Monday 23 September 2024

Kuala Lumpur

 Kuala Lumpur   

For my first full day in Kuala uempur, I went for a walk around some of the sights to see. Just up from my hotel was the start of Chinatown and the Chinese market. They sell a lot of goods and are prepared to haggle but it is not a night food market. That is along a street running paralell to this one. 

The KL Tower which was where I was heading for a view over the city. 

I passed the entrance to the Taman Eko-Rimba Kuala Lumpur (TERKL). It ia a raised canopy walk through some rain forest. Just beyond was the steep road leading up to the base of the KL Tower.
Another iconic building, tall, without being compromised by other tall buildings around it. 
The Petronas Towers, a side view and not the well known twin towers pictures. With the rise of other buildings around it, it has lost some of its grandeur.
A closer view of the towers from further around the viewing platform on the KL Tower.
A general view of the skyline of Kuala Lempur. There are some green spaces but the towers are taking over.
Another view.
My hotel somewhere near the base of the tall red building top left of the photo. The open area to the top right is the site of a new development so return in a few years time and the skyline will have changed again.
Another iconic building. I had omitted taking a photo of the Upside Down House near the base of the KL Tower, both on the way up and on the way back. I wasn't fussed about taking a photo of the World Peace Gong and the Blue Coral Aquarium also wasn'y on my list of things to see.
Not to be overshadowed by George Town's street art, there is a series of street art adorning Kuala Lempur...
...but it wasn't as impressive to me as George Town's efforts. 
I was disappointed at the riverside walk, it had potential but had escaped any beautification. 
The junction where the Gombak River on the left joins the Kland River on the right. The junction is prettiyly lit up at night in blue and iy much prettier at night than during the day.
At the junction is the beautiful Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque, built in a Moorish style.

                                       
Next to the bridge looking upstream to the confluence pf the two rivers is an old building. Its facade is covered with the River of Life mural. To my mind, they have taken a grand brick building andruined it with some tacky grafetti. 
Nearby is a major cross roads. On one corner stands the National Textile Museum in a beautiful building with a strong Moorish influence in the design. It was formerly the Federated Malay States Railway offices.
On the opposite corner is another grand building. This was the former Chartered Bank building used as offices.
Next door is yet another beautiful building now occupied as an art gallery.
Behind it is the library which is a juxtaposition of traditional and modern architecture.
                                                  
All three buildings face the country's second tallest flagpole at 95 metres. The tallest is the recently erected 99 metre tall flagpole opposite the Sarawak state legislative building.and beyond that is...
...the Merdeka Square (Independence Square). It is a large grassed area. It was formerly used as cricket field for the djacent Royal Selangor Club which was a country club for wealthy British and governemnt officials. On one side is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. 

The building originally housed the offices of the British colonial administration, and was known simply as Government Offices in its early years. In 1974, it was renamed after Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began in 1894.



Opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad Building is the Royal Selangor Club, with more than a passing resemblence to a cricket pavillion. 




Perhentian Islands

 Perhentian Islands

I had some time to relax on another tropical paradise island. Great to relax on and I forgot to take photos until I caught the ferry back to the mainland. I was the only human awake for the first speedboat ferry to take me back to the mainland but I wasn't alone.

                                                  

They may be small but they make an awful lot of noise.

A view of the jetty and beyond, the White Mosque on the smaller of the two inhabited Perhentian Islands.
A view along the beach.
The restaurant on the right and in the centre of the photo, the Reef Chalets, a series of cabins under the palms next to the beach where I had stayed.
The other end of the beach. 


Food Museum

 Food Museum   

                                                 

My next career with a shoulder pole as a street food vendor.

There were more interesting buildings and at last I saw a traditional pedal powered rickshaw as I made my way to the Food Museum.
Not a light house but a minaret. 
Another of the famous murals in the city centre...
...and another mural.
The Food Museum...

...and a close up of the giant soup bowl at the entrance.

Pouring coffee.
Examples of all the street food available.
A banquet.
Food served on banana leaves, filling, and an art form. 
Another meal.

Sitting down to meal...

...oops, I'm falling off my chair!

This food is a bit dull...
Look at the size of food on this plate!
The cucumber slices are big around here...
... as were the noodles...

...and the prawns.

Helping yourself to curry on a naan.
The durian fruits grow big here.


The most expensive foods.

I should have been more careful where I was going.

A take on a famous painting.
And after all the fun, one of the last exhibits was moving to remind visitors that we should treasure food and not waste it. 
And then it was a new route back to the hotel via Little India. The arch into the area...
...where the streets were lined with shops selling flowers...
...jewellery...
...saris...
...food...

...and the locals know which are the best places to eat...
...sweets...
...and silk clothing.
The most famous restaurant in the city.