Our first two ports were in Malaysia.
A Drive around Kuala Lampur
One of the most famous landmarks of Kuala Lumpur is the incredible Batu Caves. Built on a limestone hill, Batu Caves is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. A refuge since ancient times, Batu Caves began its transformation into a sacred site in 1890 thanks to an Indian trader. Today, it stands as a beacon of Hindu culture and spirituality.
In the Batu Caves area, you are greeted by a magnificent sight: a 42.7-meter-tall statue of Lord Murugan standing majestically before 272 colorful steps. Climbing these stairs is not just a physical journey but a spiritual ritual, leading visitors to the main cave adorned with glittering stalactites and stalagmites.
No visit to Kuala Lumpur is complete without a stop at the Petronas Twin Towers. Time magazine has placed the Petronas Twin Towers second in a list of 21 of the most recognizable global landmarks, They used to be the tallest building in the world, until 2004, but still remain the tallest twin towers. Even though Burj Khalifa (Dubai) has dethroned them, the Petronas Twin Towers are iconic.
KL Tower, or Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower, is a telecommunications tower in Kuala Lumpur city. It stands at an impressive height of 421 meters, and is ranked the 7th tallest tower in the world. This is not to be confused with the “tallest buildings”, “tallest structures”, etc. The actual tallest “Tower” in the world is the Tokyo Skytree in Japan.
Thean Hou Temple is one of the most beautiful Chinese temples in Asia. Famous for its thousands of red lanterns, this temple is dedicated to Tian Hou, the goddess who protects the fishermen.
Before the colonial era, 9 families with established royal bloodlines, ruled over their independent Malay kingdoms. After the British left, and independence was declared, a rotational monarchy was created which allows each of them equal opportunity to serve as supreme head of the federation. Malaysia’s rotational monarchy is composed of the hereditary rulers of nine Malay states. The positions of king, and deputy king are passed among the nine, with each serving a term of five years.
While largely ceremonial, being king comes with special functions and privileges enshrined in the Constitution. And he gets to live in some cool digs.
