Malaysia: The Kuala Lumpur Files

 

 

Malaysia Part 3: Bizarre Melaka

A piece of art [?] in the most bizarre book stores I've ever seen.
It was covered in some strange, disturbing collages apparently
made by the owner himself, as far as we could tell. 

As for the last major stop on our Malaysian adventure [besides the capital, Kuala Lumpur], we headed over to Melaka after our beach time in Langkawi. Melaka, like the area of Penang we visited, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has a little “old city” area of its own, which made it manageable to do in the short time we had there. As with many areas in Malaysia, Chinese culture is prevalent here, meaning we again had access to some pretty solid Chinese, or Chinese-Malaysian fusion, food while there. Eating a lot [including awesome pineapple tart pastries] and wandering around the shops on the cobblestone streets in the old city area were our two primary ways to pass the time in Melaka.

A "boiled quail eggs for
sale" sign on Jonker Walk;
now we know why the Angry
Birds are so angry.

Crazy cool antique "piggy" banks
for collecting coins.

One night while we were there, we attended a night market on a famous street called Jonker Walk. Although they were selling things we mostly weren't interested in [including a wax candle you light while in your ear to remove ear wax, which seems counter-intuitive to me, as well as the whole gamut of cutesy cell phone cases and cheap jewelry], we found some fun when we came across the outdoor stage at the end of the street. Previously unoccupied, the stage now hosted an adorable elderly Chinese karaoke singer singing, you guessed it, some sort of Chinese love ballad, it seemed. But even better was his partner: another adorable elderly Chinese man, this time playing the role of accompanying dancing fiend.

The venue of my first paying dance gig.

His moves were like those I had seen groups of Chinese people doing in the parks in Beijing in the morning: gentle and tai chi-like, except when he changed things up a bit and added a touch of jazz hands after reaching his hands out towards the night sky. Seeing this, my friend and I were inspired: we couldn't help but doing our own little dance on the sidelines. Seeing us, apparently the man was inspired, too; so inspired, in fact, that he invited us up on stage to join him. IT. WAS. GREAT. Especially after a few performances [some fun, some traumatizing, all ridiculous] in front of teachers and students at my school, not to mention the everyday performance that is teaching, I am more comfortable than ever before hamming it up in front of a crowd. So I loved it. Our dancer friend was great; every once in a while, he would look back, as if to ensure that we were still following his lead [we were]. Halfway through, he began to add some turns and some more complicated footwork; it was all my friend and I could do not to burst out in laughter. Afterwards, a man in the audience even gave us money! Souvenir or real, I have no idea, nor do I have any idea of where the bill may be from. But regardless, it’s a win in my book [and a check mark on the ol’ bucket list]: our first paying dance gig! It's also one of the reasons I consider our time in Melaka kind of a bizarre experience.

Also part of the hustle and bustle of Jonker Walk at night was a night show hosted by a self-proclaimed Kung Fu master, Ho Eng Hui, who can bust a hole in a coconut with a single FINGER. This sounded like it might be worth it to see, so remiss were we when we realized nearly an hour after the scheduled start of the performance that we were too late... or so we thought. As it turns out, Hui was still going strong, building up the audience in what turned out to be a ridiculously long monologue. He even faked out a poor hipster kid and continued to rant and not poke holes in coconuts to the point where groups of people started to give up and leave. It was ridiculous. Finally, at long last, he centered himself while some gong-heavy music played in the background, and WHAM, poked a hole in the coconut. What should have been a cool end to a long-winded show ended up being kind of anticlimactic, as so many people had left, and watching the poor man rub out the pain of his swollen, disfigured finger proved more grotesque than fun. Another bizarre moment in Melaka.

As for other notable areas of Melaka, we stopped by what is considered one of the oldest Chinese temples in Malaysia that is still open today. It was great. Pagoda-shaped, it was covered in Chinese sculptures and paintings. Even on a Friday or Saturday morning, people were stopping by to quickly light some incense and pay their respects in front of the statues inside.

Oh hayy, peanut satay

Spotted around town: a decked-out bicycle 

rickshaw, complete with its own Hello Kitty hood 

ornament and Barbie passenger.

We ventured outside of the old city area on two missions: the first was to find one of the most popular restaurants in the area, a peanut satay place. There, you choose various vegetable and meat skewers and cook your food yourself in a boiling vat of peanut oil and spices. It was totally worth waiting in the long line of people outside, and despite my fear of cross contamination, all went well.

My favorite type of coconut ever.

St. Paul's Church

The other time we ventured outside of the old city area was on the Saturday morning we left. We headed out to quickly see A Famos, a Portuguese fortress on a hill overlooking the sea, and the nearby remnants of the old St. Paul’s Church. Basically, these were as they sound: ruins from the early 1500s when the Portuguese settled in the area for some time, before the Dutch took over about 100 years later [and stayed there for a few hundred years before the British came into town in the 19^th century]. The church itself is merely a stone structure, large in size, but roofless and floorless. It continues to house a few old gravestones, and presumably the bodies that accompanied them.

The Stadthuys [here and below]

Santa gave me the opportunity to wear  

backpackerish Indian clothes around town,

rather than my typical Indian threads.

At the base of the hill on the way back down to the old city area is the Stadthuys [meaning “city hall”], or what is currently called the Red Dutch Square. Comprised of an old church and a few administrative buildings, the square is another quaint but reminder of the colonial history of this area of Malaysia. Supposedly, here is the oldest remaining Dutch historical building in “The Orient” [not my words]. The square also used to house the Melaka Free School, opened by missionaries in 1826 when the British were in the area. Like many, many cities in Asia [including Kolkata/Calcutta], Melaka renamed itself [from Malacca] after the British left.

So that's all the news about Melaka. Next post, I'll finish up with my Malaysian stories; look for some India accounts to be posted soon!

Malaysia Part 2: Quirky Langkawi

I saw more Poles in Malaysia [2, other than Kamil and Magda]
than I've seen in India so far [1].

Here’s the Part 2 post about my trip to Malaysia over New Year’s:

Quirky Langkawi:

So after a lovely time in Penang, Jocelyn and I headed over to Langkawi, an island known best for its beach resorts. Knowing we would spend New Year’s Eve there, we decided to pony up the money for a nicer resort for a night. Still on a student’s budget, we were limited to choices that didn't require paying an exorbitant extra fee for a mandatory New Year’s Eve gala, which left us with a place called Resorts World. Fairly removed from the main strip of resorts on the Southern half of the island, Resorts World really was a world unto its own, and a bit of a strange one, at that. There was nothing apparently wrong with the place at all, but everything felt a little… off. A massive complex, half the hotel seemed unoccupied. Its size along with its removed location gave it a strangely Hotel California-esque feel.

Resorts World, day...

... and night.

So with that in mind, we went off to our New Year’s Eve barbecue buffet on the boardwalk [see what I mean when I say the place was a little off?] not knowing quite what to expect. The invitation read like an invite to a college frat party, but for the fact that it didn't contain any Greek letters. It even advertised unlimited free wine and beer, and a happy hour… during which you could get more of the same free wine and beer, for free.
 As it turns out, the barbecue buffet spread was pretty impressive. Although it offered only one barbecue animal of indeterminate type [lamb?], there was a lot going on so our stomachs weren't empty by any means. Nor were our ears, on that note, because all throughout dinner, a local DJ supplied us with some great jams… had we been out at a club. Between him and the cover band [which consisted of a set of girls in go-go getups and an electric pianist], it was a weird selection for a group that consisted mostly of family reunion attendees and young couples with young children. At first, no one but an adorable ten-year-old dancing fiend was having any of it – the music or the New Year’s celebration goodies [read: glow sticks and masquerade masks] that the hotel provided us.

First photo of 2014!

But let the free alcohol flow and the dance floor runneth over. We rang in the New Year with a last-minute countdown at our table but afterward the dance party looked like so much fun that J and I couldn’t resist joining in. It had a very “my cousin’s wedding” feel to it, with the staffers and young hotel guests alike joining in on the fun for a while after midnight. Overall, it was a great, and amusing, way to ring in the New Year.

A water buffalo near the beach

As for other notable parts of our time in Langkawi, we got some QUALITY BEACH TIME in at a beach across from our second hotel there. As a beach baby at heart, this was a big deal for me. As I generally don’t really swim in the few beaches I’ve been to in India [due to pollution at beaches and what I personally would call restrictive swimwear/swimming norms], it was a big deal for me to get in some real beach time. Uncrowded, unpolluted, and quiet, this was one of the best beaches I've ever visited. And it came complete with a nearby path frequented by water buffalo. Who doesn't love water buffalo? Every one does [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltG37Bbx1qk].

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the cable car ride known as the SkyCab, or what I’d call the Nearly-Panic-Attack-Inducing-Scary-Ride-Up-An-Impossibly-Steep-Cliff. Whoever thought this was a good idea must have been sitting out in the sun for a little too long, because it was actually a terrifying ride. Granted, my friend was pretty much okay, but still…

No cable car ride is complete without

a display of wax hands for sale.

The good news is that it ended with a nice view of the sunset from the top of a little cliff, and not with a nice view of the tops of the trees below speeding towards us as we plummeted to our death. Totally worth it in the end, although we were almost left stranded taxi-less in the deserted theme park-like area built at the base of the SkyCab cliff. I guess it would have been better than being stuck in a cable car, though?

So scroll down for more cable car pics, and check back later this week for my final Malaysia update! 

We cabled up to that itty-bitty light at the top of the mountain on the right.

Malaysia Part 1: Tasty Penang

Hi!

I myself wasn't quite clear on where exactly Malaysia was before going.
Apparently I could have taken a car, but The Google told me there are tolls.

It has been a long time coming for a new blog post, and ironically, this one won’t even be about my time in Kolkata [Calcutta] teaching English in a local school. Rather, it’s about my recent travels to a place not only outside of Kolkata, but outside of India itself: Malaysia. 

 Before the start of my time in India back in June, I remember telling a college friend that I probably wouldn’t get to visit any other countries during my grant period as both my time and funds were limited. However, lucky am I to report that this is already my second time traveling in a new country outside of India during the past month [the first was in Sri Lanka, stories to come soon].

The streets of Penang [and our favorite stop for nutmeg juice]

Anyway, I had the time between Christmas and 6th January off from teaching, so I decided to spend it visiting a friend, J, who is currently doing research in Malaysia. J and I were in the same study abroad program that sent me to India the first time around [and to China, too], so the thought of travelling with her again after about two years was too exciting to pass up. Luckily my program agreed and approved my travel plans!

So first, I met J in Penang, a city which ranks eighth in terms of population size, but perhaps first in terms of charm. After spending three nights there, we jetted off to the popular beach resort island of Langkawi for two nights, and then finished off our trip in Melaka, another city complete with its own Old City area.

Tasty Penang: 

Jetty time

UNESCO World Heritage Site

   

So colorful!

J and I spent our days in a quirky area of the island known as Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although the area contains within itself another UNESCO World Heritage site, Chew Jetty, the biggest draws of this area were its many and varied food options [hence the nickname "Tasty Penang"], its adorable shops, and its art galleries. It was a good meeting point for us. Whereas J loved to plan our days so we would  be in the right places at the right times to try the best local foods, I never travel to eat; I eat merely to have enough energy to travel. So it was an eye-opening experience to travel with someone who cares about where she spends her food budget; I am certain I would not have tried half the dishes I did had it not been for her enthusiasm. Meanwhile, I served as an art-buying advocate, often reminding my friend that she was investing in her future when she bought artwork [which is an activity which frequently and rapidly drains my souvenir budget on trips].  Who can say no to that logic?

My memory of Penang will be filled with images of various street stall foods, including noodles, laksa [a kind of a fishy soupy dish and my least favorite of the trip and perhaps of all time], and dumplings. I got a chance to enjoy again some of my favorite Chinese dishes, including bao/pao [buns, typically filled with pork] at the first of many dim sum breakfasts and dan tat, flaky egg pastry cups. And I now have a new favorite drink: nutmeg juice. And a new favorite way of doing fast food: hawker centers. These are large, bustling centers filled with street food stalls, so you have many food options all in one place. [Options that I didn’t really take advantage of, as I was obsessed with the first Thai dish I tried there.]

C is for Cat. Also, Creepy.

It will also be difficult to forget our beloved Armenian Street, which we walked so often, it felt like home before we left. On weekend nights, Armenian Street awakens and hosts a lively spattering of street stalls and street performers. Oh, and also a creepy cat-covered parade float that glows ominously from a dark corner of a wide alley.

MONSTER CAT

Cats, although sort of a city symbol for another city in Malaysia, appeared frequently around Penang. From the smallest key chain to the MOST MONSTROUS OF MURALS, cats were popular here. Interestingly, many other murals made their way onto the walls of Penang’s buildings only a few years back; they now are a major sight to see for tourists. Many of these scenes speak to peoples lives in Malaysia, including those of the bicycle rickshaw drivers and children, for example.

 

The most famous of Penang's murals,
a pair of kids posing with a pair of kids.

Perhaps the most famous mural depicts two small children riding a real, three-dimensional bicycle fastened to the wall beneath them. Despite the fact that the mural is a fairly new installation, it is fading and the bicycle, too, looks like it has seen better days. One can’t help but wonder if this speaks to how what seems like the previously quiet life on Penang’s old cobblestone streets is giving way to the hustle and bustle that accompanies an increasingly large tourist presence in the area. 

 

China House's awesome wall "graffiti"

Oh hey.

 As previously mentioned, the Penang tourist scene has resulted in the appearance of quirky art and coffee shops in the Georgetown area. Our favorite one, China House, even sold both coffee and art, and also some of the best cake either of us has come across in the past few months. And it also provided us with the amusement of a pretty awesome localish cover band one of the multiple times we stopped by. I love and miss live music, so that was a great night! [And did I mention the cake?]

 At the risk of overloading this post with info and pics, I will finish up here for now and include the rest of my Malaysia stories in a Part 2 post.

[As is popular for the young’uns of India to say,] 

Tata,

Rach