Visitors Galore
In Uzbekistan I always used to complain that those of you who promised to visit, never just quite made it to come and see the amazing aspects of the Silk Road. Now, however, I seem to have the opposite occurring. So far everyone who said they were coming to visit, have come. I have really been enjoying my influx of visitors, not only because I get to see good friends again, but also because I have been able to go with them and experience some of Malaysia! Yes, I finally have gone outside of Putrajaya and seen a bit of the surrounding world.
The first day we went into Putrajaya and saw the mosque and the bridges and returned in the evening to take pictures with the lights. Eventually I will have to create a separate post for Putrajaya, as it really is a beautiful and unique city. The city planning, the bridges, the mosques, are amazing and at night they become so much more with the variety of colored lights that display all of these locations.
The second day of the visit we went into KL and became real tourists. We paid for a hop on and hop off ticket that allowed us to travel to a variety of locations without having to deal with traffic or working out how to traverse the train system to arrive at the locations.
We got to see the Petronas Towers, which I had not yet been close to. For those traveling to KL, you should stop here first if you want to get tickets to go up into the tower. They are usually sold out a day ahead of time. We were able to go in and purchase tickets for the ride up for the next evening. I did not join my friends that day, because I joined some local friends for a champagne brunch the next day. But here are some picture of those ever famous towers.
Inside the mall at the towers.
Following that our next stop ended up being the Malaysian Cultural center. I have been looking for something like this place for a while. It is very difficult to find Malaysian art, and cultural items in any malls, and this is a one of a kind one stop location for everything. This will be a required stop by me prior to leaving Malaysia on holiday to find those ever important cultural gifts. What is unique about the location is that you can watch all of the artisans at work. The majority of the work is traditional, but there is also a section allotted to artists who have developed a modern take on their culture. I especially liked the batik and the silk art. One bonus was how welcoming the artists themselves are in this village like location. I will be going back once I can afford to invest in some beautiful pieces.
Our next stop was China Town. I had been here before, so I warned my friends that it was similar to an Uzbek bazaar, but a bit more expensive. They agreed after the experience that the stalls were similar, as was the haggling. Yet the atmosphere is different in terms of the foods available and the lights and brightness.
Wanting the full Malaysian experience, China Town was followed by Little India. The lights and bustle were great, but it really is "Little" India. We could find only one main street. It had a variety of stalls and once again you got a sense of India, but it was so clean and tidy, that we felt like we were still in Malaysia.
We also drove down to Melaka one day. I took my camera, but had left my battery charging at home, so have no pictures. But the town was beautiful. It had the old town feeling of a settlement community, old colonial buildings, and stores galore along Jonkers Street. I know that I will write more about Melaka in another post once I have the opportunity to go there again. I now know what I missed out seeing, and what I want to see more of.
Three days later I picked up more friends from the airport, and now within this process am versed in taking the train, and driving to both terminals of KLIA. My advice for anyone coming to visit me? Just check which KLIA terminal you are arriving and leaving from. The large international terminal will usually have the majority of large international flights. But if you are traveling with SE Asia, you will likely be at the LCCT terminal. I now feel more capable in navigating the airport and look forward to more of you coming to visit us!
The first day we went into Putrajaya and saw the mosque and the bridges and returned in the evening to take pictures with the lights. Eventually I will have to create a separate post for Putrajaya, as it really is a beautiful and unique city. The city planning, the bridges, the mosques, are amazing and at night they become so much more with the variety of colored lights that display all of these locations.
The second day of the visit we went into KL and became real tourists. We paid for a hop on and hop off ticket that allowed us to travel to a variety of locations without having to deal with traffic or working out how to traverse the train system to arrive at the locations.
We got to see the Petronas Towers, which I had not yet been close to. For those traveling to KL, you should stop here first if you want to get tickets to go up into the tower. They are usually sold out a day ahead of time. We were able to go in and purchase tickets for the ride up for the next evening. I did not join my friends that day, because I joined some local friends for a champagne brunch the next day. But here are some picture of those ever famous towers.
Inside the mall at the towers.
Following that our next stop ended up being the Malaysian Cultural center. I have been looking for something like this place for a while. It is very difficult to find Malaysian art, and cultural items in any malls, and this is a one of a kind one stop location for everything. This will be a required stop by me prior to leaving Malaysia on holiday to find those ever important cultural gifts. What is unique about the location is that you can watch all of the artisans at work. The majority of the work is traditional, but there is also a section allotted to artists who have developed a modern take on their culture. I especially liked the batik and the silk art. One bonus was how welcoming the artists themselves are in this village like location. I will be going back once I can afford to invest in some beautiful pieces.
Our next stop was China Town. I had been here before, so I warned my friends that it was similar to an Uzbek bazaar, but a bit more expensive. They agreed after the experience that the stalls were similar, as was the haggling. Yet the atmosphere is different in terms of the foods available and the lights and brightness.
Wanting the full Malaysian experience, China Town was followed by Little India. The lights and bustle were great, but it really is "Little" India. We could find only one main street. It had a variety of stalls and once again you got a sense of India, but it was so clean and tidy, that we felt like we were still in Malaysia.
We also drove down to Melaka one day. I took my camera, but had left my battery charging at home, so have no pictures. But the town was beautiful. It had the old town feeling of a settlement community, old colonial buildings, and stores galore along Jonkers Street. I know that I will write more about Melaka in another post once I have the opportunity to go there again. I now know what I missed out seeing, and what I want to see more of.
Three days later I picked up more friends from the airport, and now within this process am versed in taking the train, and driving to both terminals of KLIA. My advice for anyone coming to visit me? Just check which KLIA terminal you are arriving and leaving from. The large international terminal will usually have the majority of large international flights. But if you are traveling with SE Asia, you will likely be at the LCCT terminal. I now feel more capable in navigating the airport and look forward to more of you coming to visit us!
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