Escaping some of the Melbourne winter we decided to go to Kuala Lumpur then to Kuching in Sarawak for about 2½ weeks. We hadn’t been to K.L. for many years so was expecting a lot of change.
It was easy to get from the airport to the city and our hotel was in K.L. Central Station so we had no trouble finding it which was great as we arrived late in the evening and after depositing our bags in the room went up to the roof top bar for a drink.
Rested the next day we went to explore the city. We took the train to the main square and we wandered around the main square and admired many of the old colonial buildings. The Textile Museum was nearby so decided to check it out, it proved to be very interesting. They had a small café and decided to have a coffee, it was quiet and they were set up for a group, but as we were the only ones there at the time we had a coffee and biscuit, but they also supplied us with a complimentary local treat as I think we were a rare foreigner to patronise the café.
We then visited the Jamek Mosque after which we visited the
Central Market what can one say about a market that sells a range of goods
including souvenirs and jewellery. We had lunch at Old
 |
| Jamek Mosque |
Next day we took a day tour to Malacca, a town that was colonised initially by the Portuguese the history and buildings were very interesting but the main street was a bit disappointing, though I’m sure more time there would have given a better opportunity to explore the town I more detail. One feature which was rather funny is the over the top decorated Pedi-cabs really kitsch.
Not far from our hotel was the National Museum but it was a rather convoluted way to get there. We were lucky to arrive just in time for the free tour. Our guide proved to be very informative and was well worth joining the tour.
 |
| Decorated Pedicabs Malacca |
After the museum we went to and explored the Botanical Gardens and found a little eatery there for lunch The Bird Sanctuary was close by and decided to go there. Many birds we not in cages but I felt sorry for the ones who were especially the lone and forlorn looking hornbill.
That evening we went to little India and had dinner there.
Everywhere we go we love to explore bookshops and there was a great one, Kinokuniya in the KLCC shopping mall. I always buy a book from local authors when I travel this time and ended up buying two. We had lunch in the mall, then went outside and viewed the Petronas Towers the las time we were in K.L they had just been built.
We scurried back to base as there was a sudden downpour. After it eased off, we then went to find the Hindu Temple which was very colourful and then to Central Market again to get a few presents.
The following day was our last in the city before we flew to Kuching, Sarawak. We had most of the day as we weren’t flying out until 5.30 in the evening. We had time to visit the National Mosque the concept of the design which was explained to us was fascinating.
 |
| Hindu Temple |
We then went to the Islamic Art Museum which had a wonderful display which included Qajar Ceramics reflecting Persian artistic expression.
Then off to the airport for the next part of our Malaysian escape.
