Malaysia, Truly Asia

From Singapore, we took the bus to Melaka, or, “Singapore 40 years ago” (according to a woman returning to the region for the first time in 40 years). 

We enjoyed Melaka very much – everything was in walking distance near the murky Melaka River, our hostel manager made fantastic banana bread, we got a kick out of the trickshaws (Rose Parade lookalike bicycle rickshaws blasting 80’s music, used exclusively by tourists), and visited the home of the great Aboobaker Yaakob’s sister.

We had read a few off-putting things about attitudes toward the US the morning we met Aboobaker (we presumed he did not go by “Aboob”), including that anti-Mubarak rallies throughout Malaysia had warped into anti-American rallies.  Although we always gladly volunteer that we’re American (as I like to say, and Holly is tired of hearing, "we’re ambassadors for our country!"), we decided to tell Aboobaker that we were from Vancouver BC.  We had been wandering Kampung Morten, a neighborhood with traditional Malay-style architecture of elevated homes made entirely from palm wood, when we met Aboobaker.  It just so happened that he had spent a month in Vancouver, and that he had been turning his sister’s home into a museum.  Filled with Canadian solidarity, he invited us in and gave us a tour.

We never fully ascertained why Aboobaker had been in Vancouver for so long (he had traveled the world by boat, but we’re not sure if he was a fisherman, cruise ship singer, pirate...), but he did regale us with great stories for the next hour.  He talked about his family, his mixed heritage, and the challenges of multi-culturalism in Malaysia.  He showed us intricate details that make a Malay home so cleverly designed to fight the hot weather.  He reminisced about Vancouver, asking us about our favorite spots (“um, the Olympic village, it’s new...”), and he quoted Michael Jackson like he was a prophet (“Like the great MJ said, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white”).  Aboobaker was a terrific host, and it did not surprise us to learn that he is a minor celebrity in Malaysia, as he transforms his sister’s home into a kitschy ode to Malaysia every August 31 – Independence Day.

Kuala Lumpur is a world city best known for the Petronas Towers, but we were most intrigued by the unusual juxtapositions:  Chinese restaurant next to mosque next to halal McDonalds next to one-of-a-kind skyscraper next to vacant lot next to 24-hour market next to mammoth lifeless apartment complex next to banana leaf Indian restaurant next to Chinese Taoist/Buddhist/animist Temple with New Years lion dance in action next to stadium-sized mall next to monorail station next to ten consecutive foot reflexology shops…

Lion dance.  Moments after this photo, the lions spit out oranges.

Fish spa - tickles

Woman in burka next to woman in short skirt next to man in suit next to woman in headscarf next to man in knock-off designer jeans next to man in dirty work clothes next to woman on bluetooth… 

KL has tons of public transportation options but there is no cohesion between them.  We were helped by Vahed, an Iranian interior design student, who has since become an e-mail buddy.

We also had a long chat with the visitor information guide at a beautiful mosque in the center of KL.  He informed us that the apocalypse was imminent (evident from the credit card crisis, floods in Australia, and protests in Egypt, obviously) and that Jews were zombies (alive physically, but nothing on the inside).  We are not e-mail buddies.

KL was hot and humid, and we had been on the go non-stop by the time we arrived.  We crashed on our last afternoon there, unable to complete much of our intended sightseeing.  But we still got a good flavor of the place (as well as the obligatory feasts in yet another Little India and Chinatown – that part never gets old).

We spent the last few days catching up on our sunburns and books in Railay, Krabi, Thailand.  This is among the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen.  Unfortunately, a gazillion French and German tourists believe the same thing – we haven’t been around this many white people since law school in Seattle.  But really, it’s stunning, with limestone cliffs bursting out of jade waters.  And while we miss tandoori chicken and dumpling soup, we’re content in our culinary dream world.  We just arrived in Ko Lanta, Thailand.

Hope all is well, keep in touch, and don’t let the zombies get you!