Don’t sleep on Malaysia
Hiding in plain sight, and ready to be rediscovered, the country is full of rich history, aromatic food and natural wonders. A place full of surprises
The last time you probably heard of Malaysia was when the infamous Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people on board en route Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. The flight lost radio contact over the Indian Ocean on 8 March 2014, never to be found again in one of the most curious flight disappearances ever recorded. And if you’re a 90’s millenial like me, you might have also heard the memorable slogan “Malaysia, Truly Asia” introduced in 1999 by the country’s tourism board.
In the off-chance that you’re deeply involved in semiconductor manufacturing or are a diehard Formula One fan who follows the Malaysian Gran Prix, you’re probably abreast with the transformative growth the country has experienced in recent years.
A little history
Landing into Kuala Lumpur one cannot easily make sense of the country. It is truly a melting pot of ethnic, religious and racial identities. Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures being the dominant ones, it is not uncommon to hear Bengali, Arabic, Nepali, Portuguese or Thai on the streets. Malaysia is pluralistic in its essence and it turns out that Malay people weren’t its original inhabitants either. They were seafaring fishermen from Indonesia and its surrounding regions who took control of the land from the natives knows as ‘Orang Asli’, who now form a national minority in the country.
Even colonization of the country was of a pluralistic nature. Originally known as ‘Malaya’, the land was first colonized by the Portuguese from 1511 to 1641, after which is was taken over by the Dutch from 1641 to 1824 and subsequently taken over by the British from 1786 to 1941. There was a brief period from 1941–1945 when the Japanese took over the country from the British, eventually relinquishing control after their defeat in World War II. The Brits ruled until 1957, when the country gained independence.
Additionally, there was a period from 1786 to 1824, when the British ruled over Penang island and the Dutch over Malacca simultaneously; both being significant trade and cultural ports towns of Malaya.
Besides being a former colony, Malaysia is a relatively young country with historical roots spread across the Malaya and Borneo regions. Between these land masses lies Singapore, adjoining Malaya on the east flank. It is truly baffling to see the size of Singapore in comparison to the whole of Malaysia, and the economic strides the tiny country has made as a financial hub in Asia.
Soon catching up with Singapore on its GDP value, Malaysia has become an increasingly fast growing economic center with significant exports in semiconductors, petroleum products, iron and steel and rubber to name a few. The country’s domestic population has also benefitted from their adoption of the latest technological trends from China, Japan and Korea; Kuala Lumpur can sometimes feel indistinguishable from its more developed sister cities.
However, some interesting sub-cultures have become apparent in Malaysia. There is a car-tuning culture reminiscent of Japanese drag racing that is taking shape in the country. People are also beginning to restore, modify and resell vintage cars. Besides looking cool while driving these vehicles, car owners get a road tax exemption of up to 80% on classic cars that are 25 years or older.
Car parts are readily available and design ideas from Japan’s drifting culture are pouring in. Increasing disposable incomes amongst wealthy Malaysians has fueled a demand for rare and bespoke vintage vehicles.
Batu Caves and Waterfalls
On my second day in Kuala Lumpur, I decided to get away from the city and spend some time in nature. I wanted to go see the Batu Caves, which were limestone caverns used as shelters by the Temuan tribe of the Orang Asli, Malaysia’s original inhabitants. It was later used by Chinese settlers in the 1860’s to excavate Guano, a naturally occurring plant fertilizer derived from sea-bird and bat excrement.
Eventually the caves became a religious site for Tamil worshippers, originally from India, who built one of the largest Lord Murugan statues in the world at over 140 feet high. Their temples are still active and this site is one of the busiest tourist sites in the greater Kuala Lumpur region.
I was initially energized by the tourists as one could hear a variety of languages being spoken. However, climbing the steps in high humidity and being around the endless hoards of tourists drained me eventually.
The magnificent caves were well worth the steep climb, and the monkeys put on a show for the people who made it to the top, occasionally snatching bananas from unassuming tourists and hopping around the cliffs.
After spending some time photographing in the region surrounding Batu Caves, I decided to walk to a local thrift store before lunch. There was a lot of junk, but I did find a nice canvas tote bag for a dollar.
My next stop was an ecological park know for the Kanching waterfall, the entrance to which was about a 15 minute drive from Batu Caves. It was a nature park full of families camping and barbecuing, enjoying their Sunday. It was nice to be around so many locals on their day off; they exuded a relaxed and laidback vibe; a stark contrast from the hustle and bustle of foreign tourists.
The park was massive, and if you were willing to climb through the rainforests, there were beautiful spots where the waterfall created pools and bathing areas. I reached quite close to the top and was about to turn back as I was not finding a clear path forward through the mountainous bush. This is when a Nepali guy encouraged me to go further to find a better, private spot next to the blazing waterfall. It was highly humid, nearly 80%, but the spray from the waterfall calmed my senses and cooled my head; all the hiking well worth the effort.
City Boy
I spent a lot of days walking around Kuala Lumpur’s districts during my time there. I was averaging around 15,000 steps a day but soon found that the city is not the most walkable one. It is a giant metropolis where people prefer to drive and use the complex network of highways and flyovers to get around the city. It always helped to reach an area and walk around to get the feel of the place rather than driving through. The city, however, has great public transport which makes it quite easy to get around.
Architecturally, one can see a mix of old and new structures and sometimes it is jarring to see an ancient temple between a network of zigzagging highways. There is a constant battle for space between the old heritage buildings of the city and its modern residential and office buildings.
Borneo Island
After spending five days in Kuala Lumpur, I planned to meet one of my boarding school friends in Kuching, East Malaysia. I usually do entire trips alone but it was a nice change to share parts of the trip with like-minded people. Kuching itself is a small town but it has various attractions in its periphery. I specifically wanted to visit Bako National Park with my friend Mahesh to make the trip more adventurous. He brought along his Handpan, a relatively new music instrument which is a subset of the steel drum used in the Caribbean, and has recently gotten popular on the web.
Our first adventure was to find straps for his carrying case, which were broken and needed a custom job. We explored town and landed up at a Japanese thrift store where we could find two duffle bag straps that we mounted on his handpan case to carry into the forest.
After securing the straps and planning ahead, we took a ferry to Bako National Park from a terminal north of Kuching. We wasted no time and he began playing on the 20 minute boat ride to the park. Once we landed on the island we were visiting, we headed straight to an interesting rock cliff which had natural cavities and cavernous structures that would naturally amplify the sound of the handpan. Mahesh felt that the instrument guided the player to play sounds and melodies that harmonized with the environment in which its played. I was seeing it first hand as he went on and on, without planning or thinking; it was a pure flow of creative energy.
Throwback
When I meet with old friends, some old parts of me come alive immediately. I noticed that I went from being a solemn, introspective traveller to a complete joker when with Mahesh. Always making quippy remarks and playing the fool at the first opportunity. While recording him as he was performing, I started thinking up schemes of how he could bring his music to the world, through what social channels and in what way. We thought it would be a good idea to go to remote, exotic locations and trek up to interesting spots to film him playing the instrument. I even gave him the moniker “Handpan Jesus” which he relented to. I thought it was hilarious and catchy.
We spent a few hours on the island, recorded him playing on three locations, including one on a rock feature surrounded by water. I had told him of a time when I ruined a vintage film camera while swimming into the middle of a lagoon where some kids were fooling around in Vietnam. Although the pictures and camera were gone, it felt thrilling to do something like that, in the spirit of adventure.
Unfortunately, Mahesh’s phone didn’t survive his foray into the water, and no one was able to convincingly fix a Google phone in Kuching. But I noticed that after a few minutes, he was unperturbed; taking the opportunity to enjoy the moments that followed, instead of fussing over a phone that wouldn’t turn on. He did end up getting an Oppo phone from the market, as I convinced him it was a legitimate Chinese brand that sponsored this year’s Wimbeldon. He relented once again.
Penang
After spending a few days with Mahesh on Borneo Island, it was time to head to Penang, where I would wrap up my trip. Penang island has deep, historical roots and became a center for commerce and trade for British colonists. The island, when established, welcomed people from all around the world who were able to clear forests and stake a claim on the land. It was essentially free for fall, with hoards of people from South India and China coming in to establish themselves and start a new life.
Designated a UNESCO world heritage site, Georgetown, the city center of Penang is to be preserved and maintained as per UNESCO’s standards. Structures cannot be modified or demolished in any way that violates the cod and it is truly a joy to walk around, with plenty to do.
The island, known extensively for its food, has a lively present and a very dark past. It was historically an outpost during the World Wars to defend against invading armies and sections of the island were used as army camps for British troops to live and conduct their operations. Besides its military history, the island is home to a lot of Buddhist and Hindu temples erected by early settlers. The city hosts Kek Lok Si Temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, attracting pilgrims from Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The Creeps
On my second day in Penang, I went to the southern tip of the island where the Penang War Museum is set up. It is the former site of a British army outpost where soldiers lived and commanded the islands’ defense against the Japanese Imperial Army. One can still see the barracks where soldiers lived, visit the ammunition vaults and see actual remnants of the war; Kamikaze suicide squad bomber jackets, munitions from enemy forces, torture chambers and secret fortified tunnels for soldiers to escape.
The place had quite an eerie atmosphere and the signboards warned of the potential presence of scorpions and pit vipers. It was interesting to see barracks of Indian soldiers who served for the British army and equally disturbing to see the areas where people were tortured by Japanese officers, who beheaded several POWs (prisoners of war) in the Samurai tradition.
I am not a big fan of horror movies but those who enjoy the thrill can opt for a night tour of the museum, where they walk you through the army compound known as one of the most haunted sites in Asia. Malaysians have a strong belief in spirits and have reported hearing voices and hallucinating at the site. National Geographic even did a TV segment on the island’s haunted past, featuring the museum.
Being on the site and imagining how lives of soldiers would have been gave me tingles on the site. Seeing their cookhouses, beds and working areas led my imagination to the times of war, when all efforts are made to annihilate the ‘enemy’. It’s a moment where all humanitarian ideas are forgotten and the singular goal is to instill terror and destroy the opposing forces. Every option is on the table and countless civilians face the wrath
Despite all the atrocities in the past, our conscience allows wars to occur even today. The defense industry is booming, more than ever before, and countries continue to arm themselves heavily on the precedence of deterring attacks. Going to the war museum reminded me that nothing good ever comes out of war, the outcome is always a loss.
Geopolitically, it is very difficult to prevent conflicts because it aids the business of weapons, rehabilitation, financial restructuring and redevelopment efforts. Some countries haven’t seen a moment where they’re not directly or indirectly at war, there is clearly a good reason for being in this state of affairs, or indirectly contributing to their longevity.
As we’re beginning to hear murmurs of World War III, with current conflicts in Israel and Russia raging out of control, it is a good time to reign in the rhetoric and take active steps to diffuse notions of a full blown conflict on the world stage. With the nuclear arsenals that most countries have today, we may not live to tell the tale.
