Just returned from our 'Asian Island Getaway'. Did the job: restorative, warm and totally different! Here are some views from our entry and exit stay overs in Kuala Lumpar.
The tallest 'twin towers' in the world (Petronas Towers) are 'jewelled' with light at night. I fell in love with them. They are just so 'Malaysia' and everyone is so proud of them.
Hibiscus (the national flower of Malaysia) referenced everywhere.
The best basement floor eating I've ever done in a mall. Chinese, Malay, Japanese, Taiwanese, Western, Indian, Thai.... We were pigs in mud and this is where we could be find most of the time...
We didn't have time for any purposeful cultural insights - and there wasn't much popping out on the streets - bar this light relief of a mural down a side street in a very trashy China Town. I like the cyclist.
The Islamic influences structure continues with so much of the architecture... This was in another shopping mall!
Street scene looking down from Pavillions Mall (their most esteemed mall)!
Tropical well planned urban spaces were few - but super good when they appeared! We pretty much spent most of the time in airconditioned walkways to malls etc. Not much time - but great to be in a totally pumped city - making a go of everything, so much money, so much diversity, lots of ideas, kind of conservative and ordered for Asia, with no creepy crawlies (human or insect), yet full of 'Asia' including exotic food smells, the ever present sounds of scooters, phenomenal rain storms, traffic jams and that thick haze. Asia is so good for the soul. The everyday disorder makes Christchurch's post earthquake situation seem horribly dull and stagnant. Maybe cities in the world are always changing like Christchurch currently is - but they do it daily - sans a disaster. We're just not used to it, and haven't previously been forced to change with speed before? No population pressures, war or politics creating infrastructure issues here. My brief impression reflected back home was this: we so have to get over ourselves and get on with trying some stuff.
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