After a busy summer for Matt at work, we finally got back on the road last month. Our first stop of a recent trip was to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I really didn’t know much about this city, or country, prior to the visit, but we found the people to be friendly and accommodating. We spent our first day wandering the city and sightseeing. This is a photo-op landmark in the city, modeled after the famous LOVE statue in the “City of Brotherly Love”, Philadelphia.
(**Malaysia is an unusually shaped country, situated on two different land masses, bordered by Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.)
Ella loved that the hotel breakfast buffet had put a large piece of honey comb out each day. This was a new one for us!
Cheers!
We actually started the day with a swim,
and a stubbed toe.
The city had some interesting architecture. This was the Sultan Building, built in 1897, it now houses official government offices, but has a very exotic appearance.
The city was an odd mix of new modern high rises, old mosques, and slums.
The river running through the city center was dirty and desolate. I guess San Antonio, TX really has things figured out with making the river walk a hot spot. In fact, as we continued to walk around, we saw development signs that advertised a makeover of the river area, to rival San Antonio. Good!
Next, we visited the Central Market. Of all the markets we’ve seen, this one was my favorite. It was indoors and air conditioned, and didn’t stink! We always enjoy browsing the stalls.
The fish in this fish spa were enormous! They looked like they could eat off your toe. I should’ve tried it….
A “trick art” exit.
I’m sure I’ll get ridiculed by some, but sometimes, when you are traveling in a foreign country, seeing this sign is a very welcome sight!
We spent the rest of the day in Chinatown and a Hindu area.
These handmade necklaces are sold to present as offerings at the temple.
I loved how the roses were individually wrapped. This sure would help them last longer, especially in the heat.
My favorite part of the day was trying the traditional Malaysian dessert, putu.
The putu was made from rice flour, tapioca flour, palm sugar, coconut, and pandan flavoring. Then the man cooked it inside these bamboo pieces.
This was the final product. It was warm and sweet with a cake like texture. Yum!
And probably the most iconic structure in Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Tower. The bridge in the middle is 45 floors up. (You can purchase tickets for the observatory, but it entails waiting in a long line at 6:00 am. No thanks.)
It was truly a magnificent building!
The nighttime view was spectacular, as well.
And that was it for the first day, now on to day number two….
So glad you are taking me to places I will probably never visit. So interesting.
I have a friend that lives in KL, but mostly I just see her kids on her instagram feed. Thanks for showing me more! I'd be nervous to try the fish in that spa too! I agree that sometimes something like McDonald's is comforting when it's " too much new " all at once. I totally get it.