Malacca Strait

Today is the first of seven sea days on our high speed (18 knot) run across the Indian Ocean from the Malacca Straits to Mauritius.

Our cruise will end on 2 June, as originally planned. The route was changed however, to avoid the Red Sea. The new route around Africa is significantly longer, which means the Artania must cruise fast, and make fewer stops than originally planned, to get back to Europe in time. 

One can appreciate the additional time and fuel required for all the freighters from Asia bound for Europe that are now avoiding the Red Sea and Suez Canal. 

The weather today is variable. Little wind, smooth seas, with occasional shower bursts. 

Port Klang - Kuala Lumpur

We watched “Entrapment” recently, starring Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and the Petronas Twin Towers. We are prepared. 

The Artania has berthed in Port Klang, 50 km away from Kuala Lumpur, before we wake up. Port Klang, on the Straits of Malacca, serves as KL’s commercial harbor. 

Following breakfast, we board our excursion bus for the 2 hour (morning rush hour!) drive to the city. The bus brings us to the Suria KLCC Mall, at the base of the towers. 

A large city park adjoins the mall. We set off to find additional vantage points for photos. 

The park itself has much to offer (in addition to lots of shade!) 

On our return to the mall, the Bacha Coffee Masters shop beckons. They claim to offer over two hundred different Arabian coffee beans from around the world. We choose a Nepalese. 

We have tickets for the 2 pm visit to the towers. The first elevator brings us to the iconic skybridge connecting the 42nd and 43rd floors

Our guide points out that each end of the bridge sits loosely in a socket on each tower, permitting free movement. 

Then on to the top. The most spectacular view is of the opposing tower. The distinctive floor plan is based on the Islamic Rub al Hizb symbol, an 8 pointed star. 

A night photo of the towers (from a poster) impressed me. 

Following our tower visit, we climb back into the bus for our return to the ship. 

We are impressed with KL. The twin towers and central city have given us a new appreciation for Malaysia’s place in the world. 

Singapore MRT

The Singapore MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) metro is impressive. Several points stand out.

The system is closed. We left the ship through an enclosed gateway (like you use in an airport) that we followed to the cruise terminal. The cruise terminal is connected to a shopping mall. We walked through the mall directly to the metro station. We went from the ship to the metro without leaving an air conditioned environment. Civilized!  

The stations downtown are also directly connected to adjacent buildings through a network of tunnels and walkways. 

Entering and exiting the cars has rules. The car doors open behind doors fixed on the platforms. Arrows indicate who should move where. Green arrows for those exiting the cars. Red arrows for those queuing to enter a car. 

The cars are spotless.  All surfaces are made to clean easily, including the hard plastic seats. 

Rules are posted everywhere. You get the idea pretty quickly. 

My absolute highlight was “Communities in Station”, a piano that is free for all to use while waiting. Seems to work in this rule driven society. 

Also of note: paying at the turnstiles is done with “Tap on, tap off”, using a credit card or mobile phone. The system was quick. With practice, I was soon walking through the turnstile without breaking stride! Multiple trips in a day are summed up into a single credit card charge for the day. 

Singapore Botanical Garden

We head off early this morning for Singapore’s Botanical Garden. The Metro Circle Line runs directly from the Harbor Front Station to the Botanical Garden Station. We arrive and set off through the park. 

The highlights:

Trees and Landscape

Animals

Orchids

Other Flowers

Water

Rubber

Although Southeast Asia accounts for 70% of the world’s natural rubber supply, rubber trees are not endemic to Asia. They were brought here, via England, from Brazil. 

I made a note to myself to learn more about the history of the rubber industry. Yet another reminder of the contributions of global trade to the betterment of mankind.