Kuala Lumpur

On the first day at KL, TSH and Diva stayed on board the Silver Spirit but on the second day, they took an excursion. 1.5 hours to drive from the port to the city, followed by a tour round the Old Palace of the kings. The new one is supposedly much more palatial but this was a very attractive building inside and out, despite most of the contents having been removed. There were lots of photos of the kings with foreign rulers - Yasser Arafat in pride of place in the entry hall. Elizabeth and Philips (sic) in an upstairs corridor.

There were many glimpses of the famous twin towers, although these are now dwarfed by many more modern constructions. The US embassy is closely overlooked by a high rise block which has been rented by the US government to preserve the security of the embassy.

The guide related how rice (and other staple goods) is normally imported from China but because of the virus it is now coming from India. The price has quadrupled, which must have a large impact on the local people, many of whom appear to be quite poor.

The walking tour round the traditional houses did not involve a reconstructed tourist area - the group walked round the busy Muslim residential area, including an external view of the mosque - no entry for tourists on Fridays. Local people's lunch was interrupted as the guide explained the street food, with strict instructions not to eat any of it. Diva was not happy with the number of local animals prowling around. There were some local schoolboys eager to practise their English and the guide cruelly told them that we were there to buy their houses. In the Muslim area, even very small girls wore head scarves, although this is optional in other parts.

TSH saw two steam engines, probably British-made, outside the railway station but the coach was moving too fast for him to take photos.

TSH and Diva had their temperatures taken (again) on entry to a KL restaurant for a buffet lunch. 36.4 and 36.3, so still healthy.

New plan

The current plan is that Silver Spirit will call at Penang, spend two days in Port Klang for Kuala Lumpur and then proceed to Malacca and Langkawi in Malaysia. TSH and Diva have been to these places before but have booked some excursions.

The mood on the ship is cheerful and even defiant, although first time visitors to Myanmar are disappointed. The captain is still shaking hands without gloves but he announced that he would be washing his hands afterwards. All the crew are making special efforts to please - although that is difficult to distinguish from the normal high level of service.

Compensation has been offered - 50% refund for this leg of the cruise and a further 25% as a credit against a future cruise. Generous, considering that none of this is the fault of Silversea and everyone is being well fed and watered.

The hope is that Sri Lanka, although they will not allow anyone to disembark, will allow a 'technical stop' for supplies. On the previous cruise, when no ports would accept Silver Spirit because of recent calls to China and Hong Kong, both rose wine and shiraz ran out. TSH and Dive do not often drink rose but they hope that supplies of shiraz are now adequate,

Kuala Lumpur

An excursion started with a 60 minute drive from the pier to the city centre. The first stop was the ascent of the KL tower, which TSH did and Diva (who doesn’t do lifts or heights) didn’t. Further stops were made at Independence Square and the impressive National Monument. ‘Lumpur’ means muddy confluence’ and there was another stop to see the junction of the two rivers, where there is a mosque. The bus drove past the British constructed railway station and the national mosque.

Although the historic centre was interesting, other parts of the city seemed run-down – large buildings, from perhaps the 1970s, which were looking shabby. But there are also new shiny buildings and there seemed to be lots of modern mass housing with only a few parts which looked really poverty stricken.

At lunchtime, Diva discovered the sea-food pizza which is always available. Best. Pizza, Ever (apart from those made by TSH, who added this comment). TSH enjoyed a beer with his cheese feast pizza. No pudding was taken at lunch time.