My husband and I had the pleasure of touring Malaysia with our daughter and son-in-law for the past two weeks. Each location offered a different type of experience but gave us the flavor of this beautiful peninsula. Here are some highlights:
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| An afternoon pitcher of Singapore Slings |
Singapore - (3 days) - Although Singapore declared it's independence from Malaysia in 1965, this modern, well-organized city makes a good starting point for a Malaysia tour for the following reasons: 1) United flies its new luxurious Dreamliner from Denver to Changi. The cup holders, the large windows with dimmers, and the charging devices at each seat make the 30 plus hour flight from Denver almost a "dream." 2) The city is well-organized and clean. Until you cross the border into Malaysia, you don't really appreciate the significance of the "no spitting" laws and the clean bathrooms. 3) The botanical gardens with world class orchids, the tasty dim sum in Chinatown, and the photogenic Merlion in Marina Bay are worthwhile stops. Finally, no trip to Singapore would be complete without drinking a Singapore Sling, a lovely concoction of cherry brandy, orange, pineapple and lemon juice - a refreshing cure for jet lag,.
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| A typical fishing village near Lumut |
Lumut (2 days) - After an all night bus ride on a 1980s style bus with reclining seats that don't quite recline, spongy shocks that don't quite absorb, and roads that are paved but not really flat or smooth, we arrived in the industrial town of Lumut that includes an industrial sized shipping port and a ferry to the local tourist destination of Pangkor Island. Our short visit was punctuated by an early morning bike ride through small fishing villages and palm oil plantations famous in Perak State ending at a fancy Chinese temple located on the shores of the Straits of Malacca. A highlight for our guests was renting motor scooters (cash and go - no paperwork or licenses required) on Pangkor Island.
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| A view of the houses built on the pier (quay) |
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| Canopy walk in Penang National Park |
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| Very tame butterflies |
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| Monkey eating the remains of our coconut |
Penang (3 days) - Penang is a "must see" on any Malaysian tour. It's got delicious hawker (street vendor) food, "World Heritage class" historical sights, tropical nature and the sandy beaches of Batu Ferringhi. We enjoyed seeing old fishing houses (still inhabited by original clan members) built right on the pier called Clark Quay. We trekked though the jungle in Penang National Park where we enjoyed intermittent views of the sea, felt like members of Swiss Family Robinson on the canopy walk strung between gigantic Banyan trees, and laughed at the antics of monkeys scraping the coconut meat out of the shells after we enjoyed the interesting (but not my favorite) coconut water. A final stop at the beautiful, colorful, peaceful Butterfly Garden capped off a great visit.
Taiping (Lunch stop) - After 8 days of exotic food and questionable bathrooms, many of us were ready for some Western comfort. I highly recommend the McDonald's located near the Lake Gardens for a cup of coffee and a bathroom. The hamburgers are predictable but that, too, was a welcome respite for several of us from this taste bud challenge of Malaysia. A short walk to the Lake Gardens provided beautiful photos and some well-needed tranquility from the bumpy roads and impatient, bumper-to-bumper traffic on the E1.
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| Afternoon tea |
Cameron Highlands (Overnight) - A drive to Cameron Highlands would not be complete without a stop at a hut on the side of the road to purchase honey collected from the tops of the trees from the Orang Asli - indigenous people. This honey is almost better than pure maple syrup on our traditional Western pancakes. Continuing on our journey, we arrived to Brinchang just in time for 5:00 tea which we sipped on the upper terrace of one of the local tea plantations. A few miles further down the road and we arrived at the Equatorial Hotel.
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| Steamboat meal |
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| Hike up Trail #1 |
Our rooms on the top floor (yes, I noticed it was floor number 13) provided beautiful views of the surrounding lush green mountains shrouded in a misty fog. As long we didn't look down to see all the strawberry and vegetable farms carved out of the mountains and covered with ugly plastic tarps, we could almost imagine being in Paradise. One of our favorite meals this trip was "Steamboat" (or Chinese fondue) in Brinchang. The fresh vegetables, spicy broth and tasty food was even more delicious because we got to cook it ourselves. After a good night's rest, we again explored the jungle by hiking up Trail # 1 to Gunung Brinchang. Although the start of the trail was tricky to find and we'd been warned to get a guide, and then told "but there are no guides available", we managed to both find the trail and find our way home with only a few minor scrapes from the saw-like blades of the jungle flora. The drive south out of Cameron Highlands is one the most beautiful I've seen anywhere in the world. It was like living in scenes from the movie Avatar. Definitely a "must-see."
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| Petronas Towers |
Kuala Lumpur (2 nights) - Warning! KL is not a driving friendly city. The last 3 kilometers to our hotel took almost as long as the rest of the drive from Cameron Highlands. (OK, I'm exaggerating a little but 40 minutes to drive a mile and a half is not pleasant). But after we parked our car at the Trader's Hotel it was time to relax. Our first stop was the Sky Bar on the top of our hotel for spectacular nighttime views of Petronas Towers. The next couple of days were spent walking around the city, taking in the Christmas sights and decorations, and taking advantage of things a city offers: going to a movie, eating food in air-conditioned restaurants and enjoying the cleanliness and functionality of modern plumbing. The thing that impressed me the most about this stop in KL was the energy and effort every service person put forth to make sure our Christmas was merry. Their gestures were greatly appreciated.
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| Trishaw rides in Melaka |
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| Istana - Sultan's Palace |
Melaka aka Malacca ( 1 night) - A fairly quick 2 1/2 hour drive south on the expressway brought us to one of the oldest trade ports in Malaysia and Asia for that matter. Settled first by the Portuguese, then followed by the Dutch, and later the British, modern Melaka is a mix of food, cultures, religions and languages. We walked along the Melaka River (described as the Venice of the East) and took a "super cheesy, super touristy and totally worth it" trishaw ride in a colorful, pink Hello Kitty trishaw with the hit song, "I'm Gonna Pop Some Tag" blaring and the sub-woofers in the back of the cart giving us a nice back message. We ate Chinese food with some Portuguese spices and we hiked to the top of A'Famosa where we snapped a photo of St. Francis Xavier (the father of the Jesuits) who actually preached in Malacca. We visited an Istana which is the Malay word for a Sultan's Palace and walked through a garden where the Sultan's daughters and wives would have played. Visiting Malacca is important for getting a part of the picture of Malaysian history and it's a short bus ride from Singapore, but be prepared for the crowds.
Our tour of Malaysia centering mostly on the west coast and central peninsula was wonderful but by no means complete. We'll need another month to cover the east coast noted for its pristine beaches and world class diving and the states of Sarawak and Sebah. However, for a good flavor of the nation, I recommend this itinerary.
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