Trucking through KL

Anjua Guest House right opposite the Pudaraya Bus Station

2006-11-22 We spent the last night in Kuala Lumpur in the Anjua Guest House right opposite the Pudaraya Bus Station, the central nexus for all bus traffic in and out of KL. We stopped there purely because the Guest House was right where the bus stopped, and within 20 metres had a ticket booth for the next bus to Melacca, a 7-11 where we can buy iced coffee milk and a KFC which we could eat junk food to oblivion without risking gut ache on the last days of travel. There is another good guest house a few doors along called the Pudu Hostel with comparable facilities. It makes it possible to spend a night in KL without having to go miles with one's luggage and make a clean exit on demand.

We wandered Chinatown in the stifling humid heat - mostly a more modern urban run down version of what is most elegantly expressed in Chinese and Indian culture in Penang, and I then took a subway ride to film the twin Petrona towers, the Muslim world's sisters of the World Trade Center, now dwarfed by the heaven-penetrating tower in Dubai.

This morning we made a quick dash to the central market to try to bargain for a couple of gift trinkets to bring back and then caught the bus to Melacca in haste from the inordinately hot bustling and chaotic Pudaraya Bus Station.

Sleazy bit cool air-con bedroom at the Anjua

Pudaraya environs

Chinatown Kuala Lumpur

Images from the Chinatown area

Yarsagumba is a fungus which has grown into the mummified body of a caterpillar. It is harvested in the Himalayas where it is regarded as 'Himalayan viagra' and has become notorious for murders committed over turf wars in Nepal.





The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest and richest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 1873, it is situated at edge of Chinatown in Jalan Bandar. In 1968, a new structure was built, featuring the ornate 'Raja Gopuram' tower in the style of South Indian temples. The Sri Mahamariamman Temple was founded by K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873 and was initially used as a private shrine by the Pillai family. The family threw the temple doors open to the public in the late 1920s and eventually handed the management of the temple over to a board of trustees.





Māri (Tamil: மாரி), Tulu(mAri), also known as Mariamman (Tamil: மாரியம்மன் and Mariaai (Marathi: मरी आई), both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma (Tamil: மாரியம்மா), or simply Amman or Aatha (Tamil: அம்மன், "mother") is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Māri is also closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati and Durga as well as with her North Indian counterpart Shitala Devi.


Guan Di Temple (God of War Temple) that houses a 59kg cooper Guan Dao, or giant sword . The Guan Dao is believed to have “special powers” and will be blessed and protected by well wishers touching or lifting because of the inner force contained in it. This temple is built to worship the God of War, China’s greatest warrior and is also known as General Kwan, Guan Di or Guan Yu. People are around the world worship God of War to seek protection and general well-being. It is known that God of War grants wishes to those who seek with pure mind.











Sin Sze Si Ya Temple was founded in 1864 by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, it is dedicated to patron deities of Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya. The deities has guided Kapitan Yap Ah Loy to defeat the enemies and defend Kuala Lumpur during the civil war (1870-1873). The temple has witnessed the birth and growth of our great city Kuala Lumpur." This temple is also be known as "Sze Yah Temple", under which name it appears in some travel guide books. It is located at 14A Lebuh Pudu, close to the Central Market, on the corner of Jalan Tun HS Lee to suit Feng Shui principles.




















Petronas Tower. There is an even nicer view on Wikipedia!