Today I promise I'm not going to recount the usual problems with trains, tickets, directions and so on, since it's all a standard start to the day you know the drill by now!
So, eventually (it's always eventually isn't it, I simply don't understand why it's so difficult to find anywhere in this city, and why people seem to delight in either pretending they don't know where a place is - of course they know, they live here - or send you off in completely the wrong direction) eventually I found the National Monument, and I was so pleased I did. It is situated in a delightful park (not easy to find and a fair way from the main part of the park) and resides peacefully in the centre of a symmetrically designed body of water. It is striking and impressive, and represents men who fought and died for their country of Malaysia.
This brings me neatly into one of my pet hates while travelling: what is it about people that they are so self obsessed that the solemnity of a place has no meaning when the important thing is to do bunny ears for the camera or pretend you're a fighter with a rifle so all your mates can take photos of you posing like that. For goodness sake, this monument represents people dying, what's up with these idiots, have they no shame?
I left them all to it.
Next stop (took some finding, what a surprise!) the Islamic Art Museum, well hidden by a very large mosque discharging hundreds from Friday Prayers, no wonder I couldn't find it. A taxi driver seemingly took pity on this hot, old, irritated tourist going round in circles and offered to take me to the entrance for no charge, which is precisely what he did. This amazing act of human kindness so overwhelmed me after the days of indifference to which I have been subjected that I very nearly burst into tears.
Inside it was cool and white and open and not at all busy. It was delightful. Reminded me in a way of the new museum in Athens with its pared down interior and cool white walls. There were 4 floors of exhibits and it was superbly curated with lots of space between each cabinet and section so you could really appreciate what was in display. My favourite section, easily my favourite, was the Architectural Section, displaying many mega structures of mosques around the world, impressive in their size and concerning in their ambitions.
My final stop of the day was to Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the original one, not the new one at KL Sentral. This majestic old Mugal style edific was where I stayed all those years ago and from a distance it looks as though nothing has changed. Best not to look too closely at the peeling paintwork and the cracks in the plaster, it is still a stunning building.
Photos of the National Monument and War Cenotaph, various displays in the Islamic Art Museum (including my delicious Nasi Goreng lunch) and finally the old lady herself, no, not me, the Station Hotel.
So, eventually (it's always eventually isn't it, I simply don't understand why it's so difficult to find anywhere in this city, and why people seem to delight in either pretending they don't know where a place is - of course they know, they live here - or send you off in completely the wrong direction) eventually I found the National Monument, and I was so pleased I did. It is situated in a delightful park (not easy to find and a fair way from the main part of the park) and resides peacefully in the centre of a symmetrically designed body of water. It is striking and impressive, and represents men who fought and died for their country of Malaysia.
This brings me neatly into one of my pet hates while travelling: what is it about people that they are so self obsessed that the solemnity of a place has no meaning when the important thing is to do bunny ears for the camera or pretend you're a fighter with a rifle so all your mates can take photos of you posing like that. For goodness sake, this monument represents people dying, what's up with these idiots, have they no shame?
I left them all to it.
Next stop (took some finding, what a surprise!) the Islamic Art Museum, well hidden by a very large mosque discharging hundreds from Friday Prayers, no wonder I couldn't find it. A taxi driver seemingly took pity on this hot, old, irritated tourist going round in circles and offered to take me to the entrance for no charge, which is precisely what he did. This amazing act of human kindness so overwhelmed me after the days of indifference to which I have been subjected that I very nearly burst into tears.
Inside it was cool and white and open and not at all busy. It was delightful. Reminded me in a way of the new museum in Athens with its pared down interior and cool white walls. There were 4 floors of exhibits and it was superbly curated with lots of space between each cabinet and section so you could really appreciate what was in display. My favourite section, easily my favourite, was the Architectural Section, displaying many mega structures of mosques around the world, impressive in their size and concerning in their ambitions.
My final stop of the day was to Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the original one, not the new one at KL Sentral. This majestic old Mugal style edific was where I stayed all those years ago and from a distance it looks as though nothing has changed. Best not to look too closely at the peeling paintwork and the cracks in the plaster, it is still a stunning building.
Photos of the National Monument and War Cenotaph, various displays in the Islamic Art Museum (including my delicious Nasi Goreng lunch) and finally the old lady herself, no, not me, the Station Hotel.
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