Penang

We left Kuala Lumpur and took a five hour bus to Penang Island in northern Malaysia. Here we had our first rain of the trip which limited what we could see and do during our short stay. Our hostel was in Georgetown, the capital and largest city of Penang province. Georgetown has a rich colonial history. Unlike KL, Georgetown's colonial buildings were in traditional European style. Georgetown has been designated a UNESCO world heritage city for its historical importance and well preserved architecture. The city also has large Chinese and Indian populations. Georgetown's little India was the best I've seen in Malaysia.

Kapitan Keling mosque

A strikingly non-chinese building in chinatown

The streets of little india

Another mosque in Georgetown. Shortly after I took this picture a call to prayer began to issue from the minaret.

A new entrance to chinatown to celebrate the new year of the dragon

delicious indian food

ah colonialism

A cannon in the old british Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis is the largest british fort in Malaysia

Across from Fort Cornwallis is a large lawn surrounded by many colonial buildings

City Hall

An article in the local english language newspaper. A good read during the rain.

Kuala Lumpur

After an night in Malacca we headed two hours north to Kuala Lumpur. It is the capital and largest city in Malaysia. The city started in the 1850's as a tin mining town, making it one of the youngest national capitals in Southeast Asia. The city rose to prominence when it was selected by the British to be the administrative center for their Southeast Asian empire. Compared with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur is much bigger, more chaotic and a lot grittier. Like Singapore, the city is primarily Malay, Chinese, and Indian, however Malay is the largest group.

DOWNTOWN KL

Kuala Lumpur literally means 'muddy estuary'. It is this muddy estuary at the city center for which Kuala Lumpur is named.

City skyline

Kuala Lumpur has the world's tallest flagpole

This building was once the British administrative headquarters for Southeast Asia. It looks like a cross between British Parliament and a mosque.

The lawn of independence square was once a British cricket field. The tudor building was the clubhouse.

The irony of this city fountain is that it will create more insects

Shophouses

The KL TV Tower and Petronas Towers at night

The Petronas Towers have been the world's tallest twin towers since 9/11

The moorish style KL railway station was built by the British

THE NATIONAL MOSQUE

To enter the mosque, shoes must be removed. The gown is optional.

The main worship chamber can accommodate 15,000 people for prayer

Shouldn't this clock use arabic numerals?

The minarette

ISTANA NEGARA

Istana Negara is the Palace of the King of Malaysia. There are 14 states in Malaysia, 9 of which are ruled by Sultans. The throne of the Malaysian monarchy rotates between the 9 Malaysian Sultans every five years

The Palace complex

When the yellow flag is up, the King at home.

The guards at Istana Negara behave the same as the Beefeaters in England

THE BATU CAVES

The caves are over 400 million years old and contain the ruins of a hindu shrine.

The stairs to the cave are 12 stories high, the statue is taller.

The stairs and the caves are infested with monkeys

The monkeys will steal whatever beverage you try to bring up to the caves, but are they smart enough to get the bottle open?

Malacca

We left Singapore by bus and headed north for five hours to the Malaysian city of Malacca (Melaka). Malacca's golden age was more than 500 years ago when it dominated maritime trade on the Strait of Malacca. Its commercial wealth attracted thousands of immigrants from China who remain a large portion of the population today. Malacca's fortunes declined when the Portuguese seized the city in the early 16th century. During its colonial era the city was part of the Dutch East Indies and finally the British Empire. British promotion of Singapore as the region's main port devastated Malacca's commercial economy. Today the city is recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage City.

When did they change the spelling to Melaka?

Portuguese food is still made in Malacca centuries after Portuguese rule

The riverwalk

The oldest Dutch building in Malacca

Malacca TV tower

A Formosa. The oldest Portuguese building in Malacca.

A Formosa was once a church and a Portuguese fort

A replica of a Portuguese vessel sits in the middle of the city

The most common merchandise sold in Asia (by a long shot) is Angry Birds. You wont find any Facebook or Youtube sandals in China, they're banned.