Thursday, January 4, 2024
Today was day two of the Manhattan College study abroad trip to Singapore. It was also our only full day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was an adventurous and busy day to say the least. We began our day at the hotel breakfast buffet. I have never seen such a wide selection of breakfast foods – they had everything from dumplings and waffles to beans and noodles. There is a big cultural difference between what us Americans eat for breakfast compared to Malaysians.
After breakfast we went to the Royal Selangor Pewter factory. Prior to this I had never heard of Pewter and did not know what it was. Pewter is a type of metal composed of a mixture of tin, antimony, and copper. I was extremely surprised to learn about how many things are made of Pewter. Some examples are the Academy Awards Oscars statue, the costume for C3PO from Star Wars, and even the old currency used in Malaysia. It was cool to see firsthand how the workers make things out Pewter and to hear how they are trained for six to twelve months before they begin their careers.
After visiting the Pewter Factory, we got lunch and then went to the Petronas Towers, also known as the Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur. The two towers are arguably the most recognizable structure of Kuala Lumpur. On the 41st floor there is a bridge that connects the two towers, and we were able to walk across and take some photos of the city. We then went to the observatory on the 81st floor. The most fascinating thing about Kuala Lumpur to me is how the city has both large skyscrapers, as well as small villages, which you can clearly differentiate from the top of the Petronas Towers.
We ended our day by eating some traditional Malaysian food with our tour guides Jerome and Susan. Later that night they also took us outside of the city center to see the villages where many locals live. It was nice to venture off the beaten road to see how most Malaysians live. Overall, this was a great day and I think the entire group learned a lot about this country.
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