DML goes to KL

David recently traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on business. The journey was a great experience professionally and personally. The people were very friendly and welcoming - I look forward to returning to see more of this country and the Asia-Pacific region.

Kuala Lumpur, commonly referred to as KL, is the capital and largest city of Malaysia. KL's climate is equatorial (pronounced hot and humid). I was surprised to learn that Malaysia is a young country - declaring its independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. There are currently 27 million residents of Malaysia.

The green line illustrates my 24 hour journey from NY to British Columbia then on to Hong Kong and finally KL.

The red line represents my 34 hour trip from KL to Tokyo (with 9 hour layover) then on to New York.

Arriving at the hotel after a harrowing ride in busy downtown KL. So many of the residents drive scooters - they weave through traffic on the bumpers of cars and buses.

This struck me as odd - I had to place my hotel key into a slot in the wall to power my room. Remove the key...all power goes off in 5 seconds. Clever...but it took some getting used to.

One night we were treated to a typical Malaysian dinner and performance.

Malaysian dancers performing a beautiful dance. The music was very festive and the costumes were colorful.

Trying my hand at shooting a dart from a blowgun...note the dart on a fatal path to kill my prey...the wild balloon.

I toured this Hindu Temple in KL and learned about Hinduism, Hindu customs and folklore.

Ganesh - the son of goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. According to popular Hindu myth, Parvati created Ganesh from her own body to protect her when she bathed. One day while bathing, Lord Shiva (Parvati's husband) returned home to find Ganesh standing guard in his home. Shiva became enraged and beheaded the boy.

Goddess Parvati was furious of the beheading and demanded Lord Shiva to restore life to their son. Shiva instructed his troops to bring the head of the first animal they found. Ganesh was restored to life using the elephant head.

MY last day in KL was a treat - I enjoyed touring the Petronas Towers - popularized in the movie, Betrayal with Sean Connery. The 88 floor towers are the tallest twin towers in the world. I traveled to the skybridge connects the two towers. What a spectacular view!

David with Norwegian colleague Paul Martin.

Whale and dolphin sculptures at the base of Petronas Towers.