25.3.2011 Melaka, Batu caves, Kuala Lumpur sights and Textile museum Dresses up to 80
I’m playing catch up with the blog it’s so exciting and so much to do here in such a short time that we’ve got to keep going. Dress 78 is ladies in the Streets of KL
One fact I think it’s important to remember is that Malaysia is composed of 14 regions quite diverse and therefore there is a really multiracial and multi religion population.
This makes it absolutely fascinating to walk down the street to see Muslim covered heads, western dress, Indian, and every combination of colours and use of fabric imaginable.
22.3.11 Melaka or Malacca it seems to get spelt various ways.
A few facts: so named by a Sumatran prince in 1400 after the local Malacca tree.
It grew to be the largest trading city in the region.
1511 the Portuguese took it. 1641 the Dutch took it. 1795 the British took it and along with the rest of Malaysia independence was granted in the 31st August 1957.
All this time the Chinese traders were and still are here.
There is a great multicultural population with Portuguese Eurasians, and Baba-Nonyas who are Chinese/Malay. I’ll pick this up again later in the blog.
It is a gem of historic buildings and trade and a riot of rotting buildings, smells incense, noise and bustling activity. UNESCO world heritage site .
One day was not enough, but better than not going. There’s a well-documented heritage trail so that’s the route we took. It’s about 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur and all motorway and toll roads.
So we saw St Pauls Church, Hindu temples, Chinese temples, Muslim mosques, Shop houses where the Baby-Nonyas live and work.
23.3.11 Tour of Kuala Lumpur cultural and Heritage sites,
view from our window(again) I love it
the city was founded about 1860 at the confluence of the Klang and Gomlak rivers, it really go going when we Brits took control in the 1880s and by 1896 oit was the capital of the ‘Federated Malaya States.
A multiracial population grew generally in their own ethnic areas and this still exists today.
In 1999 new administration capital Putrajaya was built. KL is still the financial and commercial and shopping centre, population about 2.5 m.
They have a rule now not to demolish any more historic buildings, so whilst they may no longer be used for the original purpose they are being well maintained.
One of the sites was the first Mosque, and in keeping with tradition I was obliged to wear traditional muslin clothes. Dress 76 is me in these clothes.
24.3.11
Textile Museum, I was most interested to see this. It’s a new museum open 2010 in the historic building which was the head office for the Malay railways. The diverse areas produce some fabulous silk and woven fabric. The different areas also have their particular traditional dress and the Baba-Nonyas have theirs too.
This is one of my favourites and although this picture is in a museum these clothes are worn for special occasions and the embroidery is wonderful, exquisite and extremely expensive. Dress 77 Dress Nonya and other regional traditional dresses
The museum is really a great tool to understand the different regions and a little of the different cultures. Silks, cottons, batiks, woven printed, embroidered the breadth of the costumes is excellent.
Where we are staying is directly opposite the Petronas towers and to our left we have the Mandarin Oriental, in front of all these buildings is a well laid out park and fountains, it’s a great natural place for walking and gives easy access to the shops, restaurants and entertainment. Starting at about 5.00pm people start to gather in front of the fountains and watch the show as the water dances up and down. When the temperature is over 30C this is incredibly enjoyable. We have a little shuttle choo choo that takes us back and forth, although we generally walk. The views are wonderful as it gets dark and the lights start to shine out.
The shopping is fabulous, KL is a tax free city and the £ seems to have a strong conversion rate. Unfortunately we just can’t buy any more as we are way over already but it’s great to look………………………..
Dress 79 Chanel window shopping
Food here is as diverse as the people and we have thoroughly enjoyed trying the cuisine, the national dish is chicken and rice and I have to admit to eating variations of it three times in five days.
25.3.11 Batu Caves Hindu shrine
It’s our last day today and we will leave for the airport and England at about 7.30pm we hadn’t been to these caves so managed a morning trip today. The pictures speak for themselves it’s a long way up and even longer way down. We were absolutely bathed in sweat by the time we got down again and our legs were all shaky from the well over 500 steps up and back we took
.Dress 80 the Gods dressed at Batu Caves
I think that’s all for now. Off to afternoon tea in the Traders Club then a walk round the park again……….. it’s about 35C so it will be a slow and gentle one.
No comments:
Post a Comment