Prime Minister's Hari Raya Open House

Our Prime Minister opened up his house to the public on the first day of Hari Raya. That was Sunday, Sep 20. Believe it or not, I actually wanted to attend and revisit the PM's official residence after enjoying my earlier visit there. I didn't make it though because I couldn't get anyone to want to come along. Maybe next year, i.e., if I could convince some people to make the trip all the way to Putrajaya.

Many years ago, I joined a local tour to visit Putrajaya. It was at the time when Tun Mahathir was the Prime Minister. The tour took us to a few tourist attractions, i.e, the government offices (the PM's office), the Wetlands, Masjid Putra (Putra Mosque), and most significantly was the visit to the Prime Minister's official residence, Seri Perdana. Yes, it is open to the public.

In fact, a tour of Seri Perdana is highly recommended. Seri Perdana is open 0900-1230 and 1400-1700 everyday (including Public Holidays) except Mondays and Fridays. On Fridays, Seri Perdana is open 0900-1200 and 1500-1700. The residence is closed to the public on Mondays or when official functions are being held. Entry is free but visitors are required to submit their MyKad (Malaysian citizens) or passports when obtaining Visitor Pass from the public gate. Cameras are allowed. You can call (603)8888-8800 or e-mail ppmpmr@smpke.jpm.my.The Putrajaya Wetland is a fascinating place. The waters eventually flow down to the river where the Putra Mosque stands and by that time, the water is all clean and clear due to the filtration system of the Wetland.

We didn't stay long enough to explore the Wetland so we did not get to see any flora or fauna but we did manage to go up one of those viewing lofts, the one circled in the image below. From that vantage point, a pair of binoculars and some time would be just perfect for Wetland appreciation. Alas! We had neither.

Visiting the Putra Mosque was quite an experience. It was my first ever visit to a mosque. It is an awesome structure. One has to visit it to appreciate its overall beauty from its architecture to interior tile colours and design to its surroundings. Women are required to cover their hair so scarves were provided at the entrance. Word of advice here: you might want to BYOS (bring your own scarf) because I wondered if the ones loaned out were ever laundered. They didn't smell too good. Oh well..

Standing outside on the eastside and toward the end of the mosque, you could see the Wetland in the distance. The breeze coming in toward the mosque makes the place very cooling and the air refreshingly pleasant. Great fengshui, the mosque, I thought.

Below is a picture of the Putra Mosque. Architecture evolves over time, including that of mosques in Malaysia. There are many new mosques here that look something like the Putra Mosque with the red-white-peach shade.

Since I didn't make it to the PM's Open House, this video is as close as I could get this time.




Sources:
Putrajaya.net
kiat.net