Malaysia

  

      As per what I'd seen, there is no definite identity in Malaysia which boldly yells "I am Malaysia!". The country is multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and is made of 50% Malays, 10% aboriginals, 25% Chinese, 7% Indians, etc. Though a mosaic, I won't describe it as colorful as the country is still marching toward development.
 
 
Kuala Lumpur
 
 
The signature Petronas Twin Towers.
Masjid Negara, the National Mosque		  
     
Islam is the official religion of Malaysia. Being a foreign to this religion, I was thrilled to understand more knowledge of it. However, liking to expose to different religion/culture doesn't translate to submerge into it. For Islam and other religions are the similar partly to restrict believer's behavior and rationing ability.
        
 
      Masjid Jamek
It sits on the confluence of the Gombak and Klang Rivers (more like gutter to me). This grand old mosque was the oldest in Kuala Lumpur. The design is simply spectacular!
 
        
Merdeka Square outside of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. A Malaysian flag hoisted on August 31, 1957 marks the independence of the country.
Sultan Abdul Samad Building. Home of important department during British administration.

The KTM Building and KL Railway Station ( -> ). The architectural style is impressive.
        
Natinoal Museum
Malay traditional game

Kuala Lumpur has its origins in the 1850s, when the Malay Chief hired some Chinese labourers to open new tin mines. They landed at the confluence of Gombak and Klang River. The name Kuala Lumpur literally means “muddy confluence”.


The Strait of Malacca is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, linking major Asian economies such as India, China, Japan and South Korea. Over 50,000 vessels pass through the strait per year, carrying about one-quarter of the world's traded goods.
      Juxtaposition. -
The new meets old.
My overall impression of KL is that it is old. Aside form the Petronas Twin Towers region which erects modern buildings, offices and hotels, the rest are simply old. But you can see pouring of investment to the city.
 

World tallest buildings in 1998-2004. Tower One is fully occupied by Petronas while the office spaces in Tower Two are mostly available for lease.
The Zouk, the most happening scene in KL. Big venue with more than 90% partiers are Chinese.

The China Town and Central Market ( -> ). Always a great place for knock-offs and local ethnic souvenirs.

Coach transport off KL was an unbearable experience to me. I was the lucky one who waited only an hour, instead of two, only to jam on the coach. The pollution was like hell!!!
The traffic system in KL still has room for improvement. To visit the National Museum, I had to cross highways! Nonetheless, the overall city is quite okay.

Malaka
         Porta de Santiago
(Fort A Famosa)
A landmark of Malacca which the fortress was built by the Portuguese in 1511, badly damaged in 1641 by Dutch and then restored by the Brit in 1808.
 
  In the 16th century, Malacca enjoyed a reputation as the foremost maritime trading center in the region. Merchants from Arabia, China, India and Europe conducted trade in silk, spices, gold and porcelain. One factor that contributed to the rise of Malacca was the monsoon winds that change direction enabling the west to travel to the east and vice versa.  
        
Malacca history began in 1403 with the arrival of exiled Hindu Prince, then Portuguese conquer in 1511, followed by Dutch in 1641, then British in 1824, brief Japanese occupancy in 1942-45, then the independence of Malaysia in 1957.
St. Paul's Church, was build on a hill in 1521 by a Catholic Portuguese captain. St. Francis Xavier was buried in the open grave here in 1553 for a month before his body was transferred to Goa in India.

Stadthuys (right, 1650), the official residence of Dutch governors. Was originally white, but painted in pink to match the color of the Christ Church (left).
St. Paul's Church up on a hill, while most of all historical sites surround the hill.
      Malacca Sultanate Palace. It's a replica of the 15th century Malay palace.
 
      Stadthuys Square
The Queen Victoria's Fountain built in 1904 by the Brit in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s 60th anniversary of coronation.
 
        
Chinese traditional strip house
Trishaw carrier

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
The oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia.

Malacca River
Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple
          

Pulau Besar. It was cool like Cast Away as less than 40 people were there on the island. I was literally trapped because of food and water. There were food stalls on the island, but were closed for renovation just the day I was visiting and would reopen the next day. If it wasn't the food, I will stay there longer than 5 hours. It was a cool experience as I swam NUDE on a remote bay. No one, perhaps only one, noticed, but I wouldn't care. It was just good to embrace the nature. =)
        
Ferry comes and goes every 2 hours!
I am the only one on the island swimming...
         Night view of St. Francis Xavier's Church
 

My first Iranian food experience! Lamb, of course, is my favourite.

Malay style spicy squid and marinated port.
I had a whole durian! The one I had isn't tasty tho...

 
September 2013 - Kuala Lumpur

This is my second time visiting KL. My primary purpose is not for sightseeing but instead for researching on potential property investment (perhaps for future second home purpose).

I am primarily looking at KLCC area within 5 min walk to the Petronas. But will have to see how the Fed's tapering going to affect the economies.
I screened down to only two opportunities. Will calculate the yields and returns, or perhaps no investment at all.

Even I am on my own traveling to KL, I can still feel the love from my friend (Angela) who gave me her rooms at the Sheraton. Well, I did enjoyed the place on her behalf, though I fail to find someone to share the room with me on my days I was there. Damn. Anyways, thanks Angela!
It was amazing to meet my friend, Patrick, whom we met 4 years ago in Vietnam. This time we talked very deep, touching on topics of love, life, sex, career, etc. In no-doubt, we both grew up, getting older and more mature. He also inspired me with his life experience on how he challenged and advanced his life. My after thought is "everyone is living in his/her respective environment, challenging and thriving." We hope that hard work will pay off... 王菲--单行道  
 
         Aside from "investment", I was looking for "love" (or what it actually referred to as "sex") in KL. I wanted to personally experience KL at a deeper level in order to provide me with information to assess whether KL could be a good destination for my second (cheaper) home, should I want to move here in the future. However, the experience I attained is not a positive one. More or less, Malaysia is a Muslim country; there are taboos on some aspects of life, such as sexuality and promiscuity. I did have sex with someone who is so kind and pure at heart which we both enjoyed. But, there are some experience I really don't know how to describe. But all I can say is I felt very fortunate to be brought up in the western developed world. As a conclusion of this KL 2013 trip: "I am looking for an investment. However, not yet an attachment."
 

 

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