After enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the Ramada Suites by Wyndham we started off our day with a visit to the Perdana Lake Botanical Gardens (entrance free).
The botanical gardens are located within the Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park and contain the largest collection of flowers in Kuala Lumpur. Constructed n 1888, the park served as a tranquil place for city dwellers to escape the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur during colonial times and today it’s a haven of calm for both residents and visitors to the city.
We took the Metro to Muzium Negara to get there. This option involved a short walk from the museum into the adjacent park.
Strolling through the park, we admired many native plants including numerous species of mahogany that are over 300 years old. Ferns, herbs and aquatic plants each have their own small gardens all of which are attractively arranged. A boardwalk around the lake led us to some shady gazebos, an outdoor cafe and a large children’s playground.
One of the park’s highlights is normally a visit to its Orchid Garden which we had enjoyed visiting previously. It wasn’t possible this time though as it was closed for renovations. We have fond memories of strolling along its narrow paths several years ago and viewing its semi-circular pergola and rock gardens housing around 800 species of orchids. Although considerable smaller than the National Orchid Garden in Singapore, I’d recommend visiting when it re-opens.
Another prominent attraction within the Perdana Botanical Gardens is the Hibiscus Garden where you can find Malaysia’s national flower when it’s in full bloom. This landscaped garden also houses a colonial-era building containing a gallery showcasing the history and significance of the hibiscus flower in Malaysia.
Located on the edge of the park stands the excellent Royal Malaysia Police Museum which offers free admission. The galleries showcase the history of the Malaysian police force including exhibits from its origins under British colonial rule until the 1970’s.
There’s a fascinating collection of artefacts including uniforms, weapons and vehicles. Larger items on display outdoors include a police train, boat, plane and tank.
From the Police Museum it was then just a short downhill walk to the colonial old Kuala Lumpur railway station which is still in use today. This grand, old building which opened in 1910 was designed by British architects in Mogul style. Parts of the beautiful white plaster facade are now crumbling but it’s still possible to admire its rows of intricate arches and onion shaped domes that adorn its rooftops. The station is in limited use today with the KTM Komuter trains stopping there.
Another of Kuala Lumpur’s landmark buildings stands opposite the station and is the Malayan Railway Administrative Building which opened in 1917. From outside the station we took advantage of the free bus service to KL Sentral, now the city’s main railway station, so that we could take the monorail back to the hotel. We timed our return perfectly as soon after arriving back, a late afternoon thunderstorm developed and we would have got soaked.
Fortunately these tropical storms don’t last too long and we were again able to enjoy a meal on the famous Jalan Alor food street later in the evening.
The next morning we’d arranged a visit to the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre which is located approximately a 20 minute drive from the city centre in Setapak Jaya. The company provide free pick-ups from several city centre hotels and these can be pre-arranged on their website.
On arrival, we were allocated an English speaking guide who walked us through the museum to learn about the origins of the Royal Selangor company, the history of pewter and the story of tin in Malaysia. We learnt how their founder Yong Koon sailed from Shantou, China to Malaya to start his own pewter business and of how successful it became.
We were then offered a complimentary drink served in a pewter cup before being guided through the factory workshop to view the different production processes involved in creating a piece of pewter. These included casting, polishing and hammering and we were also able to feel the swarf (soft pewter shavings) which are the by-product of the polishing process.
The 30 minute guided tours are free of charge, available in several languages and led by friendly and knowledgeable guides. Afterwards we were free to wander around at our own pace, look around the store and pop into the cafe.
We viewed the walls of handprints of Royal Selangor employees, a tribute to the company’s craftspeople who have been employees for 5 years or more.
Of special interest is a miniature Petronas Twin Towers constructed out of 7,062 pewter tankards standing at 9.1 meters tall. The actual towers are 50 times taller and measure 452 metres. When we were ready to leave, we reported to the information desk and within a few minutes a driver appeared to take us back into the city centre. I would recommend joining one of these tours as we found it very interesting and there was no pressure whatsoever to purchase any items from the store.
Back in the centre we looked around two of the high-end shopping malls in Bukit Bintang before returning to the hotel to collect our luggage.
We then returned to the airport on board the KLIA Ekspres in readiness for the next part of our holiday.
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