I love Malaysia - and even it's capital city - Kuala Lumpur - even though I'm not a massive fan of cities. It's a very green city, with ample parks, even its own ecopark with a smattering of tropical rainforest, and a canopy walkway in central Kuala Lumpur. Even though it is a big city, there are a lot of green spaces and the amount of trees around make the air very fresh, given the population and amount of traffic.
KL Birdpark is the largest free-flight walk-in aviary in the world and my favourite place in the city. It's located in the serene and picturesque Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens, not far from the city centre and it is home to over 3,000 birds of approximately 200 species of local and foreign birds. I love sitting in the Hornbill Cafe where you can eat traditional Malay food and grab a drink and spot the hornbills flying freely. This picture below was taken from my table which I was eating Nasi Lemak at. Nasi Lemak is a traditional rice meal that is often cited as Malaysia’s national dish, which includes fragrant rice soaked in coconut cream before steaming and then served with salted peanuts with ikan-bilis (anchovies), hard-boiled eggs, preserved vegetables, fried chicken wings or fish, and sweet sambal chili. It was very good, if quite a bit overpriced. For the view, it's worth it, for sure. :-)
Inside the aviary, feeding time should not be missed. The birds take flight en masse towards the feeders for their afternoon snack. This parakeet stuck around - even after all the food was gone. It's really precious being so close to the birds.
Owltastic
The amount and variety of owl species in the park is impressive. I'm such a big fan of owls. Here are some of them.
Some of my other favorites were the Indian peacocks, the ibis species, and Mandarin ducks. Super friendly flocks of storks and egrets follow you around the park and it's great to be so up close and personal.
In addition, the scenery is very impressive for an aviary. This cascade provides a calming backdrop to pools of water and tall tress harbouring a plethora of birds. What is awe-inspiring is that when you are here, you totally forget that you are -in fact - in a big city. How wonderful it could be if all cities had places like this......❤️ Every time I visit a city, I always head for the greener areas - it's as if I hone in on that wherever I go. I often wish that cities had more trees for so many reasons; animal and plant diversity, shade, clean air, and aesthetics to name but a few. Of course Kuala Lumpur, in my opinion, could do with more trees, but I was inspired nonetheless.....
Do you have favourite havens in the city? Which green spaces inspire you? I'd love to hear about them....
Lots of love,
Marley and Me
xxx
All photos are my own
