Our original plan for today was to visit the Swan Settlers market (a weekend only food market), then visit a couple of nearby wineries. However when we checked the transport today, we realised the buses to that part of town are practically non existent on Sundays (there was one at 9am which we wouldn’t get to in time, or one at 4pm and that was it!)
So we needed to quickly come up with a new plan. Like yesterday, we decided to cook breakfast (this time fried eggs on toast), which we ate on the balcony while deciding what to do.
Breakfast of fried eggs on toast, which we enjoyed on our balcony
We decided to walk to the Perth Cultural Centre, where there are quite a few museums. The first museum we entered was the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA). It’s quite a small museum with just two exhibitions, but is free to enter. I wasn’t totally impressed by the two artists exhibiting, but it was still pleasant to walk around the galleries.
Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) is a very small museum, with just two short exhibitions when we visited
We then crossed the square to the WA Museum Boola Bardip. This museum has a paid entry fee of $15 (about £8), but when we visited buying a ticket gives you free membership so you can return as many times as you like within a year. I doubt we’ll take advantage of this as we’re only here another week, but it’s nice to have the option.
The WA Museum Boola Bardip is vast, and spread over several floors. It covers the entire history of Western Australia, from geological, social, and cultural aspects. The various exhibits are fascinating and very engaging, it’s easy to spend several hours at this museum and I’d highly recommend visiting.
The WA Museum Boola Bardip is a huge museum, and the exhibits are very informative and engaging
Just along from the WA Museum Boola Bardip is the The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA). This is much larger than PICA but also free to enter. The galleries are spread over three floors, and have an interesting mix of art, mainly contemporary. There’s also a rooftop bar, but we weren’t able to enter as it was closed for a private function when we visited.
The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is free to enter and has a good range of exhibitions spread across three floors
The museum closed at 5pm, and we just about had time to see everything. We then walked to Peasants Paradice for an early dinner. It’s a fusion style restaurant that does a range of small dishes and larger plates. We ordered three small dishes (polenta fries, oxtail curry puffs, and prawn toast), and one large plate (flank steak with chimi churi). The food was excellent, with a lot of flavour. Our favourite dish was definitely the prawn toast, it had a lot of prawn, a lot of sesame, and was the best prawn toast either of us had ever tasted. I also really enjoyed the oxtail curry puffs, the pastry was beautifully buttery, light, and flaky.
The very delicious and flavourful food at Peasants Paradice
After dinner we walked in the direction of our hotel, stopping off at Tiara Dessert Cafe, where we shared a slice of Biscoff cake for dessert. It was a nice enough cake, though not exceptional.
Biscoff cake at Tiara Dessert Cafe
Our hotel is very near Kings Park and Botanic Garden. There was still a little daylight remaining, so we decided to have a quick detour there. Right on the edge of a park is an absolutely gigantic tree, which I thought was pretty cool.
The huge tree on the edge of Kings Park
We walked to Jacob’s ladder, where there’s a fantastic view over the bay and city. The sun was just about to set, so the sky had a beautiful orange hue to it.
The view from Jacob’s ladder is fantastic
After admiring the view, we walked back to our hotel for a glass of the wine we’d bought yesterday and an episode of Manifest on Netflix.
In Asia, we tended to not bother with breakfast (unless it was included in our hotel rate and looked particularly good) and eat lunch and dinner out. We’d often share one dish between us for either lunch or dinner. In Australia, eating out is much more expensive (and I imagine restaurants are less amenable to us ordering just one dish between us), so we’ve decided to cook breakfast then eat an earlyish dinner out.
We’d picked up a few things at the supermarket yesterday, so this morning cooked some scrambled eggs on toast with smoked salmon. We sat our on our balcony to eat, which was very pleasant.
Breakfast on the balcony
After breakfast, we walked to West Perth train station to catch the train to Fremantle. The trains are very frequent and it’s about 25 minutes journey.
We walked from the station towards the prison, and passed several ice cream shops along the way. It didn’t take too long before we found one that had banana ice cream, Pete’s favourite flavour. We ordered a cup with one scoop of banana and one scoop of caramel rock salt to share. It was very good ice cream, the caramel wasn’t too sweet and the banana had a proper banana flavour.
We found banana ice cream at Fremantle!
We continued walking until we reached Fremantle Markets, a bustling indoor market that dates back to 1897. There are a lot of interesting independent small stalls, selling various food products and crafts. It’s an interesting place to wander around and we got to taste quite a few samples, including purple wine (which seemed very gimmicky), some iced fruit teas (very sweet), some organic wines (the Chardonnay was very good, even though I’m often not a Chardonnay fan), some gins, and some fire cider (ACV with a load of ginger, garlic and spices, which was actually pretty tasty and would make a great salad dressing).
The bustling Fremantle markets
After we’d seen all of the market, we continued walking to Fremantle prison. We booked a slot for the next guided tour (which was $22, or about £13, per person) and had about 15 minutes to wait until the tour started.
Historic Fremantle Prison
The tour itself was fascinating, and we were lucky to have a very enthusiastic and engaging guide. The prison itself was built by convicts in 1855 and apparently underwent very few changes until it closed in 1991. The cells were eventually made bigger (every two cells were knocked into one) but they still used buckets as the cell toilets when the prison ceased to operate in 1991.
The tour around Fremantle prison was fascinating
In the gatehouse, there are a couple of free exhibits and a small art gallery. We had a look at all the exhibits, before walking to the WA Shipwreck Museum. This is free to enter, although donations are encouraged. It’s a decent museum and tells the story of the various European ships that have had the misfortune of being shipwrecked off the Western Australian coast over the centuries.
The WA shipwreck museum
The WA Shipwreck Museum is right next to Bathers Beach. It’s a surprisingly small beach, but very attractive.
Bathers beach is lovely, but surprisingly small
We walked along the beach, then continued along Success Boat Harbour before heading inland to Piscari Fish & Chips.
We’d been debating between fish and chips or pizza for dinner, but then decided the perfect solution would be to share a portion of hake and chips between us before heading to a very highly rated pizzeria for a shared pizza.
We’ve not had fish and chips for ages, and this one was very good – succulent, flaky hake in a beautifully crisp batter.
Our fish supper at Piscari Fish & Chips
Eugene’s Pizzeria was about 40 minutes walk from Piscari Fish & Chips, so we made use of the Dayrider ticket we’d bought this morning to get a bus some of the way. Eugene’s Pizzeria is more of a takeaway joint, but they do have a couple of tables for dining in. We ordered a capricciosa to share, and sat outside. The pizza was very good, though not quite as nice as the one we had in Kuala Lumpur about a week ago.
Our capricciosa pizza at Eugene’s Pizzeria
We then took a bus back to the train station, and caught a train back to Perth. This time we got off at the central Perth station, and walked along a little of the Rio Tinto Christmas Lights Trail on the way back to our hotel.
Part of the Rio Tinto Christmas Lights Trail, near the central Perth station
It was a very early 4.30am start, as our flight departs at 7.10am. Luckily we were staying very close to the airport so had booked our taxi to arrive at 5am. We’d already borrowed some scales from our hotel the night before so knew our bags were both within the 7kg carryon limit for AirAsia.
The airport was (perhaps unsurprisingly) very quiet, so it was quite quick to clear passport control and find our gate. We sat down by the gate, only for someone to come around 10 minutes later and tell everyone to leave, while they set up a security checkpoint. We then had to queue so that they could manually search all bags before we could return to the seats we’d just vacated. I was really surprised they don’t have the usually security scanners and instead rely on manual bag searches to remove liquids, banned items etc.
We had about an hour to wait until we could begin boarding. As we boarded they told everyone masks were compulsory, which again I found surprising as we’d not needed to wear a mask anywhere in Bali.
As the flights almost 4hrs we’d paid to get the extra legroom seats and so we’re right at the front of the plane. The flight itself was comfortable and uneventful and I was pleasantly surprised by how reasonably priced the food and drinks were – we bought a couple of bottles of water and they were just 10k rupiah (about 50p) each.
We landed around 11am, and had to go into a special lane and have our bags scanned going through customs as we’d been in Indonesia (where there’s currently a foot and mouth outbreak so they’re very concerned about people bringing in animal or plant products)
After we cleared security and customs, we ordered a Grab car to our hotel, the Riverview on Mount Street Hotel. It cost about £18, so way more than in Asia, but we were tired and didn’t want the hassle of getting the train then a bus (there’s no direct route to the hotel).
We checked into the hotel and dropped off our bags. We chose the Riverview on Mount Street Hotel because all the rooms are studio apartments, so it’s gives us a bit more flexibility to do some cooking. We’re also here for 8 nights so it’s nice to have a bit more space.
After dropping our bags, we walked down to Elizabeth Quay. The temperature is noticeably cooler than it’s been in Southeast Asia, which may be partly to do with a sea breeze. It’s a nice change to not be sweaty all the time!
Elizabeth Quay is a very pleasant area, with lots of restaurants and bars. There seemed to be a fair few groups of people out for Christmas parties, which felt a bit strange to us – with all the sunny weather it doesn’t feel the least bit Christmassy!
Around Elizabeth Quay, there’s also several festive sand sculptures. I guess it’s their equivalent of ice and snow sculptures that you sometimes see in London.
The picturesque Elizabeth Quay, with its festive sand sculptures
By this time it was early afternoon, so we crossed the bridge and went to Milky Lane Elizabeth Quay for a late lunch. It’s a hamburger and milkshake joint, and the food and drinks are very over the top! We got a burger each and shared some loaded fries. I also had an alcoholic bueno shake, and Pete had a crunchy milkshake. It’s not the cheapest place (especially after coming from Asia!) and our bill came to over $100, or about £55. The portions are huge though, and very filling. We couldn’t actually finish everything, and that’s saying something – neither of us have small appetites!
Our very over the top lunch at Milky Lane Elizabeth Quay – it was tasty enough but I don’t think we’d return
After lunch we walked to the shopping district and had a wander around the malls. Our main aim was to get an Australian SIM with mobile data, which we managed to do without too much difficulty (although ended up getting a physical SIM rather than the e-SIM we ideally wanted). We also went to Coles supermarket to pick up a few groceries, and to a wine shop for a couple of bottles of wine.
It was now around 5pm and we were both feeling very tired, so we walked back to the hotel to relax with a glass of wine and plan what to do for our next few days in Perth.
We spent the morning exploring Ubud. First we headed to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which is quite near the centre of town.
The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud
The monkeys also venture out to the roads immediately surrounding the monkey forest. They particularly seem to enjoy climbing the overhead wires!
Ubud is quite a pleasant town, despite the very heavy traffic. There are a lot of small arts and craft markets off the Main Street, and also several temples and interesting looking buildings.
We also came across an interesting looking roundabout, the Patung Dewa Indra.
There are also quite a few woodcarving places. A large rhinoceros caught my eye, it was incredibly impressive!
I loved this wood carved rhinoceros. If only it’d fit in our carry on luggage!
Before setting off on our drive, we stopped into Omiiku (Hongalia) for a quick snack. We shared a portion of shrimp dumplings and a pork gyoza and they were excellent – piping hot, crisp pastry, juicy filling and great flavour.
Our tasty dumplings at Omiiku (Hongalia)
We collected the car from the hotel, then drove to Sanur. The beach is idyllic, absolutely beautiful.
The idyllic beach at Sanur
We walked along the beach before enjoying a late leisurely lunch at Pizzaria. The restaurant overlooks the beach, so has an amazing ambiance. We ordered a couple of drinks, some prawns in garlic butter, and some wood fired oven roasted mushrooms. The food was exquisite and it was so nice being right on the beach. We then ordered a small pizza to share, which was also very nice though not the best pizza we’ve ever had.
Lunch with a view at Pizzaria, Sanur
After eating, we drove the relatively short distance to the Arnaya Homestay in Kuta, where we were staying. We’d pick this hotel due to its proximity to the airport (we’ve got an early flight tomorrow), but it’s also quite close to the beach. We checked in, dropped off our luggage, and left the car keys with the hotel (they’d kindly agreed to give them to the car hire guy and get our deposit back), then headed out to the beach.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the beach. It was much dirtier than the one at Sanur, with lots of litter. We went to the area of beach nearest to the airport, so perhaps the other section to the north is nicer.
I didn’t especially like the beach at Kuta
We walked back to the hotel and enjoyed a beer by the hotel pool before having an early night – were leaving for the airport at 5am tomorrow!
The pool at the Arnaya Homestay, our hotel for the night
We decided to hire a car to explore the island, and ended up with a very beat up looking Toyota Agya
Our beat up looking Toyota Agya hire car, but a bargain at under £12/day
Before setting off for the day, we had breakfast at our hotel, as it was included in the room rate. I had mie goreng (Balinese noodles) and Pete had a rice dish, which we’d pre-ordered last night. Both were freshly cooked and sizeable portions. We were also offered a big plate of fruit, although we didn’t bother with this.
Our Balinese breakfast at Oki Taru Residence
Our first challenge was reversing out of the hotel onto an extremely busy road. One of the hotel workers kindly helped by guiding us out. We drove to the Turtle Conservation And Education Centre, which is free to enter but donations are encouraged. One of the volunteers gave us a guided tour, and explained the work that the centre do.
About 50% of their turtles are rescued from the black market (for their eggs, meat, and shells) and about 50% have been injured. The most common ailments the centre treat include injuries due to being hit by a ship or caught in a fishing net, or parasites that infect the turtle shells. A few of the turtles also had tumours. The turtles are looked after and given medical treatment, and then released back to the wild when they are back to full health.
Injured and rescued turtles at the Turtle Conservation And Education Centre
After the turtle centre, we drove to Sababay Winery. I had no idea Bali made wine until today, when we just happened to notice this winery on the map. We stopped by and asked if we could do a tour. The next one was in 30 minutes, so we sat out in the garden and they bought us cold water and grapes while we waited. There didn’t seem to be many visitors today, so we were then only ones on the tour. We learnt that the winery was first set up to help local grape growers in North Bali, who were selling their grapes for 500 rupee (about 2.5p!) per kg. When the winery was founded, it started buying the grapes for 15,000 rupee per kg, so the grape farmers could actually earn a living. We had a tour of the factory, and were also told about the products they produce. Due to the hot climate and the fact the grapes are table grapes (i.e., ones you actually eat) all the wines are very sweet. They started importing Australian grapes to blend with the Bali grapes for dryer wines, which they sell as the premium reserve wines.
After the tour, there’s a tasting with a sparkling (very sweet), a rose (not to my taste, but I’m not a rose fan in general) and the red reserve (which was superb). They also bought out some fried cassava with the most amazing salsa for us to enjoy with the wines.
If you leave a google review, they’ll let you taste an additional wine, although in reality they were happy for us to try as many as we liked. We bought a couple of bottles of red to takeaway and drink in our hotel over the next few days.
Just along from Sababay Winery is Keramas Beach, which is a beach of black sand. I’ve never been to a black sand beach before, but it was beautiful – the sand looks like it’s peppered with lots of silvery glitter (which unfortunately doesn’t come our well in photos!). It was also very hot to touch. There were a lot of very small crabs scuttling along the beach. They were difficult to spot when they kept still.
The unusual but pretty black sand at Keramas Beach
There’s a cool little restaurant on the beach, which has protruding tables so people can sit with their legs dangling over the beach below. We didn’t go inside, as we’d had a huge breakfast and then the fried cassava so weren’t at all hungry.
The restaurant with the tables overhanging the black sand beach
We drove further along the coast to the Goa Lawah Temple. As we soon as we got out of the car we were surrounded by women aggressively trying to sell us sarongs and bracelets. You do actually need to wear a sarong to enter the temple, even if you already have your legs covered (as I did), along with a red sash. However, these are included in the 30,000 rupee (about £1.50) entrance fee. The temple was smaller than we were expecting, so I’m not sure it’s worth a special trip. It does have a bat cave though, with millions of bats flying around. You’re not allowed to enter the cave but you can still see them very clearly, and the noise they make is extremely loud!
Goa Lawah Temple, with its deafening bat cave
After the temple, it was time to head towards Ubud, which is where we’re staying tonight. We’d spotted a very highly rated gelato place, Gaya Gelato Lab, which appears to have banana ice cream on the menu – so of course it had to be a stop en route!
Unfortunately when we got there we found there’s no banana today, how disappointing! We got some ice cream anyway, I went for matcha with black sesame croquant and chocolate orange Pete had mint chocolate and coconut. It was very good ice cream, I particularly liked the unusual matcha flavour with its satisfying crunch of savoury black sesame.
The ice cream at Gaya Gelato Lab was superb
We continued driving to our hotel, the Bali Moon Guest House in Ubud. We’d partly chosen it as it’s meant to have free parking, however google maps took us to the entryway to a very narrow alley. Luckily we found somewhere to park nearby, walked down the alleyway, and found the hotel. Apparently there isn’t actually any parking (so a bit annoying that they advertise it), and we were also greeted by a very territorial yappy dog. Not the best first impressions of the place, but fortunately the room was large and comfortable.
There are a lot of stray dogs in Bali (some of which are very aggressive) and I wasn’t too keen on the idea of walking down the dark alleyways late at night (yep I’m a wuss). Plus we were both feeling tired. There’s a pizza place very nearby, Umah Pizza, which had reasonably high ratings on google. So Pete went and got us a takeaway before it got too late.
Unfortunately it was far from the best pizza we had (though was perfectly fine), but the bottle of Sababay wine we drank with it was excellent.
Pizza and Balinese wine – the perfect end to a lovely day (although the wine was way better than the pizza!)
We did a bit of planning for tomorrow, then enjoyed the rest of the wine with an episode Manifest on Netflix before going to bed.
We only have a few hours before we need to get our flight, so decided to do a mini food tour of the local area. The streets were very busy with various market stalls and street vendors, and it was quite interesting walking along.
Our first good stop was Karim Roti Canai where we had an egg roti and a roti canai between us. I really enjoyed them, both the roti had beautifully light, flaky layers of delicious dough. Pete wasn’t so enamoured, but I think that was perhaps due the lack of meat (he did say it’d go very well with a curry!)
Our breakfast rotis at Karim Roti Canai
We continued walking to Warung Soto Lamongan Kuala Lumpur, a very local restaurant that’s got excellent google reviews. We ordered a portion of soto ayam (chicken soup) to share, but it wasn’t really to our taste. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a bit bland and not something we’d rush to order again.
The soto ayam at Warung Soto Lamongan Kuala Lumpur wasn’t quite to my taste
Our final food stop was Nasi Lemak Seri Tanjak Raja Alang, where we shared a Nasi Lemak Rendang. It has a great flavour and the meat was very tender, but unfortunately it was lukewarm. The spicy sambal was also excellent. If only the food was piping hot, it’d have been perfect.
The Beef Rendang at Nasi Lemak Seri Tanjak Raja Alang was tasty but a bit cold
We walked past Chow Kit market, which was absolutely bustling. Of also smells a bit, of all the raw meat and fish. Not sure it’s somewhere I’d want to linger too long.
The bustling but smelly Chow Kit Market
We made our way back to our hotel then ordered a Grab car to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time so we could weigh our luggage, jiggle things around, and stick stuff in our pockets to make sure we were within the 7kg carry on limit. This time it wasn’t wasted effort, as they weighed every bag as you go through to departures.
The terminal was large with plenty of seating and free drinking water, so it was a comfortable wait for the flight.
The flight itself was uneventful, and the food and drinks surprisingly good value (although we didn’t purchase anything as we’d eaten a lot this morning). We landed around 7.30pm. Exiting the airport was more convoluted than we’ve experienced in previous places, and involved showing proof of covid vaccines, purchasing a visa on arrival, and filling in an online customs declaration form.
Once we’d got out the airport, we ordered a Grab car to our hotel. They even had a dedicated Grab lounge for us to wait in. We were staying in the Oki Taru Residence, which is on a main road pretty close to the airport. We checked in, dropped our bags, then set off in search of dinner, as by this time it was already 9.30pm. However we weren’t all that successful…. You have to go down small unlit alleyways to get to any restaurants. The one we picked had a dog blocking our way and barking quite aggressively at us, so we made a hasty retreat. There are a lot of stray dogs in Bali and although most of them seem pretty placid, it’s not that uncommon to get bitten and we didn’t want to take any chances.
Back at the hotel reception, we enquired about car hire. Apparently the hotel could arrange this for us, and it’d be very cheap (225k rupiah, or about £12/day with a 500k rupiah deposit). So at least we had one success for the day!
This morning we got a Grab car to Batu caves. You can also get the train there, but it would’ve taken longer and the Grab car was less than £5.
There are 272 brightly coloured steps to climb to reach Batu caves
Batu caves is free to enter. There are 272 brightly coloured rainbow steps leading up to the cave entrance.
Inside, there are several chambers with a lot different small shrines and temples scattered around.
There are several small temples and shrines with Batu caves
My favourite was the main temple just as you enter the cave, which is peacock themed.
I really liked the main peacock themed temple
Inside the caves were a few random cockerels. I have absolutely no idea how they got there or what they’re doing there, but their loud cock a doodle dos were sometimes quite startling!
There are a couple of really loud cockerels inside the caves – I have no idea why!
Next to the bottom of the steps to the cave is a large Hindu temple. Inside, it’s very vibrantly decorated in bright, vivid colours.
There’s a brightly coloured Hindu temple at the bottom of the steps
A little further along is the Cave Villa Art Gallery, which has a 5 ringgit (about £1) entry fee. It’s not the most exciting art gallery ever, but it’s in a cave. Past the gallery, the cave opens up and has been painted all over in various colourful scenes, which is more more interesting than the actual art gallery.
Cave Villa and Art Gallery, with its brightly coloured murals
There’s also an outdoor area, with walkways across a lake (with a lot of fish and turtles swimming in it), peacocks wandering around, and a waterfall. These things make the ticket price worth it.
The outdoor area includes a waterfall and peacocks
After the caves we got a Grab car to Meet Mee Danau Kota for some pan mee, a Malaysian dish of Chinese origin. We ordered the dried shrimp version, one to share between the two of us. It was quite nice, but not amazing. A bit too salty, and that’s coming from someone who likes their food well seasoned.
Very salty pan mee at Meet Mee Danau Kota
We walked from the restaurant to the Royal Selangor Centre. It’s free to enter and they give you a guided tour of the museum, which tells you about the history of the company and tin in Malaysia. We were the only two in the museum so got our own private tour with an English speaking guide. It was an interesting museum, and I especially liked the Petronas Towers constructed from pewter tankards and the wall of hands honouring all employees with five or more years service.
The museum at the Royal Selangor Centre was informative and had some interesting exhibits
After going through the museum, she then gave us a tour of the factory. Being a Saturday, the factory was pretty quiet but we still got to the various workstations and steps in the process.
Factory processes at the Royal Selangor Centre
You have the opportunity to have a go at making your own pewter item, for a fee. Unfortunately we’ve got a lot of budget airline flights still to go, so don’t have enough weight allowance for pewter objects. If we ever return though, we’ll definitely have a go at the workshop.
At the end of the tour is the museum shop. We had a quick browse, and there were some amazing items. If we had more luggage allowance, we may well have purchased something.
By this time it was early evening so we got a Grab car to Bol – Asian Reimagined, where we’d managed to secure a last minute booking for an early 6pm dinner. Bol – Asian Reimagined is a fine dining restaurant, with a modern take on peranakan food, but the prices were still very reasonable. We shared all of our dishes, and they bought them out one by one so it was a bit like having a multi course tasting menu. The standout dish was definitely the cod and octopus starter, an Asian take on arancini (but much tastier than any arancini I’ve ever had!) with fantastic flavour and a very crunchy exterior. The sea bass main was also excellent, perfectly cooked fish with crispy skin and a delicately spiced sauce. This was definitely the best meal (but also most expensive) we’ve had in a while, and I’m very glad we discovered it (thank you google maps!)
Amazing food, beautifully presented, at Bol – Asian Reimagined
After dinner, we went across the street to Sin Chew Kee Cold Drink Store, a very highly rated cocktail bar. A lot of the cocktails are tea and coffee based, which Pete doesn’t enjoy, so we went for a creamy peanut based cocktail. I had an alcoholic Thai milk tea. Both cocktails were delicious!
Delicious creamy cocktails at Sin Chew Kee Cold Drink Store
In the morning, we walked from our hotel to the Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery. The museum opens from 10am-1pm, closes for an hour, then reopens from 2pm-5pm. There’s quite a lot to see so if you visit, I’d recommend going soon after it opens so you don’t end up being rushed.
It’s an impressive looking building, very modern both inside and out. We started on the top (3rd) floor, which is the art gallery.
There’s quite an eclectic selection of art, from bright modern art to more traditional paintings. I found it a very enjoyable gallery to browse.
The two floors below the gallery (2nd and 1st) tell the history of currency and banking in Malaysia. The 2nd floor is focussed on history, and also has a smaller exhibition on world currencies. The 1st floor is dedicated to Islamic finance and economics. The museum is very well laid out, with detailed explanations in both Malay and English. We found it very interesting, and learnt a bit about the general history of Malaysia as well as its banking system, which was only set up more recently after they gained independence.
On the ground floor is the children’s gallery, which we didn’t bother visiting.
We walked in the direction of Taman Tugu park, stopping at Nasi Briani Lori for lunch. The restaurant is outdoor (but covered) and was packed when we arrived. There’s a big food truck with huge pots of curry. They give you a plate of rice (either plain white or yellow), and then you help yourself to the curry. We shared a plate between us. The chicken wasn’t my favourite (slightly dry and a bit on the sweet side) but the beef curry was excellent – the meat literally fell off the bone and it was fragrant and beautifully spiced.
Our plate of rice and curry at Nasi Briani Lori
After lunch, we continued to the ASEAN Sculpture Garden, which is in Taman Tugu park. It’s a beautiful little garden, with some interesting sculptures.
We also saw a huge lizard wandering along, which was pretty cool.
The massive lizard in the ASEAN Sculpture Garden
We’d just finished walking around the sculpture garden, when we heard thunder and felt the first spots of rain. Luckily there were some covered benches where we could shelter, and the rain was heavy but short lived.
It looked like the storm was far from over, but we took the risk that the rain would hold off for a bit to walk through the Botanical Gardens. It was a very pleasant walk (ignoring the ominous claps of thunder we could hear in the distance).
The Botanical Gardens in Kuala Lumpar
There are a lot of different areas to the gardens, including a dinosaur topiary section, a bird park, a butterfly park, an orchid garden, and a couple of kids play areas. We didn’t see everything, as we were very aware it would rain again soon, but if was a nice clear day we’d definitely have spent longer in the gardens.
The dinosaur topiary and a big arty canopy thing
At the far end of the gardens is the National Museum, which is all about the history and culture of Malaysia.
There are two galleries on the ground floor, which tell the story of prehistoric and ancient Malaysia, through to the middle age. The exhibitions are very engaging and well thought out, with very good English translations throughout.
The National Museum, which is all about the history and culture of Malaysia
The two upper floor galleries cover more recent history, with one describing colonial times and the other from independence onwards.
Upstairs, the exhibits focus on more modern history
We walked from the National Museum to the National Mosque of Malaysia. On the way we passed Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, which apparently is considered an architecturally significant building. I wouldn’t make a special effort to see it, but can imagine if must have looked very majestic in its heyday.
The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is considered architecturally significant
It’s not far from the station to the National Mosque of Malaysia, an impressive building that’s absolutely vast in size. I’d already bought a scarf to cover my hair and was wearing a dress with elbow length sleeves over long lightweight trousers just in case we could go inside. However, I needn’t have bothered. All female tourists have to wear full length purple robes to enter even if your shoulders and legs are already covered – basically you can’t show any skin (or hair) whatsoever. Men don’t need to fully cover up, but should wear full length trousers. It’s worth going inside, the building seems to go on forever and it’s beautifully decked out in white and sea blue.
The National Mosque of Malaysia is vast, but beautiful
After the mosque, we continued walking to Chinatown. Just before crossing the river, we got a good view of the Dayabumi Complex. It’s one of the earliest skyscrapers built in Kuala Lumpur, and I really liked the way it looks.
The Dayabumi Complex was one of the earliest skyscrapers built in Kuala Lumpur
We saw the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, but disappointingly it was covered in scaffolding so not quite as impressive looking as it would usually be.
The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple was unfortunately surrounded by scaffolding when we visited
We then stopped at Da Bao 打包 for a cocktail and snack of dumplings and a pork bao to share. It’s not the cheapest (our bill came to 135 ringgit, or about £25) but both the food and cocktails were very good.
The cocktails and food at Da Bao 打包 were all excellent
We exited the bar to find torrential rain outside. We crossed over to Petaling Street market, just about managing to avoid getting our feet wet. Fortunately the market itself is covered, so we browsed it while we waited for the rain to ease. Pete had secretly bought me a grey-blue pearly when we were in Halong Bay last month, and gave it to me yesterday (the one year anniversary of our engagement). So we used the time to find a silver chain for it.
It was extremely wet when we visited Petaling Street Market
We ate nearby, at Al-Baik Di Bistro Restaurant. All the reviews rave about the naan bread, so we were disappointed to find it wasn’t available tonight. Instead we ordered a nasi kambing (rice with lamb curry) and an egg roti. The roti was exceedingly good, really light, fluffy, flaky dough. The curry was ok, but not the best we’ve had in Kuala Lumpur.
Dinner at Al-Baik Di Bistro Restaurant
It was still quite wet outside, so we got a Grab back to our hotel and did some laundry in the self service laundrette in the basement, before going to bed.
One of the foods we want to try in Malaysia is roti canai. It seems to be more of a morning food, so we decided to get brunch at Sithique Nasi Kandar Pulau Pinang, which seems to offer the dish. Unfortunately when we got there, they said they weren’t serving it. Instead we ordered Mee Goreng. They asked if we wanted chicken, so we said yes, expecting there to be chunks of chicken mixed in with the noodles. Instead we received a side order of fried chicken. I quite enjoyed the noodles, though it wasn’t Pete’s favourite.
Mee Goreng at Sithique Nasi Kandar Pulau Pinang
After we’d eaten, we continued walking to KL Forest Eco Park. It’s one of Malaysia’s oldest permanent forest reserves and the only patch of tropical rainforest in central Kuala Lumpur. It was a bit of a mission to find it, as all but one of the gates are now closed. So we ended up walking the long way around (the open gate is right by the KL Tower).
The entry fee to the Forest Eco Park is 40 ringgit for foreigners, or about £7.50. We started off by doing the canopy walks, raised walkways through the rainforest. The canopy walks are very close to the city, so you don’t get the sense of properly being in a rainforest, but it is quite cool walking through / above jungle with so many skyscrapers so close.
The canopy walks in the KL Forest Eco Park feel very close to the skyscrapers
By the main entrance, in the opposite direction to the canopy walks, are the main hiking trails. There are some lovely walks, and you feel much more removed from the city. On some of the trails, you could easily believe you were in jungle in the middle of nowhere, which definitely wasn’t the case with the canopy walks.
The hiking trails feel much more removed from the city
After exploring the hiking trails, we continued to the KL Tower (also called the Menara Kuala Lumpur), which is very close to the KL Forest Eco Park.
The KL Tower has three ticket options – an outdoor harnessed walk (which isn’t all that high), the observation deck (which is at the top of the tower, but entirely enclosed), or the sky deck and sky box. The sky deck and sky box are on the floor above the observation deck, and is the most expensive option. We decided to go for this ticket, as we wanted to go outside and the sky box (with its glass walls and floors) sticks out from the tower slightly and is very cool – you can look down into the city below.
Views from the sky deck and sky box of the KL Tower
Next to one of the sky boxes is a cafe. It’s ridiculously overpriced (a small tub of ice cream was 50 ringgit, or about £10) and you have to order a minimum of one item per person. Needless to say, we didn’t bother with the cafe!
Just as we’d finished admiring the 360 views, it started to rain. Not very heavily, just spots of light rain, but it seemed like they were closing the sky deck (we were the last to leave, but they were ushering people out and then closed the doors behind us). It didn’t matter as we’d seen everything and we’re leaving anyway, but if we’d just got to the top we’d have been very annoyed.
As it was starting to rain and we could hear the rolls of distant thunder, we got a Grab car to Jersey Jack Gelato for some ice cream. Disappointingly there was no banana ice cream, so we went for the next best thing – a banana split – which we shared between us. It was very good ice cream, I particularly liked the salted caramel (not too sweet) and the pistachio (lovely deep nutty flavour).
Mmm, banana split! While avoiding the rain at Jersey Jack Gelato
It was raining very heavily as we ate our ice cream, so we waited for it to ease before leaving the cafe. We then had a wander around Jalan Alor and Jalan Rembia, where there are several small lanes with some interesting street art.
There’s lots of brightly coloured street art in the lanes around Jalan Alor and Jalan Rembia
We continued walking to Jalan Alor, a famous food street. It wasn’t all that busy, probably the combination of being a little early (I imagine it gets properly going in the evening) and the inclement weather.
Jalan Alor is a famous foodie street in KL, but was very quiet on a wet afternoon
We carried on until we reached the Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad mosque. It’s only open until 4pm, so unfortunately we were slightly too late to go inside and could only admire it from the outside.
The Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad mosque
We crossed over the river to Merdeka Square, which is where the Malaysian flag was first raised when Malaysia gained independence. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is also located on this square. This iconic building has a clock tower that was designed to echo the style of Big Ben, and was manufactured by a company based in Croydon, UK.
Merdeka Square and the very photogenic Sultan Abdul Samad Building
We continued walking until we reached the point where the rivers converge. It’s a perfect photo spot for the Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad mosque.
Where the rivers converge is a great place to take a photo of the Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad mosque
Just beyond are a few interesting buildings with murals decorating the outside.
One of the mural covered buildings
We continued walking the short distance to Dataran Medan Pasar, a pleasant little plaza. We decided to get a snack of some chicken momos to share at Restaurant Mandala, which is on the plaza. The momos were excellent, very highly spiced and flavourful with a beautiful spicy dipping sauce.
Our delicious momos at Restaurant Mandala on Dataran Medan Pasar
We next went to Symphony Lake, which is right by Petronas Towers. We had a brief wander around the shopping centre while we waited for the 8pm Symphony Lake Water Show to start. It’s basically a sound and light show with the fountains, and looks quite spectacular with the Petronas Towers in the background.
The Symphony Lake Water Show has the Petronas Towers as a stunning backdrop
We ate dinner at the nearby Siampot Buffet Steamboat & Grill KLCC. Steamboat is basically the Malaysian equivalent of Chinese hotpot. You pick a selection of meats, vegetables, and noodles from a raw buffet selection and then cook everything yourself by dipping into a hot broth or frying on the grill plate.
It was an excellent meal. The meat was very well marinated and had a very soft texture, especially the chicken (there didn’t appear to be any fat or gristle). The giant king prawns were also delicious. You can eat as much as like and the bill came to 70 ringgit (about £12), so an absolute bargain!
The steamboat buffet at
By the time we finished eating, it was late. So we got a Grab car back to our hotel. As we exited the restaurant, I noticed the Petronas Towers were beautifully reflected in the skyscraper opposite us, which I though looked quite cool.
The Petronas Towers reflected in a shiny skyscraper at night
Our flight to Kuala Lumpur left just after midday, so we didn’t have time to do anything this morning before we set off for the airport at 9am. As with all our flights within Asia, we wanted to arrive at the airport early so we could weigh our luggage, juggle things around a bit (including transferring heavy items to pockets), and make sure we were within the 7kg carry on limit. They didn’t actually weigh our bags, so it was a needless exercise (our bags weren’t weighed when we flew from Bangkok DMK to Siem Reap a couple of months earlier either), however we wanted to be on the safe side and avoid any possibility of fines.
Kuala Lumpar airport is huge, and it’s about an hour’s drive from the airport to the city. We booked a Grab car, which was pretty good value at about £12. We were staying at the Chow Kit, and it was late afternoon by the time we arrived. It’s a lovely hotel, ordinarily beyond our budget but we booked through Mr & Mrs Smith who have a price match guarantee that includes giving you £50 off the price they’re matching. So we got 2 nights for the bargain total price of £37.
It was miserable weather and we’d not had any lunch, so we thought we’d do our own mini local food tour. As we walked down the road towards Chow Kit market, we could just about see the Petronas twin towers through the mist and drizzle.
The Petronas twin towers peeking through the mist
We walked the short distance to Laksa Kg Baru, and shared one of bowl of laksa between us. I’m sure this is very uncultured of me, but I actually found it very disappointing. It was very different to the laksa I’ve had before in London restaurants (possibly because they’ve been modified to suit western tastes), less coconutty and creamy, and much more brown in colour. I usually love laksa but wasn’t a huge fan of this one. Pete also wasn’t all that keen.
Our laksa at Laksa Kg Baru, which wasn’t totally to our taste
We then went next door to Nasi Lemak Seri Tanjak Raja Alang, where we shared a Nasi Lemak with beef Rendang and some kind of Malaysian chicken. It was excellent food, we especially enjoyed the Rendang and the accompanying sambal was also very tasty with a nice chilli kick.
I’d recommend the Rendang at Nasi Lemak Seri Tanjak Raja Alang
After we’d eaten, the weather had cleared up a bit so although it was starting to get dark we had a much better view of the Petronas Towers.
A better view of the Petronas Towers
Our next dish was meant to be roti canai, however the restaurant we went to was closed despite google saying it was open. Instead, we went to a very highly rated pizza place, Heritage Pizza KL, and shared a Calabrese pizza between us. They’ve got a proper wood fired oven and it was a great pizza – definitely one of the best we’ve had since we started travelling. It had a nice spicy kick to it, especially with a drop of chilli oil.
Yummy pizza at Heritage Pizza KL
When we left the restaurant, the Petronas Towers were looking even more beautiful. By this time it was starting to get late, so we headed back to our hotel.
The Petronas Towers looking beautifully lit up
Our hotel booking came with two complimentary cocktails, so we had a nightcap in the bar before bed. We didn’t get to choose our drinks (it was meant to be the signature cocktail) so I was expecting them to be the same, big they bought our two different cocktails for us. They weren’t the best ever and if we’d paid for them I’d have been disappointed, but for free cocktails you can’t complain!
Our complimentary cocktails at the Chow Kit hotel.
Emma and Pete’s Asian Adventure 