Well, I've finally (after only five months) uploaded my pictures from Singapore, Malaysia and a few from Thailand. Take a look at the album on the right.
I've already written quite a bit about Singapore and (probably) too much about Thailand, but almost nothing about Malaysia. Now, of course, I'm pushed for time as the next holiday is looming and I haven't done a single thing to get ready except for load up my MP3 player which is what I'm doing now. Anyway, a brief commentary.
Malaysia is truly Asia'. (Do I get paid for this?) It's quite an interesting mix of (if I may be trite), old and new, traditional and modern. What I found most interesting was the mix of people and how this mix is played out in the political and economic spheres. Malaysia has a lot of Malays (duh), a lot of Chinese (more than I expected), a fair number of Indians, some Arabs (tourist and native) and, of course, all the western tourists and expat workers. Malays run the government for the most part, but the Chinese have all the money. On the surface, it seems to work, though my Malaysian friend said the emphasis should be on 'seems' as he sees it a bit differently. I did read a couple of articles in the local paper with articles about adding more of a multicultural emphasis to the educational national curriculum. There also seems to be some debate over whether there should be two laws, one for Muslims (Shari'a) and one for the rest.
It was also interesting for me to visit a predominately Muslim country where freedom is the norm, not the exception. KL is a mad city with a teeming night life. A walk down Bintang at midnight feels similar to any other city in SE Asia. Loud discos, packed cafes, girls in tiny dresses, boys in tiny dresses, etc. Away from Bintang, there is also a lot of handholding and PDA going on, something you almost never see here.
So, I only visited two cities, but hopefully I'll get to go back next year and visit some of the other regions. Should you go? Why, yes, of course.
First I visited Malacca. It's a historic coastal city that has been colonized and inhabited by the Dutch and the Portuguese among others and their influence is everywhere. It's a very picturesque town, with photo opps aplenty. I quite enjoyed strolling around the streets and relaxing in the cafes. There's a sizable Chinese population here and it was Chinese New Year when I visited so the streets in Chinatown were packed with hawkers and vendors. There's also plenty of decent Chinese restaurants around. I ate the the Happy People Restaurant and they were very happy and the food was amazingly inexpensive. On the other hand, the Geographer Cafe is outrageously expensive, but also worth a visit. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is exceptional. If you go, tell them I sent you (not that it'll mean anything to anyone, just like saying it.)
Kuala Lumpor is definitely not a relaxing place, but it is definitely exciting. It's busy, flashy and in-your-face and towering over it all is the Petronas Towers. Honestly, you can see them from virtually anywhere in town and they are quite amazing. Downtown KL is segmented in much the same way as Bangkok - ie. the monorail cuts up all of your views, but it certainly is convenient. I took a friends advice and rode them all afternoon for a cheap tour of the city. I highly recommend it for anyone. Getting around is easy on the train, but once you get off, whew. Seems it's planned a lot like Dubai, you can see where you want to go and it doesn't look very far, but by the time you've gone through some underpasses and crossed and crisscrossed on the overpasses, it can be pretty exhausting.
I stayed at the Franklin Hotel - it's pricey and not worth it, though they do allow you to bring guests home (not that I would ever do that).
Ok, that's it for the commentary. If you need any more info, I'd be happy to oblige.
