Holiday ~ Kuala Lumpur (KL)

KL was incredible.  The shopping was so brilliant! we stayed at Melia Hotel which was quite nice but not to the same standard for service as Park Royal.  The location of the Melia Hotel was perfect though.  It was right opposite the Berjaya Times Square shopping centre and within walking distance to the Petronas Towers, Central Market, China Town and Menara.  We rarely used transport at all.  The food was fantastic with so much variety to choose from.



While in KL we mostly wandered around the city and found thousands of places to shop (although that might be just a slight exaggeration). I did manage to find one shop with beads!

Overall it was a wonderful trip and I returned home relaxed and just a little tanned.

Holiday

My husband and I have now settled back into routine after a wonderful and restful holiday.  We spent 7 days in Penang, an island off the coast of Malaysia and then 4 days in Kuala Lumpur.  It was fantastic and just what we both really  needed.

We stayed at Park Royal Resort, which was perfect.  It was right on the beach with lots of water sports right outside the hotel.  there was a gorgeous pool and the hospitality was amazing.  There was easy access to a huge range of food choices and a night market on the doorstep of the hotel.  There were hotel organised tours (if you wanted them) and plenty to do.  Most of the time though we spent lazing around the pool and  going for walks in the local area.

In Penang, we visited the Botanical Gardens and the Butterfly Farm.  We went to the most incredible temples and wandered around GeorgeTown and the Little India area (the goldsmith shops in Little India were amazing with the jewellers making at the front of the shop so you could watch how they made the intricate pieces of gold work).

Gemstones

I love gemstones and at the moment I am getting quite a collection. The colours and textures are just amazing. My favourite changes every day depending on my mood. I have always loved amethyst but at the moment my favoutire purple would have to be sugilite. One of my closest friends loves rubies, so I bought some to make her a pair of earrings and maybe a bracelet to match a lovely necklace she had but the colour was just a little too pink. I also bought some garnets and this matched her ruby necklace beautifully. I am not sure how I will use them yet but they will probably be wire wrapped and added to a chain as they are only 4mm faceted. I think that gemstones are so versatile, they can be earthy or colourful or even sparkling. They can be mixed with glass, wood, metal, crystal or acrylic and they always look gorgeous. There is such a variety of shapes and sizes as well as cuts it is incredible. I love setting cabochons into simple silver settings but unfortunately I haven't really had much time for that lately. The majority of the gemstones in my collection are beads and I have tried to buy ones which are natural, rather than dyed or man made. Sometimes though I have not been able to resist some of the amazing colours of dyes sea sediment jasper and even some agates. I am so looking forward to making lots of new jewellery during the next couple of months, while I am on long service leave. Hope I don't bombard you all with too many photos of my new creations. I can't wait to get started but will have to wait until I get home from my holiday. Stay safe, happy and keep smiling Lee-Anne :)