Cruising the Malacca Strait

The Malacca Strait is the body of water between the west coast of Malaysia and Indonesian Sumatra, and it connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A very busy waterway 560 miles long, it is one of Asia’s primary sea routes, with almost 100,000 vessels passing through each year. Read on for our experience cruising the Malacca Strait. Malacca is pronounced Muh-LAK-uh.

Post Puteri Harbour Anchorages

A few days after returning from Kuala Lumpur, we untied our lines and left the Puteri Harbour dock. We day sailed for the first two days, stopping at the small islands of Pesang and then Besar. I don’t remember much about either, so they must have been peaceful and boring, which is good.

Sunset on the Malacca Strait, Malaysia
Sunset at anchor at Palau Pisang, Malaysia
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Domino: R.I.P.

The best cat we ever knew, Domino. She lived 18 years, 8 of them on a boat. She traveled across an ocean, flew on a few planes, and kept us company over countless passages. We adopted her as a kitten, and tried our best to give her a good life into old age. We will miss you Domino: R.I.P., Rest in Peace.

Early Years

We adopted Domino as a kitten from the Toronto Humane Society. This fiesty little kitten chose us, grabbing from inside her cage. We brought her home and she’s been our baby ever since. Domino was a companion for our still young Maggie, who had lost her sister Serena, killed by a car a few months before. Maggie wasn’t immediately a fan of this interloper, but they grew on each other.

Calico cat and tuxedo cat on a couch
Domino and Maggie in 2016
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Kuala Lumpur Highlights

We spent five days and nights in Kuala Lumpur and were wowed by its mix of styles and cultures. From huge modern skyscrapers to old-school street markets, Malaysia’s biggest city has it all. It’s also big, busy, and very hot, so we learned to go out early in the morning or in the evening, not mid-day. Our Kuala Lumpur highlights include cool neighborhoods, amazing food, and impressive sights.

Kuala Lumpur highlights, Central Market
We loved Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market

About Kuala Lumpur

Located in the western-central part of Peninsular Malaysia, KL is 40km from the west coast and strait of Malacca. From the south, it’s over 300km from Puteri Harbour and took us a few hours on the train. I mentioned the heat, and we went in late June, the dry season. Temperatures ranged around 32C/90F during the day, and the sun is hot and the streets don’t have shade. I missed Cairns!

Malaysia’s largest city, Kuala Lumpur is quite small compared to Tokyo or Jakarta. With a population of just over 2.1 million people, the city is smaller even than Toronto. It’s also considerably cheaper than Tokyo or Toronto. With a culturally diverse population, there’s also lots to see, do, and eat.

giant rotis at TGs Bistro in Kuala Lumpur
We didn’t try, but everyone was taking photos of the giant rotis at TGs Bistro

Intro to Kuala Lumpur

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