I should have seen the signs as, at 6 am, I wearily pulled my suitcase off the carousel at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
There was a hole where the rear wheel of the suitcase used to be – a big hole. Somewhere between the airports of Cape Town, Joburg and KL my suitcase had suffered an injury, but my guide Azhar Rembi was standing there with a sign showing my name (all of them), the minibus was waiting, and I could sort it out later – perhaps a patch-up job would do the trick.
It was easy to forget as the minibus zipped us through the dawn to the city while Azhar gave us a brief history of how Malaysia had become so economically powerful through palm oil, rubber and tin exports and the discovery of gas and oil in its own waters – petrol costs just two ringgits a litre (about R4.50) – that I was here to visit shopping malls.
Since Malaysia has more than 300 malls with a combined space of 173 million square feet, surely I can get a suitcase for a song?
Leaning over the back seat to take a look at my now broken case, it did not seem big enough anyway, because those who know me will tell you I am an unashamed shopaholic.
I make no apologies for it. I love shopping, browsing and swiping that MasterCard. And, according to the itinerary organised for me and two other writers by the Malaysian Tourism Board, I would be visiting a lot of malls.
With Azhar showing us the way, and having ensured we had full bellies (never shop on an empty stomach, they say) after a stop at his local restaurant, Saba, it didn’t take us long to hit the stores.
We were taken into the Alamanda Shopping Centre and given two hours to enjoy ourselves.
Given the heat and having been shown Putrajaya – the nation’s new federal administrative capital which is a tourist attraction in itself with grand buildings, skyscraper office blocks, distinctive bridges, and the official residence of prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak – and having been treated to some daredevil drivers “drifting” their cars on a parking lot, stepping into the Alamanda was a blessing as the air-con was working full blast.
I was about to discover that this was a necessity for these consumer places of worship, with the shops all merrily ringgitting it away for one’s ringgit or credit/debit card. The merry bit, which was so in your face there was no escaping it, was that Christmas in Malaysia is a really, really big deal.
John Lennon was singing So this is Christmas, fake snow hung from the ceiling, massive fake Christmas trees all lit up and shining could be seen everywhere and people were having fun in the sun and… snow, and as I left, Jingle Bells Rock bade me farewell.
Alamanda is an impressive mall (they all are), with 3 000 parking bays and three floors of shops. On the third floor is The Hub – a massive entertainment area – plus separate prayer rooms (surua) for men and women and the usual other amenities such as a post office, banks and ATMs, and I even found a suitcase, bigger than my original, at a decent price of RM129 (about R300)… original price RM280, with a nifty TSA-approved combination lock.
Tourism is a big deal for Malaysia. In fact, it is ranked ninth in the world in terms of tourist arrivals. But when it comes to the country being a major shopping destination, then Malaysia gets very serious. So serious, that the Minister of Tourism, YB Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, launching the Malaysia Year End Sale (YES), officially opened Fahrenheit88, a mall aimed at teenagers and the young-at-heart in the Kuala Lumpur CBD.
She also announced that, in a boost to make Malaysia a major shopping destination, import duties would be abolished from 300 tourism-related goods. “In that way,” she said, to applause, “we are making it attractive for tourists to spend more and stay longer as they explore Malaysia.” She stopped short of adding “and shopping malls”, but the retailers and everyone present knew what she meant.
We were also in KL as part of the YES promotion (Obama has a lot to answer for). This campaign, aimed at the Christmas shopper, runs until January 2 and next year they’ll have another one from November 15 until January 1, 2012.
But, as they say in the ads, that’s not all. The Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang – you can’t miss the venue as there are direction signs at the airport – is the perfect excuse to host The Grand Prix Sales (March 15-April 15, Grand Prix weekend is April 8-10), followed by the International Shoe Festival (April 1-3), the Malaysian Mega Sale (June 15-August 31), and the Malaysian Contemporary Arts Festival (July 2-September 30). And the noodles and cherry on top has to be the Malaysia Street Food Festival from December 1-31, 2011.
But if Alamanda was something we hadn’t seen anything yet. The next day we were taken to the Suria KLCC, a classy, glitzy, bright and shiny (as were they all) mall which has the incredibly tall (80-odd floors) stainless steel Petronas Towers as its neighbour.
Once inside it was like being in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Vogue, Elle and Marie Clare, boasting more adverts than feature stories. International brands were everywhere to be seen – Gucci, Bally, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Burberry, Gap, Banana Republic, Rado, Rolex, Cartier, plus Malaysian brand stores Parkson (like our Edgars) and fine clothing retailer British India, and so it went. Fashion, leisure, beauty, skin care, IT/electronics, home décor, leather goods, timepieces, it was all there. For good measure, and to add to the mall’s exclusivity, was a sign forbidding any photography inside.
Who has time to take pictures when all you want to do is swipe and buy, buy, buy and say good-buy to commonsense as the shopping habit kicks into overdrive?
Comprising six floors – a concourse level, a ground level plus another four floors, with each level of a distinctive character and style – thank goodness there were lifts, escalators, enough space between the shopfronts and railings for about 10 people walking abreast, and plenty of temptation to spend, spend, spend.
A spacious centre court, two large department stores, 280 speciality stores and a good number of restaurants comprise the interior, but outside there is plenty to do as well, in its scenic park and dancing fountains. And, like all the malls I visited, there were numerous information counters, directory boards and concierge desks.
Stepping into the Calvin Klein shop, which was on the first floor – no place for them among the elites at eye level – I was practically waited on hand and foot by two salespeople, as they ferried shirt after shirt and jacket after jacket from shelf to changing room. And, not content with having sold me a shirt and jacket, added, for good measure, a discount of 30 and 40 percent respectively. And the jacket, said salesman Steven Goh, would be delivered to my hotel in three days’ time after the little alteration to the sleeves. No cost for delivery. Was I in shopping heaven, or what?
Regarding that, it would appear Australians also think they are on to a good thing spending Aussie dollars in Malaysia. According to statistics, they are the top spenders in a country where shopping is the fifth major reason why tourists visit, the first four being: holiday, business, visiting friends and conferences. It was also disclosed that the Malaysian tourist profile showed that after RM13.1 million had been spent by tourists in 2008, jumping by 13.7 percent to RM15.1m last year. With what I spent, there is no chance of that number dropping…
As the Minister for Tourism said: “For every tourist that enters our country, it creates income and employment opportunities for Malaysians. The tourism industry generates revenue of RM53 billion in 2009 and this year we are set for a double-digit growth. Simply by making Malaysia the ideal traveller’s destination, we are fulfilling an important part of the government’s agenda, which is to generate employment for Malaysia.”
And she’s not joking. It would seem everybody has a job and, as Azhar said: “The average wage is around RM1300, but people have cars, homes, and that is because our interest rate is so low, about 2 to 3 percent.”
But for those who are more interested in the work of the locals, in the city centre, surrounded by trees and traditional Malaysia homes, can be found Kompleks Kraft, a one-stop craft centre.
Showcasing the beauty and diversity of Malaysia’s local crafts, it provides visitors with an opportunity to experience the wealth of handicrafts available. There is a Craft Museum, the Craft Village, the Artists’ Colony and a gift and souvenir shop. You can watch the craftspeople and artists at work, or try the food cooked and sold on the premises.
Talking of sustenance, one is practically spoilt for choice – Indian, Malay, Chinese and Japanese cuisines abound. There is a Hard Rock Café, but with the waiters’ attitude it’s a surprise it’s still in business.
For those preferring “Western cuisine”, McDonald’s can be found everywhere, as can KFCs, our own Nando’s and Starbucks, which was great for a fellow writer, who refused the “spicy” food we were served. For her, Azhar skipped the Indonesian meal (damn!) on our final night for a T.G.I.F. Great beers to be had there, though.
Getting around is a breeze as well. A rental with air-con will do the business as all the roads are well signed, not a pothole in sight, and though there are toll roads leading into and out of the city, it is quite cheap and depends on the distance between the toll gates. In the CBD, a cheap ride on the monorail – maximum RM2.50, minimum RM1.50 – will get you to not only the city’s malls, but to many other attractions.
Yet though the mall next to the Perjaya Times Square Hotel I was staying in, Times Square, was a mammoth eight floors plus Lower Ground and its own roller-coaster, my favourite was The Pavilion. Not content with Christmas decorations that would have made Santa Claus feel at home – outside was a wire decoration of a sleigh and reindeer – this mall, in the heart of the trendy Bukit Bintang district, is an unashamed reason to indulge in fashion, food and urban leisure.
A retail haven comprising 450 outlets, it was the perfect place to while away the time, and then some, as a torrential downpour hit the city.
Getting lost here was hell on the feet – Azhar practically had to guide me by cellphone to one of the mall’s many exits – but being greeted cheerfully by staff and having all sorts of shopping questions answered by them ensured that this was a shopping trip I had to give credit to – in more ways than one.
Eugene Abrahams was flown to Malaysia by Malaysian Airlines as a guest of Tourism Malaysia. - Saturday Star