Malaysia is a Country

In early July of 2018, during our year of traveling, we stopped in Malaysia. It was on the advice of a friend. We had no fixed plan except to be in Cape Town, South Africa sometime in early August. I had no idea at the time that I would fall madly in love with this country. The first thing that struck me was the modernness of the airport in KL, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. I guess I didn’t know much, if anything, about the country I had just landed in. Looking back I understand that most of us have no idea what or where Malaysia is.

Passing through immigration fairly quickly and getting a no hassle visa without any prior requirements, we headed down to the lower levels of this contemporary airport to the high speed express train which would take us to Kuala Lumpur. At the ticket counter I asked the ticket agent for 2 tickets and we were off. The train connected to a modern elevated rail system which led to the stop for our AirBnb. The stop had a covered walkway to our building. In the morning our AirBnb hosts stopped by with some local food as our welcome gift. We were pleasantly surprised as we’ve stayed in tons of AirBnb’s over the years and very rarely do we even meet the hosts, never mind be greeted with food. They stayed and shared the food with us. We are WhatsApp friends to this day.

When we went out for walks people struck up casual conversations with us. They seemed surprised that we were here and that we were interested in Malaysia. We shopped around a little bit and got to know the area. At some point Laurie and I had a realization. Almost everyone spoke English. We were not only impressed but wondered why? As we dug into the details we discovered that Malaysia is a mix of Muslim, Chinese and Indian cultures. Think about the food, WOW! And, English was the language that Malaysians use to communicate with each other, especially in business settings. Totally fascinating.

One day we took the rail line to an out of the way shopping area. We walked a bit from the station to the shopping. When we were finished and ready to return we weren’t sure where the rail station was. We asked an older Muslim woman. She could not help us. A few minutes later as we were walking away a car approached and stopped. A younger Muslim woman driving asked if we needed directions to the station. We said yes. The older woman, her mom, was also in the car. She offered us a ride since she thought it was far. We hopped in and were grateful for the ride.

Another day we took the train to the next big city south of KL, Putrajaya. Once off the train we hired a taxi for coffee and a restroom first. Then on to some park to walk around. Back in the taxi the driver offered to take us on a short tour. We agreed. We ended up at a mosque, his local mosque, the 2nd largest in South Asia. He took us inside. We are Facebook friends to this day.

Another day and a high speed train ride to Penang, an island off the west coast of Malaysia, we were cutting through a neighborhood trying to get to the grocery store. We came upon a small festival type set up. An older Muslim man greeted us and gave us directions to the market. He then invited us to their festival that started in a few days. Totally welcoming, embracing strangers.

When our year-long travels had come to and end, I reflected back and could not help thinking Malaysia was one of the highlights. The more I thought about it and talked to people about our experiences there, the more I yearned for it. It has the perfect mix of cultures. It has an ultra-modern public transportation system. It’s super affordable. The weather is consistent – hot, but not too hot, and humid. The food is great. The people are some of the nicest, friendly and sincerest folks we’ve ever met. There are modern skyscrapers and high rise condos alongside a vast tropical countryside, beaches, islands, mountains. I had to go back.

We’ve been back twice since our original trip. We rent an apartment from the same friends in KL. We take weekend excursions with them. We go out to eat with them. Laurie and I have become tea aficionados over the years and Malaysia, especially KL, is a world renowned tea storage area. Remember that consistently hot and humid climate? Perfect for storing tea. On our last trip we took tea trainings and purchased some 15 year old tea. We’ve explored parts of Borneo, a huge island that Malaysia shares with Indonesia, where we’ve seen proboscis monkeys. We go back to some of the same great restaurants. It feels like my second home. One of the reasons I believe I may love it so much is that I live in the woods. Far, far away from anything resembling a modern city. Now as approach the end of this life I am returning to Malaysia this summer, 2024, for a month 🙂

I’m hoping to see more of the country, reconnect with friends, take more tea trainings, eat some delicious food and maybe make some new friends. From the ultra modern, easy to use public transport system, to English as the common language, to a free 90 day visa on arrival, to friendly, helpful people, to the nice warm (ok sometimes hot) weather, choose Malaysia. And there’s no shortage of new cool, fascinating stuff including nitro tea at Tea+ by Purple Cane and space-age self checkout at Uniqlo, one of our favorite clothing stores. From $30 night for an apartment in a ultra modern high rise with pool & gym, and a 5 minute walk to supermarket and restaurants and a mall. 10 minute walk to great modern public transportation average $1.50 per ride. Grab taxi rides for about $2 will get you to your destination pretty much anywhere in the area. $15 for dinner for 2 people including tax and tip and drinks in a nice restaurant. $14 for a woman’s wash, cut & style in a fancy salon. $21 for an hour massage. $3 for eyebrow threading. From awesome South Indian to Chinese vegetarian to charcoal crust pizza. To wonderful friends we’ve made. Malaysia, try it, you’ll like it.