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Malaysia Attractions

Batu Caves Sri Subramaniam Swamy Temple

The Batu Caves is located on a limestone outcrop some 13km from the city of Kuala Lumpur. It is a very popular tourist destination and receives hundreds of visitors daily.

The site has a number of Hindu temples at ground level and also the famous Sri Subramaniam Swamy Temple which is acce...

The Batu Caves is located on a limestone outcrop some 13km from the city of Kuala Lumpur. It is a very popular tourist destination and receives hundreds of visitors daily.

The site has a number of Hindu temples at ground level and also the famous Sri Subramaniam Swamy Temple which is accessible by climbing a series of 272 steps up a concrete staircase, about 200 ft above the ground.

The huge Caves was made a Hindu temple site in 1891 by Thamboosamy Pillai. He was an Indian trader and a leader of the Tamil community in the early days of Kuala Lumpur. He dedicated the Caves Temple to the Lord Murugan (sometimes known as Lord Subramaniam).

A 140ft tall statue of the Lord Murugan stands at the foot of the caves. Construction of this statue started began in 2004 and was completed in 2005 through the work of 15 sculptors from India. It was opened to the public on Jan 2006 during the Thaipusam Festival. It statue consumed 250 tons of steel bars, 1,550 cubic meters of concrete and 300 liters of gold paint.

The Caves is also famous for the Annual Thaipusam Festival of the Hindus which was held recently on the 17th Jan 2014. 

Independence Square Kuala Lumpur

Independence Square was formerly the heart of Colonial British Malaya. In this Square can be found a big field, then used as a cricket field of the British Selangor Club. The field is surrounded by beautiful Moghul-inspired buildings built by the British in the l...

Independence Square was formerly the heart of Colonial British Malaya. In this Square can be found a big field, then used as a cricket field of the British Selangor Club. The field is surrounded by beautiful Moghul-inspired buildings built by the British in the late 19th century and was used to house:

1. the Government Secretariat Buildings of the Federated Malay States, now named the Sultan Abdul Samad Building now functioning as an office of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and also another building being used as the City Hall Theatre,

2. the Government Printers Building, now named as the KL City Gallery and a giant scale model of Kuala Lumpur is exhibited in the Gallery.

3. the Chartered Bank of India, China and Australia, now being converted into the Music Museum,

4. the British Club House, now known as the Royal Selangor Club,

5. the St. Mary’s Cathedral, the first Anglican Church in Malaya and is still a functioning church.

6. the first Kuala Lumpur Railway Headquarters, now used as the Textile Museum.

Independence Square got its name when the Malayan flag was raised for the very FIRST time at the field when the clock ticked 12:01am on the 31st August 1957 just after the British Union Jack flag was lowered for its last time. Today, a giant 100metre tall flag-pole marks the exact venue of the event and a huge Malaysian flag flies atop the flag-pole for all to see.

Independence Square located by the Klang River and across the bridge lies Chinatown. It is a place that must be visited by everyone who visits Kuala Lumpur.

Beneath the field are surprises for you to discover when you visit this place.

Dr Sun Yat Sen Penang Base Museum

Dr Sun Yat Sen Penang Base Museum is a small house located 120 Lebuh Armenian or Armenian Street. Although the house is small, it has presented a valuable and historical events to mainland China. Without the house, the current mainland China may not have it is now.

In year 1906, Dr Sun st...

Dr Sun Yat Sen Penang Base Museum is a small house located 120 Lebuh Armenian or Armenian Street. Although the house is small, it has presented a valuable and historical events to mainland China. Without the house, the current mainland China may not have it is now.

In year 1906, Dr Sun stepped on Penang island for the first time. Before year 1906, China had gone through 9 uprising to remove China monarchy but they never succeeded. The 10th uprising had been called and formed a emergency meeting at the museum in 1910. There were a few reasons why Dr Sun chose the house as his base to hold the emergency meeting in 1910. To find out the answer, you may want to speak to the commentator at the museum.

In year 1906 to 1910, the house had occurred a few big events like an oldest Chinese daily newspaper, Kwong Wah Jit Poh, started its journey. The newspaper has followed the new market trend to publish its newspaper online. Penang Philomatic Union had moved its headquarter to this house from Dato Kramat, too.

On the second part of the house, visitors hike some guides or ask a museum commentator, they may get some answers for fengshui aspects and other factors for the house to have a sky well. For visitors have extra time to kill, they can spend some time to read history collection books and enjoy the complementary chinese tea and pandan water.

For the third part of the house, it is displaying some kitchenware used by the fourth owner of the house's mother-in-law who was a nyonya. Some kitchenware are quite unique to the museum and difficult to find them in the market.

For my experience with the museum guests, they will impress of the house historical events, fung shui, house structure and etc. They do not expect to get much knowledge from this small shop house. By the way, the house also attracted two China presidents came to visit in year 2008 and 2012. To lure the world second economy giant to visit this shop house, it must have unique history events or unique to their nation in the past. To find the answer, you may visit the museum.

If you want to understand more about the museum or George Town, you can hire me. I shall explain in more details than I explain in this short review.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple can be considered the oldest functioning Hindu Temple in Kuala Lumpur.  The Temple was initially a private family shrine of a Hindu trader by the name of K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873. 

Being a very successful and influential Indian ...

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple can be considered the oldest functioning Hindu Temple in Kuala Lumpur.  The Temple was initially a private family shrine of a Hindu trader by the name of K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873. 

Being a very successful and influential Indian leader, he had many people who looked up to him and depended on him for advice and guidance. He began to allow his followers access to what was originally his family shrine and many Hindus started to meet regularly for prayers and devotions since 1885. 

Indian immigrants came to Malaya in large numbers during the mid-19th century because of the prospects available for them to work in the railways and road building sectors besides the rubber plantations. In fact, the British openly encouraged them to leave their homeland to come to work in Malaya.

The one very colorful and attractive feature of the Temple is it’s 75-foot high tower forming the entrance to the Temple called the “Gopuram”. This tower consists of 5-tiers and on the tiers can be found 228 carvings of Hindu deities forming dioramas depicting stories from the Hindu holy book, the Ramayana.

As one crosses the entrance into the courtyard and Temple itself, you will suddenly find yourself as if in an oasis of peace and serenity. Many colorful Hindu deities abound inside the Temple. The main deity is of course that of the Lord Mahamariamman, who is actually a Goddess.

It is from this Temple that a silver chariot carrying the deity of the Lord Murugan will begin its annual 13km trek to the Batu Caves during the Thaipusam Festival. Accompanying the chariot will be many thousands of Hindu devotees.  (See Batu Caves, Lord Subramaniam Swamy write-up for pictures of the Thaipusam Festival at the Batu Caves Temple. Thaipusam Festival was a 5-day Festival and was recently held from the 15th Jan - 19th Jan. 2014

Kwan Ti Temple

The Kwan Ti Temple is a Chinese Taoist temple located in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur.

It is locally also known as the Kwong Siew Association Building because it was started by Chinese immigrants from the Kwong Foo and ...

The Kwan Ti Temple is a Chinese Taoist temple located in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur.

It is locally also known as the Kwong Siew Association Building because it was started by Chinese immigrants from the Kwong Foo and Siew Foo villages in the Provinces of Guangdong in Southern China.

This Temple/Association was built in 1888 and is now nearly 126 years old. Since it’s inception, the building has both been used as a place of worship as well as a community centre where the people could seek comfort and support from fellow countrymen as they begin their life in Kuala Lumpur.

The Kwong Siew Association places a very high emphasis on education and has been organizing Chinese language classes since 1927 and the classes are open to the public (see banner advertisement in the last picture). Only a very nominal fee is levied on the classes.

Worship is always central to man and in this Taoist Temple is the deity, Kwan Ti, the Chinese God of Justice. Kwan Ti was a very famous general during the Han Dynasty and his courage and bravery in the defense of truth and righteousness made him a deity among the Chinese community.

An interesting feature of this Temple are the replicas of General Kwan Ti’s sword and long-blade sword (see 2nd picture)which was brought over from China by the early immigrants.

Petaling Street, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Petaling Street is the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur.

This famous street cuts through Jalan Pudu and Jalan Sultan with various hotels in Kuala Lumpur like Swiss Inn Kuala Lumpur, Ancasa Hotel and Spa and Alamanda Hotel surrounding it. There are also other budget hotels in Petaling Street such...

Petaling Street is the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur.

This famous street cuts through Jalan Pudu and Jalan Sultan with various hotels in Kuala Lumpur like Swiss Inn Kuala Lumpur, Ancasa Hotel and Spa and Alamanda Hotel surrounding it. There are also other budget hotels in Petaling Street such as the Hotel City and Hotel China Town 2. At walking distance from Petaling Street is the Pudu Central which recently renovated to serve the public better. The Petaling Street being so close to the central hub of Kuala Lumpur, makes it a famous destination for both local and foreign tourists.

The Petaling Street (Chinatown) in Kuala Lumpur is a place where the hustling and bustling never comes to an end. Day or night, visitors keep coming to Petaling Street to either dine on the famous street foods here or to get some good bargains on things sold here.

Petaling Street is the shoppers' paradise if you want to bargain your way to some cheap things. There is almost everything here from clothes, souvenirs to electronic items to fabrics. Other than cheap stuff, Petaling Street is renowned for selling imitation goods like handbags, wallets, watches and shoes from brands like Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Nike and so on. Food here is also aplenty.

There aren't many proper shops here. Most of the shops here are the little stalls but many locals claim that at these stalls are where the best street foods can be found. A famous delicacy in Petaling Street is the salted roast duck which is sold at a mobile stall- the stall is built on a motorcycle. Be sure to be there early as the roast ducks are sold out by lunch time. Other than shopping and eating here in the Chinatown, there are other attractions nearby as well.

Two places not to be missed are the Central Market Kuala Lumpur and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur.

At the Central Market you can get great souvenirs which are all locally made such as kebaya, batik, songket and handicrafts. 

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple which is located at the edge of Petaling Street is the richest and oldest Hindu temple you can find in Kuala Lumpur. Its history dates back to the year of 1873 and has since been an important place of worship for the Indians here. Due to its history and influence, this temple is a vital part of the culture and heritage of Malaysia

Masjid Jamek, Kuala Lumpur

Jamek Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River.

Designed by Arthur Benison Hubback (who also worked on the renowned Sultan Abdul Samad Building), the foundation stone was both laid on 23 M...

Jamek Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River.

Designed by Arthur Benison Hubback (who also worked on the renowned Sultan Abdul Samad Building), the foundation stone was both laid on 23 March 1908 and opened by Sultan Sir Alauddin Sulaiman Shah in 23 Dec 1908. It served as the MAIN Mosque of KL until 1965 when a new mosque, the National Mosque was built to commemmorate the birth of our Independence from Britain. 

This remarkable red-brick and marble structure boasts highly of its Moorish architecture, in fact, is a nice specimen of North-Indian Islamic architecture. Nearby stands the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, a building that was designed by the same architect and was the seat of the Colonial Government of the Federated Malay States.

Masjid Jamek has three domes that cover the prayer hall. Its brick walls and arched colonnades are topped by numerous cupolas and minarets. While the 21.3m high central dome dominates the skyline, the two 26.8m high minarets in red and white stripes at the corners stand upright in perfect conjunction.

At that point of time, its construction cost was raised by donation from the Malaysian community and Government funds. Commonly known as the Friday Mosque, Masjid Jamek receives lots of people who come for their ritual prayers on Friday. The term 'Jamek' (Jamik) is Arabic and actually means a congregation place.

Visitors are welcomed to visit the mosque during OFF-PRAYER hours.

Nearby is the Masjid Jamek LRT station that is a major train exchange station and served by the Kelana Jaya Line, Sri Petaling Line and Ampang Line. The station is located between Chinatown and Little India.

Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station

The Old KL Railway Station has been described as a Mughal fantasy and a celebration of minarets.  It was reputed to be one of the prettiest railway stations in Southeast Asia.

Designed by Mr. Arthur Benison Hubback who worked for the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Federate...

The Old KL Railway Station has been described as a Mughal fantasy and a celebration of minarets.  It was reputed to be one of the prettiest railway stations in Southeast Asia.

Designed by Mr. Arthur Benison Hubback who worked for the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Federated Malay States (FMS), work started in 1910 and completed in 1911.  It replaced the original wooden structure that served as the town’s railway terminal near Market Street where the Bank Pertanian building now stands. 

This station comprises of TWO sections:
1. The terminal section comprising offices, waiting rooms and a hotel and
2. The Adjoining train shed.

While the terminal section displayed Indian-Muslim and Byzantine influences, the railway shed was definitely English.

Facing the railway station is the Malayan Railway’s administrative Headquarters, also designed by Hubback. This was completed in 1917.

It was planned much earlier but its construction was delayed by the onset of WWI. (Began 1910 - 1912, then interrupted by WW11, resumed 28 July 1914 – 11 Nov 1918)

These TWO beautiful buildings have contributed much to the identity of KL as an oriental city and capital of an Islamic nation. It is said that Hubback put all his energy , heart and soul into these two buildings as he died soon after they were completed.

Malaysia Articles

Top Malaysia Tours

$180 Per Day

Historical Malacca full day tour(include lunch)

1 - Baba and Nyonya Peranakan Museum. Step back in time with a visit to this museum which is an actual Peranakan heritage town house and is a great example of Peranakan culture.
2 -Cheng Hoon Teng Temple.  - Oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia and has an inscription dating 1685 commemorating the deeds of by Kapitan China Li Wei King.
3 - Christ Church - this church was built between 1741 and 1753. It replaced a Portuguese church, which was shattered. Bricks were shipped from Zeeland in the Netherlands. On the floor of the church you will find Dutch tombstones. It is the oldest protestant church in Malaysia. On the altar you will see sacramental silverware, still bearing the Dutch coat of arms. 
4 - Dutch Square - Beautiful square around Christ Church and the Stadhuys. On this square you will find the Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower, it looks Dutch, but it is not. It was built in 1886.
5 - Jonker, Heeren and adjacent streets - This is the residential heart of Old Malacca just west of the Malacca River, with its narrow winding streets, beautifully decorated houses, tiny shops, temples and mosques. The whole area is undergoing a renaissance with new shops, restaurants and hotels catering to tourists mushrooming everywhere. However, the area still has a lot of atmosphere and is worth having a look around. One of the streets in this area is Harmony Street (officially Temple street or Jalan Tokong), so called because it contains the prayer houses of Malaysia's three main faiths - the Cheng Hoon Teng Chinese temple, the Sri Poyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Hindu Temple, and the Kampung Kling Mosque.
6 - Malaysian Navy Museum, across the road from the Maritime Museum
Malay and Islamic World Museum, Jalan Kota (beside the Porta de Santiago) - it also currently houses a Museum of Torture (European medieval period) for a limited duration on the ground floor.
7 - Masjid Kampung Hulu Built in 1728, it's one of the oldest functioning mosques in Melaka together with Masjid Kampung Kling and Masjid Tengkera (Tranquerah), Jln Tengkera see the mixed architecture of Chinese, Javanese and Arab on the minarets and the roofs.
8 - Muzium Budaya/Sultanate Palace - Below the hill you will find this museum (Melaka Cultural Museum). It is a reconstruction of the istana of the sultan Mansur Shah. It was built in 1985. 
9 - Porta de Santiago - You will find this remains of the old Portuguese fort A Famosa on Jalan Kota, around St Paul's Hill. What you can see nowadays is a mostly Dutch reconstruction, bearing the VOC coat of arms.
Saint Paul's Church - take a path up the hill and it will lead you to this church. It was originally built in 1521, by the Portuguese. It became a fortress in 1567, until 1596. After the Dutch siege it became St Paul's, before it was known as 10 - Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of Annunciation). It has been used as a burial ground for the Dutch. You can still see the tombstones, along the walls of ruins of the church.
11 - Stadthuys - completed in 1660. It is a reproduction of the former Stadhuis (town hall) of the Frisian town of Hoorn in the Netherlands which existed from 1420 until 1796. Nowadays, it houses the Museums of History and Ethnography. This is one of the oldest Dutch buildings in the east.
Stamp Museum, Jalan Kota (sandwiched between the Muzium Rakyat and the Malay and Islamic World Museum)
UMNO Museum, Jalan Kota (between the Islamic Museum and the Muzium Rakyat) - museum about the United Malays National Organisation.
Youth Museum/Melaka Art Gallery, Jalan Laksamana, beside the Christ Church. The Youth Museum is on the ground floor, the Art Gallery on the second level. You can have a bird's eye view of Dutch Square from a window on the second level. 
12 - Bukit China - Bukit China is the one of the largest Chinese cemetery outside of mainland China. Graves can be found here that go back to the late Ming dynasty (mid 17th century). The earliest grave found so far dates to 1622, but unfortunately many graves were exhumed during the British occupation of Malaysia. Bukit China is a famous jogging spot for the locals and jogging tracks are available all over the hil

$300 Per Day

Ulu Geroh, Gopeng Malaysia

Nestled between mountains and rain forests of Malaysia, Kampung Ulu Geroh is a traditional ‘Orang Asli’ (aborigines) settlement offering visitors a rare opportunity to sample their daily lifestyles and natural surroundings. Add to this a wide variety of outdoor activities – Jungle trekking to catch a glimpse of the world’s biggest flower, Waterfall Exploring plus bathing, Rajah Brooke Butterfly Spotting and Night Trekking to search for insects, birds, reptiles and even glow in the dark mushrooms. You can also experience the traditional dance of the Orang Asli. All these in the comfort of having a night stay at a shaded house with toilet facilities and fan, so no hassle of camping – you’ll have a wonderful moment experiencing ‘real’ Malaysia. Things are never just black and white in Ulu Geroh!

Day 1

Pick up you in the KLIA airport / Hotel and drive to Gopeng which will take 2-3 hours drive.

- Once we reach Orang Asli settlement, we will greeted by the local people and home cooked lunch by Orang Asli Semai. 

- We will proceed to search for Rafflesia where we need to hike in jungle for 1-1 1/30 min depend on where the flower bloom. And the next activities will be taking a cool dip at the waterfall after a long journey.

- The villagers will performance their traditional dance which is called Tarian Sewang to all the guests and their music instruments they use is only bamboo.

- The night is still young, the next activities would be night walk where you spot different kind of insects like spider, jungle cockroaches, snake, birds, stick insect and the best part is glowing mushroom.

 

Day 2

- After breakfast, we will leave Gopeng, heading to to Batu Gajah for Kellie's Castle and the Last Tin Dregde Mines.

Quotation include:

1. All of transfer service by private Car/Van

2. All of tourist attractions entrance tickets

3. Accommodation

4. All of meals (1B,1L,1D)

4. English speaking tour guide service

Quotation exclude:

1. Arrive and Depart flight tickets


2. Insurance fee

3. Personal spend

Note:

Quotation is calculated  according to the Number  of  your group,usually  the more people in the group, the less money  you will pay per person. please do contact me for more details.

$100 Per Day

One Day Trip From Penang to Taiping and Kuala Sepetang

The tour departs from Penang to Taiping and Kuala Sepetang. From Penang island to Butterworth, a ferry service is used to cross the Channel Sea. On the other hand, when we return to Penang island, we are crossing Penang Bridge.

At Taiping, the first stop is Taiping Lake Garden which used to be tin ground in 19th century. The second stop is Taiping Zoo which is the oldest zoo in Malaysia. Lunch will be taken in Taiping town.

The next stop is Kuala Sepetang (formerly known as Port Weld). We will visiting charcoal factory. You will understand the process of mangrove trees turn into charcoal. Following stop is at Kuala Sepetang town, you can visit the oldest railway station in Peninsular Malaysia which was connected to Taiping in the earlier day.

To add other excited events, you can opt for cruise tours. They are eagles watching, night time fireflies watching and visiting Kuala Sangga where is no power and water supply. For electricity, they are using power generator to generate electric. A few floating chalets are available for rental near to Kuala Sangga.

For dinner, you can choose to have a seafood dinner at Kuala Sepetang riverside where see gorgeous view of riverside or Bukit Tambun in Penang mainland.

For tour package fees, it does not include meals and admission fee. It is only covering guiding and transportation fees only.