Malaysia (Covid-19 & My Staycation No 1 - Kuala Lumpur) June 6 2020 Part 1

" My Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) & 1st Staycation in Kuala Lumpur City Center, Malaysia (Masjid Jamek, Masjid India, River of Life, Dataran Mederka, Sultan Samad Building, Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Ampang, Central Market & Kasturi Walk) by Rapid KL train from SS15, Subang Jaya > Masjid Jamek; returning from Pasar Seni > SS15, Subang Jaya  (2 train rides=US$0.84) on Saturday June 6 2020 (09.30 > 13.30) during the conditional movement restriction period under the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the Government from March 18 > June 9 2020 - wearing a face mask, temperature checks & observing physical distancing for my staycation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia " 

Total expenses incurred (2 train rides): Rm1.90 x 2 = Rm3.80 (US$0.84 Senior 50% discount)

" The pain of YESTERDAY is the strength of TODAY "

My 2nd Staycation (domestic vacation) in Kuala Lumpur due to Covid-19 pandemic affecting global travelling; a new holiday destination in my home country due to fears of second wave Covid-19 infections & disruptions of air travel; at this juncture, domestic tourism is probably the best option for travellers & holiday makers, though inter-state travels will be lifted starting on Tuesday June 10 2020 but international travel is still banned until further notice by the Malaysian Government

Travel itinerary (3 hours of walking tour + 2 LRT train rides): Subang Jaya > Masjid Jamek > Masjid India > Jalan Dang Wangi > Jalan Ampang > River of Life, Lebuh Pasar > Dataran Mederka > Pasar Seni > Subang Jaya

Staycation Highlights - Saturday June 6 2020

1) Lat's Cartoon Characters Sculptures, Jalan Melaka, Kuala Lumpur 

2) Masjid Jamek (Mosque), Kuala Lumpur

3) Masjid India (Mosque), Kuala Lumpur

4) Jalan Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur 

5) Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 

6) River of Life, Lebuh Pasar, Kuala Lumpur

7) Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Kuala Lumpur

8) Mural on the wall by the river's edge, Leboh Pasar, Kuala Lumpur 

9) Central Market, Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur

10) Kasturi Walk, Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur

The start of my home place & Rapid KL train ride from SS15, Subang Jaya > Masjid Jamek, Kuala Lumpur - wearing a face mask, temperature checks at LRT stations, practising physical distancing inside the trains etc

Suburban scenery (along the Federal Highway & Subang Jaya township) as viewed from the Rapid KL LRT train windows (Subang Jaya > Kuala Lumpur City) & LRT stations

Masjid Jamek LRT station & nearby places

Walking around the various tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur during the Movement Control Order (MCO) gave me this eerie feeling. It's a vast, empty world out there ! Virtually all industry sectors are suffering & simply "can't breathe" as the months long lockdown means no customers & business income. Covid-19 pandemic has grind both the global & domestic tourism to a halt ! My two recent staycation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (my home country), be it visiting an iconic landmark eg Petronas Twin Tower or Malaysia's No 1 shopping mall eg Suria KLCC or a popular historic landmark eg Dataran Mederka (Independence Square) - everything looked not that rosy especially in the tourism, hospitality & food service industry ie streets were quiet, devoid of pedestrians & vehicles, shopping malls empty, closing of entertainment outlets, food courts & restaurants, noticeble absence of local & foreign tourists etc - all these scenarios were reflected in the various pictures I had taken & posted in my travel blog ... so indeed Covid-19 has "silenced" a number of cities heavily relying on tourism revenue to boost their country's economy !  

1) Cartoonist on streets near Jalan Melaka & Masjid Jamek LRT station, Kuala Lumpur - a series of Datuk Lat's (Kampung boy & Town boy) cartoon drawings reflecting the daily life of local communities & Malaysian culture in the 1960's

2) Jalan Melaka - Menara Bank Muamalat (Menara Bumiputera - 1978)

3) Heritage Trail - Oriental Building, Kuala Lumpur

4) Jalan Melaka - Menara Etiqa (Bangunan Dato Zainal - 1978)

5) Heritage Trail - Masjid (Mosque) Jamek, Kuala Lumpur - this KUL City Right Here where you stand is where it all began ! 

6) Masjid (Mosque) India, Kuala Lumpur - shops opened but lack customers, lanes & main streets were quiet ... I was the only soul looking like a tourist from China wandering around the backlanes of Masjid India ! 

7) Jalan Dang Wangi (Campbell Street), Kuala Lumpur - tallest mural in Malaysia, the old Campbell shopping center & Restoran Yut Kee were my favourite lunch & window shopping places as they were within walking distance from my work place during the late 1960s & late 1970s ! My Good Old Days ! Revisiting Campbell street one more time ! 

8) Bukit Nanas & Telekom Tower, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

9) Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur - reliving the fond memory of my good old days working in two British multi-national trading companies whose offices were located in Jalan Ampang during the late 1960 & 1970 period; so this walking tour from Jalan Dang Wangi to Jalan Ampang is indeed a refreshing one !