Wow Malaysia Part 4 - Great Views and Elephants

Tuesday -31st March

My husband wanted to take some photos of the Petronas Towers. Which meant heading to the 'Sky Bar' at the Traders hotel. 

They have great views of the Towers

And do a mean cocktail

But I would worry about having too many as there's a swimming pool right in the middle of the bar.

We also stumbled on a fab resturant The Apartment in the Ground of the KLCC park right next to the amazing dancing fountains.

I had a gorgeous Fresh Seafood Jambalaya it was, as per the norm by now, incredibly spicy. I had it accompanied by a lovely tiger beer to wash it down. 

The other half had a Steak Salad, I didn't get to try the salad part but he gave me a bit of the steak and it was cooked to perfection

The rest of the day was a lazy blur, well after a couple of cocktails and a beer in the hot sun it was hard to get enthusiastic about anything more than a dip in the pool :)
 

Wednesday -1st April

This has got to be one of the most amazing days of the trip.

We booked a tour to visit the elephant sanctuary located about 1 and a half outside of KL.

There was four of us on the trip myself and my husband and a lovely German Couple Thomas and Sandra. The baby stayed with the mother in law for a day of being spoilt and general mischief-making.

On the way to the Elephants we stopped again at the Batu Caves as the other half of our group had never been. So I donned my hired skirt and climbed the steps for a second time. This time was actually a lot better as it was so early the steps were still in Shadow which made it easier going and I was also prepared for the wildlife (i.e. the Crazy Monkeys).

The caves themselves where a lot more livelier as the week before none of the shrines where manned and it looked like they were clearing up after a big festival. This time there were Hindu religious monks (That probably the wrong analogy so apologies) around and one of them blessed me.

I think it really important to experience other religions as that is the way to get a better understanding between everyone.

The caves were still as beautiful and the Monkeys still running around like the own the place which I suspect they probably do.

 Then a short trip down the 200 steps back to the van and off to the Sanctuary.

We arrived just in time for a spot of lunch which they provided on site.

It was a basic mean of Chicken, Rice and Egg which seems to be the staple of Malaysian cooking. Even though it isn't anything too fancy I really like it and plan to replicate it on many occasion back in the UK.

During lunch our tour guide told us a bit about Malaysia and the make up of its people. Its 3 Main group Muslim Malays the biggest group, followed by the Chinese Malays then the Indian Malays. There are also a few tribal group scattered through the rain forests.

He also talked about the countries biggest export which is now Palm Oil and that is why the Sanctuary is there. As they plant more Palm Oil plantations they are cutting down the Elephant's natural habitat. Then because they have not habitat the go on to the plantation causing damage. So the team at the sanctuary help relocate elephants to the Malaysian National Park. (This was explain further in a video we had to watch).

It one of those tough decision, Trade and industry vs. nature and environment. As palm oil can now be used as a fuel substitute, it is cleaner that Oil/Gas so in one way helping the environment. But to get the Oil you need to destroy the elephants home in turn hurting the environment. At least they have a relocation plan and are not just killing them off which is a good thing I suppose.

Although they kept pointing out how underfunded they were which was making the task difficult,  I think is the worst part as I know they palm oil industry is making a lot of money so it would be nice to see more of that money go to help these beautiful creatures.

Any who, after the video explain what they do - Relocating Animal when they can and when they can't as they are orphaned or injured they train them up to help them with the relocating. Elephants can help with the heavy lifting they also provide comfort to the wild Elephants as being captured and chain can prove very stressful for them. It was so sweet in the video seeing the working elephants help calm down a captured one with a couple of reassuring trunk strokes.

We got to visit and feed the baby elephants. This is a lovely experience and I highly recommend it. On site you can by Peanuts, Sugar Cane and Banana to give to them.

We got some Sugar Cane and Peanut and went to see them.

They are so gentle and at the end of their trunk is their finger that scoops up the food and deposits it, in their mouths.

It seems the big they are the rougher their skin is when getting food. As the baby were a lot softer than the older ones.

After feeding the little one. It was a short walk down to the lake to watch the older working Elephants get their daily bath.

They looked like they were having tonnes of fun and probably much needed as it was another very hot day.

After they had their daily scrubbing by their handlers we were taking to a show area to see how they help the rescue team out. I though this was a bit unnecessary and slightly to staged. I suppose it help to explain more what they do but I found it a bit crass.

After they'd finished with their show we got to feed the bigger elephant with fruit. They are really majestic and stunningly beautiful creatures. You can just see it in their eyes. I think they are far more intelligent that we give them credit for.

 After the big ones had gone back to their forestry habitat, out the back, it was time for the little ones to take a bath and we got to join in.

OMG I cannot state how amazing that was. It is one of those experiences I will remember for the rest of my life.

I even stole a cheeky Kiss with Daryl (The name of the Elephant)

We then proceed to wash him but I think in the end it was us that got more of a wash.

If you ever end up in Malaysia and want to do this experience remember a change of clothes an shoes is a must.

It was fantastic, brilliant, amazing, uplifting, education and over too soon. If I go back I am definitely doing this again.

Though on the way back to KL I did notice more the plantations as they seem to cover most of the landscape near the highway. Hopefully soon a balance can be struck as I really want the people and the country to do well but I also want the elephants to be okay too.

Back at base camp we packed for the following day as we where off to Singapore.

Thursday - 2nd April

As many of you know I am a member of the train gang so it seem only fitting to get the train to Singapore.

Considering how clean and lovely all the other trains I'd been on I was expecting some of the same. So the Husband, The In-laws, the Baby and myself all with first class tickets and an optimistic look in our eye boarded the train.

It was not what we expected..

There were gaps in the floor between carriages and the doors didn't shut on the train.

 

The canteen was not a lot better thank goodness we brought snacks. Although I have to say it really felt like we were travellers on this train. It was a bit of grit and adventure which is always fun.

 

Also the little one seemed to enjoy the experience, well we did have Disney Junior downloaded to our Iphones an Ipad which helped.

 

So Seven plus hours later under the cover of darkness and going through Customs and Passport control at Johor (meaning all the cases of and back on the train) we crossed the small stretch of water and arrived at Woodlands Station Singapore.

After filling out an visa card and passing again through customs we hopped in a taxi and mad our way to the Carlton Hotel to find our beds and get some rest before exploring another city in another land.....

 

Wow Malaysia -part 3 street food & KL towers

Gosh this is turning into a epic trip saga but one of the best trips I have ever taken.

Saturday - 28th March 

We too a family trip to the KLCC park. It an amazing space in the city with a massive paddling pool with waterfalls one size of the wall.

Next to a huge play area, with climbing frames, swings, and slides for all ages and abilities. My little one is a huge fan of the swings so we had a play there.

I don't think they have toddlers his size over there as he got in the swing fine but his feet scraped across the floor.

Other slight downside to this amazing space at the play area, there are less trees so not as shady as I would like especially in the Malaysian hot sun. 

But we had fun as a family and the little man got to burn off some steam and It was free. I would definitely say it's worth a visit for anyone who comes to Malaysia for a break with Kids. 

After all that running around we strolled through a series of covered air conditioned walk ways from KLCC to 'The Pavillion' again. This time we stopped at a Germany themed resturant and I had a dish called Wessinbaru. A potato Rossti with Bacon Mushrooms and a couple of eggs on top.

It was an okay lunch. We really went in for the beer but their selection of German beers were very limited. I've started to realise that there seems to be the same limited amount of beers in most restaurants we go too. I assume as this is a Muslim country it not really going to be a big importer of beer. 

Before we headed home I stopped off at the facilities and couldn't help chuckle at this sign. We do take things for granted but everywhere is different and people might not have the same facilities that we all enjoy back home.

In the evening we went out to a 'proper' side of the road Chinese resturant, with my In-laws German neighbours. Over 25% of the Malaysian population are Chinese Malay so there are an array Chinese delicacies to choose from. 

Saw this on the menu.

I didn't order it (hopefully wasn't the  real thing). As a bit of a foodie I like to try new things but there's a moral issue here. It is harvested in such a cruel way the fishermen just cut off their fins and throw them back still alive into the water to die. 

So we stuck to beef and chicken dishes and all shared between ourselves.

I ordered the chicken with chilli and it didn't disappoint as I love spicy food. We had a slight communications breakdown with this dish and a few people who weren't the biggest fan of spicy found out the hard way what I ordered lol.

We also order a type of Courgette (zucchini) called Lady Fingers. Now I thought they were the type of sponge you use in trifle :) They were really yummy and hopefully I'll be able to get them in the UK. 

The resturant was brilliant and I felt like I saw the authentic side of the city.  An eatery serving the locals and non local with traditional Chinese dishes. With an open barbecue for the meat and an open kitchen which might have not past inspection back home, produced nomminess on an epic scale. Even if getting the buggy there was a bit of an effort.

Sunday 29th - KL Tower 

As it was the Grand Prix race day the hubby and the father in law went to the track which meant another Mummy and Nanny day out for the little one.

After the disaster and the dice with death we had getting to the bird park we decided to take a Cab to the KL tower (a 360 observation tower).

It has two main floors, a totally encased one or floor a few floor higher up that is more open. With the little one in tow we opted for the encased floor.

You get amazing views of the city including the Towers. I opted for this city view as if you go up the Petronas tower I sure it's s fab vista as well but then the towers are not in your pictures. 

It's the same in New York I have been up the Empire State Building but prefer the Rocksfella Centre as that mean I get the Empire State Building in my snaps. 

It was great for the little man as he could have a walk about. He enjoyed the views.

Not sure if he knew what he was looking at, but it did hold his interest for a while and from my point of view as safer trip than the bird park for a kid his age. 

There are also a few more things to do around the tower like a driving simulator and a few animals enclosures as well as a mini aquarium. Although we didn't get a chance to do any of them as the Tower knackered him out.

We got a cab back and I had a lovely Tom Yum soup and some Crispy Won Ton from a small restaurant we found on the way home.

It was tasty and filling albeit very spicy. 

Just before we made it back for the evening I popped in to one of the many many bakeries around the city. They must love there sweets and cakes as you can't go two feet with out passing some form of surgery based snack.

Although there was a snack or two I wasn't too keen to try.

I am glad That I picked up something as the evening was a bit of a wash out. At least it was still warm just very, very wet. 

We were treated to a fantastic thunder and lightening show that went on for hours, While we enjoyed the cakes I bought. 

The cakes weren't dissimilar to American style pancakes (or scotch pancakes) with a jam filling.

You will need a drink with these guys as getting through one can be tough. They are very filling and don't think you could eat more than one. 

Monday 30th - chilling

We had a quite day just pottered about.

Although I did have a fantastic burger. It had crisps baked into the bun.

Which added a crunch to each mouth-watering bite.

An afternoon swim and a evening in helped me digests it's Yumminess and set me up for more eventful days ahead. 

Wow Malaysia -Part 2 Batu & Birds

Doing so much on my trip I need to break up my holiday post into lots of parts 

Thursday 26th - Batu Caves

The hubby and I headed off to the Batu caves while the little one got to spend the day with his Nana.

We got a tube to KL Central then on to a train. As many of you know I am part of a little train gang (see Amok in Amsterdam post for some of our antics) but I don't think we could get up to our usual shenanigans with these restrictions.

Transport is so cheap it was less that £2.50 for the both of us to get there and the Batu caves is the last stop so it wasn't that difficult to navigate. 

It was a hop skip and a jump away from the station and you are greated  by a huge statue of Hanuman (apologies if this is wrong I admit my knowledge of this is very limited) 

It's then a slight walk to the bottom of the main cave temple area.

It's up a lot of stairs, oh and what I didn't realise is women can't have there legs showing. Actually if I thought about it beforehand I probably could have worked it out as it is a place of worship. Only excuse apart from being an ingorant tourist is the heat it was around 34 degrees (90+ degrees Fahrenheit).

Luckily they are obviously used to dealing with this as they had sarongs you could hirer for a 5 ringgit deposit as that worked out to a £1 so we let them keep it. 

Going back to the heat for a minute, lots of stairs in direct sunlight was hard going we did need to stop a few times and luckily there's a place to get water at the top as I think I lost my body weight in sweat getting up there.

It is worth the climb the caves are just stunning you can really see why they made it into a temple the part where it opens up and let's in the sun it just breathtaking. 

The caves are also home to wildlife there are a few chickens and roosters.

But mainly Monkeys that roam free around the caves ( the do like to mug people for food, so keep a tight grip on your bag). 

They are fascinating to watch as they bound, jump, run, and leap around the cavernous space. Their Chattering fills the are and you feel like they are the guardians of this amazing space. 

After a bit of contemplation and a lot of Monkey watching we headed back down the steps. About a flight of steps down there's a side area into another cave the 'Dark Cave' where they had other animals and after reading this sign I decided against the tour.

As some of you might enjoy it but going into the darkness surrounded by bats (you could hear their chattering from the mouth of the chasm) you could also run into a trapdoor spider, is Not my thing in anyway shape or form.  

They do have more accessible caves if you are less able to tackle the steps. 

In the cave right next to the train station we came across this guy who seemed to be enjoying himself. 

The train ride back was welcoming with the nice sit down and the air conditioning.

At KL central where we changed I found this cut out and couldn't resist a shot for the train gang. 

As we didn't eat at the Batu caves, we where thinking about it but after seeing a woman getting expertly robbed by the monkey contingence we decided it was probably safer to find food in another location. 

As we had to head back through KLCC on the way home we decided to eat there and we had a Nandos. Okay I know I can have one back home, but they do have a Mayal twist to there offering.

Firstly you order at the table instead of going up to the counter. They didn't have any 'Red Pepper Dip' like they have at home so we tried the 'Vegetables Dip' it was quite nice with its spice twist. 

I had the same main I order in the UK, a chicken wrap (hot). The Malay one comes in more of a Roti/Naan bread rather than a tortilla wrap and the greens are chunky and cubed.

Also I don't know what they've done to the Mango but it's not happy lol

So even though it's a meal I could get back home I enjoyed the local spin on the food. 

The rest of the day was spent with the little man in the pool.

That evening we went to a restaurant in  the outside area surrounding the dancing fountains at the KLCC.

It was called 'Limoncello' and they made their own homemade Limoncello. Now being a few thousand miles away from Italy (I have sampled limoncello when I went to Rome) I decided to give it a go. To accompany my Prawn and courgette (zucchini) carbonara. 

 It was actually very good.

The meal was tasty and it was accompanied nicely by a cold glass of Pinot. I do like eating alfresco in the warm night air.

The little man also enjoyed watching the colour and the lights of the dancing fountains.

Friday 27th - Bird Park

My husband and father-in-law went to the Malaysia Grand Prix practice days so me and the Mum-in-law decided to take the little chap to the 'KL Bird Park' we got the tube to Pasar Seni and then proceeded to walk, a big mistake. We got lost but manage to navigate ourselves to the park it was located in. 

Once in the park there was a big hill to negotiate in the mid morning heat, with a heavy pram and an uncomfortable hot baby to push about. (Not fun) 

Luckily, well depending which way you look at it, we were saved by a buggy driver who for 4 ringgits loaded up the mother-in-law the baby still in the push chair and I on the back. He then proceeded to drive around the whole park at breakneck speed pointing out places of interest as we clung on to the pram and hoped for the best.  Health and Safety isn't the same there as it is back home lol. 

We made it to the park in one piece if not just a little windswept. 

It's a lovely park with all the birds roaming free and the little one did seem to enjoy some of it and was curious of the winged inhabitants. 

Unfortunately it's located on the side of a hill so we couldn't let the little one have free rom as some of the edges are a bit steep for comfort. I think if he was a bit older and more confident with the walking it would have been perfect.

A some of the birds are beautiful.

Even if they do sneak up on you Caw and make you jump out of your skin lol

So with the little one getting irritable especially with the in and outs of getting him back in the push chair we decided to head back.

For all our sakes we got a cab for the journey home, stopping on the way to partake in a particular nice margarita (well 3 but they were little) to steel our nerves after the days events.  

Then spent a pleasent later afternoon resting before having a night in exchanging stories about our day with the boys when they got back..