1/20/2015. Kuala Lumpur came alive some 150 years ago with tin extraction. The ambassador's residence was built on an old mine so it's a lightning magnet. When the skies started rumbling the other day, we ran screaming out of the pool.
The kids and I agree that so far the most fun we've had in KL was yesterday at a pewter factory. Max ranked the factory #3 on his Best Of Trip list, after our desert safari and going to the top of the Burj Khalifa. Upstairs at the factory is a museum of the city's industrial history. Sounds dry but totally riveting. In the factory you watch 650 workers at different stations pouring, polishing, stamping, and finishing.
The real fun is on the far side of the factory. You get to pour molten tin, antimony, and silver into a mold and watch as an object emerges (in our case, a darling little drawer pull shaped like an alligator). Or someone pours while you watch. Then you can polish it yourself or just observe.
Finally, there's a room where you get to hammer out your very own bowl with a mallet. They give you a flat circle of pewter and some tools. After 20 minutes of big effort, the kids were pink cheeked and bright eyed. They were so excited at what they'd made they didn't even notice their own exhaustion.
Here's some old Malaysian money--pewter figurines of crocodiles and elephants.
Handling molten metals requires three pairs of gloves.
Jane B.
January 20
The orange photo is award winning, Jayne! It tells such a great story. And, The School of Hard Knocks! Completely clever. I love it. The video's were fantastic. I loved seeing and hearing Max's cadence. And it was fun to see the guide helping Keka. (BTW, has she totally come into her own in the last 2-3 weeks?!! She doesn't even look/feel/seem like the little girl I knew in NYC. She looks so grown up! And independent, might I add.) Hands on is awesome!!!! I love that you guys got to pound out your own pieces of pewter. Fascinating. Are you getting exhausted from EVERY DAY being so amazing and fun and enlightening and educational and adventurous?!?! Are you going to be able to keep up this pace until you get to Bali?! Let's see more pictures of YOU, my dear friend. Perhaps a Max post is soon forthcoming -- his words, his pictures of YOU! (and maybe a few of Jon, too?!) Love it. Love you. Keep it coming! ~ Jane
Patrick B
January 20
Max looks like a pro! Keep it coming. Amazing you all. Love.