In a sweat in Kuala Lumpur
Visit to Chinatown and Mosques in Kuala Lumpur
Life is full of surprises. After languishing on my window sill for weeks on end, I was suddenly hauled by bus and train to Vienna airport and then hauled half way across the world. When I was finally hauled out of Her Ladyship’s rucksack, I found myself in Kuala Lumpur. Crikey, that was a long haul!
The first thing that hit me was a wall of heat and humidity. It’s a beautiful city, but I must admit it took me a wee while to acclimatise. It was definitely worth it though. I couldn’t fault the Oldies’ choice of accommodation for a start: a large, modern flat on the 41st floor of an apartment block, practically next door to the Petronas Towers. Best of all was the wonderful panorama from the rooftop swimming pool on the 53rd floor. A cool pool with a cool bird’s eye view!
Once the Wingless Wonders had recovered somewhat from the jetlag, they started exploring – very slowly. As you might have gathered by now, they are into slow travel, but this was sightseeing at a snail’s pace. I had no objections though, to be honest. It gave me plenty of time to take in all the exotic sights and smells.
Chinatown, our first port of call, was in every sense a feast of sights and smells. The Oldies wasted no time in getting stuck in. In fact, within minutes of our arrival, they were tucking into a variety of delicious dishes. Thankfully, their inexpert use of chopsticks meant that plenty of tasty titbits came flying my way too.
The cultural diversity in this city is fascinating. Not long after our Chinatown visit, the Oldies decided to pop into Jamek Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the city. A different world! I particularly liked its location on the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, and the Indian-Muslim style of architecture. I was surprised to hear that it was designed by a British architect. What an intermingling of cultural influences!
When in Rome… the Oldies were required to follow certain customs on their mosque visit. His Lordship got off lightly, only having to wear a skirt-like garment to cover his knees. Her Ladyship, however, was totally red in the face and pumping sweat underneath the all-over garment she had to don for the duration of the visit.
I was in a sweat when, on hearing a quick explanation of the Muslim religion, I realised that we were in the middle of Ramadan which I understood involves fasting. Definitely not my thing! I had no problem with the Dynamic Duo looking a bit daft, but I sincerely hoped we wouldn’t have to go along with the fasting part of the exercise.
Well, I certainly needn’t have worried. Just when the Chinese lunch was nothing more than a tasty memory and dusk was beginning to fall, I noticed a long row of stalls close to the mosque. As we approached, I was delighted to see that they were all producing mountains of food, each dish more delicious-looking than the other. Whatever about the fasting side of Ramadan, I can certainly live with the feasting part!
His Lordship had quite a job persuading Herself to come along to the National Mosque of Malaysia a couple of days later. Decidedly hot under the collar at this stage, she made it clear that one thing she does not believe in is excess clothing in tropical temperatures.
In spite of Her Ladyship getting all steamed up about having to wear a robe once again, I managed to enjoy the visit to the National Mosque very much. This building couldn’t be more different to Jamek Mosque. For a start, it is ultra-modern (well, it’s younger than the Oldies anyway), and, with a capacity of 15,000 people, it’s on a different scale altogether.
The Malays love their brollies, which is not surprising in this climate. It is no wonder, therefore, that the roof of the mosque is in the shape of an open umbrella; the tip of the 73 m high minaret, a closed one. One large, airy, roofed-over section has columns designed to resemble a coconut tree plantation, and the mosque’s many water features represent the pools that form after torrential rains. The overall effect is a cool-looking, relaxing space.
Somebody should tell Her Ladyship.
