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Published: March 14th 2010
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Kuala Lumpur
Beatiful skyline, huh? The tall buildings are the KL tower and the Twin (Petronas) Towers. When we arrived midday Wednesday, we were again greeted by a blast of hot air. Will it never end?
Since we’re only staying two nights - two and a half days, we booked a hotel very close to the KL Sentral station where airport buses, subway lines, the KL monorail and city buses all come to gather (or is that together?). Supposedly, our hotel is about 100 meters (300 feet) from KL Sentral and is therefore easy to find. Except that we get off the bus and can’t see a blasted thing in any of four directions. In a flurry of extravagance, we flagged down a cab and told the driver where we wanted to go. He wasn’t quite sure, but had to drive though the cloverleaf roadways around the station to get next door, where we found the hotel. In our extravagance, we were stabbed for 4.60 Ringit (about $1.35).
Right in the lobby there is a desk selling various tours of Kuala Lumpur and outlying areas of Malaysia. We settled on a half-day guided tour of the city and all the important sites, at least for a photo opportunity..
Once we checked in, we could walk
across the street, follow the covered walkway (a welcome relief from the hot sun) and get back to the station and the subway. Once on the subway, we made our way to Chinatown.
We walked the crowded streets (more like alleys) for an hour or so and marveled at all things Chinese. Finally, tired hungry and thirsty we stopped at a little café for a snack and a cold drink. Not more than 15 minutes later the skies opened up and I thought we may have to start looking for Noah and his arc. It just plain came down in buckets for another half hour before it tapered off to a drizzle and we decided to make our way back to the subway and ultimately our hotel. Fortunately, the rain cooled things off dramatically and it was far more comfortable on the way home.
Next morning, we had a private tour of the city with our driver/guide, Charles. The first place he took us to was what he called the Chinese temple. The proper name is Thean Hau temple, I believe it to be the same name as the Tao temple we visited in Vietnam. However, this one
Thean Hau Temple -
the dragon in front is necessary for good luck is a blend of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. All three live in harmony and are respectful of one another.
Interestingly enough, Malaysia is a Muslim nation. Most of the population (57%) is Muslim and the national religion is Islam. The national symbol and flag each contain a crescent moon which represents Islam. However, Charles was adamant that there is complete freedom of religion in Malaysia. Charles is of Indian extraction, and is Hindu by birth, but does not feel repressed by the Muslims. This is very different from other Muslim nations I’ve visited like Egypt, Morocco and Jordan. At least in Egypt, other religions are tolerated but it is illegal to convert a Muslim person to say, Christianity. The penalties are quite severe - anywhere from years in prison to death.
After a few other stops Charles also took us to the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. Most mosques I’ve ever seen have a domed roof, but this one looks more like an umbrella. This is intentional to symbolize that Islam is the “umbrella” over the nation.
This is further symbolized by the fact that the King of Malaysia is elected from the Sultans of the 14
Malaysia National Mosque
notice umbrella-shaped roof states and reigns for 6 years. At the end of his 6-year reign, a new King is elected and he, in turn reigns for 6 years. How does this relate to the struggle of the rest of the world’s religions against Islam? I have no idea. I just needed a place to stick this drivel in the blog.
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. The words mean “muddy confluence” because the city is built at the place where two rivers come together and created a great amount of mud. The city is a delightful ethnic mixture of Malay, Chinese and Indian. We stayed in a section close to “Little India” so most of our meals contained lots of curry. We had to search far and wide to find Malaysian food. I’m not sure we ever did.
Finding our way around the city is relatively easy and the public transportation is wonderful. Since we’re right across the street from the central station, we can take the subway, the monorail or a bus to anywhere in the city or even anywhere in the Malay Peninsula.
We finished up our city tour with a visit to Merdeka (or Independence)
Merdeka Square
Also known as Independence Square. The building in the center at the back of the picture is the Spotted Dog pub. Square. It was here on August 31, 1957 that the Union Jack of the UK was lowered for the last time and the Malay flag was raised for the first time. The area was first established by the British.
KL was under British rule for nearly a century before independence was granted. The area now known as Independence Square was an entertainment and recreation area during the British era. The building at the far side of the open green area was a pub for Englishmen. Originally, the logo for the pub was a leopard drawn by one of the English officers. However, the drawing was so badly done that the pub became known as the Spotted Dog.
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