We have spent the last several days in Malaysia, a country of about 33MM people with an official language of Malay but many people speak English. The official religion is Islam, but there are many people that practice Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. The country was inhabited by the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Japanese before they became independent in 1957.
We visited two cities – Malacca, a very historic Asian port city that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and Kuala Lumpur, the capital full of incredible growth and new skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. Despite the development, the water/sewer system and pedestrian friendly walkways still have much room for improvement.
People are very friendly with lots of diverse nationalities and many tourists in both cities. We were constantly asked in a very nice way, “where are you from”? We spent some time talking to a restaurant owner; born in Shanghai, spent her adult life in Australia, went to cooking school and came to Malaysia with her husband (who is Malaysian) and two children to start her business and allow her children to learn the Malaysian way.
We were able to take boat tours, visited the 88 story Petronas twin tower skyscraper, walked for miles and miles to temples, mosques, markets, parks, bird sanctuaries, and Chinatown. I am doing my best to avoid the scary animals that we see along our routes – giant lizards and monkeys (scared to death of them since watching Wizard of Oz at the age of 4). We are loving the local food – I could eat Indian food at every meal!
We happened upon the King of Malaysia buying some food at a street vendor and giving it away to locals, taking selfies with many as the crowd took videos and circled in close around him. The police lined the streets as he connected with his people, and Krishna was able to get a great selfie.
We had an epic trip to the Batu Caves to visit one of the largest Hindu temples outside India and learn more about the stories of the Hindu god Rama – good versus evil and the quest we all make for growth – a pilgrimage for Tamil residents of Malaysia. The rainbow steps up to the top, along with large gold statue of Muragan were just unbelievably magical.
We also have enjoyed the hidden gem of a local massage. Not only are they reasonably priced ($15 for 75 minutes) they make you feel like are walking on air without a care in the world when you are done. So now we have a goal to enjoy in every new destination we go to on this trip.
We are on our way to Cambodia, to enjoy spending time in Krishna’s home. There will be no better way to enjoy this country!
