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3 easy & fun day trips from Kuala Lumpur

Writer's picture: Kimberly OLearyKimberly OLeary

Updated: Oct 19, 2023


As we bid Kuala Lumpur adieu, I wanted to discuss several day trips we took when we were staying in KL. Each of them was fun & easy to arrange. All three trips got us out of the city and driving through the countryside.


Batu Caves

Batu Caves is the closest day trip we took. The caves are about 14 km from the city, and take under a half hour (depending on traffic) to get there. We used a ride app and the cost was very reasonable.


The caves are the site of a Hindu shrine. There are several things that are remarkable about the caves. First is the huge statue of Murugan, a deity associated with Tamil people. The Indian people who settled in Malaysia are from the Tamil region of India. Murugan is usually depicted as youthful, and his legend says he aged quickly from childhood to become a philosopher-warrior; he is said to have inspired many poets. He is shown with peacocks, and we saw many peacock images in the shrine, as well as live peacocks on the grounds. The second remarkable feature is that the shrine is built inside a large limestone cave. The third is that you have to climb up 272 steps to reach the cave shrine.

I was happy to meet that challenge, not only to walk up all 272 steps but also to walk down the steep stairs consisting of 272 steps. Anyone who knows me knows I have a fear of heights so this was a big deal for me.

Paul upped the challenge by carrying a brick - a request made at the bottom to help with renovations. He thought that was a great idea - to ask individuals to carry one brick each to ease the workload of the renovation crews. Inside were colorful displays, images and live monkeys. Outside is a series of dioramas of Hindu imagery.


Melaka

Our second trip was to the port city of Melaka. This city played an important role in world history, and for centuries was the most important city in the region. Melaka is located on the strategically important Straits of Melaka (spelled Malacca in most English accounts). The city was founded by a Malay Hindu prince named Paramaswama, who was fleeing Singapore (then Singapura) in 1402; the prince was trying to cross a river. His dog accosted a mouse deer and the mouse deer was said to have kicked the dog in the river. And yes, a mouse deer is a real animal that looks like this:


The sultan, impressed by this display of strength by such a small creature, founded a city there. He named the city after the Melaka tree where he was sitting when this happened. The mouse deer is depicted on the city seal.

Paramaswara created a rich city by taxing ships seeking port in the city. Chinese ships came in 1403. He married a Persian princess and changed his name to Iskandar Shah, establishing an Islamic sultanate, which became quite prosperous. Paramaswara and his wife traveled to China, and Chinese culture became interwoven into Melaka life. There are still some of the structures from that era, as well as new buildings that reference the old pointed roofs. We also saw an excavation site from the old city.


There were many mixed marriages of Chinese men who traveled there and Malay women. Those marriages produced a large ethnic group called Paranakan, locally called Baba-Nyonya. This word is a combination of "baba" (Chinese man) and "nyonya" (foreign married woman in Malay). We ate lunch at a Baba-Nyonya restaurant.


A hundred years after the Melakan Sultanate was established, the Portuguese conquered the city. They ruled from about 1511 to 1641, when they were ousted by the Dutch. We visited a Catholic church that is attended by descendants of the Portuguese. You'll note from the date (1710) this church was actually built under Dutch rule, but by the Portuguese living there. You can also see a replica of an old Portuguese sailing ship of the era, which now houses a maritime museum.


The Dutch rule from 1641 to 1824 created the red buildings that are the hallmark of Melaka today. Red Square, also known as Dutch Square, is at the heart of the old city. These buildings served as administrative headquarters. The Dutch churches were protestant.


Chinatown is another part of the old town. There, you will find the Jonker Walk (Gentleman's walk), many Chinese shops and restaurants, Chinses temples and the old Kampung Kling Mosque built by Tamil workers in 1742 and combines Chinese, Malay, Sumatran, Victorian, and Hindu styles. I had to wear a proper covering, which was provided to me.


We visited the ruins of the Church of St Paul, located at the top of a hill overlooking the port. The church was built in 1521 by Portuguese, then reconsecrated by Dutch in 1641. The church was deconsecrated when a new Dutch church was built in Dutch Square. Many famous people are buried there. This was a really cool place and I highly recommend going there.


Coming down the hill, we see some vestiges of the British rule from 1826 to WWII and a museum dedicated to the original Sultanate. Melaka was ruled by Japanese for two years during WWII, then recaptured by the British. From 1946 it was part of a federation in Malaysia which resulted in full independence and officially joining Malaysia in 1963.


Melaka is a UNESCO World Heritage City because of its rich history, architecture from many different time periods, strategic location and current vibrant culture. It is a testament to the power of cultural mixing to achieve a wonderful local culture. We visited by booking a day trip tour through Viator, which connected us to Ivy Holidays, a local tour company. Our tour guide, Johnson, was extremely knowledgeable and personable. This is a long day tour - from 8am to 8pm end to end. The bus was air-conditioned and reasonably comfortable although Paul who is 6' found it less comfortable than I. Included was a local Baba-Nyonya lunch and bottled water. Cost: $45 USD per person. We enjoyed meeting other people - often in our nomad life, we talk mostly to each other. Two young women - Amy from California and Kimberly from the Netherlands were especially fun to converse with! Looking at the group photo, Amy is the smiling young women slightly up and to my left, and Kimberly is slightly up and to Amy's right, facing the photo.