February 1999
| My first spring vacation at Sophia University, I decided to take a three week vacation in Malaysia before returning back home to my home country. Because I had flown Malaysian Airlines through Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, I could stop off for free in KL on my way home. Even though the stewardesses have mustaches, the airline is pretty good. A plus is, or perhaps rather not a minus, that they don't have annoying Muslim prayers before taking off. Doing this trip is therefore recommended. |
|
Malaysian Airlines at Kota Kinabalu Airport, Borneo, just before sunset. |
| Merdeka Square forms the heart of colonial Kuala Lumpur. The Kuala Lumpur Tower, which houses the world's highest McDonalds, can be seen in the background. |
|
I spent first about a week in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital better known as KL. Offering no major sites, it is still makes for an interesting stroll. Most famous are perhaps the Petronas Towers, which was the world's highest building at the time of writing. Merdeka Square is also an impressive sight, and a visit to KL's night market can not be missed. |
| The impressive Batu Caves can be found just outside KL. Unfortunately I arrived there just after the annual Thaipusam Festival, where masochistic Hindus do stuff with their bodies they probably would not do if they were normal. Therefore the caves looked like gigantic trash cans, perhaps they actually are. Outside there are lots of wild monkeys, give them some Coke and they'll drink it. |
|
After having climbed the 272 steps up to the major cave, the Temple Cave, you will be met by a fairly uninteresting Hindu temple and thousands of bats. |
| Outside some Mosque in Melaka I make sure to commit a sacrilegious act. To the right, Tokuro, a very cute Kyushu girl and I are standing outside an old Dutch church. Go Holland! |
|
Melaka does certainly make for an interesting visit. The city contains more colonial buildings than any other Malaysian city, and its wonderful seaside location makes for some incredible views. |
