Mall. This Mall was the first one in Kuala Lumpur and looks a bit like a mini Bukit Bintang mall. There were several shops selling scarves but it was the dignity and friendliness of the young woman that attraced me to this shop.

After a very pleasant conversation and purchase I went upstairs looking for something specially Malaysian to wear. In a small clothing shop I found two friends chatting and they broke off their conversation to say " Hello" when I looked in the door. [I think that they were somewhat surprised to see me as they later told me that they see very few tourists in this mall.] My eyes were drawn to a lovely outfit hanging on a rack on the wall and my feet followed my eyes. Before long I was standing in front of Halimah and Zarah wearing a tender green and gold Baju Kurang! I just love it and I am pleased that I waited until I found the right one for me. To have such a lovely time talking easily with two women my own age but of a different culture and seeing that we have so much in common is something that I will remember and enjoy for a long time.

Zarah and Halimah

It amazes me that in a country that describes itself as a Muslim country, there appears to be so much freedom for the women of its different races to be able to dress in any way they please. One crowd of people approaching you as you walk in a train station has women attired in dress that is practically not there at all to that which completely covers the whole body, leaving only the eyes to be seen through a netting covered slit.

It is the ethnic mix of the population that ensures the vibrancy of the city. I think that I have been there about six times per year in the last three years and still I have a list of places I'd like to see and things I'd like to experience. The list grows each time I am there and time runs out!

I love to take my time walking through Little India, my eyes feasting on the colours of the apparel on sale, my nose sampling the sweet smells of the curries, spices and my ears hearing the noises of the market place, the shouts, calls and conversations in several languages. There are two Little Indias in Kuala Lumpur and the one I spend most time in is near the Masjid Jamek station. The narrow streets here are lined with sari stores and I have bought a few lovely saris here. At night, although it can be quite a crush, it is a great time to go there to enjoy the atmosphere and watch people shopping and eating. Contrary to what is sometimes reported about me, I am not a big shopper - well, except for shoes.[ A woman can't have too many pairs of comfortable shoes, can she? Every pair I buy has the potential to be comfortable.] The thing I love to do the most is to look at all the different things for sale and the crowds shopping.

Little India, Masjid Jamek

The other Little India is around the K Sentral station - which is not actually central. It is the old Brickfields area and it has recently been given a transforming facelift and looks promising for further expolration to see what else is new. Next time.

Morning stroll in Chinatown

Most of the tourists in Kuala Lumpur probably visit Chinatown which is found around Petaling Street. Although I do enjoy browsing in a big book shop in one of the back streets and have been known to buy just a few books there, It is not I who is the shopper!

Buying another watch!

 Yes! LTM himself is buying yet another watch. I must hasten to add that although he has seven watches now, three of them which have been purchased at Chinatown over several visits, were bought as working- in -the garden watches ie so cheap that is doesn't matter if they get mangled by the mulcher as long as they are not attached to the wrist at the time. There is an old fashioned watchmaker in one of the more 'proper" shops nearby who managed to repair a much treasured and ancient [ bought in Singapore in 1982] genuine Omega watch for a quarter of the home quoted price.

Bukit Bintang Mall

Another place where we have spent many hours on several visits is the shopping malls in Bukit Bintang. There are several in the area and we have visited all of them however it is the BB Mall and the one that is so connected that unless you look at the changed floor tiles you don't know you have left one building and entered another where we have spent many hours. This is where we have justified our frequent visits, if we actually had to do so! I'm talking optical expenses here ! So far, I have bought three pairs of everyday glasses and three pairs of prescription sunglasses at Optiks 2000 on the Lower Ground Floor. Shop 184 I think. LTM has also bought two pairs of glasses and another family member prescription sunglasses. I don't go for designer frames but nice frames, my difficult prescription cost me only AUD225 for one pair of sunnies and one pair of everyday glasses. At home the quotes I got for each pair were over $600. It is wonderful to gradually get enough glasses to have a pair at the computer, by the phone and on my face as well as sunnies always in the car and also in the handbag. What a saving for the Health insurance company too!

As well as the little shops there are two department type stores here. At Parksons in January we had a wonderful time with my daughter stocking up on business shirts. She was delighted to have so many to choose from as she has a definite smart business style that is sometimes difficult to suit. Her seventeen shirts at sale price as well as other great sale items justified the increased baggage allowance we purchased for the return trip! I have bought several handbags here, always at sale price and have made a note to myself not to look in this department next time I'm there!

There is so much more to tell about Kuala Lumpur - places we have visited such as the National Mosque where we saw something of a wedding ceremony, wonderful foodie things, luxury shopping . . .

Next time!

Eleven days in Sri Lanka

Our latest trip to Sri Lanka was not the easiest nor the most fun due to ill health, the nation wide town/village/city council elections and lack of news of the Japanese disasters and consequences as well as other very significant world news. The first two of these kept us quietly at home trying in vain to find out about the third from non existent radio news. 

Olu Ella Inn - a home among the rubber trees and tea bushes.

 Olu Ella Inn, our home away from home, is in a remote ish place and we could get only fm radio and limited tv that did not really cover significant world news. Of course the local body elections and commentary were of paramount importance to everyone else, so we resisted the urge to hurl the radio into the river and went for a swim there ourselves instead. At least I did, as I was not the one who was ill. [For once the need to carry medicines and first aid items was proved wise as without the three different kinds of antibiotics in my bag, my Life's Travelling Mate would have been in a great deal of trouble indeed. When we go to Sri Lanka we carry 50 - 60 kg baggage between us with about 7kg being my clothes, about the same for my LTM,  about 5kg of medicines and the rest is things needed at Olu Ella and for other people - books, toys, clothes and so on. I am constantly being told that I carry too much so it was nice to be complimented on my foresight  on this occasion!]

My bag being loaded. Our bags were the only ones he did not throw onto the belt.               Must have known I had my camera on him.

The local body elections created a lot of activity. Signs such as these were painted on rocks, roads and pasted on lamp posts and fences everywhere. the Army presence was noticeable, schools and government offices closed for three days, buses didn't run as they were said to be needed for election duties. I guess that meant that some people would not be able to get to the voting booths too. Even our quiet area had its share of processions of party official 4 wheel drive vehicles blasting along the narrow one way road and excited males zipping noisily around in tuk tuks and on motorbikes.

The need to stay in one place and to not have anything that I should/must do was actually very restful, relaxing and recreational. The weather was quite hot although there were a few sudden amazing storms in the late afternoons. I spent quite a few hours sitting down beside the river watching and listening to the water, to the small birds that zigzagged after invisible flying insects around me , to the dragonflies zipping to and fro and feeling very still and content. There is a massive boulder jutting out into the flow and this was my favourite spot. 

World's view from by riverside boulder

 Feet enjoying the clear cool water while receiving a fishy pedicure, eyes following the quick darting walk-on-water insects while the camera finger tries in vain to depress the button at the right moment, the time melted away. The babbling water was so inviting that I often slipped into it clothes and all. I found that if I stayed still, even bigger fish wanted to extend the pedicure to a manicure and more. I think that these were a kind of spotted trout and it was great to see them here again as last year someone sneaked in and fished by dynamite.

My natural, free fishy pedicure

 Once my LTM had recovered somewhat from both the bug and the trip to the "private hospital" we hired a car and went to Kandy for 24 hours on our own and to pick up some jewellery that we had ordered on our last trip.

Our driver was a local boy whom we have hired several times in the past. I believe that although he is a Sinhalese, he is married to a Tamil lady and I find that interesting because the only other such marriages I have encountered have had the couples need to leave Sri Lanka because of problems from both sets of families. 

View coming down to Yatiyantota from Olu Ella.

Kapok floating away. My LTM used to pick this to earn pocket money

 We were in no hurry to get to Kandy so we stopped several times to enjoy the views and take photos. We stopped at Thirst Aid  to have morning tea. This tea shop was one of the very few such places in existence in the 1960s and was actually the tea shop for a tea factory. Today the tea factory is in a disused state and the tea shop changed little but the tea was very refreshing and the short eats very yummy.

Colourful inflatable toys

The many different types of bananas seen at this stall attract a lot of tourist attention while those in the know do the tasting. I was interested to see the pink bananas as they are uncommon - a specialty!

I have mentioned in a previous post that the last King of Lanka who reigned from Kandy was betrayed  by one Ekneligoda. It was near here that he showed the British a way to get into Kandy, thereby making history and betraying his country. Beautiful view though!

Sri Lankan drivers honk their car horns in much the same way as ants communicate with each other when passing in opposite directions. Some honk so automatically when they see another vehicle that this sign doesn't overide their habit. Thinking of them as ants was a great help in dealing with this noisy habit.

We stayed again at Nature's Walk guesthouse where we were very comfortable and well looked after. The only nuisance is the troop of monkeys that harrass everyone and are very aggressive. I went up to our room to get my camera to take a photo of a baby one that I thought was cute, only to meet this one as I came out. He lunged at me, trying to snatch my camera, so much so that I was afraid of having my arm ripped open. Fortunately the guesthouse staff were after him and chased him off. Not that easy to do though. Last time we were here some tourists were feeding them bananas so that encourages them to hang around.

When in Kandy, we often eat at the Devon Resturant. I think that this is actually the former Elephant House resturant of the 1960s - 80s and the menu is very much the same - short eats, Sri Lankan Meals, some Chinese dishes, cakes and icecreams. This chicken fried rice was served very hot, cost Rs 260 ie AUD2.60 and was a single serve. Massive meal - we couldn't finish it. But delicious - especially because it was hot. I find that Sri Lankan curries are often served quite cold which doesn't appeal that much to me.

 After a quiet time in Kandy we returned to Olu Ella, stopping along the way to do fruit and vegetable shopping. I just love the names of places in Sri Lanka. This is the main street in Kotiyakumbura. Kotiya means "tiger", kumbura is "paddyfield. I am told that there was once a terrible tiger there bothering the villagers and they chased him away from the paddyfields forever. Anyway, this is on the main road from Kandy to Colombo - just in case you come across it!

This is the Yatiyantota bus stand and one of the tuk tuk places as well. I am told that there are 500 registered tuk tuks in the small town. The drivers usually rent them from their business owners and have to pay a weekly rate. So many of them seem to just sit around with nothing to do all day and there are so many stories of the banks and money lenders taking them for unpaid loans.

Yatiyantota is always our last stop before home. Here I hop into the egg and chicken shop to stock up on those items - as well as icecream! Every time I do this, I remember the days when I lived full time in Sri Lanka and had to queue for bread, when chicken was a rarity and only for Colombo people, when the shelves in the shops were bare of any goods. We were fortunate to have a fridge which we had imported so I used to make my own ice cream using powdered milk.

At the chicken and egg shop, this Tamil lady looked so beautiful in her sari that I asked if I could take her photo. As soon as she looked at the camera she became very serious. Isn't the sari gorgeous? Seeing her with her grandchild gave me thoughts of our return home to our family.

Shopping at the markets is a lot of fun. Well, I usually don't have to buy much so I can look around and take in the unique sounds of people calling out their prices and urging shoppers to come and buy and to enjoy the many different smells of the spices, fruits and vegetables piles on the ground or low boxes and planks. This market was a Sunday market at Gonagaldeniya. Another interesting place name meaning the field of the rocks and stag.

Leafy vegetablesfor sale at Gonagaldeniya. One of the famous dishes these are used for is a 'mallung". To make this, you slice the leaves finely and lightly cook them with garlic, ginger, spices and maybe coconut. Just taste as you go and decide what else to add. Good for your digestion and some things like gotakola are good for your brain as well - especially if you have memory problems - so I am told. I do think that my memory has improved a little!

We had a couple of days for more rest - on my part - and checking on carpark building progress for my LTM - he was feeling a bit better - before packing our bags for our return trip. I spent more time down at the river and almost caught a blue kingfisher on camera, explored the rocks and boulders and sat on the balcony,knitted and did Sudoko. Wow ! I can solve the "Challenging" levels now!

Our last glimpse of Sri Lanka is Negombo below us.  As we have travel plans for the rest of 2011 that will take us to a completely different part of the world, we say Ayubowan. 

We are now heading for Kuala Lumpur, a city that grows before your eyes and is still holds enough excitement for us that we plan on returning yet again. More about that later!


Auybowan Lanka. Good Luck and Blessings All