Monday, January 05, 2004

Batu Road is a well known part of Kuala Lumpur...it is now known as Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman....it still host the old shops that makes Kuala Lumpur famous as the shopping centre during the period of the colonial era.......next to this famous road is the court house and the Selangor Padang....it is at this padang or field that the Union Jack was lowered down for the last time and saw the raising of the Malaysian Flag for the first time on the night of Merdeka Day [Independence Day]...the thirty first August nineteen fifty seven...the Padang [green field] is still there together with the colonial club house call the Selangor Club, where the European use to spend their time drinking and socialized and the padang is the place where they play cricket...there is a small theatre at one corner of the colonial building.... beside the court house...where during the colonial era plays were stages...for the entertainment of the colonial masters......it is still use till this day for small theatrical performances...the Padang has since being given a face lift with landscaping, underground shopping mall and a multi purpose open air stage for performance during festive season, especially on the Independence day or Merdeka Day as it is call here....on such occasion this field would be throng with thousands of people watching entertainment show by local stars....one of the most memorable event is the night just before the thirty first of August.....thousand would crowd the padang to watch the clock struck midnight on the thirtieth August...and stood vigil for the count down of the time as it approach the midnight to usher in the thirty first of August...as a reminder of the time the Union Jack was brought down and no longer fly in this country....instead the New Malaysian flag was rised to take it place...Today at the Merdeka Square [Independence Square] there stood the highest flag poles with the largest Malaysian flag at the top flying gallantly...a reminder to Malaysian of it Independent...opposite the Padang is the Sultan Abdul Samad building build by the British sometime in the late nineteen century...it was the administrative centre of the British during the colonial era....today it house the judiciary which include the High court....it is a place of historical important and a must place for tourist to visit on their tour of the capital city. ......Coming back to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman..it has since make a come back as a shopping paradise for the city folks...there are now modern shopping Mall where one could shop for anything under the sun...along the road there are cozy restaurant, snack bar beside the traditional coffee shops and the mamak shop....the old retailer that sell textiles and other consumer needs are still there and today sell the latest textiles from all over the world....so today we decided to shop here for textile and indeed we came to the right place...where choice was many and the price a bit cheaper then at the posh departmental store....this street is alway busy with cars passing by between the rows of shops...the shop are always full of people of all ages browsing and buying their needs....it is also has became a bargain haven for the tourist...tug in between those old shops are hotels that provide good accommodation for the budget travelers...where everything from shopping for souvenirs and cheap eating place are within a walking distance...We did our shopping here and then had lunch at a side cafe....while there we met a lady friend from the state of Sarawak...of all the place and in the crowd...we met...what a day since we have not met her for almost twelve years...in fact we lost contact with her...when she approace my wife....for a second... we were lost....it was only when she mentioned her name that we began to remember her and her sister....Imagine in the crowd we met...It was all smile and we are indeed happy that we made contact with her again...We wanted her to joins us for lunch but she was in a hurry...we chat and exchanges phone numbers and then she left...We are indeed happy that this trip to Batu Road have given us... the chance in a million of meeting old friends......it is indeed a Godsend meeting...well we left home happy that we have manage to buy those clothing that we need and got a bonus of a sort...the chance meeting with a long lost friends from the state of Sarawak...What a day......

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