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.
