After staying in Hong Kong for a couple days we flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The flight is about four hours – so easy peasy after the 16 hours flight from New York to Hong Kong ;)
First glimpse of Malaysia. After a good nights sleep at our wonderful hosts, Val, Penny and their gorgeous Mom, we had a great breakfast the next morning with Val and then went sightseeing. You know for 1 Dollar this was pretty pretty delicious and the coffee was a good starter too :) I will get into food a bit more …hehehee
Since I was teaching at Scrap n Crop for two days (photos are coming soon) and that was actually the main reason for going to Malaysia- I have not done as much sightseeing as my husband but I saw a couple things thanks to Val!
Kuala Lumpur- the Petronas Twin Towers. Pretty impressive as the tallest twin towers in the world. Kuala Lumpur itself is pretty modern. I saw a bit of China Town and Little India- but again- it was more a fly by. It was fun though. It was different from what I would have expected of K.L. I also had some interesting talks with expats living in K.L Besides that there was a lot of talk during the classes. Since the incident with the plane which we all still don’t know what happened with, a lot of people in Malaysia are worrying in how other’s are perceiving Malaysia. All I can say is: You cannot make a judgement about a country, if you have never been there. There is also not a way to put Malaysia into one scheme. Malaysia is a very diverse country and it was interesting to see a glimpse of this. I had a wonderful experience. If you feel the urge to hear about my perspective – I am happy to talk about this in person.
One stop were the Batu Caves in which there is one of the most popular Hindu Shrines outside India. It was impressive and beautiful to be there.
Some of these photos are actually taken by Val…because Knucklehead aka Nat Kalbach forgot her camera in the house! Good one ! So I was taking photos of my cell phone – which well..yeah – ok…whatever ;)
It was quite a hike up those stairs- but beautiful. You have to imagine that at the Thaipusam Festival this becomes a pilgrimage for Hindus worldwide. I am not up for a disclaimer today (kids please do not do this at home!) – but if you wanna read more about the Thaipusam Festival- go ahead! All I say is, I am not complaining about this hike…it can feel worse going up there then just with no burden and without spikes and skewers through my flesh!
Inside the caves were these beautiful temples and figures and the most awesome thing was that there were little natural windows in the caves – giving a beautiful light – it was just stunning
Besides tourists like us
there were also a lot of people praying – so we didn’t take too many photos as to respect this.
As you can see there was also some monkey business going on. These little critters weren’t too friendly btw- they looked cute…but if you came to close they would show you two nice rows of teeth with a kind of a growling “get the heck away from me…or hand me all your food in your bag you upright walking idiot”…at least that is what I heard ;)
The Batu Caves were definitely one of my very faves of the whole trip.
We also visited the Cultural Center in K.L. where we picked up Val’s daughter from a field trip. We played a long like the kids and did some batik coloring- fun! There were lot’s of artist studios in the Cultural Center, most of them are doing batik or wood carving but also quite a lot painting in oil- mostly realistic . It was quite interesting.
We also brought some long awaited rain with us and we spotted this guy on a motor bike in the rain who is a bread seller going from village to village. Speaking of Bread…
Not only was Teo, Val’s and Penny’s Mom an avid bread maker which lead to several hours of conversations between her and my husband (who happens to love to bake bread too) but also did they all love to eat as much as we did and we went to the coolest yummiest places. BTW- I love that picture of Penny and her Mom- too cute!
And ate and drunk non stop – at places we would have probably never found or picked if we would have been there by ourselves.
I can in all honesty say that the food was another one of my faves and I think I have never eaten so much in my life…and…HA…I even dropped weight (cool because the workout clothes never left their initial spot in the suitcase – I am all in for the dumpling-hawker-street-food-diet ;) )
I also learned that some meals that might sound …ahem..as if you might not like them …like “Fish Head Soup” are actually the most delicious meals in the world (and you can get the soup with Fish Paste – which makes for an easier visual experience). I kid you not, I am still dreaming of this soup…drool. The soup is not in any of the pictures- LOL- but other delicious stuff.
And here I am – relaxed and ready to start teaching my Mixed Media Workshop weekend in Malaysia. Note to self: Tug in your blouse hanger before taking a selfie, knuckle head! ”
Val, Penny and their Mom were just the most amazing hosts! I learned so much about the people and the life in Malaysia…and the food ;) They opened their house and hearts and it was really special for me and my husband. Lot’s of things that we talked about and shared that are hard to write on a blog. I will always cherish this experience and I do know that I will see those 3 again somehow. They will always have a special place in my heart! Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed the little trip to Malaysia – I will post some photos of the workshops later this week. Until then…have a gorgeous day!!!!
hugs
Nat
Comments (9)
Marjie Kemper
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What an amazing trip! You can’t beat having locals show you the town, can you? Sounds like your hosts were the most lovely people. Can’t wait to hear about the workshops… I’ve loved all your photos!
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Amante del Papel
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amazing photos!
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Yvonne
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Tolle Bilder, danke fürs Zeigen. Es ist immer wieder spannend, wenn man so einwenig “mitreisen” darf.
LG Yvonne
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Rachel Greig
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I’m so glad to hear you had a great time! Aren’t Val, Penny and their Mum the best!! I went to Malaysia to teach for Scrap N Crop in 2009 and had the most wonderful time! I agree about KL, such a city of contrasts and diversity :) And we loved the food too!!!!!
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Kelly Belton
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I love your travelogues Nat, this one is no exception, looks like an amazing place. The food pic at the bottom has me salivating as I munch on yet another kale salad, and that selfie – is a beautiful picture of you.
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cowkitty
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Dittos on all of the above comments. What an experience! Thanks for sharing your photos and stories.
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Kathy P.
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Love seeing these awesome shots and hearing your wonderful stories. Makes me want to visit this beautiful part of the world….except for the long flight! Food sounds yummy…..you are very adventurous and I should be likewise!!! Looking good in your selfie, blouse hanger and all (which I would NOT have seen if you hadn’t pointed it out—but why I always cut them right off when I buy something—LOL)!!! Thanks for sharing a piece of this amazing story!
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Mary Beth Shaw
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What an interesting opportunity. I would love to travel to Malaysia some time. And yeah, i think that food looks totally yummy.
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Sue Clarke
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE when you share pics of your trips Nat and this set is no exception. How nice to see parts of the country that you wouldn’t on your own (and eat at yummy local restaurants).
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