[Eric's journal] We had a wonderfully relaxing day. It is so nice to be somewhere where we can spread out and have nothing to do. No sites to go see. We took all our laundry to be cleaned. It turned out it was a French lady who is living at one of the resorts. She pointed out when the laundry is dry is determined by how much rain we get. I wonder how she ended up here?
Today the blind German man we ran across in Taman Negara showed up. He is on his own. I think he is the ultimate ideal of the traveller, putting all his trust in strangers in a strange land. It is truly inspiring.
We had breakfast on the beach. There were a lot of surfers in the water. During monsoon season is when the surf is up, although it is not big. We then decided to do a batik lesson here at the hotel. Besides a hotel, it is also a batik store and it appears they do most of the work here. It was a good day for it as it rained most of the day.
Noah was our instructor. We decided to do a small sarong each. After the had stretched out the cloth, we were concerned as we were both art school flunkies. I barely made "C's" when I was a kid in art. I can't even draw stick figures. As we took pencil in hand to sketch our patterns, we were relieved as they had cardboard stencils for us to use. I went with the ocean motif; dolphins, fish and turtles, and Emma went for butterflies and flowers. I kept mine close to bare outlines as Emma opted for more detail in her butterflies. Then it was time to lay the wax on the pattern. This is very hard to do without blotches or very thick lines, and to get it to go all the way through. My lines came out very thick. Emma resorted to having Noah lay down most of hers. Actually trying it makes you realize how hard it is.
They keep turning out amazing batiks. The owner is a master of laying down the wax for very intricate designs and he doesn't use stencils. It is a group effort as different guys take turns painting the designs.
Next it was time to paint the design. The paint fills in the area between the wax. It is another talent to blend colors, change the darkness and fade them. I mostly opted for solid colors of equal depth, but did go for bright ones. Mine ended up much better than I would have expected; it looks like it would go great on a three-year-old's wall. Emma took much longer with coloring the detail. Hers is also much nicer than we would have expected and would look nice on a grown-up's wall. It was lots of fun and interesting watching the pros turn them out and color them in.
We met a Canadian who came back to do one more before heading home. He had done one here a year ago when he first started travelling. He is heading back to the Vancouver area in a few days and was passing through again. This is the second year he has taken off. He and his friend spent eight months in New Zealand working and skiing a lot. It seems after working a while he may be plotting his next trip, though he said it would be shorter next time. He gave us some good hints for heading north. The best was that it is drier already, the bad is that Thailand will be much more crowded with backpackers compared to the few we have encountered in Malaysia. Noah also told us that since the Bali blast last Oct, 2002, the numbers they have seen here are way down.
We do not have a toilet in the chalet (we intentionally picked one that was closer to the toilet than the first one they offered us). The toilet is about 50m away, mostly over grass, and since it has been raining quite a bit it is very muddy. Emma's solution last night was just to hold it until morning. ( It did rain last night for several spells which could have made it worse it you had gone outside.) My solution in the middle of the night was to crawl out from the mosquito netting, get up on my tip-toes, and pee out the back window into the woods behind!
(Another thought on the blind German guy. The heart of travelling is the people you meet and from what I have seen and can imagine, he is meeting lots of people. the Swiss couple on the other side of his cottage walked him into town and also helped him learn his way around the hotel grounds. Since he needs some extra help, he meets lots of locals too.)
[Emma's journal] We decided to do a batik on Saturday. Lots of fun, I cheated a little as the guy teaching us, Noah, helped me with the wax. He was an interesting guy to speak to and had been born in Cherating and has no desire to go anywhere else. He said he just loves the lifestyle- who wouldn't, the place is so relaxed. Making our own batiks certainly made us realize what hard work they are. We were tempted to buy one, as the ones they had for sale were gorgeous, but we really don't have space for any more pictures.
Noah told us that a typical sarong would take around two days solid work. It was interesting to see how everyone pitched in- someone would draw and do the wax and then they would all help with the painting.
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Saturday, 3 October 2009
31 Jan 2003 Cherating, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] Our luck with the weather ran out today. Up until now we have only had rain twice, and neither time did it affect us. Once in Singapore we had a big thunderstorm that started after we had come back to our room after wandering around all day and once in KL. We were looking at a Taoist temple when the clouds opened up. Fortunately, next on our walking tour was the Central Market, two blocks away. We made it there without getting too wet and by the time we had finished wandering through the market the rain had stopped.
When we woke up this morning it was raining pretty hard. We still went out to breakfast but skipped our walk along the river. We waited in the room trying to time the light/heavy ebb and flow of the rain. We gave up trying to time it, loaded up our stuff, and headed to the bus stop. I think all the locals must have thought us mad as we wandered through the rain, a big pack on our back and a little one on our front.
Fortunately, many of the sidewalks are under the overhang of the 2d floor of the buildings, so we were able to walk about halfway under some sort of cover. We only saw two other westerners in Kuantan and they were an older European couple at dinner the night before.
We caught the bus no problem to Cherating. We were on the local bus since it is only 47km north. Soon we could see the ocean on our right and we were away from city life. the bus drops you on the side of the highway, and it was a couple minute walk down the road toward the coast until we came to the cottages we were going to stay at. You could feel, smell, and hear that we were not in the city anymore. We have a lovely cottage with a great porch to sit on, read, and enjoy the fresh air. The rain had stopped by the time we got here but it was menacing most of the day. It is only a couple hundred meters to the beach. The main road through town runs parallel to the beach. There are a few hotels, restaurants and stores, but it is a very small town and very quiet now. There few other westerners around. In the registration book yesterday, an American, Brit, and Swiss registered. When we walked in, the guys in front asked if we were Dutch; we get that a lot. After checking out the beach, we retired to the porch to read all afternoon. It is so peaceful.
We had a great dinner at the Seaside Restaurant. The tables are in the sand, about 5-6m from the edge of the water. The view is superb and you can sit out at night in your t-shirt and sandals. ( Long pants for the mozzies!) After dinner we strolled on the beach before retiring to the porch.
We didn't have a toilet in the room. While there is a roof over the shower, it is very high and the area above head level is open so you can see the tops of the palms, sky, and clouds while showering.
We long ago realized that airconditioning in your room is not nearly as pleasant as a fan in this environment. You sleep with only a sarong over you and we sleep much better than we did in Singapore when we had airconditioning.
We have found one of the top things we were looking for; relaxing beach town. As we sit here, you can hear the final call to Friday prayer from the mosque out by the highway.
[Emma's journal] Our first day of rain! Proper monsoon rain. We abandoned our planned walk along the river and just headed out to get money and find breakfast. We caught the local bus up to Cherating. For the hour and 15 minute ride it only cost R3 (not even $1)
We arrived in Cherating around lunch time and easily found the Mata Hari, the place we wanted to stay. We have a cute little chalet with a balcony and we even have a fridge! It continued to rain but it was fun to sit outside reading and listening to the sound of the rain on the tin roof. The room even has a mozzie net- a big plus when you are a mozzie magnet like me. I find it hard to believe that Eric and I have basically been in the same room for the last three weeks and I probably have had close on 35 bites and he has about 3!
When we woke up this morning it was raining pretty hard. We still went out to breakfast but skipped our walk along the river. We waited in the room trying to time the light/heavy ebb and flow of the rain. We gave up trying to time it, loaded up our stuff, and headed to the bus stop. I think all the locals must have thought us mad as we wandered through the rain, a big pack on our back and a little one on our front.
Fortunately, many of the sidewalks are under the overhang of the 2d floor of the buildings, so we were able to walk about halfway under some sort of cover. We only saw two other westerners in Kuantan and they were an older European couple at dinner the night before.
We caught the bus no problem to Cherating. We were on the local bus since it is only 47km north. Soon we could see the ocean on our right and we were away from city life. the bus drops you on the side of the highway, and it was a couple minute walk down the road toward the coast until we came to the cottages we were going to stay at. You could feel, smell, and hear that we were not in the city anymore. We have a lovely cottage with a great porch to sit on, read, and enjoy the fresh air. The rain had stopped by the time we got here but it was menacing most of the day. It is only a couple hundred meters to the beach. The main road through town runs parallel to the beach. There are a few hotels, restaurants and stores, but it is a very small town and very quiet now. There few other westerners around. In the registration book yesterday, an American, Brit, and Swiss registered. When we walked in, the guys in front asked if we were Dutch; we get that a lot. After checking out the beach, we retired to the porch to read all afternoon. It is so peaceful.
We had a great dinner at the Seaside Restaurant. The tables are in the sand, about 5-6m from the edge of the water. The view is superb and you can sit out at night in your t-shirt and sandals. ( Long pants for the mozzies!) After dinner we strolled on the beach before retiring to the porch.
We didn't have a toilet in the room. While there is a roof over the shower, it is very high and the area above head level is open so you can see the tops of the palms, sky, and clouds while showering.
We long ago realized that airconditioning in your room is not nearly as pleasant as a fan in this environment. You sleep with only a sarong over you and we sleep much better than we did in Singapore when we had airconditioning.
We have found one of the top things we were looking for; relaxing beach town. As we sit here, you can hear the final call to Friday prayer from the mosque out by the highway.
[Emma's journal] Our first day of rain! Proper monsoon rain. We abandoned our planned walk along the river and just headed out to get money and find breakfast. We caught the local bus up to Cherating. For the hour and 15 minute ride it only cost R3 (not even $1)
We arrived in Cherating around lunch time and easily found the Mata Hari, the place we wanted to stay. We have a cute little chalet with a balcony and we even have a fridge! It continued to rain but it was fun to sit outside reading and listening to the sound of the rain on the tin roof. The room even has a mozzie net- a big plus when you are a mozzie magnet like me. I find it hard to believe that Eric and I have basically been in the same room for the last three weeks and I probably have had close on 35 bites and he has about 3!
Sunday, 27 September 2009
30 Jan 2003 Kuantan, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] We did the boat journey out of Taman Negara in two hours. We saw lots of water buffalo, many were relaxing in the river. We then had several hours in Jerantut waiting for the bus. It was almost 3.5 hours across to Kuantan and we are on the east coast. We walked to check out a hotel we selected from the LP only to find it closed for Chinese New Year. We tried another one a few doors down that was open but Emma couldn't find anyone at the front counter. We finally found one and got a room. We wandered around town and had dinner.
Sitting for so long all day was a real pain in my rear end. I think it must be with all my extra weight my rear end is not used to holding so much weight. The bus was on time again. It is a little scary on some of the roads as they are very narrow. Many people ride scooters, including on these cross-country roads. Since they are not motorcycles, they don't quite have highway speed, so you have all these buses and trucks that get caught behind them trying to get by.
In the toilet at the hostel in KL there was a sign reminding people to not squat on the regular commode.
We have come across more Dutch people in Malaysia than any other visitors. They are here in big tours and as individuals.
One of the English guys who shared our dorm in Taman Negara had big braces for his lower legs. Even with the braces, you could see walking was still an effort for him. In spite of that, he was travelling all over southeast Asia. We saw him walking to the top of the viewpoint in the jungle which was hard for us. It is inspiring to see people like him still out backpacking. He was an IT recruitment consultant from London. He has travelled in Asia before and taught English in Thailand. His plan was to teach in Thailand again and then go to China to teach.
While in Taman Negara we also saw a blind German guy who was travelling with two friends. He had gone on one of the tours in the afternoon ( I think they went on the cave tour). It is so nice to see him out and travelling in out of the way places. I overheard him telling someone about when he was in Australia a year ago and he wanted to touch an alligator and they tried to tell him he should just feel a pair of alligator shoes or a purse!
[Emma's journal] We left Taman Negara at 0900. Once again we took the relaxing boat ride down the river. There were quite a few water buffaloes relaxing along the river bank. After arriving in Jerantut we grabbed lunch and took the opportunity to take a walk around the town-not really much there of interest. ( The LP was right again!) We then caught the bus to Kuantan which is on the east coast and about a 3.5 hour bus ride. The hotel we planned on staying in was shut for New Years-the first time we had not got the hotel we picked from our bible! We ended up finding another one about a ten minute walk away. It was grim but fine for the night. Kuantan reminded me of a large Aussie country town in size. Of course the mosque was something you wouldn't find in one of those. The mosque is meant to be the most spectacular on the east coast. When you saw it at night, the way it was lit up reminded me of the Excalibur Hotel in Vegas.
Sitting for so long all day was a real pain in my rear end. I think it must be with all my extra weight my rear end is not used to holding so much weight. The bus was on time again. It is a little scary on some of the roads as they are very narrow. Many people ride scooters, including on these cross-country roads. Since they are not motorcycles, they don't quite have highway speed, so you have all these buses and trucks that get caught behind them trying to get by.
In the toilet at the hostel in KL there was a sign reminding people to not squat on the regular commode.
We have come across more Dutch people in Malaysia than any other visitors. They are here in big tours and as individuals.
One of the English guys who shared our dorm in Taman Negara had big braces for his lower legs. Even with the braces, you could see walking was still an effort for him. In spite of that, he was travelling all over southeast Asia. We saw him walking to the top of the viewpoint in the jungle which was hard for us. It is inspiring to see people like him still out backpacking. He was an IT recruitment consultant from London. He has travelled in Asia before and taught English in Thailand. His plan was to teach in Thailand again and then go to China to teach.
While in Taman Negara we also saw a blind German guy who was travelling with two friends. He had gone on one of the tours in the afternoon ( I think they went on the cave tour). It is so nice to see him out and travelling in out of the way places. I overheard him telling someone about when he was in Australia a year ago and he wanted to touch an alligator and they tried to tell him he should just feel a pair of alligator shoes or a purse!
[Emma's journal] We left Taman Negara at 0900. Once again we took the relaxing boat ride down the river. There were quite a few water buffaloes relaxing along the river bank. After arriving in Jerantut we grabbed lunch and took the opportunity to take a walk around the town-not really much there of interest. ( The LP was right again!) We then caught the bus to Kuantan which is on the east coast and about a 3.5 hour bus ride. The hotel we planned on staying in was shut for New Years-the first time we had not got the hotel we picked from our bible! We ended up finding another one about a ten minute walk away. It was grim but fine for the night. Kuantan reminded me of a large Aussie country town in size. Of course the mosque was something you wouldn't find in one of those. The mosque is meant to be the most spectacular on the east coast. When you saw it at night, the way it was lit up reminded me of the Excalibur Hotel in Vegas.
Sunday, 13 September 2009
29 Jan 2003 Taman Negara, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] We arrived yesterday. It was a three hour bus trip to Jerantut. We had lunch and left some luggage at the hotel. It was about a 20 minute drive to the pier where we got on traditional wooden longboats. They are only two people wide, have a 40 hp outboard motor and are about 40 feet long. They have a tin roof to provide shade. We sat on the floor for the two hour 20 minute ride. It was a gorgeous ride up river through the jungle. Very few signs of civilization along the way. We arrived at the park HQ. We docked across the river at the LBK restaurant and found our dorm up the hill at the Ecoton Hostel. All the restaurants are on floating barges that have been fixed up. You get across the river on one of the many shuttle boats going back and forth for 1 RM round-trip.
I guess there is a road into the park now but most traffic is still up the river by boat. The food is pretty good at the restaurant. We watched a video on the park at 2000 in the restaurant which was not very exciting. Then we went on a night hike into the jungle. Our guide was "crazy like monkey". He runs all the tours on this side of the park. We took a boat across to the lodge with our flashlights and headed into the jungle.
The sounds were amazing surrounded but the night and the vegetation. The insects and toads were amazing. We saw lots of insects ( spiders, praying mantis, stick insects) and several Malaysian deer. They look just like American deer but crazy like monkey assured us they had their papers and were natives.
We were in a eight person dorm but there were only four of us in it. it was a fan room and quite hot but by the middle of the night I was looking for the thin blanket they provided.
This morning after breakfast we took a boat back over to the park and went for a walk. We hiked up to Bukit Teresek. It is a huge hill with great views of the river and jungle. It was only 1.5 km but just about straight up. While the sun wasn't very strong, the humidity was still killer and we were drenched. The view was really good.
Then we went up into the jungle canopy walkway. This was amazing to walk in the canopy, much of the time over 25m above the ground. It was really long, well over 450m with lots of platforms at trees along the way. The walkway itself is definitely not for anyone with the slightest fear of heights. It was a ladder with wood over the rungs. This hung in netting which was attached to the trees by steel cables. It swayed quite a bit and the rope and netting came to below my waist. The views were spectacular looking through the tops of the trees.
We then walked down to a swimming spot which was a smaller river flowing into the Kuala Tembeling. It was very peaceful and relaxing to wade in and cool off.
After coming back for lunch we went on the inner tube trip. The boat took us 30 min further up the river. We hopped in the inner tubes and floated down, including through several sets of rapids. The water was comfortable and was beautiful watching the jungle from the river. At the end the guide used one of the local stones to create some paint and drew a sun type pattern on Emma's cheek and a big one on my back. The natives use this to paint themselves.
After a tasty watermelon shake ( not sure what all goes in it) we changed and walked up the hill to the night market. It was small and you could tell it was a local one. Some food (mostly guys cooking burgers), fresh fruit, clothes, and little trinket toys.
It is a beautiful location and relaxing to sit in the restaurant on the river watching the jungle and watching life go up and down the river. It is so refreshing, the whole liability concept here. I think there is one sign that says this is a jungle and dangerous. Last night we piled nine people in a boat 15 feet long at most, no lights (other than the guide squatting on the bow with his flashlight on). A couple people were sitting on the edge. (No life jackets in sight.) Then we wandered into the jungle on a very uneven path. Coming back we ran out of gas and the driver had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he reached under to switch the gas cans for the outboard. Never do you have to sign any forms. The jungle canopy would be dangerous. On the tube trip we didn't have life jackets, the guide asked if we could swim and if you said yes, you were covered.
It has been great being out here away from the cities. It is a gorgeous location and it would be nice to come back and spend more time trekking in the jungle. When we were in the jungle last night and turned off all our flashlights, the darkness was amazing accompanied but the symphony of sounds.
[Emma's journal] Today we headed out for our "jungle trek". We walked up to Bukit Teresek. Quite a hike in very humid weather- we were both dripping in sweat not too far into the walk. From there we headed to the canopy walk. This was amazing. It was great to be up in the tops of the trees. The walkway consisted of a hammock type net along the bottom of which they had laid metal scaffolding, which looked just like metal ladders, and then they had laid wooden boards on top. We then went to a swimming hole and just soaked our feet and washed some of the sweat off. In the afternoon, we went further up the river and came back down on inner-tubes. Very relaxing and beautiful. All in all a fantastic day- I think we will both sleep very well tonight.
I guess there is a road into the park now but most traffic is still up the river by boat. The food is pretty good at the restaurant. We watched a video on the park at 2000 in the restaurant which was not very exciting. Then we went on a night hike into the jungle. Our guide was "crazy like monkey". He runs all the tours on this side of the park. We took a boat across to the lodge with our flashlights and headed into the jungle.
The sounds were amazing surrounded but the night and the vegetation. The insects and toads were amazing. We saw lots of insects ( spiders, praying mantis, stick insects) and several Malaysian deer. They look just like American deer but crazy like monkey assured us they had their papers and were natives.
We were in a eight person dorm but there were only four of us in it. it was a fan room and quite hot but by the middle of the night I was looking for the thin blanket they provided.
This morning after breakfast we took a boat back over to the park and went for a walk. We hiked up to Bukit Teresek. It is a huge hill with great views of the river and jungle. It was only 1.5 km but just about straight up. While the sun wasn't very strong, the humidity was still killer and we were drenched. The view was really good.
Then we went up into the jungle canopy walkway. This was amazing to walk in the canopy, much of the time over 25m above the ground. It was really long, well over 450m with lots of platforms at trees along the way. The walkway itself is definitely not for anyone with the slightest fear of heights. It was a ladder with wood over the rungs. This hung in netting which was attached to the trees by steel cables. It swayed quite a bit and the rope and netting came to below my waist. The views were spectacular looking through the tops of the trees.
We then walked down to a swimming spot which was a smaller river flowing into the Kuala Tembeling. It was very peaceful and relaxing to wade in and cool off.
After coming back for lunch we went on the inner tube trip. The boat took us 30 min further up the river. We hopped in the inner tubes and floated down, including through several sets of rapids. The water was comfortable and was beautiful watching the jungle from the river. At the end the guide used one of the local stones to create some paint and drew a sun type pattern on Emma's cheek and a big one on my back. The natives use this to paint themselves.
After a tasty watermelon shake ( not sure what all goes in it) we changed and walked up the hill to the night market. It was small and you could tell it was a local one. Some food (mostly guys cooking burgers), fresh fruit, clothes, and little trinket toys.
It is a beautiful location and relaxing to sit in the restaurant on the river watching the jungle and watching life go up and down the river. It is so refreshing, the whole liability concept here. I think there is one sign that says this is a jungle and dangerous. Last night we piled nine people in a boat 15 feet long at most, no lights (other than the guide squatting on the bow with his flashlight on). A couple people were sitting on the edge. (No life jackets in sight.) Then we wandered into the jungle on a very uneven path. Coming back we ran out of gas and the driver had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he reached under to switch the gas cans for the outboard. Never do you have to sign any forms. The jungle canopy would be dangerous. On the tube trip we didn't have life jackets, the guide asked if we could swim and if you said yes, you were covered.
It has been great being out here away from the cities. It is a gorgeous location and it would be nice to come back and spend more time trekking in the jungle. When we were in the jungle last night and turned off all our flashlights, the darkness was amazing accompanied but the symphony of sounds.
[Emma's journal] Today we headed out for our "jungle trek". We walked up to Bukit Teresek. Quite a hike in very humid weather- we were both dripping in sweat not too far into the walk. From there we headed to the canopy walk. This was amazing. It was great to be up in the tops of the trees. The walkway consisted of a hammock type net along the bottom of which they had laid metal scaffolding, which looked just like metal ladders, and then they had laid wooden boards on top. We then went to a swimming hole and just soaked our feet and washed some of the sweat off. In the afternoon, we went further up the river and came back down on inner-tubes. Very relaxing and beautiful. All in all a fantastic day- I think we will both sleep very well tonight.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
28 Jan 2003 Taman Negara, Malaysia
[Emma's journal] We left KL early to get the bus to Jerantut, which is billed as the "Gateway town to Taman Negara." From here we got a longboat up to the small village across the river from the park. The journey was beautiful and took around two hours ten minutes. It was wonderful to finally be out in the country side and seeing something green after Singapore and KL. We decided to stay in a dorm (there are four of us) so that we can then splurge a bit when we get out first beach hut. The private rooms were quite a bit extra.
When you arrive you get off the boat at a floating restaurant and then up a hill and steps to the lodge. There are a few restaurants which all seem to have been developed for the tourists visiting the park. There is a resort in the park, but this is a lot more expensive and when it is only 50 sents per-person (15 cents US) to go across and you can get a boat whenever you want, it is just as easy to stay in the village.
We did a "jungle walk" in the evening and although all we saw was deer, spiders and insects, the rain forest sounded so alive. Our guide was called "crazy like monkey". Obviously a nickname given to him by some visitor- I wonder if he knew it would stick.
When you arrive you get off the boat at a floating restaurant and then up a hill and steps to the lodge. There are a few restaurants which all seem to have been developed for the tourists visiting the park. There is a resort in the park, but this is a lot more expensive and when it is only 50 sents per-person (15 cents US) to go across and you can get a boat whenever you want, it is just as easy to stay in the village.
We did a "jungle walk" in the evening and although all we saw was deer, spiders and insects, the rain forest sounded so alive. Our guide was called "crazy like monkey". Obviously a nickname given to him by some visitor- I wonder if he knew it would stick.
Friday, 28 August 2009
27 Jan 2003 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] Today we walked to the Golden Triangle. It is the area with the high-rises, nicer hotels, malls and restaurants. Many of the malls were very nice. We wandered through the Manchester United store, Nike store, and watched part of the Super Bowl in Chilis. We looked up a lot of info on the Maldives in a huge bookstore. We wandered around the Petronus Towers, they don't seem that tall but I think it has to do with the architecture: it is staggered in many sections and I think the towers make up a large chunk of the height. We found out you need to get your pass to go up to the walkway on the 42d floor. Since we couldn't do that, we wandered over to the Telecoms Tower, the fourth tallest in the world. It is built on a 90m hill in a forest preserve. The observation deck is at 300m and has a stunning 360 degree view. They also have a good audio guide explaining what you are seeing. They also have a 15 minute video in the lobby covering the building of the tower. It is interesting how many of the buildings here intentionally have Islamic features designed into them. All this makes the Telecoms building a much better choice to go up than the Petronus Towers. You also get a tremendous view of the Towers from the Telecoms Tower.
[Emma's journal] Our last day in KL. Today we headed out to the Golden Triangle which is the newer part of KL. You could tell straightaway. It looked a lot like Singapore with the mirrored high rises and malls but somehow had more character. Maybe it was the Manchester United shop! We also visited the Petronus Towers. They didn't seem like they were the tallest buildings in the world. We though that maybe is was because they were tapered in as they got taller. We could not go up to the bridge that joins them as you needed to get a pass at 0830- way too early for us. ( Actually we didn't find that out until it was too late.) It would have been interesting to see what, if any, security measures they had implemented since 11 September 2001. I wonder in they do not worry since they are in a Muslim country.
That was another interesting thing about KL, although the Muslim women wear headscarves, there were not many who wore the more traditional dress. A lot had on western clothes, including sleeveless and short-sleeved shirts. They also walk hand-in-hand with their husbands/boyfriends- something I haven't even seen in London or Edward Street.
[Emma's journal] Our last day in KL. Today we headed out to the Golden Triangle which is the newer part of KL. You could tell straightaway. It looked a lot like Singapore with the mirrored high rises and malls but somehow had more character. Maybe it was the Manchester United shop! We also visited the Petronus Towers. They didn't seem like they were the tallest buildings in the world. We though that maybe is was because they were tapered in as they got taller. We could not go up to the bridge that joins them as you needed to get a pass at 0830- way too early for us. ( Actually we didn't find that out until it was too late.) It would have been interesting to see what, if any, security measures they had implemented since 11 September 2001. I wonder in they do not worry since they are in a Muslim country.
That was another interesting thing about KL, although the Muslim women wear headscarves, there were not many who wore the more traditional dress. A lot had on western clothes, including sleeveless and short-sleeved shirts. They also walk hand-in-hand with their husbands/boyfriends- something I haven't even seen in London or Edward Street.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
26 Jan 2003 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[Eric's journal] We arrived yesterday on the bus from Malacca. Another smooth trip; walked to the bus station, got tickets on the bus leaving in 15 minutes, another comfy air-conditioned bus. We had traffic coming into Kuala Lumpur (KL), you could see the Petronus Towers in the background. We wandered around Chinatown and had a good Chinese. For the Saturday market they close off the streets.
Today we wandered through the colonial district. Very funky old train station, looks like a mosque with all its towers and minarets. We went through the Islamic Arts Center. Very impressive architecture, large glass windows, domes, all white floors and walls, the brightness blinds you. good views across the street to the National Mosque. The center had a great display on different tents used by Muslims around the world throughout history. There was also a good exhibit of models of mosques from around the world. Very worthwhile to see. The mosque where the two rivers meet ( the city gets it name Kuala Lumpur, "muddy confluence") is picturesque with all the palm trees and the Petronus Towers and other skyscrapers in the distance.
You didn't see many Muslim women in Malacca with the head scarves. Here in KL they are all over. It is very different from the middle east as the scarves do not cover their face, just hair, ears, and chin. There are also lots of Muslim women working; in stores and behind the counters at McDonalds ( not that we would eat at McDonalds!). You see them with their arms around their husbands, or walking and talking with other men.
This reminds me of our flight on Qatar Airways. They have the screens on the TV monitors where they show the map of where the plane is, show the altitude, airspeed, miles to destination, time to destination, then they have another screen where they show a picture of the plane and which direction Mecca is and how many miles away it is.
Malaysia is a Muslim country yet you can get beer anywhere and we had good sweet and sour pork for dinner. It really appears that the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoist, and Christians all seem to get along and live intermingled amongst each other, each respecting the other's customs and lifestyle.
[Emma's journal] Onto KL. We caught the bus from Malacca to KL- again a fantastic coach; more legroom than you could even hope for. The trip took us 2.5 hours and only cost $2 each. The traffic coming into the city was horrendous. It's amazing that just about anywhere you go in the world there is traffic!
My first impression of KL was- blah! We did a walking tour of Chinatown and it just seemed hot, sticky and noisy without too much character. I guess when it is your fourth Chinatown in less than two weeks it has to be something very special to beat the previous three. Maybe if it had been the first one then I would have had the same opinion of one of the others. We had a great Chinese dinner sitting outside a restaurant on one of the main streets and then played a game of chess with a beer on the hostel's rooftop beer garden. It's amazing when dinner costs the same price as your room. The hostel is fine- once again the shower head comes straight of the wall in between the sink and the toilet- this is starting to feel normal!
On Sunday morning we walked to the Islamic Arts Museum. The Lonely Planet mentions that KL is not the easiest city to walk around since it is sliced up by lots of freeways. We confirmed this today when what looked like a simple walk turned into a bit of an adventure trying to find our way across the roads; but we made it without any injuries. The museum was great. The building was very impressive and had only been completed in 1998. They had an interesting display on the different types of tents used by nomads in Islamic countries. They had life-size models and explained how they were made and used.
After the museum we did what the Lonely Planet labelled "The Colonial Walk". This took in some older buildings including the "Padang" where the English use to play cricket ( there was a similar thing in Singapore; but there they still do play cricket) and the Supreme Court. We then continued on up into Little India which was much bigger than any of the others we have seen so far or at least seemed so. It may have been that we were walking around on a Sunday afternoon and therefore there were just a lot more people. Had another great dinner in Chinatown.
Today we wandered through the colonial district. Very funky old train station, looks like a mosque with all its towers and minarets. We went through the Islamic Arts Center. Very impressive architecture, large glass windows, domes, all white floors and walls, the brightness blinds you. good views across the street to the National Mosque. The center had a great display on different tents used by Muslims around the world throughout history. There was also a good exhibit of models of mosques from around the world. Very worthwhile to see. The mosque where the two rivers meet ( the city gets it name Kuala Lumpur, "muddy confluence") is picturesque with all the palm trees and the Petronus Towers and other skyscrapers in the distance.
You didn't see many Muslim women in Malacca with the head scarves. Here in KL they are all over. It is very different from the middle east as the scarves do not cover their face, just hair, ears, and chin. There are also lots of Muslim women working; in stores and behind the counters at McDonalds ( not that we would eat at McDonalds!). You see them with their arms around their husbands, or walking and talking with other men.
This reminds me of our flight on Qatar Airways. They have the screens on the TV monitors where they show the map of where the plane is, show the altitude, airspeed, miles to destination, time to destination, then they have another screen where they show a picture of the plane and which direction Mecca is and how many miles away it is.
Malaysia is a Muslim country yet you can get beer anywhere and we had good sweet and sour pork for dinner. It really appears that the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoist, and Christians all seem to get along and live intermingled amongst each other, each respecting the other's customs and lifestyle.
[Emma's journal] Onto KL. We caught the bus from Malacca to KL- again a fantastic coach; more legroom than you could even hope for. The trip took us 2.5 hours and only cost $2 each. The traffic coming into the city was horrendous. It's amazing that just about anywhere you go in the world there is traffic!
My first impression of KL was- blah! We did a walking tour of Chinatown and it just seemed hot, sticky and noisy without too much character. I guess when it is your fourth Chinatown in less than two weeks it has to be something very special to beat the previous three. Maybe if it had been the first one then I would have had the same opinion of one of the others. We had a great Chinese dinner sitting outside a restaurant on one of the main streets and then played a game of chess with a beer on the hostel's rooftop beer garden. It's amazing when dinner costs the same price as your room. The hostel is fine- once again the shower head comes straight of the wall in between the sink and the toilet- this is starting to feel normal!
On Sunday morning we walked to the Islamic Arts Museum. The Lonely Planet mentions that KL is not the easiest city to walk around since it is sliced up by lots of freeways. We confirmed this today when what looked like a simple walk turned into a bit of an adventure trying to find our way across the roads; but we made it without any injuries. The museum was great. The building was very impressive and had only been completed in 1998. They had an interesting display on the different types of tents used by nomads in Islamic countries. They had life-size models and explained how they were made and used.
After the museum we did what the Lonely Planet labelled "The Colonial Walk". This took in some older buildings including the "Padang" where the English use to play cricket ( there was a similar thing in Singapore; but there they still do play cricket) and the Supreme Court. We then continued on up into Little India which was much bigger than any of the others we have seen so far or at least seemed so. It may have been that we were walking around on a Sunday afternoon and therefore there were just a lot more people. Had another great dinner in Chinatown.
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