Before the disaster. was there before 18th Dec. 2004. This is also from Wally Barnett same day. as he was catching of updating us at at home. But they were where the disaster struck before it did. Maxine Wilton willma@sprynet.com Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 2:30 PM Subject: Kuala Lumur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur . . . How poetically that trills off the tongue. A remarkable city blessed with architectural diversity, ethnic harmony, and great natural beauty. Modern skyscrapers stand side by side with relics of British, Dutch, and Portuguese colonization. It has a population of over a million consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Arabs and Europeans all getting along together quite well. We zipped into the big city from Port Kelang, about 40 minutes away, encountering a stateside blend of traffic. Plenty of cars, the usual number of buses and trucks, and many fewer motorcycles than we had seen in Saigon. We take a tour of the city, and then go on a walking tour to special places of interest including the City Central Shopping Mall where goods from all over Asia are offered for sale. We also visist a Chinese temple and a Hindu temple. On the way into town we see four cemeteries on a hill, all seperated by race. Our tour guide is Chines so naturally he takes us to his Uncle Charlie's place for lunch. It's served family style and it's very good. Our tour guide pays the tab. After lunch we spend an hour or so in the Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur. We wander through international food markets where everything is fresh fruits and vegetables and raw fish, fowl, and meat. The blending of smells, odors, and aromas from everything is an experience unto itself. Then another hour walking the street where open air vendors sell everlything under the sun from jewelry to clothing to luggage to works of art to cameras, and the list goes on and on. I believe this is the most international city we have ever seen. It certainly is the crossroads of Asia where merchants have been plying their trade for centuries.