Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia.
I was really looking forward to visiting KL as we were going to be spending Christmas with my family (some of which I hadn't seen in around 10 years). Also, my mum and some of the UK lot were set to be coming down for a bit of a reunion as it was my aunt and uncle's ruby wedding anniversary.
In total, we were here for just under one month. Most of this time was spent with the fam, catching up and enjoying the festivities (which, of course, meant eating and drinking a lot). It was really nice slowing down a bit after 3 months of constantly being on the move.
Early on during our stay, my uncle invited us to something called a hash. This is basically a cross country run which is followed by dinner and some drinks. The location of the hash changes weekly and the routes are predetermined in secret. 'Hashers' must navigate their way to the end point by following pictures of a hare which have been laid out before the start of the run. In our case, the route was about 6km up and down a hill through the jungle. It was challenging but also a lot of fun. The dinner and drinks afterwards were a good laugh too!
When we weren't with the fam, we were off exploring KL. The LRT train system allowed us to get into the city easily and only cost us around RM 3 (60p) each for a ticket. Our first destination was KLCC where we had a look around a couple of malls and checked out the impressive Petronas twin towers.
Near to the towers is the KL Convention Centre where we found the Aquaria KLCC. Inside, we saw lots of sharks, rays, jellies and other weird and wonderful creatures.
We spent one morning visiting the Batu Caves which are a series of famous Hindu temples and shrines on the outskirts of the city. Recently, the site underwent a colourful 'makeover' which actually landed the temple's committee in trouble and put its heritage status in jeopardy. The shrines are located within the cave at the top of the 272 eye-catching steps. Although very touristy, it's definitely worth a visit, especially as it's free.
In the evening, we took a trip up the KL tower to enjoy the views. Tickets for the skydeck cost RM 99 each which is pretty steep but totally worth it; the KL city skyline at night is spectacular!
Celebrating Christmas in Malaysia was a lot of fun! It is great that despite travelling, we've been able to see family over this time. We also loved meeting some of the newer members of the family, Ambi and Keinton, and look forward to seeing them again soon.
Finally, big congrats to my Auntie Syl and Uncle Menon who celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary this year! Thanks for having us!
