Malaysia

Modern Malaysia is a vibrant, colorful, multi-racial, multi-cultural nation. We present here a potted tour of peninsular Malaysia that takes in some of our favorite places and sights, and the major urban centres. Starting in the north of the Malaysian peninsula, there is Pulau Langkawi, a small island on the west coast. We joined a friend on an algae-collecting expedition as part of her Ph.D project, and were very fortunate to be able to visit a number of deserted, pristine beaches, as well as inland lakes and other interesting habitats, very much off the beaten tourist track.

Moving down the west coast we come to another larger island, Pulau Pinang or Penang. The ferry-ride from the mainland to the island was always an enjoyable experience for us, though there is now a bridge connecting the two. Penang was one of our absolute favorite places. The island has a beach and seafront that is popular with tourists, as well as a well-preserved old town, Georgetown. We spent many hours poking around in wonderful little shops, street markets, temples, mosques, and old Chinese houses. Many places around the island can be reached by rickshaw. Scrumptious food is to be had here, especially nonya specialties.

The east coast of the peninsula is quite different from the west. It is mainly populated by Malays and is therefore Muslim, has a gentler pace of living, is more rural, and boasts beautiful beaches which attract many tourists. In the towns, one still finds markets where smallholders bring their produce to sell, laying them out on the floor in colorful array. Because of the strong Muslim influence, travelers need to dress and behave more circumspectly. EL sometimes attracted rather hostile attention because she was mistaken for a Malay girl consorting with a white man.

The city of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is located nearly halfway down the peninsula, about 60 miles from the west coast. It is a bustling city with many high-rise complexes but also older parts which include beautiful buildings from British colonial times. At night, part of the city center is closed off for a large street market where vendors sell everything from fruit to clothing, CDs and watches (in 1988 fake Gucci and Rolex watches were sold openly for a fraction of the price of the real thing). Kuala Lumpur and its satellite city of Petaling Jaya is a culinary heaven.

Melaka is another west coast town that was colonized at different times by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British. The Dutch influence is seen in the red government buildings in the town center. There is also an old town which is not as extensive as that in Georgetown but the shops here are a treasure throve for antique hunters. Melaka is another center for nonya cuisine. A passage from The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Wallace, describing Melaka in 1854, remains quite relevant for the most part: "The old and picturesque town of Malacca is crowded along the banks of the small river, and consists of narrow streets of shops and dwelling-houses, occupied by the descendants of the Portuguese, and by Chinamen. In the suburbs are the houses... embedded in groves of palms and fruit-trees, whose varied and beautiful foliage furnishes a pleasing relief to the eye, as well as most grateful shade... The old fort, the large Government House, and the ruins of a cathedral, attest the former wealth and importance of this place, which was once as much the centre of Eastern trade as Singapore is now."

Singapore is not part of Malaysia but the island city-nation at the tip of the peninsula is just a quick hope across the bridge that connects the two nations. Quoting again from The Malay Archipelago, Alfred Wallace wrote of Singapore: "Few places are more interesting to a traveller from Europe than the town and island of Singapore, furnishing as it does, examples of a variety of Eastern races, and of many different religions and modes of life... There are always a few tigers roaming about Singapore, and they kill on an average a Chinaman every day, principally those who work in the gambir plantations, which are always made in newly-cleared jungle." The tigers and the jungles are gone. Modern Singapore is a shoppers' paradise and easy to get around, with a very efficient public transport system. A trip to Singapore would not be complete without a visit to the famous Raffles Hotel for a "high tea" of English scones with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and Earl Grey tea.

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