It is almost impossible not to be intoxicated by orientalism when faced with the aroma that comes from the plate of prawns in a sauce that mixes coconut milk, pineapple, a stem of lemon grass and lime leaves, and seasoned with garlic, cloves, ginger and very hot chillies, served in a restaurant decorated with old photographs, engravings, porcelain vases, 19th-century furniture and sinograms (signs printed in Chinese calligraphy). And, what’s more, tasted in a splendid historic merchants’ mansion nyonya either peranakan, the ethnic community descended from the first Chinese migrants who arrived in the Malay Peninsula between the 14th and 17th centuries. And it is that he Old China Café, in front of the police headquarters in the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, it is an essential visit not only for its splendid gastronomy baba nyonya that merges that of Chinese immigration with the native Malay, but because it is also a kind of small museum of this important group settled in several other ports in the region, such as Penang or Singapore.
In a reflection of the ethnic composition of the peranakan —many of whose grandparents married Malay women, since for a time these immigrants were prohibited from coming with their wives—, their cuisine combines lemon chicken dishes or with ginsengsweet and sour pork ribs, fish head and various other Chinese delicacies with ingredients from their adopted country, such as curry, coconut milk and the most common spices.
We are in full swing Chinatown, the most vibrant neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur. An area that offers a tour between temples where incense sticks smoke and the faithful leave bills of a few ringgits, bananas or coconuts before the Taoist deities or go to the sunset at the bidthe ceremony, in a Hindu temple. It is located in the heart of the city and extends from the Jamek mosque to the south. The Jamek is the most beautiful and delicate of Malaysia’s mosques. It was built in 1907 in the middle of a garden with palm trees, it is pinkish in colour and is crowned by bulbous domes that peek out from between the minarets. Its designer was the British architect Arthur Benison Hubback (1871-948), who designed the main Moorish, Mughal and Indo-Saracenic style buildings in Kuala Lumpur in the early years of the 20th century. It stands on a small peninsula at the very confluence of the Gombak and Klang rivers, next to the north-east corner of the main Merdeka Square, and the best view is from the Lebuh Pasar Besar bridge. A warning to travellers: during prayer times, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter.
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Very close, in the lorong (alley) Lebuh Ampang there are several shophouses Very interesting, the characteristic houses and businesses of those first Chinese merchants. The first immigrants who arrived on junks from China settled in today’s Chinatown centuries ago, and its main street, Jalan Petaling, preserves several traditional Chinese buildings from the early 20th century. This same street is not to be missed at dusk, when a good number of stalls selling clothing, sneakers, computer components (of dubious certification), jewelry, bags, suitcases and much more are set up.
Sunset is also the ideal time to visit the Sri Mahamariamman Hindu temple, the oldest in the city and erected in 1873 in the typical Dravidian style, with the tower o gopuram populated by dozens of images of multicoloured gods. During the bids or ceremonies, the Brahmin priests ring the bells, trace circles of fire in the air with the votive lamps, sing and present the faithful with a mark of sandalwood paste on the forehead and a type of Indian fritter. Inside rests a silver chariot consecrated to the god of war Murugan, son of Shiva and Parvati, and which during the Thaipusam festival is carried to the Batu Caves, outside the city, escorted by a procession of fakirs and penitents.
Opposite the most popular shrine among the Tamil community in Kuala Lumpur, the Guan Di Taoist temple dates from the same period and is the typical single-story pagoda, red walls and green tiles presided over by two flying dragons and with an interior courtyard where They carry out the offerings. Other attractive Chinese temples with almost identical characteristics are located on the same Jalan Petaling (pull It is a street in the Bahasa language), such as the Chan See Shu Yuen, with a greenish facade, and the Buddhist Kuan Yin, in the typical style of the Chinese community. hokkien, native to the Fujian region. The Sin Sze Si Ya, on Jalan Tun HS Lee, is the oldest among the Taoists in the city, having been founded in 1864.
Once the spirit is satisfied and blessed by the gods of the three main religions that coexist in Malaysia, it is time to enrich the stomach in one of the many splendid restaurants in the neighborhood that serve ancient Chinese cuisine; in the hawkersthe stalls that are set up every afternoon on Petaling Street or on nearby Jalan Sultan; or, more fun, in the very lively medan selera, food courts open late into the night, such as Tang City or Chinatown Food Centre, on Hang Lekir Street. In these gargantuan buffets, diners serve themselves at different stalls. dim sum —Chinese fried or steamed dumplings—, nasi ayam (fried rice with chicken), soups, curry spices with pork, shrimp or beef with rice, noodles or more purely Malay specialties, such as skewers with peanut sauce or the delicious murtabaknails Crepes stuffed with seasoned minced meat.
Chinatown is also an ideal place to stay in Kuala Lumpur; it has several hotels with different price ranges, from budget to luxury. chinatown 2with a great quality-price ratio, even luxurious but also at a very moderate price Four Points by Sheraton. And of course, hostels backpacker favorites with a very fun atmosphere, like the Chinatown by MingleIt will be hard to leave Chinatown to explore the rest of the city.
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