On holiday in Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

I was busy traveling in February to Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and then a few days south for my HIV/AIDS charity work. I had a few days in Kuala Lumpur, which is where the pictures below were taken. I was so happy to get away from the cold, and enjoy lots of spicy food and colourful sights of such varied cultural backgrounds - Malay, Indian and Chinese.

I was in KL in time to catch the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations, also found in shopping malls as in Beijing.

It's a time for weddings too! Being the Year of the Dragon, I guess they are hoping

 for a Dragon son. 

There weren't any dragons outside but we saw lots of bears.

These are no ordinary bears, but the United Buddy Bears, all 147 of them, made of fibreglass and standing 2m tall, hand in hand for peaceful world. They represent different countries and regions and are on a worldwide tour to promote aid for children in need.

They are all painted with features from the national culture of the country they come from.

Can you guess where this bear is from?

Of course, I had to take a picture next to the China bear.

These should be easy to guess, not quite sure why they don't look so happy - recession perhaps?

And this one below is the one from Malaysia, emphasising the unity of the different cultures and races here. After their 3 months stay in KL, they go on to New Delhi.

The different cultures are obvious from the different languages on the shop signs, and dress of the customers.

Colourful local purses.

We don't see this in Beijing!

I had to take a photo at KL's landmark Petronas Towers.

Typical Chinese New Year's Lion Dance

There are not many tourist sights in KL, and of those that remain, some were built during the British colonial times.

It must have been so much like home for the Brits to play cricket on this green, but of course now there is the sound of traffic and tall buildings going up everywhere.

I was tempted to buy a sarong, just right for the hot and sticky weather.

The different cultures also lead to so many different kinds of snacks and dishes.....yummy!

Not so yummy but cheap - all for less then 2 USD!

There is a wide range of fruit, fresh or otherwise

Recognise these?

Wandering in the local markets, we also saw beautiful flowers and bouquets.

And, it seems any decent market will have fake watches to sell, reminds me of home!