In my last post I described our exploration of KL’s Muslim heritage. “Not very child-friendly,” you may have been thinking, and my kids agreed. So to make it up to them, we took them to the Bird Park.

Admission to the Bird Park cost us 67 ringgits each for adults, and 45 for the children (RMB 110/ RMB 72). We might have been happier paying this had we not been overcharged by the taxi – we should have insisted on paying the amount on the meter, but in the heat and confusion we got suckered.

However it turned out to be good value. The Bird Park advertises itself as “the world’s largest free-flight aviary”, and it certainly offers plenty to see on its 20 acres. We’d intended to also visit the nearby Butterfly Park and Deer Park, but in the end the birds took up almost an entire day.

Not all the birds are free to fly around, which is probably just as well, since the hawks and the pigeons have not yet learned to live together in sweet harmony. The park is divided into three main zones, with other sections for different types of bird, such as parrots and bulbuls. There are many birds wandering around though, and the peacocks are happy to display their tails for photographs, although this can make it difficult to get past them on the paths.

The park also misses no opportunity to get more money out of its customers. However I couldn’t resist spending a few ringgits on having my kids pose with parrots (see above), and we also indulged ourselves with a fish spa, letting the doctor fish nibble away at the dead skin on our feet.

The fish spa attendant finally chucked us out with the warning that we’d be late for the show. I’d sworn we wouldn’t go to the show, grumbling that I really didn’t need to see a parrot riding a bicycle, but in the end it proved irresistible. The parrots didn’t ride bikes, but they did play on a slide, and display impressive mathematical abilities, adding up numbers and ringing a bell to indicate the answer.

We spent so long at the park that we ended up eating lunch there. We usually avoid restaurants with captive audiences, but the Hornbill cafe offers decent food at reasonable prices (as elsewhere in Malaysia, local food is significantly cheaper than western dishes.)

I have written before about the moral queasiness I feel visiting places where animals are confined for the entertainment of humans. I refuse to go to any more aquariums, and I’m wary about zoos. However none of the birds seemed distressed, as I have seen other animals appear in Chinese parks, and if your kids love wildlife as mine do, then the KL Bird Park will send them away with happy memories.

Photos: Andrew Killeen

Islam came to Malaysia in the Middle Ages, brought by Arabian and Indian traders. This long history can be found everywhere in KL, in its culture and architecture. We felt that we hadn’t really seen the city until we’d visited a few of the sights which reflect this Islamic heritage.

The Jamek mosque, or Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad to give it its proper name, lies at the heart of KL, near to the central Merdeka Square. It was built in 1909 to plans by a British architect, who also designed KL’s dramatic railway station, with its Moorish minarets and staircases.

Kuala Lumpur Railway Station

Entrance to the mosque is free, though donations for its upkeep are welcomed. If, in the tropical heat, you’re insufficiently covered up, clothes are available to help you meet the dress code. My wife ended up in a red jilbab, which drew comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale when she posted pictures on Facebook.

A guide offered to show us around, and pointed out that the building was not in the local style, but is modeled after the Mughal mosques of Northern India which the British colonialists were more familiar with. I was expecting the guide to ask for a tip, but I had misread the situation; the guides are simply proud of their mosque, and enjoy showing it off to visitors.

The Masjid Jamek was Malaysia’s national mosque until 1965, when the Masjid Negara was opened. The new building, opposite the railway station, blends tradition and modernity in its architecture, in a bold statement of the confidence of the newly independent Malaysia. Its plazas and fountains offer a cool, calm relief from the bustle of KL.

Up the hill past the Masjid Negara are a number of public buildings, including the Museum of Islamic Art. This costs a modest 14 ringgits for adults (RMB 3.5) and 7 for children, and boasts an impressive collection of art from all around the Islamic world. There are models of famous mosques, showing how their construction varies across time and cultures; we were pleased to find the Great Mosque of Xi’an, which we’ve visited in real life. Among the many displays are pottery from China, traditional clothing from Central Asia, and early Qurans from Arabia. I was particularly fascinated by the ancient Persian maps and books about medicine.

A medieval book of medicine, at KL’s Museum of Islamic Art

My children, though they are accustomed to being dragged around museums and temples, were beginning to find so much culture in one day a little wearing. They brightened up when we found the weapons and armor on display: swords, chainmail, bows, and early guns. They know now the difference between flintlock and matchlock muskets, and were pleased to learn that the British-made guns almost certainly came from our hometown of Birmingham. However, in the end, I had to promise them that the next day we’d do something that interested them, and check out the local wildlife.

Photos: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas via Wikimedia Commons, Andrew Killeen, Gryffindor via Wikimedia Commons

Families of passengers still missing aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are falling short in their efforts to raise USD 5 million to fund private investigation into the aircraft’s disappearance and reward sources who might come forward with more information.

A crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo has so far raised over USD 80,000 and may reach its target of USD 100,000 when it closes on July 8, but that number has been revised down from the earlier USD 5 million figure, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Registered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and representing families and loved ones of the missing passengers including former Beijing resident and beijingkids contributor Sarah Bajc, MH370 Is Missing With 239 People On Board, Help The Families Find The Truth’s video states "The investigation has failed," and later "We must find the truth."

Bajc appears in the video holding a sign that says, "My name is Sarah Bajc. My life partner Philip Wood sat in 11c on MH370. I am on the Governance Committee for Reward MH370. Please Donate!"

Also appearing in the video is Ghyslain Wattrelos, whose wife Laurence, son Hadrien, and daughter Ambre, are among the 239 missing passengers and crew. Hadrien and Ambre both attended the Lycee Francais International de Pekin, as did Hadrien’s friend Zhao Yan, who was also on board MH370.

An unidentified member of the group’s governance committee expressed frustration over the relatively low number of donations,especially in view of the success of other campaigns, in an update to the MH370 page. "Esther the wonder pig has raised CAD 450,000 in the last 4 weeks to build a sanctuary from over 7,500 contributors. Yet, our campaign to find 239 missing humans with 239 grieving families is failing to gain traction and or wide spread [sic]support," the post reads.

An earlier campaign, "Ready to Believe: MH370 Comfort Campaign," started by a Washington, DC-based group called Spark & Hustle closed after almost two months without raising a single dollar.

Malaysia Airlines MH370 dropped from radar on March 8 during a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 passengers and crew aboard. No verified communication or objects from the plane have been received or found since then. Along with 154 Chinese passengers, a number of members of Beijing’s international community remain missing.

A full list of non-Chinese passengers categorized by nationality is here. A full list of passengers including Chinese names can be found here.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on Jul 1, 2014.

Photos courtesy of thebeijinger.com