You're reading: Malaysia is feast for eye, stomach

Editor’s Note: After traveling through Sri Lanka over the winter holidays, the Kyiv Post’s Svitlana Tuchynska moves on to Malaysia in the second of a four-part trip around Asia.

Arriving in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur from Sri Lanka, you get the feeling you caught the wrong flight and arrived in Tokyo. The airport, sleek highways and the capital itself present a strikingly modern urban landscape.

Kuala Lumpur is the place where skyscrapers and parks blend together making it a pedestrian-friendly city where you can walk almost anywhere. Visit Merdeka Square, Petronas twin towers – the fourth tallest building in the world, and local parks. I went to Orchids Park and Lake Gardens – a lovely place where you forget you are in the heart of a metropolis and can enjoy beautiful trees, flowers, reindeers, birds and lakes.

Malaysia traces its roots to several Malay Kingdoms, conquered by colonists in the 16th century and passed through Portuguese, Dutch and British hands. This inherent multiculturalism lies behind the fact that, although the country’s official religion is Islam, with Muslims making up 60 percent of the population, other religions are freely tolerated, including Buddhists, who account for 20 percent, Christians and Hindus.

Nowhere are the multiple cultural influences more evident that in the food. The bustling Petaling Street in Chinatown is probably the best place to indulge in the outstanding local cuisine. For breakfast, head to a traditional Indian restaurant for roti kanai – a thin crusty pancake served with a variety of fillings.

Grill your own traditional Malaysian satay at an outdoors local cafe. Satay is a kind of shashlyk, or skewered meat, seafood, vegetables that is grilled or boiled. Make sure you also try the local pride nasi lemak – rice steamed with coconut milk and served with fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, eggs and spicy chili.

I was also very impressed with a Korean restaurant where, for $13, I had a delicious meal, followed by coffee at a Vietnamese restaurant for $2. Both are located on the top floor of the city’s biggest shopping mall, Pavilion, in Bukit Bintang district.

Malaysia is also the place to enjoy many exotic local fruits – durian, longan, and rambutan, among many others.

Malaysian Hindu devotees smash coconuts during a 10-kilometer procession march to signal the start of Thaipusam, an annual festival symbolizing the struggle between good and evil in Penang Island, northwestern Malaysia. (AP)

From Kuala Lumpur I flew to Borneo Island, which Malaysia shares with Brunei and Indonesia. Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the province, is a quiet town with a big seafood market and a lovely sea view dotted with tiny islands. The fish market offers freshly cooked seafood meals. While waiting you will probably be surrounded by local children carefully examining you and the map you are studying.

Islands around Kota Kinabalu are not inhabited but open for daytrips. From the harbor the speedboat took me to the smallest one – Sapi. I skipped the public beach and went for a walk on a path across the island, before swimming on a majestic wild beach. Beware of the rather large lizards who may quietly keep you company.

Meeting one unexpectedly right on my path in the forest almost made my heart stop, although it turns out they are used to humans and are just begging for food like strays. Apart from lizards, the islands are also home to the most beautiful fish. Bumping into a large colorful clown fish while snorkeling was the highlight of the whole trip.

To enjoy mountainous landscapes of Borneo take a bus to Sandakan, a small town on the opposite side of the island. There you can visit the Turtle Island and a lovely orangutan rehabilitation centre in the jungle.

Get good karma buying a sparrow near a Malaysian temple and releasing it into the wild

This being my second visit to Malaysia, I was determined to see the pride of the tourist industry – Langkawi Island. I stayed on Pantai Cenang beach where you can both find luxurious and budget hotels.

The island enjoys the status of the World Geopark, according to UNESCO, and there is a lot to see: from small mountain islands to forests and crocodile farms. However, the place is packed with tourists, so I headed for Penang Island pretty soon.

Georgetown, the main town of the island, took my breath away and remains at the top of my favorite cities of the world list. Founded in 1786 by CaptainFrancis Light, a trader for theBritish East India Company, the town has preserved its old fort and the whole district of old two-story buildings. You will be charmed by the lovely narrow streets with flower and fruit stands and a very relaxed atmosphere. Local merchants proudly tell stories of their family businesses, some dating centuries back.

Spend some time exploring local temples. The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas is probably the largest religious temple I have ever seen. Downtown, Confucian temples are permeated with incense smoke. Little sparrows are sold. Buying and releasing one is said to be a merit and create good karma.

From Georgetown, you can take a bus to Kuala Lumpur and then fly to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Despite its striking contrast with developed Malaysia and its status as the poorest country in the region, Laos is probably the most authentic and relaxed one. With Air Asia the flight to this country of majestic temples, mountains and kindhearted people costs around $80 one way per person.

Trip budget for one traveler:

Meal – $3 (Chinatown) – $10 (fine restaurant in the city center)

Flight Kuala Lumpur – Kota Kinabalu (Air Asia, return) $70 – $120 (depending on promotions)

Double room in Kuala Lumpur $25 (Chinatown) – $40

Foot massage (Bukit Bintang area) – $9 (30 minutes)

Bus to Kuala Perlis and ferry to Langkawi – $26

Double room in Langkawi (beach) – $16-30

Ferry from Langkawi to Penang – $19

Double room in Georgetown – $15-25

Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected]


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