This is my second trip to Malaysia to visit all the same cities. I am here to add to my Nomad Mania series totals.
Day 1 Fri Feb 17
Bus to Malacca. What a mess. I had looked up bus lines to Malacca and saw that two companies stopped at Bugis MRT exit D. I was a 20-minute walk from the hostel to the closest MRT station. At Bugis, there were no buses (maybe because I had not booked a pick-up) so I asked a progressive number of people about bus stops and was redirected 3 times until I arrived at a large station. The bus company 707 had a bus leaving in 40 minutes but accepted only cash. I tried to book it online but couldn’t. I got very stressed and they finally gave me a free ticket to Malacca (maybe to shut me up).
It was a pleasant 4-hour drive with at least 30 minutes at Malaysia immigration. The bus stopped first at Sentral bus station and then drove into downtown Malacca letting me off on the other side of a mall. The hostel was a simple walk through the mall.
Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melacca, Negeri Sembilan
MALACCA (pop 579,000). Malacca City is one of the cleanest cities in Southeast East Asia, being awarded as the National Winner of ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard Award 2018–2020 recently. It is the oldest Malaysian city on the Straits of Malacca, having become a successful entrepôt in the era of the Malacca Sultanate. The present-day city was founded by Parameswara, a Sumatran prince and the Malacca Sultanate. The city drew the attention of traders from the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia, as well as the Portuguese, who intended to dominate the trade route in Asia. After Malacca was conquered by Portugal, the city became an area of conflict with the sultanates of Aceh and Johor.
Johor cooperated with the Dutch who arrived to establish dominance over Java and Maluku Islands. The Dutch, who already felt threatened in the presence of the British, began conquering the Riau-Lingga Sultanate along with the rest of Sumatra, while Johor came under British influence following the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.
The British succeeded in extending their influence over the Malay Peninsula. The development and burgeoning prosperity were halted when the Japanese arrived in World War II and occupied the area from 1942 to 1945. During the occupation, many of the city’s residents were taken and forced to construct the Death Railway in Burma (present-day Myanmar). After the war, the city was returned to the British and remained as the capital of Malacca. The status as a capital remained until the formation of Malaysia in 1963, and in 2008 it was listed, together with George Town of Penang, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its long history. The economy of Malacca City is largely based on tourism, international conferences and trade fairs. The city is located along the Maritime Silk Road, proposed by China in 2013. Among the tourist attractions in Malacca City are Porta de Santiago, Jonker Walk, Little India, Portuguese Settlement, Stadthuys, Maritime Museum, Christ Church, Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum and Taming Sari Tower.
Jonker Street Market. A group of about 12 went to the market held
ON Yote 28. The Cadillac of hostels in Malacca. New and well-designed with a large common area, coffee 24/7 and across the street from a large mall with many eateries and stores.
Day 2 Sat Feb 18. I had a big walkabout day to see all the NM sites in Malacca.
Muziem Rajyat (People’s Museum). A great museum with very well-designed exhibits that cover all aspects of its subject from around the world. The kite museum is on the second floor. The highlight is the “beauty” exhibit with displays on labrets (lips), earrings with large labra, tattoos, foot binding, the “long-necked” people and head shaping. 20 R
A Famosa. In the NM Vestiges of the Past series, this is a small stone fort, the remnants of a 1512 Portuguese fort, added on by the Dutch in 1641 and eventually destroyed by the British.
Proclamation of Independence Memorial. A museum detailing the search for independence. Not so interesting. Free.
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum is a modern reconstruction of the palace of the Malacca Sultanate (1456-77). It is made up of hardwood (for its structure), ‘belian’ wood (for its roof) and wooden pegs (instead of nails) and was constructed in 1984 and became a cultural museum which showcases the history of the region. 30 R
Hang Li Poh’s Well. (Sultan’s Well). In the NM Vestiges of the Past series, this well dates from 1477 and is still functioning. Over the years, it was poisoned three times in acts of war.
Villa Sentosa (Museum of Malay Living). Consisting of only one house (a duplex), the windows were all open to see inside but one couldn’t enter. Access by a lovely Chinese design bridge.
Melaka Monorail. No longer in operation, the elevated track follows the south side of the Malacca River.
The Shore Sky Tower. In the Architectural Delights series, this is a 3-story mall with a large business tower.
The Shore Oceanarium. An aquarium on the 2nd floor of the Shore Sky Tower, it has lots of small tanks and thus no large fish.
From the mall, the walk crosses the river on another lovely pedestrian bridge and follows the side of the river. We saw a very large monitor lizard beside a small canal. When he ran out of the walking room, he jumped in the water swimming using his long sinuous tail.
Kampung Kling Mosque. Originally built of wood in 1748, it was rebuilt with stone in 1872. It is a very unusual mosque with elements of Chinese and Malay design. It looks like a Chinese pagoda. Inside are gold Corinthian columns. and a lovely flower tile border next to the roof. Outside is a 6-story stone minaret, a lovely ablution pool and a cemetery.
Malacca House. A 150-year-old house that is over 200 feet long with original floor tiles and lovely thick wood doors. Many of the things are for sale. 8 R
Baba and Nyona Heritage Museum. Four generations of a Chinese family lived in this lavishly decorated house. 18R
Church of St. Francis Xavier was built in 1849 on the site of an old Portuguese church by a French priest, Father Farvé. Additions were made in 1856 and 1874.
The church is a twin-spired neo-Gothic structure. It is believed that the church was modelled after the Cathedral of St. Peter in Montpellier, Southern France.
Christ Church. Originally built by the Dutch in 1753, it became Anglican. The roof beams are one long timber, the pews hand carved (with caned seats) and gorgeous stained glass in a geometric pattern.
Stadthuys. Originally a Dutch town hall, built in the 1650s, it was also the administration for the English until 1979. The 4-story building is now a history, ethnography and literature museum with lots of reading on big storyboards. 20 R
House of Museums. Shows memorabilia from local businesses and industries – pharmacy, cinema, hair salon, plastic manufacturing and old houses. 20 R
Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum displays the furniture and jewellery of the Peranakan culture. It is housed in a heritage house building that used to be the house of a prominent Peranakan Chinese and has two open-space courtyards. 18R
Collections range from brooches, shoes and porcelain to rings influenced by Chinese design and motifs and created by Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan craftsmen along with their jewelry-making equipment and the lifestyle gallery.
Maritime Museum. Has a small destroyer and guns in the yard and the usual maritime museum stuff of boat models, photos, weapons and charts. Across the road is the Samudera (Flor del La Mar), a Portuguese ship built in 1511, it sank in 1512 on its way to Portugal. This is a replica. 20 R
Menara Taming Sari. A round metal tower with a revolving rotating observation deck. 30 R
Upside Down House Melaka. In the NM Bizzarium series, this is inside the Fantasy Hotel and loses some of it appeal. A great photo opportunity. 22 R
Malacca Light. In the middle of the mouth of the Malacca River, this simple light sits on two round columns, a small base, a slender round metal column and the cup shaped light.
Malacca Straits Mosque. Built on pilings over the water, this large mosque has a single square tapering minaret and a huge dome with a black/white geometric design. A large group from the hostel went there to see the sunset.
I lost my phone – returned to the mosque twice the next day, checked the stores I was in and contacted the taxi driver we drove home from the mosque, so bought a new Oppo phone ($400 + SIM).
Day 3 Sun Feb 18
Bus Malacca to Kuala Lumpur $16, The bus terminal was a long way SW of the city and took a train ($1) to within a few hundred metres of my accommodation. I ate at an Indian veg restaurant, followed the recommendation of the server and the mushroom curry was mediocre.
ON The Manor at Mingle. A new hostel with a 9.1 rating for a very cheap $8. The room had two bunk beds in a small space. One of my roommates was a nice young guy from Portugal and two sisters from Ireland.
KUALA LUMPUR / PETALING JAYA lang
Day 4 Mon Feb 19. A big walkabout in KL.
Museum Telecom. A complete discussion of all forms of communication from passenger pigeons, the first Marathon to the internet. Free
Oriental Building. A 4-story building with a completely round front facade. It appears to have been closed for some time.
Lee Rubber Building. A nondescript 3-story building with businesses on the bottom. The Lee Rubber sign was mostly covered up by the adjoining building.
Sri Mahamariamman Temple. A Hindu temple with a “dome” of Hindu gods. I’ve seen this before.
Art House Gallery Museum of Ethnic Arts. Unusual for a museum, this is a commercial business where most of his income is from art (many lovely watercolours) but the rest is a huge variety of objects from all over SE Asia except the Philippines – a large collection of wood carvings and many masks. Free
National Textile Museum. A wonderful museum with great exhibits. Every process of production is shown clearly on small storyboards. The Indian saris were special. 5R
Chan See Shue Yuen Temple. This is the Chan ancestral temple. The front is a riot of figure dioramas and dragons. It was started by 4 men of the Chan family who arrived in KL in 1896 and finished building the temple in 1906. There is a large gold shrine.
Istana Negara (National Palace) is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the monarch of Malaysia. The palace opened in 2011. The palace complex has an area of 97.65 hectares, and 22 domes, and is split into three main portions: the Formal Component, Royal Component and Administration Component.
It cost RM812 million to build and incorporates Islamic and Malay architectural elements, The 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu was the first King to use the palace while the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah was the first King to have his installation ceremony held there.
It can’t be entered. I walked along the entire west wall and got glimpses of a 3-story cream-coloured modern building.
Walking to here required crossing and walking along some main roads.
Thean Hou Temple. The main temple is on the third floor. There were hundreds of red lanterns, many dragons and carved columns.
This was another long walk along a freeway and then up the long hill to the temple. It is a popular place with tourists. Free
Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple. A very small white temple with 4 buddhas (sitting, lying and two standing). A long walk to find a bridge over the river. .
Wei-Ling Gallery is an art gallery founded by Lim Wei-Ling] in 2002 to actively encourage the works of Malaysian contemporary artists and Malaysian culture. The gallery’s collection offers an overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, electronic media and artist’s books.
The gallery is also the largest publisher of artist’s books in Malaysia,[2] with over 100 titles.
The gallery also represents foreign artists such as Cuban artist Nelson Dominguez, the Pakistani sculptor Amin Gulgee, and most recently hosted Rome-based conceptual artist H.H. Lim’s first solo exhibition in Malaysia. It has taken exhibitions to Pakistan, India, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Located in a pre-war building in Brickfields, one of the oldest settlements of Kuala Lumpur and is home to many religious structures of different denominations.
Orang Asli Craft Museum. A wonderful museum about the aboriginal people of Malaysia who tend to live on the outskirts of villages. There are 3 main groups with 6 tribes each. A lot of ethnography (lots on hunting with many great blow guns). Half was art, with many large carved figures and masks. Free
The Gardens Mall. An 8-level mall with many designer boutique stores and food venues.
Hotel Majestic. A 4.5-star hotel – white, a large 2-story base, 10-story tower and a lovely atrium lobby (wide open with a great marble floor).
KL Railway Station. The oldest railway station of Kuala Lumpur, used to be the main train station of this city but now it’s quite empty with only one KTM line. Nice architecture both inside and outside.
National Mosque of Malaysia. Covering 13 acres, it can hold about 50,000 people. It was built in 1965. The main features are a 73m-high minaret, the star-shaped dome with 18 points – they represent the country’s 13 states and the five pillars of Islam, beautiful gardens and fountains, and Heroes’ Mausoleum.
National Planetarium. Not open since July 2022.
Royal Malaysian Police Museum. Not so interesting – history, uniforms, badges, and other memorabilia. 10 R
Perdana Botanical Gardens. A great garden with 32 individual theme gardens.
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park. The largest free-flying bird park in the world. Many large metal columns support the huge netting covering the entire park. Some of the “fly-about” areas are small and the big stork could just go in a circle. Some highlight birds are the hornbills, parrots, milky storks, and oriental birds. Expensive. 75R
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. A good museum with art from all over the Islamic world – textiles, ceramics, jewelry, India, wood and architecture. 7R reduced
National Monument (Tugu Negara). Has a large cenotaph with the dates 1914-18, 1939-45 and 1948-60 and a large pool with a great sculpture of 4 soldiers standing and three fallen.
Just as I finished seeing this, it started to rain heavily. I called a Grab and got a much-needed taxi home.
ON The Manor at Mingle. We ate at the Indian restaurant around the corner. Very cheap.
Day 5 Tue Feb 21. Another big walkabout day.
Kuala Lumpur Tower. I have been up the tower on my previous trip to Malaysia. Now 100R.
KL Upside Down House. Up the hill by the tower, this is a typical brightly coloured upside-down house with a peaked roof on the bottom and a lot of photo opportunities. 15 R
Bazaar Baru Chow Kit wet market. A busy market covering several blocks. Mostly produce.
National Museum (Muziem Negara). Overview of Malaysian history and culture over three stories. There are four main galleries allotted to ethnology and natural history – weddings, festivals, costumes; traditional weapons, musical instruments, arts and crafts, ceramics, and flora and fauna. 20 R
Titiwangsa Lake Gardens. A huge public park centred on a lake. Cycle, kayak, picnic. I a great place for families. Very crowded on weekends.
Yut Kee Restaurant. Established in 1928, this very busy Chinese restaurant has a bery modern look and a reasonably priced menu.
Pintasan Saloma. A great pedestrian bridge crosses two main roads and the river high above them. It has a geodesic-designed canopy surrounding the entire bridge.
Petrosains, The Discovery Centre. On the 5th floor of Suria KLCC, this is a science museum, always more fun for kids.
Galeri Petronas. Temporarily closed.
Suria KLCC. This is the 6-level mall at the bottom of Petronas Towers.
Museum Of Illusions. A fascinating fun museum – great for kids, especially the games. On the second floor of the Ansa Hotel. 45 R 40 reduced
As Syakirin Mosque (KLCC Mosque). A very large modern mosque. Unusually there are two large “outside” prayer areas and two inside prayer halls. The main hall on the second floor has a lovely huge dome decorated with geometrics and a massive chandelier. The mihrab is a large white and the minbar a desk with a chair and microphone.
I walked to the Chinese Embassy to find out that visas were issued at another location near Petronas Towers so wasted about an hour walking. At the visa office, I reaffirmed that my 10-year visa was no longer valid and tourist visas were not being issued.
Pavillion. A huge shopping mall over 6 levels.
The Exchange 106 is a 453.6-meter-tall supertall skyscraper, the second tallest building in Malaysia (surpassing the Petronas Twin Towers by 1.7 meters), the third in Southeast Asia and the 14th tallest building in the world. The 397.3-meter building is topped with an 11-story high illuminated crown making it 106-story high (still 95-story). It is also the largest skyscraper in Malaysia by floor area with 453,835 m2
Presently, Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd is 51% owned by the Ministry of Finance through MKD Signature Sdn Bhd and 49% by Mulia International. Finished in 2017, 19 months after commencement, achieving an average of 3 days a floor. TRX’s shopping mall (known as The Exchange TRX) which is located at the foot of the Exchange 106 is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2021.[26] Later on, the construction of the mall was delayed due to the strict Movement Control Order (MCO) in the country caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The completion of the mall was pushed back to 2022.
ON The Manor at Mingle. We ate the free meal provided by the Hindu temple every evening a 6. Delicious. They seemed to have no problem with a crowd of young white folks eating their food. One guy went back for thirds.
Day 6 Wed Feb 22
Train KL to Georgetown Penang. I could not figure out the buses from KL Sentral so ended up getting a train to Butterworth (85 R, 4’10”). Trains are great ways to travel.
At Butterworth walk 5 minutes to the ferry terminal to Georgetown (1.2 R).
I then had a walk about to see all the following places in Georgetown.
PENANG (pop 1.767 million) is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. They are connected by Malaysia’s two longest road bridges, the Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge; the latter is also the second longest overseas bridge in Southeast Asia. It has among the nation’s highest population densities and is one of the country’s most urbanized states. Seberang Perai is Malaysia’s second-largest city by population. Its heterogeneous population is highly diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and religion. Aside from the three main races, the Malays, Chinese, and Indians, Penang is home to significant Eurasian, Siamese and expatriate communities.
Penang’s modern history began in 1786, upon the establishment of George Town by Francis Light. Penang formed part of the Straits Settlements in 1826, which became a British crown colony in 1867. Direct British rule was only briefly interrupted during World War II, when Japan occupied Penang; the British retook Penang in 1945. Penang was later merged with the Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia), which gained independence from the British in 1957.
Following the decline of its entrepôt trade in the 1970s, Penang’s economy was reoriented by the central government towards manufacturing. Today, it has become one of Malaysia’s most vital economic powerhouses.
GEORGETOWN (pop 159,000, metro 794,313), the capital of Penang was established as an entrepôt by Francis Light of the East India Company in 1786, as the first British settlement in Southeast Asia. It grew rapidly in the early 19th century with the influx of immigrants from various regions in Asia, In 1826, Penang was incorporated into the Straits Settlements, along with British Singapore and Malacca, with George Town as the territories’ administrative capital until 1836. The territories became a British crown colony in 1867. During the Second World War, George Town was subjugated by the Empire of Japan. Malaya attained independence from the British in 1957,
Despite losing its prominence to Singapore in trade by the mid-19th century, it remained as a major export hub of spices, agricultural goods, and later tin, achieving immense prosperity throughout the 19th century. Such successes made George Town the financial centre of Malaya, home to several regional and international banks of the early 20th century, notably Standard Chartered, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Netherlands Trading Society, and Ban Hin Lee Bank. George Town also functioned as the headquarters for revolutionary activities by the Tongmenghui in Southeast Asia that eventually launched the Wuchang Uprising, a precursor to the Xinhai Revolution in Qing China.
In the modern era, George Town is an important hub of arts, culture, manufacturing, transportation, education, healthcare, and media in Malaysia. It is still the financial centre of northern Peninsular Malaysia, and since the 1970s, the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, a high-tech manufacturing hub regarded as the “Silicon Valley of the East”, became the centre of the Malaysian electronics manufacturing industry. George Town also serves as the country’s primary medical tourism hub. The Penang International Airport links George Town with several major regional cities, while a ferry service, the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge connect the city with the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Meanwhile, George Town’s Swettenham Pier has emerged as the busiest port of call in Malaysia for cruise ships. Stemming from the centuries of intermingling of the various ethnicities and religions that arrived on its shores, George Town acquired its own unique architectural styles and cuisine.
Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Hai Kee Chan (1821-1901) used this as his office and family temple which he built in 1895. It is a lavishly decorated 2-story home with elaborate furniture, art and vases, and a lot of gilt. Enter in the 2-story atrium. 25 R
Wonderfood Museum. A very interesting museum where hundreds of dishes are recreated to be exact copies – very much as you see at many Japanese restaurants. 30 R, 20 reduced
Batik Painting Museum Penang. After seeing this, I still have a hard time understanding exactly how the different colours are isolated. The paintings are unique. 10R
Penang Masonic Temple. A large two-story house with green shutters. Closed.
Sun Yat Sen Museum. Penang has a SYS Heritage trail with 10 places in the town that he influenced. This building was the office of the Philomatic Union Reading Club from 1909-12 and is where he organized the Penang Conference to plan the 2nd Guangzhou Uprising. He gave a famous speech here that raised S$8000.
Penang Town Hall. A lovely building – yellow with white trim. Built in 1880. Has a fountain in the garden built in 1883.
Eastern & Oriental Hotel. Built in 1885, it is a beautiful hotel with a great atrium with a dome. One hallway had a great collection of engravings (all for sale with some very high prices.
Hameediyah Restaurantenang. Dating from 1907, this small restaurant was very busy. It is famous for its curry rice.
Glass Museum Penang. A huge variety of glass art, a lot of it painting on glass bottles. 30R, 18R without the complementary glass bottle that you get to do. Not as interesting as I thought it could be.
Neoh Khay Chye Low Bak. This is a very rustic sidewalk “kitchen” with several food carts on wheels but that don’t move. Chinese/Malay cuisine.
Upside Down Museum. This is another upside-down house with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, and there are even cafes and shops that are upside down. 29 R
Camera Museum. Lots of cameras and not so interesting without the photographs produced by them. 15 R
ON The Frame Guesthouse (actually a hostel). 36 R
Day 7 Thur Feb 23
Share van to Hai Yai Thailand @ 5am. They picked me up at my hostel at 5 but I slept in. I rapidly stuffed all my things and made it down to the car, a very nice Toyota SUV. I was able to pack all my stuff as I was in the far back seat.
