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Published: March 29th 2008
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Sky high
Residential skyscrapers in Penang. Languid in Langkawi
We came to Malaysia somewhat as a surprise. Investigating flights out of Thailand, we stumbled across very cheap flights to Laos via Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia? Why not?
Having not really done any research, our scant knowledge of Malaysia was made up of bits and pieces recalled from the letters of my childhood penpal, Ridzuan, of our friend Kelly’s stories of her childhood in Malaysia, and tidbits like ‘aren’t there those two big towers there? And something about a huge wave-park? And good shopping?’ So much for being worldly.
Despite being well-unprepared, Malaysia surprised us in so many ways.
The first thing we were struck with, as usual, was the people. Taxi drivers here are the forerunners for the friendliest people in the world. They are exceedingly proud of their country and with very good reason. Malaysia is a rich, vibrant mash-up of some very colourful cultures: Malay, Chinese and Indian being the prominent players. Distinct cultural groups have formed in between these - the Baba-Nonyas (literally 'fathers and mothers') come from Malay and Chinese heritage, while the Chittys are love-children of Malay-Indian marriages. Add dashes of Portuguese, Dutch and British flavour, and
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Chinese New Year decorations in a mall. there you have the basis for Malaysia.
Naturally with so many tasty influences, the food here is exceptional. Our driver in Malacca said “You’re here for two days? You will weigh twenty kilos more when you leave! Ha ha!” This is true for all of Malaysia. This country left us bursting at the seams - hawker stalls frying, steaming and ladling all manner of snacks, meals, soups and desserts from sweet and sour ayam laksa (a fishy soup with noodles), dim sum and dumplings, deep fried onion baji to fluorescent pink chicken tikka - it’s all here. It didn’t take us long at all to abandon any ideas of control and let ourselves go in a gastronomic orgy that had us eating roti canai with chicken randang for breakfast, dumplings for dinner and numerous meals in between. You will notice there are few photos of us from this trip - the camera has done our swelling forms no favours.
Islam is the country’s most populous religion, but with as heady a mix of cultures as this, Buddhism and Hindu both have a prominent presence (Christianity can be found in charming colonial era churches that spring up around the
Bantai Kok
The view from Tanjung Sanctuary's over-water restaurant. city). It’s not difficult to find a pagoda sharing acreage with a Hindu temple, with the plump dome of a mosque rising above both a block over. Similarly you can be chowing down on a mid-afternoon snack of sweet Indian pancakes or steamed pork buns whilst the lyrical call to prayer rises over the city. Malaysia is a fascinating place.
We arrived in Penang, a small island north of Kuala Lumpur. Penang is rich in attractions but we were still feeling a bit templed out, so gave many a miss. Instead we hired a bike and coasted around the island’s beaches, stopping for coffees here and there and admiring the scenery. We ate at hawker stalls, had a delicious gingery chai at the Spice Garden, admired the remnants of the British Colonial buildings and were spun out by the sheer enormity of the residential skyscrapers that shot up out of the landscape.
February isn’t actually the greatest time to be in Malaysia and with the monsoon rains lingering in the eastern parts of the country we decided to confine ourselves to the west. Thus we made our way to Langkawi, a pretty island near the border of Thailand.
Two great reads...
Duncan on the beach with the irreplaceable Lonely Planet and one by our new favourite author, David Mitchell.
In the spirit of continuing to blow our budget we spent a few nights in an enormous bungalow overlooking the beach. Our stay was surprisingly full of wildlife - crab-easting macaques that rampaged over the balcony searching for scraps; dusty gibbons with furry white halos around their black eyes that frolicked in the trees above the pool every afternoon; flocks of hornbills peering eerily sideways at us as we read on the deck; enormous monitor lizards that gathered below the restaurant’s balcony each morning to be fed meat scraps from uneaten breakfasts; giant black squirrels, only just smaller than the monkeys, bounding between trees; and countless birds, bugs and butterflies. It was a true sanctuary of relaxation.
From there to Kuala Lumpur, where we took in the sights of the mega shopping malls, the glowing Petronas Towers and the slightly depressing Zoo Negara (National Zoo). We walked through the hubbub of Chinatown, through Little India past sari shops, stores blaring with Bollywood soundtracks, around the square where independence was announced 51 years ago and along countless dusty alleys, multi-laned overpasses (KL isn’t really a pedestrian city) and mall-lined plazas. KL is only about 150 years old and is a
Dusty monkey
Hanging about in the trees on Langkawi. very modern city in many ways.
A highlight of our stay was the Chinese New Year extravaganza that took place along our street. Children dressed in shiny gold rat suits watched a troupe of Bollywood dancers, while the Malaysian rappers worked the crowd at the next stage. The PM made an appearance, everyone was given free biscuits, Chinese contortionists and acrobats entertained and the police did their best to keep everyone clear of the road. It was great - we’d never go to anything like it at home and felt suitably like tourists.
We had a couple of days to kill before our flight to Laos, so we headed to the historic town of Malacca. A compact town full of treasures, we wandered through the beautifully preserved Chinatown, past the red Dutch colonial houses and across the tiny bridge separating the two. Tuk tuk drivers in Malacca make an artform of their three wheelers, decorating them to the hilt with flowers, umbrellas and shiny foil lanterns. At night they come into their own, with fairy lights and Malaysian pop ballads serenading passengers.
We could have whiled away a few more days wandering the streets and eating the
Bantai Kok from above
Looking down on our way to KL. fabulous food, but were just as eager to get on to our next destination - Laos.
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