Today we docked at Port Kelang in Malaysia and we took a 1.5 hour coach ride with a guide into the capital, Kuala Lumpur. We were not scheduled to dock here but because of the recent bombings in Colombo our original destination was cancelled and Kuala Lumpur was offered as an alternative venue. We'd visited Colombo and had a wonderful guided tour of that city last year and we had been planning on doing a self-guide walk , visiting both the very mosque and church which were bombed. We feel sorry for the people of Colombo who rely so heavily on tourism for an income. It is a beautiful city with so much history and culture which we found fascinating. Hopefully peace will return to this friendly country and tourists will once again visit Colombo.
Kuala Lumpur is on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, about 40km from the Strait of Malacca where two rivers converge. It has a tropical climate which means it is hot, humid and rainy throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 31⁰C in the day and about 26⁰C at night. The city has a population of about 1.7 million which are a multicultural mix of Malays, Arabs, Chinese, Eurasians and Europeans. Whilst English is widely spoken Bahasa Malay is also a well used language by many residents of KL.
Kuala Lumpur began as a little rural village surrounded by lush jungle and swamplands. In 1857 Chinese miners discovered a major tin deposit near the village and the area boomed into a large and prosperous town. The British who ruled Malaysia at the time needed to established law and order during the resulting "tin rush days" when warring gangs caused havoc in the town. When the British appointed Sir Frank Swettenham to 'keep the peace" he also drew up the first city plan, laying the groundwork for some of the stately colonial buildings which are still standing today. In 1957 Malaysia gained independence from the British and since then it has progressed into a modern, prominent and sophisticated city which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Port Kelang the very large and busy port area from where our coach trip began is dotted with massive cranes and towers of stacked containers awaiting import or export by cargo ships. The shoreline is a mixture of wharves, reclaimed land areas used as storage-areas and mangrove swamplands. It is easy to imagine that this peninsula was once covered in thick tropical jungle for as we drove towards KL large pockets of tropical forests, and open grasslands were interspersed between housing estates, high rise apartment buildings and shopping malls. It was pleasing to see so much greenery in what is a major Asian city where many areas are beautified by colourful trees and shrubs.
No comments:
Post a Comment