Malaysia – Truly Asia

I visited Malaysia in 2009, mainly staying in Kuala Lumpur (commonly referred to as KL). This was my 2^nd visit, first one being in 1998. Malaysia is a gorgeous green tropical country. It is hot and humid all year around. Temperature remains between 32_c & 22_c throughout. It rains almost every day, though weather is getting drier recently. KL is located very near to equator line so day and night are almost always of same duration. Sun rises around 7 am and sets around 7 pm, with few minutes’ difference in summer & winter. One day it rained a lot and there was some wind too. Temperature dropped just below 20_c. The locals started crying, ooh it is too cold, can’t go out tonight! I was wondering what’s going on here, temperature rarely goes above 20_c in UK.

Click on the Photos to Enjoy the Stunning Beauty

Missing Monkeys

A lot of trees have been chopped to accommodate new developments. Some of my relatives live here permanently. There was jungle at the back of their house when I visited them last time. I used to watch monkeys running around on trees and roof tops. My auntie would advise me to close the back door properly because monkeys would wreak havoc in the kitchen the moment they find a slightest opportunity to sneak in; sadly there are no monkeys anymore, just humans all around.

Mix Malaysia – Truly Asia

Malaysia has about 60% Malays; all Muslims, 23% Chinese, 10% Indigenous and 07% Indians (mostly south Indians, Tamils, and some Pakees, Banglas, etc etc). Politics, Government and related jobs are dominated by Malays, business by Chinese and labour market by us poor Indians! Malay is their national language and English is spoken commonly, followed by Chinese and Indian (Tamil & Hindi).

Kuala Lumpur

KL is a relatively new city. It was established in 1857 by 87 Chinese miners who were extracting tin in the area; 61 died out of malaria & other tropical diseases within one month of their arrival. KL thrived though, soon becoming a prosperous village thanks to British who were quite active in this area at the time. 1957 saw British leaving the country after 151 years long rule giving independence to Malaysia. KL became the capital of country. You can easily see British influence on the culture, law and old buildings.

Malays are good Muslims in general. They are polite and humble people. Many Malay haajees are young; loads of newly married couples perform hajj straight after marriage. Men usually wear colorful shirts and trousers or Malay dress and slippers. Most Malay girls wear Hijab (head scarf), shirt and jeans. Chinese girls wear mostly shorts and shirts. The dressing was more modest back in 1998 but isn’t the case this time.

Different communities have their own areas; the most famous one is China Town. Muslim, Hindu and Chinese festivals are celebrated rigorously. It was Deevali (DeepaVali) time when I was there so all the shopping malls were decorated accordingly.

Food

Malaysian cuisine is a true mixture of Chinese, Malay and Indian food. There are so many varieties that Malaysia is really a heaven for food lovers. Typical Malay food consists of rice and many types of curries. Coconut and palm oil is used a lot. Food hygiene standards are good in food shops and prices are reasonable. There is a tradition that people arrange open house parties for friends after Eid. I was invited to one such event. The host’s house was decorated and a variety of foods were being prepared by an army of chefs outside.

Funny Fruits

Malay fruits are really strange-looking; I bet you haven’t even seen them before but all are very tasty, except the devil Durrian. This local favorite fruit called Durrian is so smelly that it is officially banned from hotels, shops, offices etc. Locals love it; but won’t take it home, rather consume it at the shop. One day feeling brave I tried a tiny bit but could not swallow it. It was really…. pasand apni apni (choice belongs to the chooser!)

Teh Tarek

Oh by the way, don’t forget to try Teh Tarek, which literally means Pulled Tea. This tea is made by running hot water through tea leaves packed in a sock, followed by mixing sugar and condensed milk, and then pulling it to full length couple of times; really tasty treat. Look at the photoabove to see how much it is pulled (see the Bollywood hero-style smile on the tea maker’s face)! Chai pee-yein ga Sohnia? We visited his canteen everyday around 11 for the morning tea break; Cup of tea and a samosa – a perfect treat to energise till lunch.

Sightseeing

I climbed up the Menara KL (KL Tower) 421 meter high, the 2^nd tallest free-standing tower, and 7^th tallest Communications Tower in the world.  I also climbed up (used lift more precisely) the KL Twin Towers which are 451.9 meters high. Its official name is Petronas Towers. These are the tallest twin towers and the 7^th tallest building in the world. The towers are connected in the middle via a tunnel. There was almost no security when I visited the Towers back in 1998. But this time it was quite high, similar to airports; X-Ray machines, bag searches, IDs. Anyway, do visit Petronas Towers if you happen to be in KL. There is nice shopping area, many restaurants and a beautiful park near the towers. I was staying in a hotel very near to it. The whole area including towers appears stunning in the night lights.

Other famous buildings worth visiting are KL Train Station, High Court and Jamek Mosque. Otherwise there are numerous building, parks, old streets, open air markets and natural beauty areas to visit. Just forgot to mention, KL has metro (underground) driver-less train system; I have only seen it in Dubai other than here.

Bye Malaysia – Truly Asia.. See You Again…