Kuala Lumpur - Back in the big city 🐒

We're back in the big city! Kuala Lumpur!  Our first task was Matt getting a camera lens which he regretted not bringing with him, and that was quickly achieved. Whilst walking around you notice that almost all electrical boxes are painted bright colours with messages on or animals, or just something nice. The 'Be Happy' one was the first one I saw 😀. We headed to Chinatown and the Petaling Street Market where we both did our best haggling to get a huge 5 myr off a t-shirt and pair of shorts. 

We then went to the Botanical Gardens which are free to enter and a lovely space in the city. Loads of birds, butterflies, and we saw a Monitor lizard. There are some impressive trees too, and a stunning orchid area. Thankfully there is also places shelter as there was a downpour just as we got there. 

We didn't want to pay to enter the bird park but there is a cafe on the edge of it and as it was now mid-afternoon, we were super hungry we thought this would be a good spot. There was a Hornbill just in the trees next to where we were sat and we spent the whole meal with a Cattle Egret looming over our meals. 

We then jumped on a train out to the Batu Caves, which are a must-see on every list of things to do in Kuala Lumpur. They are a series of limestone caves which house a number of Hindu temples. It is all extremely impressive from the statue size to the multi-coloured steps, and the extend if the cave inside once you've reached the top. It was much bigger than either of us was expecting. We'd arrived quite late in the day which just happened by chance really, but it did mean there wasn't the huge crowds which you can sense have been there earlier. 

We started day two with some more nature in the city by heading to canopy walk at the KL Forest Eco Park. It's a great way to see the contrast of jungle pockets against the high-rise buildings which surround them. Kuala Lumper has the worlds second highest building, Merdeka 118 (678.9m) behind the Burj Khalifa (828m) in Dubai. You seem to be able to spot Merdeka 118 at any point when your wandering around the city. They're are also plenty of Long-tailed Macaques, which are not interested in you at all unless they think you've got food, which we found out when Matt put his bag down near them to get his camera out.

The Petronas Towers are also on all the must see lists, so we headed over to them next. They are the tallest twin towers in the world and, from 1998 - 2004 were the tallest buildings in the world but at 451.9m they now find themselves down at number 21. There is a lovely lake and park area next to them which offers a great spot to have a sit down and take a photo or just enjoy the view. 

After a bit of a rest, and I think one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten, we went to Merdeka Square (Independance Square), a large grass area outside the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was here that at midnight on 31st August 1957 the Malaysian flag was raised for the first time as it gained Independence from Britain. There was really relaxed feeling here compared to other places in the city, there were families playing on the grass and lots of big bubbles being blown. We finished the day walking around the Central Market, Matts been searching for a new cap since he left his on an Italian train about four countries ago. He's yet to find one he likes. On our way back to the hostel we stopped by the River of Life, convergence point of the Klang River and the Gombak River which has a light show on the evening, which was lovely to sit and watch for a little while. 

We're now on a long coach ride to Singapore. You have to get off and then back on the coach at the boarder, and we've read reviews about coaches leaving people behind who take too long at customs, so let's hope all goes smoothly! 

Lots of love, 

Lisa and Matt 💕