Kuala Selangor

Like the U.S., Malaysia is divided into states, and, also like the U.S., the capital is kind of plopped in the middle of two states.  At this point, interstate travel is not allowed, but there's a free zone around the capital.  It's like saying people who live in DC can go to Maryland and Virginia, but not to Pennsylvania.  Within those parameters, I figured out that we could go to Kuala Selangor, which is on the west coast of Malaysia, about an hour from KL, and overlooks the Malacca Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia.  I found a tour company that provided a driver/guide and a van, and we set off on our adventure with another family.

This strait played a big part in the trade history of the region, so our first stop was an overlook point with historical cannons and a still functioning lighthouse.  There was a tram to take visitors up the hill.  Our driver bought us tickets and showed us where to get in line.  

One of the billed attractions on the tours were the silver leaf monkeys who live in the area.  Our driver was quick to let us know that these were calm monkeys, not like the more aggressive macaques at the Batu Caves.  We were a bit skeptical, but we were pleased to discover that he was right.  They were generally pretty chill.

We enjoyed the breeze on the tram ride up the hill, and then we spent some time feeding the monkeys and taking in the view.  There were vendors selling green beans and small bananas.  We discovered that the monkeys were more interested in the bananas than the beans, but Elena kept trying.

The baby monkeys have "golden" hair, and we saw one that was just adorable.

It was also really cool to see the strait and the cannons that were lined up along the wall.  The fort has long since come down, but it was a reminder of the importance of this spot.

The lighthouse there is still in operation.

After about twenty minutes, we took the tram back down, got in the van, and went to our next destination which was a boat to take us out to an eagle feeding.  We didn't really have any idea what to expect, but we put on our life jackets and walked down to the pier.

We got really lucky with the weather, because it had been raining in KL that morning, but there was no rain on our outing.  The timing was also great, because the sun was just beginning to set as we went out to the main body of water.  The boat drivers throw some chicken bits in the water to tempt the eagles, and there are also some other, smaller white birds that joined in, but no one could tell us what they were called.  We will have to do more research.  The overall effect though, with the setting sun was stunning.

Both on the way out and on the way back, we sailed past what looking like a fishing town.  Each house had a pier with at least one boat moored to it.

When we sailed back to the pier we started at, our driver told us we could stay on the boat for the fireflies and eat dinner a bit later, or eat dinner and then do the firefly tour at 9.  We opted to stay on the boat, and I'm so glad we did, because we got to watch the sun continuing setting, and it put on an incredible show.

Eventually, the sun's show finished, and the fireflies' show began.  The bushes along the river blinked with little lights, like a large scale Christmas display.  It was lovely to see, but almost impossible to capture in a photograph.  Our friends got the best shot.

We went along both sides of the river, so that people on each side of the boat got an up close and personal experience.  Then, it was time to turn around and head back to the pier and the restaurants.  Our boat driver seemed to be in a hurry, because he zoomed past several other boats on the way back, which was exciting for boat lovers, and a bit terrifying for everyone else.  I was glad the trip back was shorter than the trip out though, because the kids were getting tired and hungry, so dinner was a top priority.

When we got off the boat, we just walked a bit down the road to the restaurant.  There were a few similar types of restaurants along the water, so I'm not sure how our driver picked ours, but it was busy and the food was good, so we were happy.  We got a big table for the eight of us, with an enormous lazy Susan in the middle for family style sharing.

We started off with calamari and a vegetable that looked like lettuce.  It was prepared with garlic and tasted delicious.

The area specialty is seafood, so we got shrimp and crab, but we knew the kids would need something a bit more familiar, so we also got a Thai style chicken and a sweet and sour chicken that the kiddos gobbled up, along with a bunch of fried rice.

Only my friend and I were brave enough to dig into the crab.  It was messy but worth it.

The seafood was super fresh.  After dinner, the girls and I went to check out the tanks at the front of the restaurant that held the shrimp and the crabs.  There was a man coming in with a fresh catch of crab that he put in one of the big plastic tanks.

The shrimp were in smaller glass tanks in the front.

We saw another man come with a smaller bucket and some metal tongs and pull out some wriggly ones for someone's dinner.  Having everything in front may have just been a practical consideration, but it made for a really cool bonus experience with the dinner.

By that point, everyone was full and tired, so we got back in the van and headed home.  It was so nice to have someone else be in charge of the driving and, apparently, keeping an eye out for stray water buffalo.

There was a bit of traffic, but not too much, and we made good time home.  It's so great to have had our first adventure in Malaysia outside of the city.  It was an auspicious start, and we're looking forward to more Malaysian adventures.