Saturday, April 11, 2015

Malaysia, the true melting pot.

Brittany and I in Downtown KL!
In March, I went to Malaysia with Brittany. It was our first Muslim country we had been to, most others in SE Asia are devoted to Buddhism or Taoism. We enjoyed the vast amount of surprises this diverse country had to offer. We experienced a wide range of activities in just a few short days, and we met some great people.

Our flight left early on a Thursday morning, with a short layover in Hong Kong, we were in Kuala Lumpor by 1:00 P.M. Before getting into the Capitol we stopped off in Putrajaya. In this clean, fresh city we had a delicious gyro and hummus lunch, stopped by a parrot farm where at one point we had eight birds on on each of us, and visited the Putra Mosque.
The Putra Mosque is only opened to visitors for a selected amount of time a few times each day, because it's purpose is a place of prayer. Woman must wear a robe to cover themselves, and everyone must take off their shoes before stepping inside. While inside we listened in on a tour guide who said it was the first pink mosque to be built and one of three in the world. The carpet used to be gold which looked much better than the matching pink carpet that lays there now. We met a few locals outside of the mosque, and when we said we were from America they shouted, OBAMA! Haha quiet hilarious.



We wandered around until we found the bus to take us back to the express to the city. The prices were extremely cheap, $10 Malaysian Ringgit is $2.72, $50 Ringgit is $13.53 U.S!
We got into Kuala Lumpor as the sun was setting, the differences of the two cities was extremely evident and right away we noticed the men stare a little too long and a little too hard. We found our hostel with the help of a spunky tour guide who informed us to be careful. Raizzy's Guesthouse was in an excellent location. A block from the subway, Chinatown, central market, the tour station, and even next door to the Hindu temple I'd wished to see!

The men of our guesthouse were a little, let's say, overprotective of Brittany and I. I'm sure they meant to come off as caring, but they continually came into our room without knocking which made us feel a bit uneasy about our five night stay.   Anyways, we met a former ABC (American born Chinese) who had been traveling for 9 years because "our country is ruining it's currency and running the economy into the ground," well he gave us great info on what islands we could make it to and what we should hit in KL. 
We met a young traveler from the Netherlands, Annie, on our first night. We said we'd meet the following day to explore the city together since Thursday was our night to experience Malay nightlife! While we only made it to the local famous Raggae Bar, it was a great time. We even went out with a few others from the hostel, an Aussie, a French man, and a Japanese fellow.
For lunch the next day, we met Annie for some amazing Thai food which also served a detox drink. The owner was very friendly, I remember this so vividly because us girls even discussed how this is how a foreigner should handle his business in an Asian country.


Then, we took the subway out to the Batu Caves. One of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. The first cave was full of vibrant statues which were telling an ancient Hindu story, of that I only wish I knew. We saw a mob of monkeys outside the entrance, sadly all playing with garbage left by visitors. Afterwards we climbed the 272 steps up to the main cave which is dedicated to Lord Murugan. Inside we watched a call to prayer as they played music and blessed themselves. There were large gaping wholes in the ceiling of the cave where trees started to grow because they could see the sun. As I stood under it, a light rain came through.
Back in KL we tried to make it to the Sultan Building in the pouring rain. Instead we got some food in Chinatown after two young Malayans offered us shelter with their umbrellas. 
Feeling good after a great day we started to go a little market bargain shopping. Each of us getting a little giddy with our steal of a bargain gifts!
When Annie went home, Britt and I set out for the KLCC Petronas Twin Tower building. Standing at 452 meters, 1,483 feet, this building is based 'on the five pillars of the Islam, which can be seen in the round shapes of the towers.' Today, these towers have become a symbol of Malaysia.

Saturday morning we woke up early to meet Annie and catch a bus to Pangkor. Our bus was delayed and then waited around for over an hour, then it took five hours before we were off the ferry dock of Pangkor. I didn't mind too badly, the view of Malaysia was incredible through that bus window. Endless oceans of palm trees as far as I could see, deep forests and steep mountains. Just pure beauty.

All over Malaysia there is a huge mix of people, mainly due to the country being a third Malay, a third Chinese, a third Indian, and a whole gaggle of ethnic groups. I was also impressed with the amount of English that was known throughout the country.
In Jeti-Pangkor we took a pink taxi to Coral Beach. The sun came out for us and we enjoyed a delicious lunch and coconut with out feet in the sand! There was an even smaller island you could "swim" to or pay for a ride over to. We didn't bother with that since the beach was nearly empty, with enough hammocks and swings for everyone.

Pangkor sits off the west coast of Malaysia in the Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean. The water was perfect temperature and just enough waves for me to not get knocked down. After relaxing in the sunshine and Britt's nap in a hammock we walked through the market streets where we again saw more monkeys, this time they had bananas.

Malaysia was also full of stary cats, we had a count going at one point but gave up after a dozen. We searched for a cool drink and waited for the fairy to take us back.


Due to Malaysia being a Islamic/ Hindu country, finding alcohol is difficult and their tax on it is much higher. 
We took an overnight bus back to KL, where we parted ways from our dear friend Annie and hit the hay.

Sunday we finally stayed in the Capitol of Kuala Lumpor and explored the sites. First we went to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, where the declaration of Malaysian's  independence was held on August 31, 1957. Today it holds the Malaysian Ministry of Information, Communication, and Culture. When we went inside, we saw displays of famous Malayan landmarks and world heritage sites.
Then we went to Masid Jamek, the oldest mosque in KL opened in 1909. This is the site where KL's first settlers began. Built by an English architect who was inspired by the Moghul mosques in India. Woman must also be covered while visiting and only set times for tourists to visit this mosque.
 
After that we went to Bukit Bintang, or the golden triangle shopping district. The malls were insanely huge, we were wandering for awhile and seeing no real end in site.

Before getting lost in the mall we had an amazing lunch where we could order flavored shisha or hookah.
 
On our way back we noticed the woman only subway cars, which was nice since this was the first country I didn't feel the safest walking at night in.

We stopped into Sri Mahamariamman Temple which was literally next door to our guesthouse. It's the oldest Hindu temple in KL built in 1873 as a private shrine for the Pillai family. It was opened to the public is 1920.

The five-tier tower is carved in South Indian style, with 228 brightly colored figures from the Indian epic, Ramayana. (Later that evening a wedding began in this temple and was still going on when we finally departed from KL on Tuesday.)

We went into the well-known Central Market and the Kasturi walk, which was a maze of fascination. The Central Market is the host for Malaysian culture, arts, and crafts started in 1888. Endless handicrafts, art, textiles, souvenirs, and collectables showcase Malaysian heritage.

Kasturi Walk is an outdoor shopping haven also full if souvenirs, accessories, and handicrafts.
Our last stop was back in Chinatown, we had dinner, got a full body massage, and once more did some bargain shopping in the streets.
Monday was our last full day, we woke up early for our 6 am pickup, another late bus, to Taman Negara Rainforest. Luckily, we could sleep the whole way there on the van. One other couple from Austria joined us before breakfast and we arrived around 10 AM. Getting closer to the rainforest the plam trees were enormous, it was interesting to see cows and goats grazing around palm trees as well. First we did the jungle trekking which had two beautiful view points.

We had a native tour guide who knew a lot about the forest. He showed us the tree bark best used for fire, the thin bamboo and it's many uses, the giant timber ants, and the trees already dead from termites. We  didn't see many animals, couple birds, a small bat, and a few squirrels. I really enjoyed the canopy walkway, one of the longest in the world. I've never had a fear of heights, but it came out a little in me that day.



Because of the late pick up, everything that day we were late too. Unfortunately, even the lunch. After our tour guide was done fishing he was ready to continue out tour. We were promised some great rapid shooting, but it ended up a relaxing float along the river to the Orang Asli Village where just 12 Batek families remain. The rest are living in the forest through the dry season. He told us, as long as they have the forest, they can live. The people came from Africa. They move every 2-3 years and the children do not go to school. The woman fish and the men hunt.


A local man from the village came to demonstrate how they create a fire and build their weapons. We even got to try the weapon out. The Ipoh tree give them poison for their weapons, after it's put onto their self made aarow, it can be blown through bamboo to kill monkeys, porcupines, lizards, and bears. 

was a little disappointed we couldn't walk around the village, I only caught a glimpse of the children, and we were rushed out of there so quickly. 

The package we bought was extremely overpriced, and we were also jipped out of quite a lot, mainly time. However, the experience of the rain forest was still what I hoped for. 

It worked out that we got back two hours early, then we were able to relax and have a good night with drinks and travelers in our hostel. We left the next morning and after a Long flight delay in HK made it back home to Taichung. 
Thanks for reading! -K