Tuesday 12 August

At the National Monument to those lost in the World Wars

Had a very bad night with my cough. Breakfast was interesting - no bacon, but we were served with coffee. The muesli was nice, but some unusual fruits. I had fried egg and slow toast. The hotel has to cater to many nationalities and religions. We were picked up later by William.

We did a tour by car of the main sights of Kuala Lumpur. First stop, after the pharmacy for cough medicine, was the King's Palace or Istana Negara. Malaysia chooses its kings from its nine sultans, and the current king has had the job before. We couldn't go inside the grounds but we saw the guards outside.

The butterfly garden was a pleasant haven

Then on to the National Monument which honours the troops lost in the World Wars. There was an obelisk and a sculpture in the Russian style. After that we had an extra stop at a butterfly garden which was very pleasant.

Merdeka Square is surrounded by fine old buildings

Then we parked at Merdeka Square, built around a former cricket pitch or Padang and surrounded by colonial buildings. We visited the National Heritage Museum which showed all the country's important moments, such as independence from the British in 1957.

Outside, William pointed out the Sultan Abdul Samad building, the Royal Selanor Club and the 100 metre-high flagpole, and we went into St. Mary's Church. We also passed the old railway station, built by the British. After that, we drove to  a batik workshop where we saw the designs being drawn in wax before colour was added. I bought a silk scarf. We had a Chinese lunch before returning to the hotel.

In the evening we walked to Delaney's Irish pub for Kilkenny beer and so-called Irish sausages and mash. They weren't pork.