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Published: April 9th 2010
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Petronus Towers
Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur We are in the middle of the longest segment of this cruise. It’s 35 days from Hong Kong to Cape Town---from Asia to Africa and everything in between. Fortunately there are many sea days and interesting ports as we are covering about a fourth of the world. On board we have decorated our cabin with some Chinese purchases and got some alterations done by the ship’s tailor. Many passengers have clothes made in China, Vietnam and Thailand. But that usually ties up all of your time in a port, so we have never gotten around to doing that. It is really nice to have Milton the Tailor come to our room, do the fittings and then several days later deliver the finished goods. There are crew members on board who perform a number of tasks such as fixing wheelchairs and glasses, shining shoes and repairing computers and cameras. It is like a small village here on the high seas. On these sea days I have time to make greeting cards and work on the travel log. Captain Dag opens the bridge for several hours a day so we go up and visit Freddie our favorite navigator and check the charts and
Chinese Scroll
Some of Our Purchases in Shanghai Adorn Our Cabin Wall weather.
After docking in Port Klang, Malaysia we accompanied Jack in his private van on a tour of Kuala Lumpur. The drive into town from the jetty takes about an hour and is quite interesting. The port is surrounded by mangrove swamps which our guide told us are integral to the safety and welfare of the local residents. The mangroves act as a line of defense against tsunami waves and they provide a steady supply of food and building materials. The trunks of the mangrove trees are impervious to rot and termites, so they are used in the construction of homes and buildings.
Kuala Lumpur is a very modern city filled with high rises like the Petronas Towers which are the tallest twin towers in the world. KL also has its old quarters like Chinatown which is filled with shop-houses. These two or three story buildings have a shop or restaurant on the street level and the residence on the upper floors. There is a five foot overhang to protect people from the blazing sun and tropical rains. In other Asian countries these are called chop-houses. They make so much sense in that there is no commuting to
work or need for babysitters, meals are a few steps away and the whole family is involved in the business.
We are amazed at the evident prosperity of Malaysia. There are condominium and golfing communities and housing for the poor. Although it is a Muslim country it is quite contemporary and generally accepting of religious freedom. There are mosques and cathedrals almost side by side. Ong, our guide, told us that this is the season for Iranian tourists. At the King’s Palaces we saw many women covered from head to toe in their black chadors. KL is preparing for a Formula One Race and the likes of Julio Iglesias and Tom Jones will be performing. There are still many traces of the old English colony in the bowling greens, cricket fields and pubs sprinkled around the city.
Ong took us to the local market for a fish massage. This massage is for feet and is done by fish. It is quite a unique sensation to have hundreds of minnows nipping at your ankles and toes. It is supposed to be very good for your circulation and skin tone. It’s a good thing we’re not too ticklish.
The
Designs@SEA
Susan's Handmade Cards next port in Malaysia was Georgetown, Penang, a very old trading port and not at all like the bustling KL. Penang was heavily impacted by the Christmas Day Tsunami and is still rebuilding facilities along the coastline. The ship terminal and pier are now finished so we were able to tie up alongside rather than anchor out in the harbor. We took Dr Tinkle on a tour with Robert, our Indian driver and Marco our Chinese guide. Penang is turning into a tourist destination and there are thousands of condos, apartments and hotels room under construction on the outskirts of Georgetown. We visited some fishing villages and a very lively Little India and of course Chinatown. The Botanic Gardens are filled with wild macaques—a type of monkey—that freely roam the grounds. We found some new shoes for Dr Tinkle and continued our tradition of having a Chinese meal whenever we tour together. We invited Marco and Robert to join us for lunch and we sang songs and told jokes and Kevin taught the guides some American slang---which I won’t repeat. They couldn’t get over the fact that Dr Tinkle is 100 years old and still out there cruising and seeing
the world. He is a cruiser role model and a traveler par excellence!
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