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Published: January 27th 2007
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A death trap on wheels? OR A funny story to tell later? A village with serious garbage disposal issues? OR A unique example of Malays making a living? The truth is, there are two sides to every story and the trick is to see, understand and appreciate both sides.
Since arriving in Malaysia I've been trying to figure out exactly what it is I've been seeing. People from home keep asking me if it would be considered third world; I assume so they can paint a picture in their heads. This is a question that is much more complicated than it seems and one I certainly am not qualified to answer. However, I can try to paint a picture based on what I have seen so far (which is very little) and my selective experiences as a tourist.
In the city, it seems that there are two opposite worlds. Some areas are completely manicured and ritzy where you know the perfume, clothes and accessories people wear are the real thing, not the knockoffs from Chinatown. Other parts have people living in tiny apartments that look like a fire has charred the building, the balconies are covered in drying laundry
(why is this considered a sign of poverty?) and their appearance is a little lacking. I still have not seen very much of a middle class.
One thing I've really noticed is that the infrastructure is not maintained. This has been true everywhere so far and become worse the further we travel from Kuala Lumpur. Many buildings are extremely run down on the inside and out, some are just concrete shells left to eventually fall down. However, buildings that are always clean and maintained are the temples, mosque's and other places of worship.
How does Malaysia differ from Canada? Well for one, the coffee comes in a bag. Literally, HOT coffee is served in a plastic bag, tied with a ribbon and a straw for drinking. Unlike Toronto, the people begging on the streets all have some kind of deformity or are missing a limb. Health and safety is clearly not taken as seriously here as it is at home. I have seen construction workers in sandals, helmet less kids riding on motorcycles with their parents (who interestingly enough ARE wearing helmets), deep and dangerous holes in the middle of busy sidewalks, and every cab driver will tell
you NOT to wear your seatbelt (which makes me grab for mind even faster).
Environmental issues also appear to be less of a concern to the general public. In a small town called Malaka, April and I went searching for a beach and all we found was a man dumping a bag full of unknowns into the water. We also visited a small fishing village outside of KL and the entire thing was built on stilts because it was a very swampy area and had to account for the rising and falling tides. There were no cars (only bicycles and motorcycles) so the streets were VERY narrow and like everything else, also lifted up. It was a very interesting town with a "quiet charm" as April described it; however, under every house and structure, it looked exactly like a muddy garbage dump. There were rats and numerous stray dogs scrounging through it for scraps. Buses are also a major polluter. They are ALWAYS kept running and clearly would not pass any emissions tests. It is these sorts of things that tell me Malaysia is still a developing country.
Although in every city and bus station we have no
choice but to inhale gas fumes, April had one unexpected experience in our "death trap on wheels" bus. We were returning to KL from Malaka and right away noticed the vents were spewing out gas fumes. We assumed this problem would resolve itself once we started moving, unfortunately in only got worse. No one around us seemed to be noticing and the bus driver did not understand April's complaint. Finally, people starting coughing and covering their faces, clear sign something was seriously wrong. We spoke to some of the people around us and it took two attempts of them talking to the driver for him to finally pull over and get us another bus. By then April and I were handing out wet wipes for people to breath through. Again, everything is an experience in Asia.
Although Malaysia may be a developing country, it only adds uniqueness to its beauty. I feel as though my eyes have adjusted to this new part of the world and I am now seeing things as they are. Despite the occasional discomforts, I am now really starting to thrive on this part of my travels. This is the kind of traveling that can
View of the village once you walk in a bit
Ignore everything under the stilts and it really did have a very nice quiet charm. be life changing.
Celia has now joined us and we are quite a happy little trio, looking out for each other and living life to its fullest. We have finally left the hot, sticky and crowded city and begun our journey North through the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia heading towards Thailand.
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Lindsay
non-member comment
in awe...
wow heather. im completely amazed by everything you're seeing! i can imagine how life-changing it all must be. its a good thing you had those wet wipes ;) i can't believe youve been gone for over 3 months now! - more than 100 days! we all miss you like crazy! xoxoxo