Magnificent Malaysia Delivers Mix From Skyscrapers to Beaches

Days 57-58, 2025 Grand World Voyage

Sunday and Monday, March 2-3, 2025; Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, Malaysia.

I had no idea what to expect in Malaysia on this, my first visit to this southeast Asia country. What I found was a quick glimpse of a modern capital city and a taste of beach culture. I’ve only scratched the surface.

For my first visit to Malaysia, I chose an all-day tour to Kuala Lumpur, a 90-minute drive from our pier in Port Klang. It was a good choice, as our industrial pier had no amenities outside a shuttle bus to a main cruise pier 20 minutes away. From there, you could take another shuttle to a shopping mall. I wanted to see the city.

I knew I was in a conservative country when I saw the toilet signs at our first stop, outside the gates of the Royal King’s Palace. Despite the heat and humidity, I had worn long loose pants, as my walking shorts and light dresses don’t quite cover my knees.

An hour was just about right to explore the National Museum, where exhibits started with geology and the discovery of remains of Perak Man, an early homo sapien and predecessor of the races found around the Pacific Islands and Australia. I found Malaysia’s more recent political history just as interesting. Chinese, Arab and European explorers passed in waves through the Strait of Malacca off Malaysia’s coast, leaving bits and sometimes large pieces of their influence behind.

Much of central Kuala Lumpur consists of modern high rises – including some of the world’s tallest towers. The Merdeka 118 holds the current record as the second tallest building in the world (behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which I visited in 2013). We caught glimpses of it throughout the day.

Probably more famous are the Petronas Towers, which held the record for the world’s tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 and were the first outside the United States to attain that status. They still are the tallest twin towers, with their iconic skybridge connecting the two having played a role in 1999’s film Entrapment (alongside Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Following a nice lunch on the mere 40^th story of a residential hotel building, we had free time in the Central Market, passed through Chinatown and took photographs of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in the city.

As usual, I wasn’t particularly interested in purchasing anything, and to my disappointment, somewhere along the way I lost my white hat. Fortunately, I have a couple of other hats back on the ship for protection from the fierce sun.

The next day’s port was quite different. Langkawi is one of 99 islands in an archipelago off the northwest coast of Malaysia. Among the tour options offered by the ship and the numerous guides and drivers on shore were a cable car to a nearby peak and a trip to a craft complex several miles away.

I knew that on this — the third of four consecutive port days — that I would prefer an easier day. So I joined a friend on the 15-minute shuttle ride to a commercial district along a few of the famous beaches here.

We walked along the beaches, watching a few swimmers and sunbathers enjoying the mid-morning sun. Families kept to the shallow areas, where we saw large jellyfish, including one that eventually was beached by waves.

Before heading back to the ship, I picked up some spicy chips for my cabin stewards and some Maltesers for me. (Don’t tell my sisters, but they may get some when our ships meet up in Barcelona. If they are reading this blog, the surprise will be blown. But as their pole-to-pole cruise on the Volendam is in Antarctica this week, I doubt they’ll take time to follow my blog.)

Last night Capt. Frank van der Hoeven took to the World Stage to introduce the senior officers and raise a glass to toast the second half of this world cruise. The halfway point comes next weekend, but he joined the ship in Singapore as Capt. Friso Kramer gezegd Freher left at the end of his three-month rotation. The two captains have split duties on the grand world voyage on the Zuiderdam for the past three years.