There isn’t any fantastic church structure in Malaysia compared to in Australia so I guess there’s no need to introduce it as a place to visit unless your purpose of going there is not for tourist reasons.
Mosque
As per previous posts, there’s Masjid Jamek as well as the National Mosque in KL city centre. However, the popular one is a pink mosque located in Putrajaya. It’s called Putra mosque.
[The official website seems to be facing some problem, but when link is accessible we’ll add it here as well].
It’s beautiful, during the day, as well as night. You actually have the opportunity to enter the mosque (during the day). For the ladies, you’ll be given a pink robe to wear over your existing clothes, and will cover the hair. Please dress appropriately, no short skirt / pants, no sleeveless, no slippers (thongs). Again, avoid going here on Friday noon during prayers time.
If you are staying in Cyberview, it’s probably a good idea to visit Putrajaya then instead of travelling from KL city centre. There are also other buildings of interest to visit while at Putrajaya (will be on a separate post).
Buddhist Temple
In Malaysia, we generalized both Taoist and Buddhist as Buddhist. So the general term for these temples are just Buddhist Temples.There are 2 temples which are very popular among visitors (local and foreign). Chinese New Year falls on the 23rd of January 2012, and perhaps these temples are already decorated in preparation to welcome the festive period when you are there!
a) Thean Hou Temple
This is not too far from KL, but you’ll probably need to get a taxi. We suggest booking the taxi to return an hour later or have a taxi number handy. If you are lucky you may get to hop into another taxi who just dropped off other visitors, otherwise you may have to walk a little while before you find one. There are also vegetarian dishes here.
b) FGS (Fo Guang Shan) Dong Zen Temple
This place is huge and many events are held here. It’s crazy, but the decoration here is massive! It’s actually a rather long drive from KL (maybe about 1.5 hours) but if you have plenty of time to spare and can get a good driver who knows his way there (it’s not too easy to get there) then why not? It’s better to reach there at night (if it is close to Chinese New Year) because it will be brightly litted up.
If you are in Penang, you MUST visit Kek Lok Si temple at sunset time (when it is close to Chinese New Year). They spend a lot of effort in lighting up the area and definitely a must visit place.
Hindu Temple
It will be none other than the temple at Batu Caves. (Batu = Stone/Rock) If you are not so fit, just take your time up the stairs, stop to chat with the monkeys but becareful they are a greedy smart batch mokeys! Don’t worry you can buy more nuts at the top to feed more monkeys on the way down. Just don’t get too friendly with them, especially if you have too much food or if you have not enough food! :)
There are also rock climbing and cave exploration activites. I remember there are coconut drinks at the bottom too, so perhaps something you can have to quench your thirst.
If you are still in Malaysia on the 7th of Feb 2012, why not join the huge crowd in Batu Caves for Thaipusam celebration. It will certainly be an experience. But do read up first on what are the best transportation options and how early you should head there.
Of course there are smaller temples around KL city centre too, but nothing as grand as the above.
Pictures source: Weddinglah.blogspot.com does not own any of the photos in this post. They are thumbnails taken from google images search.
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