We are back in Asia! Over two weeks we had time to explore a few of the largest cities in Malaysia, as well as Singapore. In addition to the Muslim Malays, these countries have large Chinese and Indian minorities, so it was really amazing to observe the melting pot of religions, culture and of course food! We ate so much, it hurts 😀
A few days in Kuala Lumpur, and of course we went to see the famous twin Petronas towers
Georgetown, where we ended up hanging out for 6 days
Lots of beautiful old chinese houses
Some of them derelict…
…and some restored, a bit over the top!
Clan houses: beautiful mansions built by Chinese immigrants of the same name (e.g. Fung) so that they can represent their interests in the city
We were visiting during the end of the “ghost month”, where according to chinese beliefs dead souls roam the Earth for a month. At the end there is a celebration that consists in burning bonfires of little papers, some sculptures etc.
In the mosque – women wear veils, but men also have to hide their hairy legs 😛
Georgetown in famous for street art…
and looks slightly obsessed with cats!
We actually enjoyed chinese food in Malaysia, much more than we did in China…
Delicious soy sauce for these wonton noodles
Breakfast – indian food time!
Crazy indian breakfast: no curry but a hard pancake tower with condensed milk rivers leaking down:O
Take-away juice: practical, and also elegant!
Also works for take-away coffee – as depicted in this mural, philosophically called “Nothing lasts forever…”
Amazing chinese temple in the caves around Ipoh
Romantic couple
Tea plantations – at 1000m, the temperatures were at least 10 degrees lower. Just on day of no sweating!
Melaka was a Portuguese then Dutch then British colony. Lots of architecture, and cars…
Delicious looking riverside buildings in Melaka
Public transport
In Singapore, future is now
Supertrees – large metal structures with plants, that become illuminated at night… Magical!
Fun in the botanic garden: plants with floating roots
Contrast between cute restored old buildings, and fancy skyscrapers (trying to look like a tree?)
And here’s a little video with snapshots of the diversity that we have seen in just a few days and few hundred kilometers: