Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, evolved from a humble town in the 1850’s to become the modern, vibrant city it is today.

Busy day of sightseeing in KL and started off at the King’s Palace.

The King left whilst we were there together with his motorcade.

Then we watched the changing of the horses

Our next visit was to the National Monument, a beautiful remembrance for those lost during the wars

Then onto Masjid Negara Mosque, a modern building built in 1965 which accommodates 15,000 people.

Some interesting buildings around

Next stop Independence Square or Merdeka Square, which is a large field which once hosted cricket matches. On one side is the mock tudor Royal Selangor Club. The Square is the venue for many national events  and is where the union flag was finally lowered  on 31 August 1957 when Malaysia gained its independence.

A visit to Chinatown was next which was a busy maze of narrow streets  where you can pick up a “genuine” Chanel handbag for £10!!!

In case we hadn’t done enough shopping our next stop was the Central Market housed in an Art Deco building built in the 1930’s which was formerly the main fresh produce market but now houses all sorts of handicraft shops and food. It was  rescued  from dereliction and reopened in 1980.

It was also possible to get an ice cream in the shape of the Petronas towers!

Just round the corner from the market was, Masjid Jamek, the oldest Islamic place of worship in KL. It sits on the confluence of two rivers where we saw some otters and a monitor lizard.

Last stop of the day was to the Petronas Towers. 1483 ft high with 88 storeys, an international symbol of KL and modern Malaysia. Designed by Cesar Pelli, the same architect as Canary Wharf, completed in 1998. Quite a sight.

Evening with the girls in a restaurant close to the hotel and a couple of pictures on the way back

Morning from Strawberry Park

Left the hills behind headed for  Kuala Lumpur, stopped en route at Lata Iskandar waterfall.

Arrived on the outskirts of KL for lunch then onto Batu Caves, set high in a range of limestone cliffs, it is a vast cavern complex discovered in 1878 and now converted into a shrine. So up 272 steps to investigate!

At the entrance to the shrine is a huge statue of the Hindu deity Lord Murugan.

Once up the steps are various shrines and shafts of light stream through the roof of the cave

Around the site are various other shrines, lots of pigeons and monkeys.

Arrived in KL and our hotel

Tonights view

Drove up to Cameron Highlands which is 2000m above sea level. The landscape is dominated by lush tea plantations and strawberry farms.

The drive up between limestone cliffs and palm trees.

We stopped at the BOH plantation and had the tea making process explained and enjoyed the amazing views from the terraces.

From the tea plantation we had lunch on the terrace at the Golf Club

We then visited one of the many strawberry farms and the owner explained to us that his father had come from India 75 years ago and started the business. They have over 100,000 plants which they buy from Holland.

Later sampled the strawberries together with the ice cream and sauce!

We spotted a spidereater bird enjoying the nectar from the flowers

On the way to the hotel we stopped to look around the local market. You could buy plain strawberries,  dipped in chocolate, strawberry chocolates, strawberry toys, bags etc. In fact strawberry overload! Yes, I did buy some strawberry jam!

Checked into our hotel, the Strawberry Park resort, set high in the hills, not so humid in very picturesque gardens.

Good night at Strawberry Park, enjoyed a  Malay feast washed down by a Strawberry Fantasy.  Gardens looked very pretty in the dark.

Crossed over Penang’s number 2 bridge, with a span of 24 km on our way to Orangutan Island, a rehabilitation and conservation centre dedicated to the care and protection of the orangutans.

Fascinating creatures and highly intelligent

Some long tailed monkeys and pretty birds.

A stop to visit the Taiping War Cemetery, the final resting place for allied personnel who were killed during World War 2. Very peaceful and beautifully kept.

Taiping is the old state capital of Perak with a turbulent past marked by bitter feuds between rival Chinese societies.

Walk along the Lake Gardens after lunch

Our last stop was a boat trip around a local mangrove swamp. We were lucky enough to see brahminy kites, egrets, two types of kingfisher, terns as well as an otter,  crocodile and monitor lizard.

Fed the brahminy kites and terns

Checked into the hotel and out for a Chinese banquet

Another hot day but, as usual, the black clouds are looming!!

Our first visit today was to the Penang Botanic Gardens, established  by the British colonial administration in 1884. Such beautiful flowers and trees.

Some very cheeky monkeys about

Just some of the flowers

And a group photo

From the gardens we drove along the coast stopping to see the traditional batik weaving, dying and painting  process.

Then back along the beautiful coastline and sandy beaches of Batu Ferringhi which was decimated by the Boxing Day tsunami.

Back into Georgetown to see the two Buddhist temples on Burma Lane, including the 33 metre long gold plated reclining Buddha.

Quiet morning, sat round the pool and read my book, a walk around the mall and lunch with the group.

Penang Island state is situated in the Malacca Strait and its capital is Georgetown, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Down near the waterfront is the war memorial and city hall.

We walked along Chew Jetty, where there are many stalls and houses built on stilts on top of the water.

We were all very brave and tasted the durian fruit, renowned for its bad smell and banned from all the hotels!

We saw a little heron busy fishing

Masjid Kapitan Keling Mosque, the oldest  mosque in Penang and founded by Indian Muslim migrants in 1801.

Goddess of Mercy Temple, a Buddhist temple in Georgetown.

St George’s Church, the oldest Anglican church in south east Asia

Some of today’s pretty flowers

Arrived in KL as the sun was rising, then onto Penang

Checked into the Jen by Shangri La, I can see the garden from my room. Early group dinner then hopefully some sleep.

Sat in the Qatar lounge waiting for my flight.

On board enjoying my first glass of fizz, heading for Kuala Lumpa