Kuala Lumpur - Day 1

Since we arrived in Kuala Lumpur quite late, we decided to have a little lie in before hitting up all of the sites. After a great breakfast (egg, sausage, toast, beans...), we headed out to do some exploring. We asked the hotel staff for some directions, and they suggested that we just catch a taxi (in case we got lost, and they said it was quite cheap). The places we wanted to visit didn't seem too far though, so we thought we'd just walk. Our first destination was a stroll through Chinatown. 

It was (predictably) pretty much exactly like any other Chinatown that we have visited. We got there early though, so hardly any stalls were set up and ready for business. We came out the other side and decided to walk on to try and find the Lake Gardens, because there are a bunch of tourist attractions around that area. There are actual sidewalks in Kuala Lumpur; AND, there aren't any pesky hawkers/shop owners with all of their stuff sprawled across the entire sidewalk; AND, there aren't any scooters using the sidewalk as an extra lane in the road. So it ended up being such a pleasant walk.

We didn't realise it at the time, but we saw a number of the 'must see' buildings on this walk. As if instinctively, we had stopped to admire them despite our obliviousness as to their significance. 

As we got closer to our destination, it became more apparent that we were on the right track. We began seeing groups of tourists being herded along the sidewalk, while the tour guides explained the various buildings and what they are/were used for.

Kuala Lumpur is amazing, because you will be walking along in this city - with all of its traffic and skyscrapers and general city buzz - and suddenly you will stumble upon a beautiful, clean park - complete with extravagant water features, shady trees and inviting lawns. And, it's so clean!

Our next experience was a taste of this awesomeness, and as we got around a crowd of tourists, we were met by what can be described as an open court yard with a bunch of benches, palm trees and a symmetrical water fountain. Behind it stood a staircase to a large building. We were intrigued, so we climbed the steps to see what we had stumbled upon. It was the National Mosque.

It is one of the sights to see in Kuala Lumpur, so we made our way to the entrance. We had to remove our shoes, and Mel had to wear a hooded gown to cover herself to show respect. Ross was wearing shorts, so he was asked to wear a purple gown too - but he didn't have to cover his head.

Inside the mosque, it was so peaceful! There's a big pool running down the middle if it, with fountains streaming into it. The sound of running water effectively drowns out the hum of the city around it. We weren't allowed into the actual mosque part, but we were able to look in from the door, and a lady explained all of the details of the interior to us, which was interesting.

A bin!! WHAAAAAAAAT???

Our next stop was the Muzium Kesenian Islam Malaysia ( the Museum of Islamic Art). It consisted of three floors - the second of which was by far the most interesting. We wanderer around for quite some time, admiring the different ceramics, scripture, wood work, textiles, jewelry and weapons. As is the case with many museam visits, we probably could've stayed for a little longer, but we had loads more to see and a limited time to see it in.

One of the beautiful domes that tops the museum. 

So next we walked to the KL Bird Park, however, we felt that it was a little too expensive for what it offered, especially since the main attraction birds were the likes of peacocks and ground hornbills (both of which we have seen). The Bird Park is across the road from the Orchid Garden, which in turn is connected to the Hibiscus Garden, so we decided to rather walk through these attractions and enjoy the beautifully laid out and maintained gardens. On the way from the museum, we came across a peculiar sign, so Ross had to have a photo under it. About 100m up the road it all made sense, as we saw a picnic spot under a gazebo - set up for pedestrians to take cover under when it rains.

Natal Hibiscus

By this stage we were beginning to get a little peckish, so when we stumbled upon a street food oasis, we sat down for a light lunch - some samoosas and chips (so healthy!!).

We took out trusty Trip Advisor and Google Maps, and had a look at what we could visit next. The Asean Sculpture Garden looked like a good visit, so once we had refueled, we set off towards it. It ended up being rather random, and quite arty (like suuuuper abstract), so kinda went over Ross's head. The National Monument was on a little hill above the Asean Sculpture Garden, so we visited there next. It was built to commemorate those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom. It was a popular stop off, and we were very lucky to snap some shots without any other tourists in the frame.

There are beautiful floors all over KL.

A number of wreaths of poppies were left at the base of an accompanying monument, in memory of the soldiers who fought in WWII, and we felt very proud when we spotted that the South African Embassy had laid one down on behalf of South Africa.

Poppies from the people of the Republic of South Africa.

We had seen quite a lot at this stage - and had walked a decent distance - so we decided to start making our way back towards our hotel, so we would be closer when it started to get dark. We trundled through the Lake Gardens, taking in the beauty and almost forgetting that we were in the middle of a massive city!

The Majestic Hotel had these Porters outside their main entrance to greet the arriving guests. We were shocked at how colonial it is, so had to take a photo!

Once back at our hotel, we took off our shoes and put up our tired feet for a little rest. After all, we had walked 23km throughout the day! After Mel had read a chapter of her book, we ventured out again, in search of some dinner. We exited the hotel, and saw a nice restaurant just down the road, so thought we would check it out.

Ross got a curry and rice, which just looked hot! Mel got a delicious, sweet and sour chicken stew and rice. Both went down a treat! After dinner we took a short stroll down the road to try and find a place to have a cup of coffee. We didn't have any luck, so stopped at a tearoom and got a take-away, machine coffee. These two birdies had flown a long way to do a lot of walking, and we hadn't even seen the Petronas Towers yet!

Slight trepidation in those eyes