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Things we noticed about Malaysia

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Street art in Penang
  • Malaysia is 60% Muslim and the call to prayer can be heard from loud speakers 5 times daily
  • People smile in the street and are friendly
  • Scooters in KL drive on the sidewalk to get ahead in traffic
  • Malaysia has a lot of Chinese and Indian influence
  • Highways are clean, wide and well-kept
  • Skin whitening products were everywhere.  Most body lotions advertised that they helped whiten skin.
  • Our favourite Malaysian dishes were satay and curry puffs but, as a whole, we enjoyed the strong influence of Indian and Sri Lankan food.
  • Scooter drivers in Malaysia are as insane as in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia
  • Drivers obey the law
  • Malaysia is remarkably green compared to its neighbours
  • The humidity and heat is intense
  • Kuala Lumpur (KL) is the epicentre of technology in Malaysia
  • The KL skyline is impressive with its many highrises
  • Signs were written in Malay and the language reads phonetically.  It wasn't complicated to pronounce words.
  • Petronas, the major oil company, seems to be embedded in daily life
  • Less scooters, more cars and less pollution
  • Diesel exhaust from trucks was insane
  • We found many areas outside KL to be grungy
  • Durian fruit is popular and used in everything- ice cream, popcorn and popsicles.  Mike was the only one brave enough to try it.  The smell was awful!
  • The rural roads were very winding
  • Most food is fried with a lot of deep-frying as well
  • Tolls are expensive
  • Rice seems to be more present than noodles
  • A double yellow line means don't park.  We learned this the hard way and the car was towed!
  • There were lots of infinity pools
  • Fuel cost was low
  • Many women wore hijabs
  • There was a seemingly amicable co-existance of many cultures.  We saw a mosque, church, Buddhist temple and Hindu temple all beside one another on a street in Penang.
  • We didn't see the East coast at all as it was monsoon season
  • Jungles are crammed with things that can kill you- plants, snakes, panthers, monkeys with rabies
  • Hawker stalls are common
  • We didn't see a single strawberry outside of the Cameron Highlands
  • Hanging out in the mall appears to be the 'thing' to do...is it because of the AC?
  • Malls in Penang and KL are huge (7 floors tall) and feel like mazes
  • Safety is not a priority
  • Most of the tea plantation labourers are from Bangladesh
  • Navigating KL elevated highways is challenging
  • Whats App is widely used for communication 
  • There were dozens of stray dogs
  • There is a temple in Penang that has resident snakes coiled in the corners
  • There are many semi-conductor fabs in Penang
  • Cars drive on the left side of the road 
  • Our best meal in Malaysia was at a Sri Lankan restaurant owned by a Canadian!!

Comments

  1. EvaMarch 5, 2020 at 11:01 AM

    I want to hear about when the car was towed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CherylMarch 7, 2020 at 10:58 PM

      Before our cooking class, we parked on the street with dozens of cars and no signs. We came out of the class 4 hours later and there was not a single car to be found! With our trusty SIM cards and google, we were able to make a couple of calls and find out that our car was towed. Thankfully it was only a 1 km walk (albeit in the scorching midday heat) to the lot. $35 CAD later we were all set!

      Delete

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