Malaysia

The first stop in Malaysia was Kuala Lumpur.  The dock is in Port Kelang, a 1-2 hour drive into the city depending on traffic.  I had been here in 2006 and it was amazing to see how much it changed in 10 short years.  It’s a very modern city and the villages & rice paddies that I remember on the drive into the city are gone now – replaced with high-rise apartment buildings and the like.  We tour about the city, saw the twin towers and visited the aquarium.

The bell tower at the national mosque.

 

 

Next up was Penang where I did a tour around the island that included temples, a batik shop and a fruit market.   The claim to fame for the reclining Buda below is that it's said to be the 4th largest in the world.



Applying the wax with iron 'stamps' that are dipped into the hot wax then imprinted on the material.

 

Free-hand application of a design.  Once the wax design is completed, the material is stretched tightly on a rack and the painting process begins (yes, I know I don't have these in sequence).

 

 

Fresh cloves - ready to be dried and grated into your eggnog. 

 

Today I was in Langkawi, a small island in the midst of many other small islands.  I did a boat trip around the islands – a nice day that started with a sunrise lunar eclipse.  I tried taking a photo of the eclipse, but the camera (and my eyes) would only see it if viewed through the special glasses.  Not the best, but here you go Harry.