This evening marked the end of the “official” side of my trip to Malaysia – so I’ve now got two days to take in the local sights (and tastes) before I fly back to the UK. Although I got to do some of that today anyway, as Cassandra kindly helped me achieve some of the things I’ve wanted to do. And amongst today’s new experiences are …

  • a trip to a Thai Temple – and a chance to reflect among some Taoist deities …
  • eating curry with my fingers – not as messy as it sounds …
  • and getting a flavour of colonial days by taking afternoon tea in The Sphere.

It’s been a day very much marked by reflection – and what better way to do that than by taking in three Buddhist temples from three traditions? Thai, Indian and Chinese – each similar to the others, but very different in its own way, echoing the characters of the young Malaysians it’s been my privilege to work with this week. And Petaling Jaya itself is a city where people from many different traditions live happily alongside each other – Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian to mention just four.

The busyness and bustle of Little India, in the Brickfields area of the city, was in marked contrast to the tranquility of the temples. A place where feeding the belly is every bit as important as feeding the soul. To get an authentic taste of a city, of course, you need to eat like the locals – and in Little India that means with your fingers. I can’t say I managed it as elegantly as my fellow lunchers on the noisy street – but I didn’t drop as much as I thought I would!

Afternoon tea in The Sphere (although also eaten with the fingers), was an altogether different affair again, the dainty cakes and scones harking back to an earlier, colonial era. Cassandra and I were joined by Cordelia – and as the sisters professed themselves not hungry (another example of their kindness and politeness, I’m sure), I had the whole selection to myself. Quite a few of the cakes had pieces of fruit in them, though – so I’m counting the treat as a healthy contribution to my five-a-day (the less said about the copious amounts of whipped cream the better …).

As I ate, the three of us looked back on the events of a hectic but extremely rewarding week. I can’t say too much at the moment, but let’s put it this way: it looks as though Malaysia hasn’t seen the last of as creatives yet!