Before we arrived in KL we traveled through the Straits of Malacca.
We saw all kinds of ships travel with us and past us - some so close you could almost touch them and some so far away they were tiny specs...both directions all day. Tiny little specs....huge vessels...ships passing through the night so to speak. All were following each other, on their own path, slowly, in eerie silence ... Too many to count as each ship had its own plan and destination. It was surreal
Strait of Malacca
The shortest sea route between 3 of the worlds most populous countries- India, China and Indonesia
50,000 vessels transit the Strait every year,
The strait is 621 miles long
The narrowest point is 1,5 miles long.
80% of Japan's and China's oil comes from the Middle East through the straits.
1/4th of all world's sea trade passes through the straits.
Next Port:
Kuala Lumpar
We took part in two tours, one in the morning and one at night - both in different directions. The positive aspect of the two tours was that we were able to see two huge cities while here just to get a flavor of the area. Both tours had long 2 hour drives in each direction so it was a very long day for us. David went on both tours and I was very proud that he was there with me to see both places.
The first tour was an almost glimpse of Kuala Lumpur. We visited the outside of a few important places in the city. We visited Melaka Square where the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag was hoisted for the first time in 1957.
We viewed the new Petronas Twin Towers from afar. These skyscrapers were the tallest in the world for a while. The design of these towers incorporate Islamic principles of: unity, harmony, stability and rationality. The two towers are patterned after Islamic geometric stars.
We visited the National Mosque and an old railway station. The mosque accommodates 15,000 followers.
Second Tour to Putrajaya:
Prime Minister's Office.
We had a two hour break on the ship then headed out to the city of Putrajaya. It was another two hour drive there for a night time cruise on Putrajaya Lake ( a planned man made lake to help cool off the city and as a place for recreation for government workers) and dinner at a magnificent Marriott.
Putrajaya is now the Federal Government hub of Kuala Lumpur. It is a planned garden city built on marshland for government workers. Development started in 1995 at a cost of $8 billion dollars as a way to move government workers out of Kuala Lumpur to a less crowded more spacious and modern city. It has a European feel with beautiful landscape and wide well-paved roads, lots of parks and greenery. Modern architecture meets Islamic arts.... Much of the architecture looks familiar- copied after world known landmarks like Old Ben, and the San Francisco and Sydney bridges. It reminds me of Disney Land, a bit over the top, and a bit fantasy. It feels planned but very pretty to the eye. Because of the economic downturn many government workers still have a home in Kuala Lumpur to sell while they are renting here waiting to buy. Many of the condos looked vacant at night waiting for new owners.
Putra Mosque on the lake.
Many interesting styles of dress Muslim in full dress and Hindu monks.
Dinner at the Marriott.....
Views of architecture from our cruise.
Jon Ashton visited our ship this cruise.
He is a celebrity entertainer chef born in Liverpool and currently living in Chicago. I enjoyed meeting him and I was one of 10 who won the raffle to attend a cooking class in the Crystal kitchens. We made meatballs with an alfredo and a marinara sauce. Here is a photo of his dish....
followed by my creation....
My meatballs were huge and of course the chef had to make a comment.... Who made THIS dish? Well, me.... Delicious. He puts ricotta cheese in his meatballs which make them moist. When I get home I will invite everyone over for dinner. Worth keeping this recipe for sure!
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