Day 868 More sights in KL, and plans for the new year

I fly out this evening, back to the cold, polluted
air of Beijing, but I can't think about that right now.
I had a tropical rain forest to explore!

I hopped another train to FL Forest Eco Park,
an 11 hectacre rain forest preserve right in the
middle of Kuala Lumpur.  It was free admission,
and the canopy walk was stunning.

The photos really don't do the place justice.

I wandered around on some jungle-y paths for a few
hours until I found this one that lead me to the park's
entrance.  Thankfully, I didn't encounter any vipers-
though I saw several warning signs for them. Yikes!

I made it out with just a few mosquito bites :)
Consulting the city map, I headed off on foot
to see a few more sights on my list.

About 30 minutes later, I made it to Masjid Jamek, KL's
oldest mosque. The red and white minarets are beautiful.

   

Sadly, I couldn't go inside, as the mosque is
undergoing a renovation :(

I love the 'onion' domes.

The mosque was built at the sight of the first settlers, where
the Klang and Gombak rivers meet.  It opened in 1909.

I love the contrasting architecture of the old mosque and modern skyscrapers.

I walked around to the heart of the city...

...Merdeka Square.  It was here that the Malaysian
flag was hoisted for the first time at midnight on
August 31, 1957. The large park area is now the
sight of public gatherings and the annual
National Day Parade.

Beautiful architecture all around.

I then made my way back up to Petaling Street...

...also known as Chinatown.

I wanted to visit another temple...

Chan See Shu Yuen was built in 1906, and was
the Chinese community's early place of residence
when they first immigrated to Malaysia.  It still
is a place of worship for the Chinese who live in KL.

Though I was in Chinatown yesterday, I went back because I
was on the search for this place- Sri Mahamariamman Temple.
(I have no clue how to pronounce that!)  It was built in 1873,
and is the oldest Hindu temple.

What is impressive about this shrine is the five tier gopuram (tower) that is
decorated with 228 brightly colored figurines from the Indian epic, Ramayana.

Believe it or not, I was hungry for some Chinese
food, so I ordered sweet and sour chicken,

...and enjoyed my late lunch with a view of the
Hindu temple in the background.

It was a leisurely 45 minute walk back to my hotel after lunch.
Rain clouds were beginning to roll in the city.  Notice the names
of the hotels in my neighborhood, Hotel Alibaba, The Golden
Palace, and my place- Simms Boutique Hotel- which was all
of $11usd/night, with breakfast included :)

Before the rain rolled in, I sat on the sidewalk to soak up the last of the warmth from the sun.  I think I am part reptile in that regard.  I will warm myself on a rock, or the concrete, with my face to the sun, anywhere in the world :)

I looked across the street, and there was a jumbotron screen across the way from me, with repeating scrolling commercials.  One in particular caught my eye.  It was an ad for a mental health agency, something you do not readily see in this part of the world.  Click on the link here to see the ad: https://youtu.be/2XkgDng7lJQ

It just felt like one of those 'signs from the Universe'.  If you followed the link, it begins with, "I'm not feeling sorry for myself. Depression is not a choice. It's like there's a cloud following me around, and I can't make it stop."  This semester, no doubt, has been very difficult, grieving the loss of my momma, and having to continue to do my job here (alone) in China.  I was in the throws of grief through October and November, and felt THIS CLOSE to a true clinical depression myself.  I dreaded the six week stretch of holidays from Thanksgiving to New Year's, but you know what?

I MADE IT.

2017 is officially here, and I pray I am beginning to round a corner in the grieving process.  I have much to look forward to in the coming months, beginning with Chinese New Year starting on January 20th. I will be flying back to the States on that date for some much needed time with Len, (and my daughter Ellen in Ft. Myers), where we will simply continue to settle in to our new home and new neighbors in south Florida. It is a much needed and long awaited month-long respite, for sure.

When I come back to school the end of February, I essentially only have nine teaching weeks left before the AP and Alevel exams commence.  My new friends and neighbors, Karen and Marci, will be here for a China visit the end of April through May 11.  Then my daughters, Emily and Ellen arrive the toward the end of May through June 4th.  Once they leave, Len arrives to ride out the remainder of the school year with me, and to help move me back home. Lastly, toward the end of June, my other bestest friend, Susan, and her husband and two daughters will be coming to China, too. You can bet that with all of those visitors, there are many travel plans in the making- I am beyond excited :)))

With all of this to look forward to in the coming months, it was time to take care of first things first. I changed from summer to winter clothes, slung my backpack on my back, hopped a train to the airport, and caught my flight back to Beijing.  I have less than three weeks to go to finish out this long drawn out semester, and then I am home free...at least for one month :)

Cheers to 2017, from the happiest girl in China!