Thursday, February 11, 2021

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - January 2020

 We arrived in Kuala Lumpur at sunset. This vibrant cosmopolitan city was beautifully decked out for upcoming New Year's celebration.

Kuala Lumpur airport 

 Our hotel was conveniently located with in walking distance to the famous night market and food haven on Jalan Alor. We wasted no time time and head out to Jalan Alor with the lively evening just about to begin. We enjoyed our first night exploring the variety of street food in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. 

Some of the best culinary delights that Malaysia has to offer are right here on Jalan Alor. The food stalls would take up both sides of the streets and the sidewalks.  There were many rows of vendors selling a variety of products.  For the next three days, Alor would be our top choice for dinner.  It's a fun place to people watch as well. Everyone was ready to ring in the Lunar New Year, the year of the Rat on January 25, 2020.  

Night market on Alor Street

A durian stall selling "everything" durian.


A seafood stall 

Exploring dining options

Menara KL Tower from Jalan Alor

Public transportation was very efficient and inexpensive in Kuala Lumpur.  We took a bus to the historic old town. We started our walking tour at the Central Market and continued on to the Sultan Abdul Samad building, the national textile museum, the Merdeka Square and China town. 

The Central Market was a former wet market selling fruit, vegetables and meat. Today it includes different sections to reflect many culture and ethnic backgrounds such as: Malay, Indian, Chinese etc...It has food court and sells local products, souvenirs, arts and crafts.

Central Market

Kasturi Walk by the Central Market


Jamek Mosque of Kuala Lumpur with the Menara KL Tower in the background

Sultan Abdul Samad Building courtyard

Sultan Abdul Samad Building. Government Offices for British colonial administration
  

National Textile museum with grand architectural design.

National Textile Museum near Merdeka Square

Popular China Town's Petaling Street

One of the tourist attractions we liked to see was the Batu Caves about 15 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. From our hotel we used UBER to get to Batu Caves and took a local train back to Kuala Lumpur.

We climbed 275 steps to Batu Cave entrance

There are Hindu temples and shrines inside the caves.

On the way down from the caves


Lake at Batu Cave 


We spent the last full day exploring the new central business district and transport hub in Kuala Lumpur called Bandar Malaysia. The KLCC park and the famous Petronas twin towers are also top tourist attractions in the area.  

Central district of Kuala Lumpur

The famous Petronas twin towers

The oldest surviving traditional Malay House located in the heart of KL with its many high rise buildings nearby.


The heritage garden ground of the restored Malay wooden house


Light and Music show at Petronas Towers in KLCC park

  
Office building at night

We thoroughly enjoyed our three day visit to Kuala Lumpur. In addition to this wonderful capital city, Malaysia has many more other interesting places to see. We will have to save them for our next adventure when we come back to this part of Asia.

Monday, February 1, 2021

Bangkok, Thailand - January 2020

We were very excited when we turned the page of our calendar to January 2020. We had scheduled several trips and adventures in the new year. We left for Thailand on January 15, our first stop on this  trip which would also include Kuala Lumpur, Java, Bali and then back to Thailand.  We would be gone for a little over a month.  We would be in Bangkok for two days and celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary there.  Little did we know that in February when we got back from this trip, our travel plans would all change.    

Bangkok is a fun and vibrant city to visit. Our first full day, we saw several tourist attractions including the the Grand Palace and Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha).


Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho, one of the oldest and largest in the world



A grand stupa near Wat Pho entrance
 
 Sitting Buddhas

Beautiful inlay and carving stupa in Wat Pho

Wat Pho garden

Wat Pho garden

Across from Wat Pho, there is a busy market place. We joined the crowd heading toward the ferry terminal. 
 
A refreshing durian drink on a hot day

Chao Phraya River residence 

After a short boat ride across the Cho Phraya River, we reached Wat Arun, a magnificent temple on the West Bank of the river. 



Wat Arun, the temple of Dawn

The Ordination Hall nearby Wat Arun was crafted entirely out of marble

The Ordination Hall


Ordination Hall - Main sanctuary

We left the next morning for the flight to Kuala Lumpur.  We will return to to Bangkok in two weeks.

Our filling chicken and rice soup breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the airport