Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, another very modern city and former capital city of Malaysia, is known mostly for it's tallest building, the twin Petronus Towers.  On the right in the following photo, at 1482 feet the Petronus Tower was the tallest building in the world from 1997 till 2003.  It still is the tallest twin structure in the world.  Also in the photo below, on the left is the Menara Tower, the 6th tallest telecomunications tower in the world.

 

 

 

The Petronus Towers were featured in the 1999 movie "Entrapment" staring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones.

 

 

Fun with the iPad.

 





 

Tickets to go to the top of the Petronus Tower were sold out for the day so we settled for the next highest Menara Tower.

 

 

Views of the city from the top were impressive.  Reminded us a little of Atlanta.

 

 

We also visited the Central Market built in 1888 and old China Town.

 

 

Not sure what some of these fruits are.

 

Or what is done with these flat dried ducks.

 

We are sure the mysteries will continue in our next stop, Langkewi.



Singapore

Singapore a city state at the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula is a modern financial powerhouse in Southeast Asia.  With a population of 4 million and located only 100 miles north of the equator it is a hot tropical paradise.  It has earned the moniker of a "Fine City" due to it's high fines ($1000 for littering) and other unruly activity.  It is covered with trees and maticulous landscaping.

 

 

 

 

It is trying to become the Las Vegas of Southeast Asia with the construction of many new elaborate hotels and casinos, one of which is the Marina Bay Sands, constructed in 2010.  It boasts an impresive infinity pool over 300 long at the top of this 57 story building.

 

 

We did not get to do much sightseeing in Singapore, fortunately we have been here before.  We spent a fair amount of the day looking for a laundry mat to clean our clothes.

 

 

Singaporean fast food.

 

 

If you are following our itinerary you will know in Singapore we are completing the first phase of are trip.  Having flown on 14 flights during the past 16 days, we are now trading airports for seaports.  The Costa NeoRomantica will be our home away from home for the next 21 days.

 

 

One thing for sure this ship is quite different from the massive NCL Epic we were just on in December, with it's capacity of 4,500 passengers, it dwarfs the 1,800 capacity of this ship.  One other thing we noticed, with it's primary Italian occupants, age and body type appropriate swim wear is NOT regulated here.  This is the most "family friendly" photo we have to post of the pool area.

 

 

Nevertheless we are having a good time.

 

 

Next stop, Kuala Lumpur.



Philippines

The Philippines located in the western edge of the Pacific Ocean is an archipelago made up of over 7,100 islands with a combined population of more than 92 million.  Manila is the capital with more than 12 million people.  Manila's skyline reminded us of many big American metropolitan skylines.

 

As with most of the places we have been so far one of the first things I notice is the traffic and types of vehicles.  Narrow over crowded streets are the norm in Manila.

 

 

Colorful local buses or "jeepneys" are a common mode of public transportation with a fare of 8 to 10 Philipino Pesos (about 20 cents).

 

 

 

Motorcycles with colorful covered sidecars are also very popular for short individual transport.

 

 

 

We stayed at the Taal Vista Hotel in the community of Tagaytay about 30 miles south of Manila.

 

Tagaytay is a resort area located along the northern ridge of the Taal Volcano basin.  Taal Volcano is considered an active volcano  located along the "Pacific Ring of Fire".  It was originally formed during four major eruptions occurring 150,000 to 500,000 years ago.  There have been 33 recorded eruptions since 1572 resulting in a death toll of from 5,000 to 6,000 people.  The last major eruption was in 1911 claiming over 1,400 lives.  The most recent eruptive activity occurred between 1965 to 1977 killing about 100.  Ongoing seismic unrest has been occurring since 1991.  We did not feel anything while we were there.  View from our hotel, a bit hazy.

 

 

Stock aerial photo of Taal Volcano.

 

 

We decided to take a closer look, along with hundreds of other curious tourists.  That first required descending from the ridge down a steep windy road to the lake.

 

We passed dozens of these signs.

Fortunately the rainy season is June through August. 

 

 

The views along the way were great.  The structures in the water are fish farming operations.

 

 

Once to the lake we boarded a motorized outrigger.

 

 

Once reaching the volcanic island we boarded horses.

 

 

 

They were small Philipino horses.

 

 

 

It was a rough dusty ride up to the crater ridge.

 

 

But we had a good time.  Can't say the same for the poor little horses or guides who walked the whole way.

 

 

The view from the top was great.

 

 

Looking into the Taal Volcano crater you see an instance of an island in a lake on and island in a lake on an island in the ocean.

 

 

We had a great time in the Philippines.

Our next stop is Singapore



Yangon, Myanmar

 

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was a country we had relatively little knowledge of.

It has recently come to the attention of most Americans due to President Obama's visit here in November 2012.  Also due to media attention of the Nobel Peace Prize winning democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.  We had a preconception of a very depressed condition, boy were we surprised.  [It should be kept in mind that our views of each place we visit on this trip are based on a very small sampling of each country.  It would be like a foreigner coming to America for the first time, visiting Orlando, Florida for one day and thinking that is the way the whole country is.]

 

Myanmar has a population of about 60 million in an area a little smaller than Texas.  Yangon (also known as Rangoon) has a population of over 4 million.  Flying in we found this part of the country to be flat and tropical.

 

 

Airport terminal building was elaborately decorated, very new and modern.

 

 

Driving from the airport to our hotel we found Yangon drastically different from previous cities.  The place was very clean.  There was a lot of beautiful landscaping along the streets.  The streets were wide and freshly paved with divided lane markings that drivers stayed within.  Everyone drove cars...virtually no motorcycles or bicycles and no cows or other livestock seen roaming freely.  

 

 

As you can see traffic continued to be a problem.  They are in the process of new road construction projects including an elevated roadway into the city center.  These guys look like they are working hard.

 

 

Enough of the mundane...what was really amazing was the Pagodas of Yangon.  The first we visited was Shwedagon Pagoda also known as The Golden Pagoda, it is the most sacred spot in the country.  According to legend a pagoda has existed on this site for more than 2,600 years.  This is the south gate.

 

 

 

 

The current pagoda structure, which is 325 feet tall, was constructed following severe damage from a major earthquake in 1768.  The pagoda is coated with 4 tons of real gold.

Renovation world being performed beneath the coverings. 

 

The complex is filled with numerous shrines, many of which are very elaborate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were numerous statues of Buddha.

 

 

If one Buddha is good, more Buddha's must be better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various devotees seen about.

 

 

We next visited the Sule Pagoda, located in the center of the city.

While not as large and elaborate as Shwedagon, it was still quite impressive.

 

 

 

The Botataung Pagoda is also believed to have been originally constructed about 2,500 years ago, but was completely destroyed in 1943 from a direct bomb strike during WWII.   It was rebuilt in 1948.  The pagoda is hollow within and houses what is believed to be the sacred hair of Gautama Buddha.

 

 

The interior of the pagoda is a series of maze-like walkways all completely covered with ornate gold gilded panels.  (Plexiglas panes protect the walls from damage.)

 

 

The Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda houses a massive reclining Buddha, 216 feet in length and 100 feet high.  Originally constructed in 1899 and located in the open, it was reconstructed in 1973 and housed beneath a metal roofed structure.

 

 

However, not all is golden in Myanmar.

 

 

Next stop, the Philippines.