I’m not a big shopper as a rule and definitely not when I travel. I like to travel as light as possible, so I usually don’t have room for a lot of souvenirs. But everywhere we went in KL, it seemed there were unique and interesting items for sale. Malaysia has a long history of textile arts and is famous for its batik patterns – there were all kinds of clothing and even bulk fabric for sale in the markets. There were also various Chinese, Indian and Malay decorative items for sale. It’s no wonder MD and I visited the Central Market twice on our short trip to Kuala Lumpur.

This unassuming Art Deco building dates to the British period and is organised roughly into stalls over two floors. It’s around the corner from Petaling Street, the central thoroughfare of KL’s Chinatown.

My favourite parts of visiting Kuala Lumpur were the art (theater & street), the shopping and the food. But the history of the place is pretty fascinating as well. This is one of many places I wish I’d had more time to explore and will be going back someday to do just that.

After our short visit to Malaysia, MD and I headed back to Bangkok to take our last finals for the term. Then we went our separate ways to travel in the week between terms. I decided to visit Japan on my way back toward the Western Hemisphere for our next school term in Cuba. Tomorrow will be the first of many posts about my time in Japan.

Title quote: Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character in Entrapment