April gave us a couple of long weekends - so we booked a couple of trips to different parts of Malaysia. First up was Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, with a couple of viator/tripadvisor excursions. We arrived Friday morning, checked into the hotel, and were straight out to explore the Batu Caves, a series of Hindu shrines just outside of the capital. On the way, we called in at the Royal Selangor factory to see pewterware being made. Then, it was to Petronas towers, the symbol of KL.

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Another daytrip saw us crossing over the border into the Johor Bahru area of Malaysia, literally just across the straits.
Johor is being fast developed with malls and theme parks, and even international schools - where everything is cheaper than Singapore - and hence attractive to Singaporeans! We took the bus over, and spent a day at Legoland, Malaysia. 

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Malacca, a historical state in Malaysia, is a true gem for travelers. It boasts a rich and colorful past, evident through its well-preserved buildings and ancient landmarks. Visitors can explore the famous Dutch Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stroll through the vibrant Jonker Street night market. The state is known for its delectable Nyonya cuisine, a fusion of Chinese and Malay flavors, and charming cafes and restaurants serving freshly caught seafood. This was a great little day-trip!

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Penang is a Malaysian state on the northwest coast and is one of Malaysia's most developed areas. The capital city, Georgetown was once a British Crown Colony, and is described by UNESCO as having a unique architectural and cultural townscape, with major arts, culture, and food scenes. 

We enjoyed a long weekend here - finding the street art and enjoying the food!

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It was my 50^th birthday this year – so a whole pile of trips, shows and meals out got booked with the excuse of celebrating my birthday! One of the first, coinciding with a National Holiday, was a long weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Although one of the nearest cities to Singapore, it is a place we have not been to – and so we booked a couple of daytrips, and had a nice time!

The first of the day trips was to the Batu caves, but called in at the Royal Selangor Pewter factory on the way! The caves are one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India, and are dedicated to Lord Murugan. The main cave rises almost 100m above the ground and is reached by a flight of 272 steps, avoiding all the monkeys! Besides the staircase is a 42.7m (140ft) statue of Lord Murugan. Having taken three years to complete, it is the tallest statue of Lord Murugan in the world.

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As is always the case for any trip we do, it soon became all about food – whether street food or in restaurants!! I couldn’t resist a Banana Prata at the caves… and then in the evening, as our hotel was opposite a popular shopping mall, there was plenty of choice and we ended up in a Thai restaurant; the food really was very good😊.

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The second day, we travelled to Malacca, one of the oldest cities of Malaysia. Originally a fishing port in the 1400s it became part of a trading empire for ships passing through the Straits, with a daughter of the Chinese Ming Dynasty coming to marry the Malaysian Sultanate. The Portuguese took control in 1511, followed by the Dutch in 1641 and the British in 1824, so Malacca has a rich and interesting history. The town square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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For the final day, we stayed in KL itself, and went to the most famous tourist landmarks, the Petronas Twin Towers for the obligatory view across the city. Amazing how small big buildings look from the top! The towers were designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli, and each tower was built by a different company, one Korean, and one Japanese! Excavation began in 1993, with the towers completed in 1997. They were the tallest in the world from 1998 to 2004.

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That ended our weekend in Kuala Lumpur – hope you enjoyed the pics! Next report is also from Malaysia, another weekend away – this time to the island of Penang…

Keep in touch!

Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy xx

My actual birthday fell on another long weekend, so taking advantage of free flights through a Tiger Airways Credit Card, and using an ‘apartment stay’ rather than a hotel, we were off to Penang! Staying in Georgetown, we got the ‘Hop on, hop off’ tourist bus ticket – and saw whatever was en route! Hence, first stop – Penang hill and the funicular railway. Penang Hill is 833m (2732ft) above sea level, and the funicular railway was opened in 1923. The track stretches for almost 2km, with the tunnel being the steepest in the world (79m at 28 degrees)! 

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Next stop was Kek Lok Si Temple. Built in 1891, this is a large temple complex, where Mahayana Buddhism and traditional Chinese rituals blend into a harmonious whole, both in terms of architecture, and the activities of worshipers.

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What Georgetown is famous for, however, is Street Art. To make strolling through Georgetown’s streets a little more interesting, in 2012 the Penang municipal council hired London-trained Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic to spawn awareness of the rich history of the streets through Art. So, our next ‘stop’ was to take a rickshaw cycle through some of the streets of central Georgetown to see some of the different works.

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That last pic was actually an ice-cream of sorts – a local ‘delicacy’ and quite delicious! We finished our visit to Penang by simply following the bus route through town, seeing some ‘points of interest’ and ending with street food in one of the best-known hawker centres, (and Chillis’s on another day!).

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So, there you have our trip to Penang! Hope you enjoyed it. No more trips now until the Summer – when we will be back in the UK.   Take care and keep in touch,   Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy xx