Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple, Johor

This hindu temple is located in Wadi Hana, Johor Bahru and is in an obscure location sandwiched by major highways, hence it is a bit difficult to walk there. Easiest way to go there is by car, it is essentially a slip road off Jalan Tun Abdul Razak before you head into the Central Business District. You will pass a row of old 2-storey shop houses, before meandering into a narrow road past a huge building site under construction (this is written in Sept 2016).

At the end of the road,  you will come across the temple. From the outside it does not look like much. Drive to the rear, where there is an open carpark. Park your car and you will see the side of the temple. The temple is essentially a modern structure with a sign proclaiming it as the 1st Glass Temple in the World.

Walk to the front, where the main entrance is decorated in a more traditional Hindu style.

At the entrance you will see this sign, indicating its opening hours or prayer times. Evidently foreign tourists will be charged RM10 per person for entry,

There is also a sign that you have to store your shoes for an additional 50 sen.

After removing your shoes and entering the temple, you are greeted by a further sign that if you wish to take photographs, you would be charged a further RM3 per camera or phone; and a further RM5 for video recordings.

Unfortunately all these charges tend to give off the vibe that the temple is more of a tourist attraction rather than a spiritual place. 

The interior of the temple itself feels very modern with air-conditioning, stainless steel and glass decorating every facet of the walls and columns.

While the temple is small, the mirrored finish to the interior does differentiate it from other Hindu temples in the country. The glass allows you to take interesting photographs while playing with the reflections.

Perhaps if you are in Johore Bahru and passing-by the area, it is worth a stop to view it. 

Zoo Negara, Selangor

Zoo Negara, which means "national zoo" in the malay language, was established in 1963 and is managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society. Covering about 110 acres, it is actually located in the state of Selangor, although it is just about 5km from the city of Kuala Lumpur.

Getting there is probably easiest if you drive, but parking can be a challenge on weekends or public holidays. Otherwise you could take the LRT to the Wangsa Maju LRT station and catch a taxi to the zoo. Only problem with this is in order to go back, you would also need a taxi. There a couple of taxis loitering about, but you will likely have to "negotiate".

If you do drive there instead, there is paid parking up in front. Or some people park along the roadside of Jalan Taman Zooview.

Entrance to Zoo Negara.

The zoo is open daily and operates from 9am to 5pm. The zoo has a three tier pricing strategy. Separate prices for foreigners from the South-East Asian region compared to those from elsewhere. And locals get a much cheaper discounted rate.

Ticket prices in 2016.

You can ask for a map for the zoo, or just take a photograph of the signboard outside the ticketing office. Once you have made payment, you will be given paper wristbands, which you will need to wear in order to enter the zoo.

Map of the Zoo.

Pay for tickets, wear the wrist tags and enter here.

Giraffe enclosure.

One of the interesting part of the Zoo is the Tunku Abdul Rahman lake. Huge raintrees dot the edge of the lake, and milky storks roost on the top of the trees and fly about freely. Seeing these huge birds flying around is certainly a sight to behold.

Limited fishing is also allowed at the lake, provided you pay for the privilege at the entrance.

Birds in free flight around the zoo,

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Lake.

The lake where the milky storks hang out on the top of trees.

Of course when you visit a zoo in any country, one of the reasons are to see animals endemic to the region you are visiting.

Peninsular Malaysia is the home of the Malayan Tapir. These shy animals are herbivorous and have a short prehensile snout. Known locally as the cipan or tenuk, the Malayan tapir is the largest of 5 species and is considered as endangered as the local forests are decimated.

Malayan tapirs.

Another local animal is of course the Malayan Tiger also known as Harimau in the local language. A smaller species of tiger, the Malayan Tiger is on the critical endangered list.

Tiger Tiger.

The Zoo also has exhibits of the larger Bengal or Indian Tiger. The zoo has a beautiful specimen of a white tiger.

Playful tiger.

Majestic creature.

The alpha male.

Two of them together.

Elephants are also endemic to the region, and the Zoo also has an elephant enclosure.

Elephant enclosure.

One of the newer attractions in the Zoo are a pair of Pandas which were bequeathed to the Zoo by the Chinese Government. The pandas were both born in 2006 in China and loaned to Zoo Negara for 10 years in 2014 and given the new names of Liang Liang and Xing Xing.

Entry to the Panda enclosure.

A purpose built new air-conditioned facility was built to house the pandas. Entrance to the panda enclosure does not entail any additional payment, but you do have to queue to enter and you are only allowed to go into the enclosure in batches.

A controlled air conditioned hall.

In 2015, the pair of pandas had a baby called Nuan Nuan. Nuan Nuan now stays in one enclosure with her mother Xing Xing.

Mother and baby.

Quiet please, we are sleeping.

Liang Liang is separated from the couple in his own enclosure.

Father is kept in separate enclosure.

All they do is eat and sleep, apparently.

You are allowed allowed in the enclosure for about 15 minutes or so, before you need to exit to make way for the next group.

As you leave the enclosure, you can buy a souvenir panda at the souvenir shop or grab a meal at the cafeteria.

Souvenir store.

Beyond the Panda enclosure, there is the Orang Utan enclosure. Endemic to only the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, these intelligent apes are found in the states of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo.

Otang utan enclosure.

Besides creatures from the region, the Zoo also has exhibits from all around the world, such as Chimpanzees from Africa, wallabies from Australia, capybaras from South America and much much else.

Chimpanzees.

Yeah I am not Malaysian, but come and see me anyway.

Wallabies from Australia.

Flamingos

Capybaras.

Largest rodent in the world.

Besides the animal exhibits, the Zoo also has a Butterfly Garden which has butterflies and insect specimens. There is also a small aquarium section which even has penguins.

At certain times of the day there are multi-animal shows involving macaws and sea lions.

Bird show.

Zoos are of course no longer politically correct in the West, and the caging up of animals for the purpose of entertaining human beings are offensive to some. Zoo Negara is cognisant of society's change in perception, and many of the zoo enclosures are being upgraded to an open concept zoo to provide more freedom to the animals.

Whether you chose to visit is up to you, but it is worth considering that if the zoo was not there, the land would probably be taken up by rapacious developers and if the younger generation are not encouraged to love animals by interacting with them in places like this, then there is little hope for them in the wild.

Zoo Negara

Address: Zoo Negara, Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Telephone: +603 4108 3422
Opening Hours: Daily, 9am to 5pm

Kek Lapis Sarawak, Sarawak

If there is one cake that the city of Kuching in Sarawak is famous for, its the layer cake or "Kek Lapis" as it is known in Malay.

Kek Lapis is of course of Indonesian origin and it is a rich cake made up of butter, milk and spices that is laboriously built up layer by layer as it is baked. The cake is then cut up into bite-sized pieces to reveal the various layers and colours of the cake.

The Sarawak version has been modernised to incorporate various difference flavours and patterns and the end result are various different designs and looks to the finished cake.

While you can buy the cake at stalls by the roadside in Kuching town; to make it a bit of an outing, why not cross the Sarawak river to get to the other side of the river where the Malay kampong is? 

The starting point is to get to the boat pier nearby to the Riverbank Suite apartments, Riverside Majestic Hotel and the Khatulistiwa Restaurant and Café is. From there you will need to look for a river taxi or tambang / penambang. Tambang is literally the malay word for "fare". The boatman will take you across the river to the other side for a nominal fare.

The river taxi jetty near the circular shaped Khatulistiwa restaurant.

The Riverbank Suite as viewed from the other side of the river.

Crossing the river on the Penambang.

The jetty on the other side of the river.

Once you get to the other side, walk off the boardwalk and you will be at the Malay kampong (village). Walk along the riverfront pass the food court, then cut in and walk along Jalan Brooke.

The first Kek Lapis shop you will come across is Mira Cake House.

Mira Cake House along Jalan Brooke.

Various types of Kek Lapis are on sale.

Weird names are given to the various kek lapis designs. This one is named "Datuk K", after the husband of a popular Malaysian singer.

You are welcome to sample the various types of kek lapis.

No worries about purchasing the Kek Lapis and bringing it back home

to eat, if you follow the instructions!

After Mira Cake House, the next Kek Lapis shop is Warisan Layer Cake. Basically you will find the same types of fare, similar to Mira.

The last Cake House and arguably the most famous is Dayang Salhah's. This is located near the mosque, at the junction of Jalan Brooke and Jalan Gersik.

The pink coloured house of Dayang Salhah.

Choose your favourites and pay here.

If you are confused by the variety, just close your eyes and pick one.

Or buy one of each...

For some reason, if going to Kuching, one of the requirements especially for people from the Peninsula, is to buy Kek Lapis to give to loved ones back home. If you must buy, make an outing out of it!