My Malaysian Adventure

My first impression of Kuala Lumpur was a gleaming modern city with swathes of green parkland. On closer inspection beautiful colonial buildings, ornate temples and mosques can be found next to traditional street markets reflecting the history and culture of the Malaysian capital. Our cheery guide Sarah informed us that at the weekends the population of the city drops from around 7 million to just 3 million inhabitants. The Petronas Twin Towers are an iconic landmark and our perfectly positioned hotel rooms had fantastic views which certainly made an impact, especially at night when the Towers are lit up. The Traders hotel is a short walk from the Towers and neighbouring shopping mall. Traders Sky Bar, a sophisticated roof top pool lounge with DJs and guaranteed entry for residents is great place to chill out with a cocktail and soak up the superb views. A short walk from our hotel we discovered the graceful Friday Mosque, Masjid Jamek, and the old colonial railway station. The ladies had to don bright red full-length hooded robes before being allowed into the Mosque which caused great amusement and more than a little discomfort in the humid heat. With cheeks matching our robes we trooped in and enjoyed a fascinating insight into the Mosque which was designed in the Mogul style by a British architect. We admired the old Cricket Ground and nearby Colonial era Government buildings before immersing ourselves in the local Central Market for a traditional Asian lunch of delicious local specialities. KL is an attractive thoughtfully developed modern city with green spaces and many varied attractions including parks, museums, galleries, shopping centres, markets, temples, Botanical gardens, a bird park, a butterfly park, and even caves. Merdeka Square is where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957 and it is home to some significant historical buildings, many designed by British architect AC Norman who arrived in 1883. It’s possible to take one of Visit KL’s free tours as a good starting point for your exploration of the city. Food plays a big part in Malaysian culture and KL’s Little India and Chinatown, hawkers stalls, food courts, trendy cafes and fine dining restaurants cater for all tastes and budgets. Jalan Alor is the most famous food street whilst off the tourist trail, Glutton Street, a hawker street alley near Pudu Market, offers delicious bargain priced dishes. For a nostalgic afternoon tea in a pretty setting I recommend the Orchid Conservatory at the famous Majestic Hotel, a National Heritage site, which combines contemporary elegance with meticulously restored grandeur. Borneo is the third largest island in the World and the capital of Sabah state, Kota Kinabalu, is just a short flight from KL. I was disappointed to look out of the plane windows and see yet another modern city. I naively expected to see jungle and mud huts! Mount Kinabalu which gave the city its name is located to the East of the city and National Park lies to the West. Our stunning hotel, the Shangri La Rasa Ria, soon made up for any initial disappointment. We were greeted by a full welcoming committee with beautiful lei garlands. Our rooms in the exclusive Ocean Wing were sumptuous with a huge double jacuzzi and day bed on the spacious balconies overlooking the 3-kilometre-long sandy beach. I would stay here again in a heartbeat. We spent a full day on Gaya Island, a boutique style eco-hotel reached by speedboat from Jesselton Point in Kota Kinabalu. It is a haven for nature and wildlife enthusiasts and very interesting to learn about the conservation projects from the resident Marine Biologist. The next day we drove further into the interior to the Kinabalu National Park. The Mari Mari Cultural Village introduced us to life in a very wet rainforest. Sporting cellophane raincoats we discovered various attractions including a traditional long house, learnt about cooking and hunting tools and made feeble attempts at firing blow darts before sampling some rice wine and local delicacies and enjoying a performance of indigenous music and dancing. The Poring Hot Springs are popular with local families who will hire individual hot baths for picnics. A short trek was a highlight of our visit crossing over suspension bridges and canopy walks high above the forest floor. We walked through the Kinabalu Botanical Gardens, home to more than 1500 species of orchid including the world’s smallest variety, the tiny Pinhead orchid. Mount Kota Kinabalu was resolutely swaddled in clouds during our visit. Our guide had climbed it 99 times! He explained how it is best climbed over 2 days, waking at 2am on day 2 to catch the sunrise over the summit - weather permitting! Wild boar is a popular snack for climbers en route with one stall selling over a ton of wild boar in a week during high season. Our final hotel was the Shangri La Tanjug Aru, conveniently located 10 minutes from the centre of KK and the airport. it is a busy hotel suited both to leisure and business guests. Families can enjoy the Tanjung Wing whilst the Kinabalu Wing is ideal for couples or corporate guests seeking a more exclusive experience. There is a great Waterpark and a secure children’s play area next to the main restaurant. The hotels’ Star Marina is exceptionally well set up for families and experienced water sports enthusiasts with all the equipment that might be needed and expert tuition. We enjoyed a tour of some of the 5 offshore islands in one of the hotel speedboats. For thrill seekers there is the Coral Flyer zipwire between Gaya Island and Sapi Island and an exciting jetboat ride that was enjoyed by Prince William and Kate on their visit. The islands of Sapi, Manukan and Mamutik are popular for hiking, diving and snorkelling. Other islands worth visiting include Sipidan, 3 hours by boat off the south-east tip of Sabah and ranked one of the top diving destinations in the world; and Labuan Island with water villages where residents still live in stilt houses. It’s possible to visit orangutans and sun bears at Sepilok Nature Reserve in Sandakan, an hour’s flight from KK. I recommend a trip on the Kinabatangan River for the chance to see proboscis monkeys and, if you are very lucky, orangutans in the wild. Elephants, gibbons, hornbills and many other species of bird can also be seen. I would love to use my experiences to help you create your own Malaysian Adventure!