I have been to Malaysia before many years ago and last week I was there again. It is a wonderfully clean, organized, buzzing with action city- Kuala Lumpur.
What strikes most, is after a half a century of stability and development, Malaysia has transformed a poor disjointed nation into an economic success story.
It is celebrating its independence day and this anniversary has prompted some soul-searching about Malaysia's widening racial and religious divide.
Islam has taken a more conservative and assertive form, with Sharia courts challenging the country's secular constitution. The large Indian and Chinese minorities are becoming increasingly angry about a much-abused quota system that restricts their access to education and jobs.
If you put this aside and view the nation from a rank outsider i.e. Mee's perspective, it has a lot of culture that jumps at you ever so nicely, lovely mosques when lit at night beckon you with the tranquility, their architecture almost hypnotizing you into flashback mode, an ever polite people who always were courteous and smiling.
The night markets and streets are abuzz with activity, there are night diners spoilt for choice, but a vegetarian like me may have a wee bit of trouble finding home like food, I was lucky enough to find a couple of Indian restaurants which became my regular adda for dinner at least.
You name the brand - big , small, boutique, limited edition- all of it is available in KL - this city is a shoppers paradise.
What touched me most about the city KL was its honesty- I lost my Blackberry and Laptop and 2 separate days and both days I found them back and my relief was palpable . the only other city that I can think of in this space- where nobody ever returns lost goods is Goa where my holiday- money laden wallet was returned to me after being lost! So I am eternally grateful to KL and its people who are so honest- it has left an indelible expression on my mind.
What strikes most, is after a half a century of stability and development, Malaysia has transformed a poor disjointed nation into an economic success story.
It is celebrating its independence day and this anniversary has prompted some soul-searching about Malaysia's widening racial and religious divide.
Islam has taken a more conservative and assertive form, with Sharia courts challenging the country's secular constitution. The large Indian and Chinese minorities are becoming increasingly angry about a much-abused quota system that restricts their access to education and jobs.
If you put this aside and view the nation from a rank outsider i.e. Mee's perspective, it has a lot of culture that jumps at you ever so nicely, lovely mosques when lit at night beckon you with the tranquility, their architecture almost hypnotizing you into flashback mode, an ever polite people who always were courteous and smiling.
The night markets and streets are abuzz with activity, there are night diners spoilt for choice, but a vegetarian like me may have a wee bit of trouble finding home like food, I was lucky enough to find a couple of Indian restaurants which became my regular adda for dinner at least.
You name the brand - big , small, boutique, limited edition- all of it is available in KL - this city is a shoppers paradise.
What touched me most about the city KL was its honesty- I lost my Blackberry and Laptop and 2 separate days and both days I found them back and my relief was palpable . the only other city that I can think of in this space- where nobody ever returns lost goods is Goa where my holiday- money laden wallet was returned to me after being lost! So I am eternally grateful to KL and its people who are so honest- it has left an indelible expression on my mind.
11 comments:
Culture of cities beautify their image and that makes all the difference. The same holds true for Malaysia . Its rightly called Truely Asia. Isnt it!
I love that honesty. I have had my wallet and Blackberry returned to me at least twice in Japan due to my negligence. I should have spent more time in Malaysia...
It is amazing to know how Malaysia has transformed itself into a favourite entertainment and business destination of Asia, inspite of conservative culture that prevails in the country. I would love to visit this city once in my lifetime...
Hi Meenakshi,
It is an interesting read and I am looking forward to visit Malaysia too.... Thailand is a place which impressed me most - both for its cleanliness and its amazing culture . I think South East Asia itself is quite an interesting region with rich culture and intersting people. A few more pics will give one a better "visual" feel of KL. Just a thought....
Will keep a look out for your next post.
very very interesting..sounds more like the city of god..
I have never been to KL but from this article it sounds like a great city. Great experience, blogger. Keep up the good work. Waiting to hear about more travel experiences.
Oh yes, KL is a great city. I ahve many grat memories about the palce. And its great that you got your stuff back. I am looking forward to reading more about your travels.
Hi Mee,
This is a damn good idea. I am sure you are finding vistas to express your creative side.
Hope someday you can get to turn this into a book, which becomes a top seller.
Cheers,
Shvetal
Hi ,Its a nice account of a city which is one of the most interesting ones in the Asia Pacific region ....and yes its nice to know that there is more to KL than the Petronas Towers......looking forward to some more such travel related stories ...adding more pictures will add life....
Will await some more interesting soul stirring travel tales.
I went to Malaysia a couple of years back and what struck me more than anything else was the vibrancy of KL. Be it Petronas, shopping or just the people there is so much to see and experience. The place rightly deserves to be called Truly Asia BTW for those planning to visit Malaysia in the future do make sure you go to Genting Highlands as well, a completely unmissable experience.
Super post :)
I think KL has got everything that a tourist dreams about- nice and attractive architecture, cool market to shop around and a society which you can bank upon.
And the way you ended this post, I'm sure KL has indeed left an 'indelible expression" on us. :))
Post a Comment