Petaling Jaya: Grand Malls and Much More

If you are at all familiar with the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, you perhaps have heard of its satellite township, Petaling Jaya, home to some of the largest malls of the KL area like 1Utama, IPC, Ikea, Sunway Pyramid and The Curve.
Petaling Jaya or ‘PJ’ as it is popularly known, is situated at a distance of 10 km from Kuala Lumpur city and is easily by road and rail from KL. Most visitors to Kuala Lumpur do pencil in visit to PJ, for aside from its grand malls, it also hosts one of Malaysia’s largest and most popular theme parks, the Sunway Lagoon complex.

The origin of Petaling Jaya can be traced back to the 1950’s, when it founded by the British to cope with the population boom in KL, during the era’s tin rush in the Klang valley.  Petaling Jaya was created out by clearing out an expansive patch of dense jungle, part of the Effingham Estate.

The town’s first settlement was made up of approximately 800 houses largely located in the area, which is today forms Petaling Jaya South. During its initial existence PJ, was administered and managed by the Kuala Lumpur district office and when KL was declared a Federal Territory in 1972,the administration of Petaling Jaya was placed under the jurisdiction of the state of Selangor. Petaling Jaya received city status as recently as in 2006.

Over the years, Petaling Jaya grew and developed rapidly. In fact, the primary cause for its rapid expansion is believed to be construction of the Federal Highway, after Malaysia gained independence from the British. The construction of this highway linked PJ to Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang and this link proved vital to its development, for in the early 1960’s PJ had expanded to encompass as many as over 3000 houses, 100 shops and more than 30 factories.

Today, PJ is a mixed-use residential and industrial community home to a population numbering more than 500,000 with ample representation of each of Malaysia’s three main ethnicities Malay, Chinese and Indian. 

Aside from modern-day malls and theme parks, PJ offers various old-world, attractions like its lively pasar malam (night market), held on Monday evenings on the streets of one of town’s oldest districts, SS2. Also of note are the town’s many indigenous coffee shops (kopitiams), which continue to survive in spite of the presence global chains like Starbucks and dish up native variations of  ‘Kopi’ or coffee.

 

 

 

 

Malaysia: An Ideal Wedding Destination

Your wedding is often considered to be one of the most important days of your life.  On this day you write a new chapter with your significant other.

While deciding what kind of wedding ceremony, you want to have, you may want to stick to custom and tradition and wed at home or then you may choose to have a fabulous destination wedding with only close family and friends in attendance.
If you do choose the latter, then perhaps Malaysia is the perfect destination for you, for as a predominantly Muslim nation it can cater perfectly for a traditional Saudi wedding. Moreover, Malaysia with its diverse landscape of beautiful beaches, vivacious cities, and dense jungle terrains can provide the perfect setting for your wedding ceremony.

A wedding ceremony conducted according Islamic rites is very easy to arrange for in Malaysia and the country is also equipped with a wide range of hotels. Most hotels in Malaysia are equipped with more than one grand banquet hall as is required for the conduct of a typical Saudi Arabian wedding and they also have the ability to cater for a typical Saudi wedding buffet feast featuring sheep, lamb, rice and various other local and international delicacies along with fine Arabic coffees, teas, juices and bite-sized pastries and the like.

It is also worth mentioning that Malaysia’s well-established hospitality sector features all the leading global brands and is also extremely well priced, thus hosting a wedding in Malaysia actually makes perfect economic sense. Another vital fact is that citizens of Saudi Arabia enjoy visa-free access in Malaysia and this makes bringing friends and family over to Malaysia for a wedding infinitely easy.

Recommended locales for destination weddings in Malaysia include: -

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur can be easily accessed from any part of the globe. An exciting city, where the old and the new worlds co-exist in harmony, Kuala Lumpur is offers numerous shopping, dining and entertainment options guaranteed to keep your guests sufficiently entertained.

Penang

Gorgeous beaches, World heritage sites, top-notch hotels and a fabulous array of delicious street foods count enhance Penang’s reputation as a wedding destination.

Resort destinations

Malaysia is home to several spectacular islands like Langkawi, Pangkor, Tiomman, Pulau Gaya which host some of the most luxurious resort hotels, well-equipped to host a truly one of a kind destination wedding.

Fun and learning in Aquaria KLCC

KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center) is a prominent attraction located in the heart of the Malaysian capital. Famously associated with sights like the Petronas Twin Towers, the Suria KLCC mall, the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (Petronas Philharmonic Hall), this major sight-seeing hub has now come to be known for one of its relatively recent attractions, Aquaria KLCC, a world-class aquarium that showcases marine life from around Malaysia and beyond.

Designed by the New Zealand- based Marinescape Ltd, an aquarium construction and design specialist, Aquaria KLCC was conceived in 2002 and it was open to the public in 2005. This expansive aquarium, which occupies a massive 60,000 square feet area at the concourse level of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, hosts more than 5000 exhibits of aquatic and semi-aquatic marine life. The many exhibits of Aquaria KLCC are hosted within various themed areas like the Highlands, the Touch Pool, The Electric Zone, The Stream, Jewels of the Jungle, the Flooded Forest, The Coast, the Oceanarium, Weird and Wonderful, the Discovey Zone and so forth.

On display at Aquaria KLCC are several fascinating sea creatures like sand tiger sharks, green sea turtles, giant pacific octopoi, water rats, giant groupers and many more. The inhabitants of the aquarium are not limited to Malaysia alone but hail from faraway lands like South America and more. The themed areas containing then exhibits are arranged in a pattern so as to transport visitors on a journey of discovery through the oceans.

Some star attractions at the aquarium include areas like the Oceanarium, consisting of a 90 meter long underwater tunnel, which allows visitors to get up close and personal with residents of the ocean depths, like sharks, giant sting rays and green sea turtles. Yet another popular enclave is the aquariums interactive Touch Pool, Aquaria KLCC’s version of a petting zoo, where visitors can reach out and feel marine creatures like horseshoe crabs, horned sea starfish, bamboo sharks and others.

The aquarium’s periodic feeding sessions have an enormous appeal and visitors are actually encouraged to look up the aquarium’s various feeding schedules on its website so that they can enjoy watching marine creatures like sharks, turtles and eels congregating to receive their feed during their visits.

Aquaria KLCC is open daily. During the week, the Aquarium is open from 11am until 8pm though it operates for extended hours on weekends and public holidays.

Aquaria KLCC provides the ideal educational cum entertainment experience and must not be missed, especially if you are visiting Kuala Lumpur with your children.

          

Chinese and Buddhist Temples

Elaborately decorated Chinese temples have long attracted tourists in various parts of South East Asia.  It is no different in Malaysia for a significant portion of the country’s Chinese population follows Buddhism. The Chinese first arrived in Malaysia in the early 13^th century as traders; they continued to arrive in waves down the ages. These Chinese immigrants to Malaya hailed from various regions of China and as they settled in Malaysia and formed communities, they built some magnificent Chinese and Buddhist temples, which stand until today.

Some of the most spectacular Chinese and Buddhist temples in Malaysia currently include:-

Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

The six tiered Thean Hou Temple stands in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. This elaborately adorned temple features ornate roofs and sculptured dragons. The temple which is one of the biggest Chinese temples in the country, is dedicated to Thean Hou(the heavenly goddess) though several other popular Chinese deities like Kuan Yin(the Goddess of Mercy) and Shui Wey( Goddess of  the Hokkien fishermen) also feature within the temple. The grounds of the temple feature replicas of the Chinese zodiac signs. Several souvenir shops line the exterior of the temple.

Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen temple, Selangor

This temple, which was established in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat in 1994 is set amongst 16 immaculately landscaped acres. This temple also functions as a monastery and is a center for culture and religious studies.  The main shrine at this temple is a 5.4-meter high statue of Lord Buddha sculpted in bronze. Other idols that adorn the temple include a statue of Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy).

Perak Tong, Ipoh Perak

The Malaysian state of Perak is renowned for its cave temples many of which are located around the capital city of Ipoh. Perak Tong is one such famed temple, which is housed within the huge limestone cave; Gunung Tasek located six kilometers north of Ipoh town. This temple was constructed by Buddhist monks from China in 1926 and features over 40 statues of Lord Buddha, including one, which rises to a height of 12.8 meters. Traditional Chinese paintings illustrating Buddhist folk tales adorn the walls of the temple.

Sam Poh Tong Temple, Ipoh

This temple, which lies five kilometers to the south of Ipoh near Gunung Rapat, houses several statues of Lord Buddha amongst its many limestone formations like spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. It is believed that a Chinese monk discovered this cave and he then went on to use it as a locale for meditation.  The temple also features 246 steps leading to its summit.

Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang

The Kek Lok Si Temple is one of the most visited sites in Penang. Situated on the lower rungs of Penang Hill, this magnificent temple is considered to be one of the finest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. The temple is built in tiers and is adorned with a tall Pagoda adorned with ten thousand Buddha statues and a 30-meter (90 feet) tall statue of Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy). The temple is an exponent of Sino-Thai-Burmese styles of architecture and features  several colorful frescoes and water bodies.

Goddess of Mercy Temple  (Kuan Yin Teng)

Early Chinese migrants to Penang built the Kuan Yin Teng temple in 1801. The temple is dedicated to two goddess; Kuan Yin (the goddess of Mercy) and Ma Chor Poh, the patron saint of seafarers. The décor of the temple is quite dramatic as it features a main hall supported by sculpted pillars adorned with dragons.

The Temple of Bright Clouds (Melaka)

Located in the heart of Melaka’s Chinatown, the Temple of Bright Clouds or the Cheng Hoong Teng temple is the oldest temple in Malaysia. The temple, which was constructed entirely of materials imported from Southern China, dates back to 1646. The temple practices the three main doctrines of Chinese religion namely Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

Puh Toh Tze Temple, Sabah

The Puh Toh Tze temple situated at a distance of 15km from Kota Kinabalu off Tuaran Road is one of the most well known Buddhist temples in Sabah. The temple, which was built in 1980, bears a distinct Chinese-style structure and roof. The temple features ten large statues including a large statue of goddess Kuan Yin at its main entrance.