Malaysia – More Kuala Lumpur

I can see now keeping the blog up to date is going to be a challenge as you will see in the ones after this. So bear with me as I work out how to keep the momentum. Previously travelling alone and often on my own gave me time but, it’s different when you are staying with hosts. I’ll explain more as I go. I’m also not quite in my stride yet.

Anyway the next day, still Jetlagged and slightly dehydrated we wandered to the Botanical Gardens, while it was shady none of the cafes were open or should I say open to us as one was an exclusive club, a relic from Colonial times. We did ask but it was a firm ‘No’. In the Gardens we saw our first Macaque, well Tatjana spotted it I probably would have missed it.

Walking in the oppressive heat was slow going but using Google maps we found a cafe at the Butterfly Park and then visited the park only to learn that every other butterfly is the National Butterfly of Malaysia. It was quite a nice place and educational.

We got a Grab to Brick Fields a sort of Little India, this was more like it! Not so set up for tourist, more locals and the whole feel was Indian. We wandered into a restaurant and had a light meal on a banana leaf which was fabulous.

We noticed the shops had yellow kurta style clothes and lots of colorful garlands. We asked about the colour and found out that the following day there would be a ceremony called Thaipusam and the clothes were the colour of prosperity.

I worked out we could walk to a Chinese Temple from there and so we went to Thean Hou Temple. I will let the pictures talk for themselves. It was busy because there was to be a private function. Tatjana is a font of knowledge, having at one time lived in Japan, she knows so much about Japanese and Chinese customs as many are similar and was able to explain some of the customs to me.

Inside the temple there are various floors, some set up as function rooms, then the main Temple with Chinese Deities and huge columns and everything was very brightly coloured. People were queuing to draw sticks with numbers on them and they would get a piece of paper with their fortune on it. I was rather puzzled by the whole process.

It is a place of worship and meeting of families and had a festive feel about it. Food was available and you can see the snack we had below.

We also saw a Lion Dance which is traditional in the Chinese New Year and brings good luck and fortune.

After returning to the hotel a cooling swim was in order. And a good night sleep before meeting our first Servas Hosts.