Kuala Lumpur - Traveling Thru History

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary

Erin — Tue, 10 May 2016 07:03:35 +0000

In October Troy and I went with a handful of his coworkers to check out this neat little place about 1.5-2 hours northeast of Kuala Lumpur. Along with being a scenic roadtrip away, it boasted the opportunity to feed and interact with elephants. I was soooooooo excited and couldn’t wait to get there.The elephant sanctuary is located in a very rural area that is fairly easy to get to……..if you’re paying attention. We got turned around a little bit because our gps told us to turn right when we should have turned left and we ended up at this compound with barbed wire around it. Yikes! After a quick turn around and navigating by eye instead of using the gps, we got there safely. There were several signs that we had missed that directed us straight to the entrance. lol. The parking lot for the sanctuary was surprisingly empty. There were only a handful of other cars there. I had thought it would be really packed, but we were there kinda early. The sanctuary opens at 10:30 and we got there around noon. Nothing really interesting happens until about 1:00. The schedule says the elephants wander around a trail in a fenced area, but they weren’t doing that when we got there. So, we just hung out in the common areas, took some pictures and ate lunch. After eating, we walked about and learned a bit more about the place. Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is an elephant preserve that has been around since 1989. It is there to provide a place for elephants who have gotten into the plantations around Malaysia to go and be cared for before they are relocated to different preserves or national parks in the country. Some elephants are injured and stay there until they are healthy enough to be in the wild on their own. The sanctuary staff teaches the elephants to be comfortable around humans and to help out with heavy-labor tasks, such as moving trees and clearing out large pieces of timber. They try to get the elephants moved out within a few months, but some end up staying longer due to illness or injury. The main purpose of the sanctuary is to help and preserve the elephants in Malaysia since they are on the Critically Endangered list. To do that, they focus on educating and making the public aware of the plight of the Malaysian elephants. In the common area, they have this information station that has large tablets with information, pictures, bones and other elephant-related items. It was pretty neat. There were a lot of really neat facts about Malaysian elephants and some really big skulls! They also had an example of the size variation between mammoths, Asian elephants and pygmy elephants. Of course, we had to get our pictures next to it. Yay! I’m taller than a pygmy elephant! After hanging out and killing an hour, we were able to watch a really neat video that talked about the purpose of the sanctuary and then a documentary on what they do there. It was neat seeing how they capture an elephant that is damaging a plantation. Though, I think they should say that the plantation destroyed the elephant’s natural habitat and the elephant is just trying to find out where its home went. But, anywho, the video shows how the elephants are captured, cared for and then released back into the wild. I really enjoyed seeing how they do all of this and the care they take while doing it. The workers there really love the elephants. After watching the video, we were able to go to the middle of the preserve and see the elephants! By this time, there were a whole lot of people there. When we first got to the area where the elephants were, we got to visit with some of the smaller elephants. We’d brought food with us, so our snacks became snacks for the elephants! I absolutely loved how excited this lady looked to have a picture with the elephants, so I snuck a picture of her, too. After about 15 minutes, they had a mini procession of the larger elephants going from the jungle area over to the river where we got to watch them play in the water. It was pretty fun. Usually they let people swim in the water with the elephants, but if they think the elephants are stressed for any reason, they don’t allow people to go in the water with them. They also don’t allow people in the water if the water is too high or the weather is bad. The weather was beautiful when we were there, but the elephants were stressed out, so we just got to stand in a gazebo and watch the elephants in the water. It was fun watching them play and have a good time. One thing to keep in mind while you are there is that there are a lot of people and you will get pushed and bumped a lot. This guy was being a bugger and trying to spray people with water. White they were in the water, the elephants enjoyed a good scrubbing by the mahout. Watching these men interact with the elephants, it’s so clear to see how much they love these animals. After the elephants played in the water for a bit, the handlers took them over to a little arena area where they did a small presentation. There were a few English-speaking people there who complained about the ‘lameness’ of the ‘show’, but these aren’t show elephants. They are wild animals who are just being taught a few simple things before being returned to the wild. Some of the elephants are domesticated enough to help with the translocation process of the wild elephants, but none of them are for show or entertainment. I enjoyed the presentation that demonstrated how strong elephants are and how good their balance was. It’s always neat being able to see the strength and intelligence of the animals around us. Pardon the shakiness. We were getting pushed and jostled quite a bit. After the presentation, we got to feed the elephants! I didn’t even realize there were baskets of fruit laying about until the end of the presentation. I’m glad Troy noticed sooner than I did so that we could grab some fruit to feed the elephants. We’d brought celery, carrots and some apples to snack on, so we still would have been able to feed them, but it’s always fun having a lot to give them. We got some pretty fun pictures of us feeding the elephants. After feeding them a bit, Troy thought it would be fun to pick an elephant’s nose. While we were feeding them, I decided I wanted to do something silly and see if the elephant would take an apple out of my mouth. Troy didn’t think I’d do it, but here’s the proof! I feel like the elephant was laughing at me. “Silly girl, that apple is mine!” The people we went with were all talking about how cool it was that I did that, so Troy tried it, too. His attempt didn’t work out quite as nicely as mine. I think he forgot the part about it needing to be in his mouth. lol. Or maybe the elephant learned and was quicker to grab the apple this time. Overall, the entire experience was fun. It was a bit crowded and a little crazy, but we still had a good time feeding the elephants and learning more about the sanctuary’s mission. Any effort at animal conservation is a noble thing. So, if you ever find yourself in Malaysia and want something to do, check out the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. Here is the schedule listed on their website: Time Activities 10.30 am – 12.00 pm Elephant observation along the interpretive trail. Visitor will be able to observe the young elephant roaming freely within the secured electric fencing area. 1.00 pm & 1.30 pm Video show A documentary shows translocation of wild elephants to their new habitat 2.15 pm Bathing and cleaning of elephants by mahout The visitors will watch the elephant bath given by mahout with explanations by NECC staff. 2.45 pm – 3.15 pm Elephant conservation talks at interpretive stage. Visitors will be introduced to each of the elephants which include their background and ability. Note: Please be informed that there are no elephant rides provided in this centre. They used to allow people to volunteer at the center, but they cancelled that program in 2011. I snagged a screen grab off their blog as to why: I am sincerely appalled that one (or several) of my countryman would behave in such a manner as to cause an entire program to be shut down. I am so sorry this happened. I hope one day the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary will be able to resume their volunteer and internship program. I’m sure it helped a lot of people better understand elephants and the effort to help them. And here are directions to the center: By Road From Kuala Lumpur, take the Karak Highway heading towards Lancang District, passing the Karak Village along the way. Once in Lancang, you should be able to see a BP gas station by the side of the road. Turn left into the road before the gas station, then follow the ample road signs along the way and head towards Bolok. You will pass an Orang Asli settlement and at the end of that road, you will reach the Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary. The journey takes between 2 to 2 1/2 hours and is 160km from Kuala Lumpur. As for the price, it’s free! They do ask for a donation when you leave, so it’s nice to give at least a little bit. This place wouldn’t be able to operate if people didn’t donate, so show your appreciation for the work they are doing and your ability to go and be around these magnificent creatures. Every little bit helps. 🙂

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Visiting Kuala Lumpur’s National Mosque

Erin — Tue, 03 May 2016 02:26:59 +0000

HISTORICAL TIDBIT Masjid Negara is what the locals call the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. This mosque was built in 1965 in honor of Malaysia gaining independence from Great Britain without any bloodshed in 1957. It was originally to be named Masjid Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj in honor of Yang Teramat Mulia Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, who was the Chief Minister of Malaysia during British rule and the first Prime Minister after the Malaysians began ruling themselves, but he declined the honor and instead chose Masjid Negara as the name. OUR VISIT Visiting the National Mosque was a nice experience. I had been a bit nervous about visiting because I wasn’t sure how welcoming they would be to non-Muslims, but it was a needless worry. We’d heard a few unfortunate stories about visiting mosques in Kuala Lumpur, which was the basis of our (my) worry. Our experience was quite lovely one I’m glad we had the opportunity to have. One of the things everyone needs to consider before visiting a mosque is attire. I’d visited a mosque before in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, but had been given a robe to wear anyways, so I was a little confused about what was appropriate for women to wear. A Muslim friend later told me that pants and shirts have to be loose and not form-fitting, so it’s possible the person who’d given me a robe at Putra Mosque thought either my jeans or shirt were too tight or perhaps they were of a more strict mind and didn’t approve of women wearing pants to a mosque or it could have been that I didn’t have my scarf tied properly around my head. *shrug* This time, though, I avoided that issue entirely by wearing a long skirt, a loose t-shirt, some arm sleeves and a hijab I picked up in Langkawi. Troy wore a dress shirt with his nice pants. When we arrived at the mosque, I was soooooooo happy I’d opted to wear what I did. We arrived shortly after a tour group and were towards the end of a rather long line of visitors to get into the mosque, but a woman who was giving people robes and signing them in came over to us and told us we could go right in. Yay! It was nice to be able to walk right past all the people who had to wait to borrow a robe. There were a limited number of robes, so people were having to wait quite a while until others finished their visit and returned the robes before they could go in. Of the other visitors we saw, most were not dressed appropriately for visiting a mosque, but the greeters did not harass or make disparaging comments to anyone. They just handed the visitors a robe and requested they put it on before entering the mosque. It was a very quick and smooth process. The only delay was due there being more visitors than robes. Of course, before we even got in line, we did the requisite photo in front of the building. While this mosque isn’t as ornate as other mosques around the world, Masjid Negara is quite beautiful. The architecture and design are open and inviting. We really enjoyed wandering the halls and seeing the different areas. It’s interesting to note that this mosque pays homage to the Prophet Muhammad’s home from 7th century Saudi Arabia. The Prophet’s home consisted of a large courtyard surrounded by long rooms supported by columns. Columns are very common in mosques and this one has plenty. Another thing I enjoyed was how peaceful the mosque was and how we were allowed to roam freely in most places. There were a few areas that we weren’t allowed to enter, mainly just the offices and the prayer hall, but for the most part we could wander the halls and the grounds at our leisure. I had partly expected people to be passing out flyers about Islam, but the only flyers we saw were on a table for people to take if they wished. There were docents there to answer questions, but they weren’t pushy. Most just said hello and asked if we had any questions. Another talked to us more and I’ll tell you about that down below. Other mosques we’ve been to have quite a bit of mosaic-work or Islamic verses carved into the walls, but this one doesn’t have any of that. The halls are very open and are designed beautifully, there just isn’t a lot of adornment or excess. But even without the extra frills and ornamentation that is common in Christian churches or other mosques, I think the design, architecture and layout are marvelous. One of the most prominent features of the mosque is the roof, which is green and blue. Originally, the roof was pink concrete, but in 1987 the mosque was renovated and the concrete was replaced with reflective tiles. I think it looks quite nice. The roof was designed to be a 16-pointed star that is over the prayer hall like an umbrella. The ground area in the above picture is called a sahn. It’s part of the overflow area that is normally utilized for Friday prayer services. The fountain (it wasn’t running when we were there 🙁 ) is used for the ritual cleansing, known as ablution. Another interesting feature of the mosque is the tower, or minaret. The minaret is 239.5 feet high and is topped with a folded umbrella. The use of umbrellas in the design is an homage to the tropical area in which they live. Every mosque you visit will have a minaret, though it will be in a different style. The minaret is the tallest part of any mosque and is used to issue the call to prayer. Back in the day the muezzin used to ascend the inner stairs to perform the Adhan (call to prayer), but nowadays it’s more common for a speaker to be mounted near the top of the minaret to issue the call. The main room in the mosque, the prayer room, was absolutely breathtaking. Say whatever you want about Muslims and how they choose to live, but one thing that is indisputable is the beauty of their mosques. Masjid Negara is one of the more plain mosques, but it is still beautiful. The prayer room is just absolutely beautiful. The stained glass, the use of the lighting, the openness of the space. I really enjoyed this room. We weren’t allowed to enter it since it is a sanctified room set aside for Muslims to pray in, but even just looking around at the room is worth the visit. I’m kinda kicking myself for not taking zoomed in pictures because the design on the walls is just beautiful and the stained glass is quite intricate. *sigh* I guess that means I have to go back to Malaysia. When we were waiting in line to get a picture of the prayer room, a man walked over to us and asked if we were Muslims. When we told him we were Christians, he was shocked. Seriously, he did the whole opened-mouth staring thing for a few seconds. He asked what I was doing dressed as a Muslim if I was Christian. We explained to him that we wanted to be respectful of their holy place by wearing what they are required to wear. He shook both our hands and told us he really appreciated our respect. He said most people come to mosques wearing inappropriate clothing and some argue about needing to cover up before coming inside. We didn’t see any of that while we were there, but I don’t doubt it. We saw many people argue about needing to cover up when visiting Buddhist temples. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to respect other cultures, but I won’t get into that here. After thanking us for respecting his religion he went into a long discussion with us about the misinformation about Muslims and what they believe. He explained how Islam is a peaceful religion and then went on to start talking about how the US needs to stop meddling in the Israel and Palestine dispute. Well, he wasn’t really talking to me. He was mostly talking to Troy, so I listened for a few minutes and then wandered around taking pictures. I felt bad ditching Troy like that, but they weren’t even talking to me and Troy thinks that whenever I talk politics with people that an argument is going to begin, so I don’t think he minded too much. Troy has a fairly diplomatic temperament when he wants, so he maintained a neutral and non-committal response to our new friend’s commentary. By the time I wandered back over a few minutes later, the guy and Troy were back to talking about the general misunderstand of Muslims and Islam. We agreed with him because after having lived in a Muslim nation for a year, we have grown to understand that most Muslims are quite nice, peaceful people. After speaking for a few more minutes, we indicated that we needed to be going. We didn’t want to be rude, but we were both kinda hungry since it was about dinnertime. He didn’t seem to mind that we wanted to get going. Earlier he’d told us he was a volunteer who spends his free time at the mosque talking to visitors and answering any questions they had about Islam, so he was probably used to people chatting for a few minutes and then saying goodbye. Before he would let us walk off, though, he requested a picture with us. He said he wanted to show his friends that he had met some Christians who dressed as Muslims to visit a mosque and to prove to his friends that not all Christians hate or fear Islam. And he thanked us again for showing respect to his religion. It was touching how much my wearing a hijab and being dressed appropriately meant to him. It also makes me sad that so many people think Islam is a violent, hate-filled religion. Just because some members of a religion act a certain way does not mean the entire religion is so. If you want to put things into perspective, look at the Westboro Baptists or those Catholic clergymen who hurt children. We all know that not all Baptists agree with the actions of those from the Westboro congregation. We also know that the Catholic church does not teach priests to act as those errant clergymen have been. Since we are willing to give these religions the benefit of the doubt, maybe we should also do so when it comes to those of the Islamic faith. Not all Muslims are bad and to be feared. The actions of a few do not define the whole. Anyways, back to our visit to the mosque. If you want to read more about my opinions on the above subject, check out this post. During our wanderings around the complex, we discovered a pathway that leads a little ways past and behind the mosque. In it we found a beautiful room with headstones. This room is called Makam Pahlawan, or Heroes’ Mausoleum. This is where some of the most prominent leaders and politicians in Malaysia are buried. This section of the mosque complex was started in 1963 and completed in 1965. Like the mosque, the mausoleum is is covered by a star-shaped concrete roof, though this one has 7 points instead of 16. Aside from the space inside, there are several tombs on the grounds surrounding the main mausoleum. We didn’t go see those because it was raining outside. Aside from the beautiful architecture inside the mosque buildings, there are also lovely grounds surrounding it. It was raining almost the entire time we were at the mosque, so we didn’t venture around the grounds very much, but we did see some of it from inside the mosque. When we left the mosque, it was raining quite heavily, as you can see in the picture above. We waited by...

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30 Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur

Erin — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 23:28:34 +0000

Kuala Lumpur is a great city to visit. I absolutely love it there and think everyone should visit at least once in their lives. There is a lot of history in KL and quite a lot of unique things to see, though it’s not always easy to figure out what those things are. When we first moved to KL and were looking for things to do, the most common things found were KL Tower, Petronas Tower and Batu Caves. While these things are fun and worth doing, there is sooooooooooooooooo much more to do there. So, to help you have a full experience of the neat things in Kuala Lumpur, I’ve compiled a list of things to do in six different categories. Whether you are visiting for a week or two or there for a quick weekend layover, here are some interesting things to spend your time on. WILDLIFE & OUTDOORS BUKIT LAGONG RESERVE RAINFOREST AND CANOPY WALK This place is was started as a plant research center back in 1992 and is now a famous preserve that spans 3,775 acres. There are easy paths to wander around with four jungle treks for those looking for more of a challenge. In the forest are rivers, waterfalls, the remnants of an old Orang Asli settlement as well as a plethora of trees, bamboo, plants and wildlife. You can walk, jog, picnic, bicycle, bird-watch and visit an insect house and herbal botanic garden. If heights don’t bother you, there is also a canopy walk that takes you 98 feet above the forest floor. For preservation reasons, only 250 people are allowed on the canopy per day, 200 advance tickets and 50 walk-in. To reserve your canopy tickets, email FRIM One Step Centre at frim_enquiry@frim.gov.my. As a side note, Malaysia gets pretty hazy at certain times during the year, which results in the reserve closing. Please check here for the daily API readings (posted at 7am) before heading to the reserve. If the API readings are above 150 for Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur, the reserve will be closed. HOURS – 9:30am-1:30pm, closed Monday and Friday – advanced booking required PRICE – RM10 Adults, RM1 Children. There are also camera fees for professional equipment. LOCATION – The reserve is located NW of Batu Caves in Northern KL. If you want to take a taxi, I’d recommend going to KL Sentral and purchasing a taxi coupon. This ensures that the driver cannot overcharge you. If you want to hail a taxi, be sure the drive turns the meter on. You can also take the KTM Komuter from KL Sentral to Kepong Sentaral Station. Kepong Sentral Station is AFTER Kepong Station. From there you can get a taxi for about RM 7. Just be sure the driver uses the meter. KUALA GANDAH ELEPHANT SANCTUARY We really enjoyed our trip to Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. This place is an elephant rescue where elephants who are injured in the wild or are damaging farmlands can stay until they’ve either healed or a new home can be found for them. They have a video where you can learn more about what they do, an exhibit about elephants and the history of elephants in Malaysia along with beautiful grounds to wander around. Oh, and a small restaurant where you can get ice cream, snacks and drinks. As for the actual elephants on site, you cannot ride them, but you can feed them and watch them play in the water before the handlers do a small demonstration (maybe about 5-7 min). Then you can feed them again. Be sure to bring a snack for the elephants as the provided fruit gets snatched up quickly. I would allow at least half a day for this destination. HOURS – 9:00am-4:45pm PRICE – Donation LOCATION – The sanctuary is located by Lanchang, Pahang, and is about a 2 hour drive. To get there, drive on the Karak Highway towards the east coast and exit at Lanchang. There are signs that will show you which way to go. These are the GPS coordinates if you’d like to use those: 3˚ 35’34.4”N and 102˚ 08’37.7”E. You also can reach the center by train if you stop at Bandar Jengka or Termeloh and take a taxi from there. if you choose the train and taxi route, add an extra hour each way to your travel time. LAKE GARDENS PARK This park is also known as Taman Tasik Perdana or Perdana Botanical Garden. I really love Lake Gardens Park and went there several times while living nearby. There is a beautiful lake with walking trains, bike paths, covered pavilions to sit under, picnic tables, benches, pavilions in trees, meticulously sculptured gardens, several play areas with large toys for kids and there are several animal exhibits, though those cost to get in. BUT, you can still see the deer through the fence and can feed them if they come near. There is also a cafe, public restrooms (pay to use), bike rentals (RM3 for 30 min) and a trolley tour of the park (RM2 for adults, RM1 for children). Duration of your visit depends on what all you want to do. For a quick tour, 1-2 hours. For a leisurely visit, 3-4 hours. HOURS – 7:00am-8:00pm PRICE – Free for the park, entrance fees for extraneous attractions. LOCATION – 10-minute walk from KL Sentral, minutes from the Bird Park and the National Museum, right next door to Tun Abdul Razak Memorial House. Taxi is the best way to get there if you don’t want to walk from KL Sentral. KL BIRD PARK While a bit on the pricier side, this is a nice place to visit. There is a lot of wildlife around the park along with lovely landscaping and beautiful plants. There are a number of bird feeding demonstrations throughout the day along with a full-on bird show. We didn’t get to see the bird show, but I’ve heard it is quite entertaining. If you want to get up close and personal with some of the birds, you can purchase a ticket to get a photograph with birds perched on your shoulders and head. And for the learning part, there is an indoor informational section that teaches about the different bird species and the area. Plan to spend 1-2 hours. HOURS – 9:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM48/25 Adults, RM38/12 Children (lower prices are for those with a MyKad ID card) LOCATION – 15-minute walk from KL Sentral, minutes from the Lake Gardens Park and the National Museum, just up the street from Tun Abdul Razak Memorial House. Taxi is the best way to get there if you don’t want to walk from KL Sentral. CHILLING FALLS We had a lot of fun at Chiling Falls. The hike isn’t too strenuous, but the water does get waist-deep on a 6′ adult and can be a little fast at times, so if you’re not steady on your feet, you may just want to hike the first little bit. If you’re ready for a muddy hike through lots of foliage and crossing rivers, you won’t be disappointed. This hike is beautiful and very worth it. The pool under the lower waterfall is deep enough to swim in and there are monkeys that hang out there sometimes. Wear sturdy shoes, bring bug spray and a small backpack with water and snacks. The drive is about 1.5 hours each way and the hike takes about 3 hours roundtrip (excluding stops), so plan on this taking at least 6 hours. HOURS – 8:00am-6:00pm, Friday-Sunday PRICE – RM1 per person LOCATION – This hike is located inside the Sungai Chiling Fish Sanctuary. If you go to Kuala Kubu Bharu (do NOT go to Kuala Kubu Baru) and then continue on to Fraser’s Hill (Bukit Fraser), you will pass Selangor Dam and reservoir. Shortly after passing Selangor Dam you will cross a small steel bridge. There is a parking area on your left just after the bridge and the entrance to the park is on the right side of the road. Back to Top MUSEUMS ISLAMIC ARTS CENTER The Islamic Arts Center is pretty great. It is currently the largest Islamic museum in SE Asia and houses over 7,000 artifacts. They have a revolving exhibition in one section and a static exhibition in the rest of the complex. The revolving exhibit when we were there was about the history of Malaysia’s independence from Great Britain. The static exhibits showcase ancient Islamic seals, miniature replicas of Islamic buildings from around the world, beautiful Arabic manuscripts, wall carvings, mosaics, metalwork, qur’ans, prayer books, room replicas from the ancient Ottoman empire, portraits, ancient trinkets, swords, jewelry, armor, glassware, chess boards and clothing. There are so many amazing things to look at there. And there’s a cafe as well as a gift shop, so you can rest a bit before buying something to bring home to remind you of your visit. 🙂 The time you spend depends on whether you want to go for the experience or to learn about the culture. If you just want to make a cursory tour of the place, plan about 1.5-2. If you want to REALLY look at the stuff and read about it, I’d plan maybe 3-4 hours. HOURS – 10:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM14 for adults, children 6 & under are free LOCATION – The Islamic Arts Museum is about a two-minute walk from the National Mosque, about 10 minutes from Lake Garden Park and about 5 minutes from the Bird Park. To get there, you can take a taxi from anywhere or you can take the KTM Kmuter to the Kuala Lumpur stop and then either walk or take a taxi. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the station. TUN ABDUL RAZAK HOUSE They completely remodeled this place while we were there and I have to say that it looks really nice. All the rooms are set up with authentic period furniture with interactive touch screens that give quite a bit of information. There are also signboards with pictures and additional information. It’s really quite well put-together and is worth a short visit. Plan to spend about 30-45 minutes there. HOURS – Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun: 10:00am-5.30pm, Fri: 10:00am – 12:00pm, 3:00pm – 5.30pm, Closed on Mondays PRICE – Free LOCATION – Adjacent to Lake Garden Park. 1-2 minutes from the Bird Park. To get there, you can take a taxi from anywhere or you can take the KTM Komuter to the Kuala Lumpur stop and then either walk or take a taxi. It’s about a 5-10 minute walk from the station. NATIONAL MUSEUM This museum is pretty fun. It has a lot of neat cultural items and an entire building dedicated to replicas of ancient houses, tools, weapons and daily use items. The museum is a decent size and has exhibits dedicated to early Malaysian civilizations, the development of the Malay kingdoms, what life was like during the Colonial era and important events since Malaysia became independent in 1957 along with an outdoor exhibit of various modes of transportation from throughout Malaysia’s history. There is a gift shop and a cafeteria on-site. Plan to spend 1-2 hours here. HOURS – 9:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM5 Adults, RM2 Children 6-10, Free Children under 6 LOCATION – Short walk from KL Sentral. To get there you can walk over a freeway overpass (not as dangerous as it sounds, I did it several times) or you can take a taxi or RapidKL bus No.115 (RM2 per day). This is also a stop on the Hop-On Hop-Off Tour, so you can get there that way as well. KUALA LUMPUR CITY GALLERY This place is pretty neat. It may be small, but it’s worth a quick stop if you’re in the area. There is a small exhibit on the history of the city as well as information about important historic places around town. There are some really old maps of the city, scale-model buildings, a seasonal exhibit corner and a scale-model light-up city that has a short demo reel along with some other really interesting things. The demo reel with the light-up city lasts about 2 minutes and...

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Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Erin — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 01:00:06 +0000

While I was out wandering around Merdeka Square one day, I glanced across a small side road and happened to see this cute little church hidden behind a fence covered in ivy. Since it is somewhat unusual to see Christian churches in Malaysia and the year on it marks this one as quite old, I just had to go over and investigate. This church is so quaint. I love it! Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church that was commissioned in 1893 when the original building became too small to hold the growing congregation. The original chapel, named St. Mary’s Church, was built in 1887, made of wood and only held 95 people. It was located on the top of a hill called Bukit Aman, which was a quite a bit out of the way. Once the chapel from 1887 became too small to hold the growing congregation it was decided that the new church would be built in the center of town, next to Merdeka Square. Several designs were put forth for the new building, but none of them struck the fancy of the committee and a government architect was finally called in to design the new church. A.C. Norman suggested an Early English Gothic Style design satisfied the committee. I think it turned out fabulous. Construction began on the church on February 3, 1894 and was completed on February 9, 1895. A ceremony was held on February 3, 1894, to lay the foundation stone for St. Mary’s Cathedral. The stone was laid by Sir W.H. Treacher, a British resident of Selangor, and the ceremony was presided over by Bishop G.F. Hose. Another ceremony was held on February 9, 1895, to consecrate the church, presided over again by Bishop G.F. Hose. The completion of this church marked the first brick church built in the Malay Peninsula. Going inside the church felt like walking into the past. The whole church is just absolutely beautiful. The inside is pretty close to what I imagined for the inside of a gothic chapel. I was expecting it to be a bit more dark and dreary, but the whitewashed walls brightened things up a bit. Aren’t these chandeliers just amazing? I also love the vaulted ceiling. The pews and ceiling are made from merbau and seriah wood. The aspe is designed beautifully. I love the wrought-iron gating and the stained glass. Isn’t this just beautiful? I read a sign at the chapel that said the stained glass panels were removed during WWII to protect them from the bombing, but they couldn’t be located after the war, so new panels had to be commissioned. I think they turned out quite lovely. Part of me wonders if the old panels will just show up someday, all covered in dust in someone’s basement. The church stayed mostly the same (aside from minor repairs and such) up until 1958 when the nave was extended to admit a larger congregation. This addition is called the Jubilee Hall. Between 1968-1969, a two-story annex was built to allow for an upper room, administrative rooms and an office for the Vicar. They also replaced the previous residential building, a wooden house in stilts, with another add-on to the church that included utility rooms, a kitchen and living quarters. Even with all of the changes around the church, it’s really fascinating that all of the memorial placards and items around the church have stayed and are in pristine condition. On September 8, 1983, the church officially changed it’s name during the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin. The new and current name of the church is Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin. During 2006 and 2007, additional rooms were added to the church. These included new offices, a library and an apartment. This church is absolutely beautiful and totally worth a visit. It’s a small church and doesn’t take up too much time. To get to the church, you can take the LRT to Masjid Jamek and then walk a few streets over to Merdeka Square and across a little side road to the church. Or you can take a taxi there.

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Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

Erin — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:19:41 +0000

During the 1800s large groups of Tamil Hindus moved from Sri Lanka to Malaysia to help construct railway lines. Many ended up settled in the area that is now known as Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur because it was so close to where the lines were being built. Life was much improved from what it had been in Sri Lanka, but many of them missed having a formal temple to worship in. Up until 1890 they had been worshiping informally in homes and at small, makeshift shrines. On December 24, 1890, though, the leaders of the Saivite Ceylon Hindu Community decided they wanted something more permanent and the plan for Sri Kandaswamy Kovil was born. The Saivite community was thrilled to have a formal temple in which to perform sacred ceremonies such as “Viratham” (fasting ceremony), “Thithis” (commemoration rituals) and “Punniyaahavaasam” (purification ceremony). The original structure was modelled exctly after the Nallur Kanthaswamy Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and inaugurated in 1902. Over the years has had several expansions and in 1992 the temple went through a complete renovation. The first series of renovations were completed in 1997 and another renovation was done from 2009-2011. With renovations and constructional updates complete, Sri Kandawamy Kovil is once again a vibrant and elegant symbol of devotion for the thousands of Tamil Hindus living in Kuala Lumpur. This Hindu temple actually has special significance to us, as well. The handyman for our apartment was Hindu and shortly after our arriving in Malaysia he invited us to his niece’s wedding at this temple. It was such a neat experience and made this temple have a special place in our hearts. A few months after the wedding we decided we needed to go back to this temple and get some pictures of it. We’d taken pictures of the actual wedding, but hadn’t taken pictures of the temple or the grounds since there were people, cars, tents and wedding signs all over the place. But we did get some great photos of the wedding, which I do need to post. One day. *sigh* The first thing anyone notices about a Hindu temple is the Gopuram. A Gorpura is an ornate monumental tower at the entrance of any Hindu temple. This is a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are covered in statues of Hindu deities and topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial. The use of Gopurams dates back to India during the Tamil Pallava dynasty which held power between the 3rd and 9th centuries. These colossal feats of architecture function as gateways between the outside world and the inner sanctum of the temple. There is usually more than one Gopura on a temple, but the one over the main entrance is the largest and most elaborate. This is the Gopura over the back entrance. And this is the Gopura over the side entrance. We attempted to go inside, thinking it would be okay, but a Hindu priest kindly ushered us back out and told us only Hindus could enter the temple. We were disappointed because the little we saw was so beautiful, but we were able to get one picture from the door before he told us that was not allowed either. Since we couldn’t go inside, we sufficed with wandering around the grounds. I’d seen them many times from the monorail that goes over the temple and was excited to finally be wandering around them. I kinda wonder, though, how thrilled the devotees are to have the monorail going over their temple grounds every 5-12 minutes. The grounds of the temple aren’t large, but they are fascinating. In Hinduism, water has a similar significance as in Christianity: it is believed to have spiritually cleansing powers. Hindus are required to participate in a ritual cleansing in a pool on temple grounds before entering the temple. I’ve been unable to discover the symbolism of these statues, but I have my theories. The main Hindu Water God is male, so it’s possible these are his priestesses or these could also be representations of the Ganga, the goddess of the sacred river Ganges. Or they could represent something else entirely. In any case, they’re quite lovely. We also found this cute cow sculpture near the pool. While there is a misconception that Hindus worship cows, they do hold cows in high esteem because of the life-giving offerings of the cow. Long ago cows were sacrificed and eaten, but Hinduism has evolved to where the cow is no longer sacrificed, but things the cow produces are used in rituals. So you will usually find a statue of a cow at a Hindu temple. The last part of the temple grounds is the temple garden, called Nanthavanam. Hindu temples will all have a garden similar to this one to provide the required lotus flowers for poojas, the daily prayer rituals. The main feature of the garden is a lotus pond with Lord Arumugaswamy, a six-faced manifestation of Lord Vishnu, seated in the center. Behind the pond are Lord Vishnu and Parvati, his wife and goddess of love, fertility and devotion. The peacocks decorating the pond were brought over from Sri Lanka in the 1930s and have remained where they are ever since. Lord Arumugaswamy, a six-faced manifestation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu and Parvati, his wife and goddess of love, fertility and devotion. Before we left the temple I stopped to take a picture of some of the sculptures atop the temple. This is Lord Vishnu, his wife Parvati and Ganesha, the god of beginnings. This is the gate that goes to the grounds around the temple. It really amazes me how much detail and vibrancy goes into everything associated with Hindu temples. We really enjoyed our visit to this temple. It wasn’t a long visit, but it was enjoyable. If you’re looking for a Hindu temple to explore while you’re in Kuala Lumpur, this one is less than two blocks from a monorail stop and about a 15-20 minute walk from KL Sentral. This is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and the most traditional in its adherence to the rules of Saiva Agama Scriptures. It is also the temple where the trek to Batu Caves for the Thaipusam festival begins. HOURS 5:30am-9:30pm ADMISSION Free LOCATION The intersection of Jalan Tebing and Jalan Scott. HOW TO GET THERE The easiest way is to take the monorail to the Tun Sambanthan exit and walk down Jalan Tebing with the river on your right. Or you can take a taxi. If you wish to observe a ritual from outside the temple or come when there are less people, here is the temple schedule. Opening Abishegam Pooja Closing Morning 5:30am 6:00am 7:00am – Noon – 11:00am 12:00pm 1:30pm Evening 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 9:30pm Arthajama Pooja: 9:25pm

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