23.05.2023, we have arrived in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur or as the English speaking locals call it "KL".
KL has about 2 million inhabitants and was originally a small village of tin workers. Today's wealth of the city and the country is due to the various mineral resources and raw materials. These include oil, tin, rubber and palm oil. The city became world-famous because of the Petronas Twin Towers (452 m), the tallest building in the world at that time, which were opened on 31 August 1999 and replaced by Taipei 101 (Taiwan) (502 m) as the tallest building in the world in 2004.
The country is characterised by a multi-cultural population. The traditional cultures are the Malay, Chinese and Indian populations.
We had a great first few days in KL and were able to enjoy the wonderful view of the city in our first accommodation.
And the best thing about the accommodation was the infinity pool on the roof of the building.
Of course, we didn't spend all our time in the room or the pool 😊We were on our way to get to know the country and the people.
After arriving at 8pm, we wanted to eat something and were then spoilt for choice between all the great "treats". Due to the multi-cultural population, there are many different Asian dishes.
Of course, we couldn't miss the little coffee around the corner. Here our bubble also met another bubble 😉
Moody's bubble danced rhythmically to the music 🙂
Petronas Twin Towers
On the following days, we strolled through the streets of KL and had a close-up look at the Petronas Towers as our first highlight. The twin towers are 452 metres high and symbolise Malaysia's upswing from a tin-worker's city to a metropolis of the 21st century. We first went up to the 41st floor on the skybridge that connects the two towers. It takes a bit of courage to walk back and forth at a height of 170 metres. But that was not all. We continued to the observation deck on the 86th floor, where a 360-degree view of the city awaited us, as well as a view down from a height of 370 metres.
The towers were opened in 1999, are 452 metres high in total and consist mainly of steel, concrete and glass.
Batu Caves
The Batu Caves (Malay batu = stone and caves), are well-known limestone caves in the north of Kuala Lumpur. There are several Hindu temples in the caves and this destination could not be missed on our trip. 272 steep steps lead from the forecourt up to the main cave. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the Dark Cave because, according to a local guard, it was closed for security reasons. There were supposed to be poisonous spiders in the Dark Cave and the risk for visitors was too great. Instead, we visited the museum and art gallery cave and looked at the various Hindu statues and paintings. Many shrines tell the story of the god Murugan and his victory over the demon Soorapadam. Murugan's statue stands next to the 272 steps and is an impressive 42.7 metres high.
BOH Tea
Natürlich waren wir auch im Umland unterwegs und haben dank eines Arbeitskollegen von Artur den Kontakt zum größten Teehersteller in Malaysia erhalten. Of course we also travelled around the country and thanks to a colleague of Artur's we got in touch with the biggest tea producer in Malaysia. Already in Kuala Lumpur we had the pleasure to have dinner with Mehmet Alguel, the Chief Technical Officer of BOH Plantations, and to learn more about the Malaysian culture. Afterwards we went by intercity bus to the Cameron Highlands.
In the following days we were allowed to visit one of BOH Tea's tea plantations on an exclusive tour.
A little bit about BOH Tea
BOH Tea is the largest black tea producer in Malaysia and operates, among others, the largest tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands. BOH Tea is owned by BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd and is simply known as BOH everywhere. Here are a few impressions of the plantation.
Sustainability
We are very grateful for the great insights and background information as well as the commitment to sustainability.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is an important source of income for Malaysia. After Indonesia, Malaysia is the second largest producing country. To learn more about the raw material, which is used in many products worldwide, e.g. food, cosmetics, animal feed, building materials..., we went to an exhibition about palm oil at the Sime Darby Plantation near the port city of Klang. The exhibition gives information about the production process as well as the uses of all components of the oil palm. The topic is viewed very controversially by European consumers, as on the one hand the rainforest is being cut down and other plantations are being closed down and replaced by palm oil plantations. This destroys important ecosystems, which at the same time has an impact on climate change. On the other hand, the plantations generate jobs for the local population. This has led to a considerable improvement in the living conditions of the people employed in this sector (including many small farmers). Palm oil is also very profitable compared to other types of oil, as it generates a comparatively high oil yield per hectare. For example, 3.3 tonnes of palm oil can be extracted from one hectare, but only 0.7 tonnes of sunflower oil. From a global perspective, demand has risen sharply in recent years, as palm oil is now contained in some form in more than 50% of all foodstuffs. It also plays an important role in industry, for example as a biodiesel component. As demand has grown, so has production. Conceivable sustainable approaches to solving this tension that are not at the expense of smallholders would include sustainability certification (e.g. the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Standard, ISPO), the protection of nature reserves from deforestation, improved landscaping to avoid monocultures and the expansion of rural labour markets to alternative sectors.1
1 cf. Rechorn, Symposium Prof. Martin Qaim „Is Palm Oil Production sustainable? Insights from Indonesia“, Nachhaltigkeitsrecht 2023, 116ff
The driver told us we were a bit crazy, because no tourist has ever been there before 😉 .
More about the sustainability programme of Sime Darby Plantation, the plantation we visited in Malaysia can be found here: Sustainability | Sime Darby Plantation Berhad
After this exciting time in Malaysia, we head over to Sumatra (Indonesia) 🙂 Stay tuned.
Hallo Ihr 2!
Vielen Dank für die tollen Infos über Nachhaltigkeit und Palmöl. War ja so schon sehr spannend zu lesen, was Ihr erlebt. Schön zu sehen, wie Ihr neue Kulturen und Menschen auf Eurer Reise kennenlernt. Bin schon sehr gespannt, was Euch in Indonesien erwartet! Ganz liebe Grüße
Jenny
Liebe Tatiana, ich hatte mich schon Sorge gemacht, weil ihr Beitrag so spät gekommen ist. Ich habe ihn sehr genossen auch deswegen weil ich noch nie im Malaysia war. Ich freue mich schon über die Folge! Schöne Reise! LG Maria Luisa