Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Petronas Gallery

A great photographic exhibition is currently on in the Petronas Gallery in the KLCC petronas twin towers.
A must see, you will be moved and amazed by the stories the photos tell.
The exhibition is is not only great,  it is free!!

This current exhibition ends on the 26th of June 2013.

More information here:
Petronas Gallery

Batu Caves and Thaipusam

Once a year, at the beginning of the year (date changes every year) there is a very intriguing festival called Thaipusam. Celebrated by the Malaysian Indians, the main place to go witness the activity is Batu Caves (just outside KL) and Sri Mahamariamman Temple near Central Market/Pasar Seni.

Brickfields near KL Sentral on the other hand has minimal festivities, and many tourists are often disappointed as they mistakingly expect this area to be the main focal point on this day. There may be other festivities all around KL (e.g: Gombak, Masjid Jamek ) but your best bet is really Batu Caves.

Visit this Link if you wish to understand more about this celebration.

Wikipedia: Thaipusam

Have a look at the photos below to give you a better idea of what to expect.

Batu caves with the world's tallest statue of Murugan.

 

Monkeys at Batu Caves: they get cheekier every year.

 

Malaysia on a shoe string!

Below is a great site for visiting Malaysia on a budget. Bargains and things you can do for free are to be found there. Check it out!

Back packing Malaysia

For some budget accomodation have a look here:

Budget-accomodation in KL

Hostel World

Free Bus Service in Kuala Lumpur!

There is now a wonderful free bus service in Kuala Lumpur called GO-KL! It has 2 great routes: 1 is from Pasar Seni/ China Town to Pavillion and Bukit Bintang and the 2nd is from KLCC to Bukit Bintang. This great system was launched at the end of August, 2012 as a result of public demand. This service is also hoping to improve on the current public transport service and encourage others to park their cars and go public. GO-KL buses run from 06.00 to 23.00, Monday to Sunday.

For GO-KL route Maps have a look via this link or see below:
GO-KL Bus service routes

Images by courtesy of Spad.

Mosque Tour: A must do in Kuala Lumpur.

I cannot say how fascinating a recent tour of a Mosque was for me!! Being Christian I haven't quite been able to explain why my "real" knowledge of Islam has been so faint and vague up until now. The tour of the Mosque was both informative and very surprising to hear the obvious links between Christianity and Islam. It was even more refreshing to hear a couple of surprising facts.
On the tour you are encouraged to ask questions so please do.
If religion doesn't interest you, I would still recommend that you go on a tour so that you can admire the magnificent architecture and the intelligent uses of space and shapes to accommodate all sorts of activities.

There are several magnificent Mosques in KL. Some of these are:

Masjid Jamek at the LRT station by the same name. This is said to be the oldest Mosque in KL.
Masjid Wilayah, very close to Solaris and Publika, Jalan Duta. This Mosque combines architecture of The Blue Mosque in Istanbul (hence the Blue Domes), Taj Mahal in India and The Shah Mosque of Isfahan.
Masjid Putra in Putra Jaya the administrative capital of KL, situated on the way to KLIA international airport. This Mosque has a pink dome and is built on the water. It is absolutely breath taking in the evenings!

Please respect the custom of modest attire before visiting any of these Mosques. Modest means that arms and legs need to be covered and ladies need to cover their heads with a long scarf. Shoes must be kept at the entrance. Some Mosques will give you a robe to wear but it would help if  you went prepared.

Masjid Jamek

3 photos of Masjid Wilayah

Tours are free of charge and you are free to chose whether to leave a donation or not.

To book a tour at Masjid Wilayah please email or call Rose Ahmad at:
rose.ahmad23@gmail.com   or +60122102650
In her absence you may contact Bob Borhanuddin at bob.borhanuddin@gmail.com or  +60123257578.