Merdeka Square and Putrajaya

Friday was our last day in Malaysia. Having already completed everything on our list that we wanted to do, we had some bonus time to see some of the other sites in Kuala Lumpur. We headed out into the city in the morning, despite the hottest weather of the trip. This is one of my favorite photos of the trip. Here, Katie and I are standing just across the river from Masjid Jamek, or Friday Mosque. I think that this picture nicely captures the "exoticness" of Malaysia, with both Islamic and tropical symbolism.


Just past the Masjid Jamek is Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square), the site of the original British colony and in 1957, the formal declaration of Malaysian independence and the founding of the country. This building is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, which was the British administrative building.

A view back across Merdeka Square to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and to modern KL beyond. The Square used to be the cricket field for the Selangor Club, whose clubhouse is still in operation on the Square.


After touring, we took shelter from the heat with a lunch at the Be My Friend cafe in the Central Market. Here's a good snapshot of Katie and her brother Ben at lunch.


While they were finishing up their lunch, Ellie and I did a little exploring. She was fascinated with the giant fan that was cooling off the patio seating. Love the glamour shot!


After lunch and shopping for gifts at the Central Market, it was time to head out of KL and towards the airport. We decided to rent a van and driver for the afternoon and evening to take us to Putrajaya, which is the new federal capital of Malaysia. The interesting thing about Putrajaya is that it did not exist prior to 1995. In fact, most of the buildings did not exist even in 2002. Putrajaya was built from the ground up on palm tree plantations in what is billed as Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor. The MSC was conceived by the past prime minister as a way to modernize Malaysia by relocating the administrative center from Kuala Lumpur and building two "intelligent cities", Putrajaya and Cyberjaya (a Malaysian Silicon Valley). Putrajaya is styled as an intelligent garden city of the future. It is situated around a manmade lake which will eventually be spanned by nine bridges. The past prime minister was apparently quite a bridge fan!

Here's a shot of a shopping promenade along the lakefront.


Here is the Putra Mosque, shot from its courtyard. Non-muslims are no longer allowed inside the main prayer hall, but there were several interesting views from the courtyard.


Here's a view of the prime minister's office from the Mosque.


After touring the Mosque's courtyard, we took a tour of the lake in a traditional Malaysian boat.


A view of the Mosque from the lake.


After our boat tour, it was time for one final dinner in Malaysia, at the Shangri-La resort in Putrajaya. Then, sadly, it was time to head to the airport for our flight home. While waiting for our flight, I snapped one last photo, of the futuristic terminal at KLIA.


And so an amazing trip came to an end. Katie and I are so grateful to have had this one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore a far-off corner of the world with our family. We had a wonderful time and take home many happy memories of a place full of friendly people and interesting sites. Hopefully, we'll get another chance to visit!