Into the Malaysian melting pot

Published Apr 29, 2014

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Malaysia is the melting pot of Asian life. In a country that spans two land masses, the nations of this continent seem to converge. It is here that the various cultures and traditions, in all their deep and stunning beauty, come together.

So a visit to Malaysia, in particular its capital city, Kuala Lumpur, is like a one-stop visit to the many countries of Asia.

The Petronas Towers are a major tourist attraction, luring hundreds of visitors who want to take in the view of Kuala Lumpur from their dizzy heights. You travel up quite smoothly, at five metres a second, and before you know it you’re on the viewing deck on the 83rd floor – 370 metres above the ground. From here life looks different and so does Kuala Lumpur.

The two towers are home, at least for a few hours each day, to 10 000 employees and shoppers.

A visit to the top is a real thrill – not for the faint-hearted, but a compulsory feature on your itinerary.

Touring any country is less of an adventure without a bit of retail therapy. It doesn’t matter whether you are souvenir shopping, a bargain hunter or a lover of the finer things of life. And the Petronas Towers are home to some of the best brands in the world.

Female tourists have to make sure that their visit to this magnificent country co-incides with the annual Shoe Festival which features, among others, creations of world famous designers such as Jimmy Choo, a Malaysian.

The Shoe Festival is one of the 200 premium events that Malaysia lays on each year to lure tourists.

A tour of a country is incomplete until you’ve gone on a culinary excursion, sampling unique food offered by your host. Malaysia is known for its many cultures and the different recipes each of these bring to the table.

We had an opportunity to sample South Indian food at a restaurant in Petaling Jaya. Here our hostess served succulent and spicy mutton curry, tandoori chicken and prawn in tomato gravy. The food was nicely prepared and served, South Indian style, on a banana leaf.

Once you have finished your food and stopped licking your fingers, you should then fold the banana leaf towards you, as a sign that you’re full and happy. Our guides explained to us that people fold the banana leaf in the opposite direction only at a funeral. It’s a special traditional way in which the mourners say to the bereaved that they don’t want to come back and eat again in the tragic circumstance of death. In other words, death must not return.

Our next dinner date saw us tucking into the “steamboat buffet” at the Tupai Tupai restaurant in west Kuala Lumpur. The experience was unusual, healthy and tasty.

The owners employ an ancient Chinese style of cooking. Guests choose their food, which is laid out in trays, 60 percent boiled, in clean and neatly packed arrangements. Each table then gets a gas plate and a giant wok and you cook your own dinner the way you want it. You can have as much as you want but at Tupai Tupai they have a distinctive wastage policy. When the table is done, the the unfinished food is weighed, and guests have to pay RM10 (about R30) per 100g. Quite innovative, I thought. Their seafood and freshly-squeezed juices went down quite well.

As proof of its popularity, the restaurant was packed with locals, young and old.

The Formula One Grand Prix is a major feature in the Malaysian tourism calendar. If you can, the best time to visit this lovely country, blessed with natural beauty and wonderful and warm people, will be when the F1 drivers, crews and loyal fans converge at the Sepang International Circuit, about 50km outside the capital, for a two-hour feast of rubber, tar and fuel.

It’s a day when man and machine, backed by the best technology available, zip around the track 65 times, to see who is the best.

Being at Sepang is like being at the world’s biggest carnival. The drivers and their cars are important – but for the fans it’s about the merchandise and that opportunity to see your F1 hero in real life.

If you can get a spot at the autograph table or the exclusive paddock pass, that will ensure you of a meeting with a driver, and then you’re made.

At this year’s meeting at Sepang, about 160 South Africans, all F1 enthusiasts, spent nine days in Malaysia enjoying the hospitality of the locals. The F1 practice session and race-day experience proved to be the cherry on top.

Formula One racing is a major attraction and countries all over the world will kill for the right to host the exclusive races. The sport brings with it huge tourism numbers and the attendant economic boost.

Malaysia has 25 million tourists visiting the country every year, bringing in some RM65 billion (about R195bn) in revenue. Not too shabby.

The country has set itself an ambitious target of 30 million tourists this year and is determined to achieve it.

For families visiting Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Resort is a serious proposal. Here visitors get a one-stop shop for amenities for all members of the entire family. Inside the resort there is a theme park replete with every kind of attraction, including rides and water slides. There is also an “extreme park”, a “scream park”, and an amusement park.

Situated next to the theme park are a private university, a private clinic, private upmarket apartments and a shopping mall. Once at Sunway there would be little need to go elsewhere. Maybe pointers for future developments?

The Batu Caves, distinct with the imposing beautiful large Murugan statue made of 300 litres of gold paint, are a perfect venue for those keen on history and spiritualism. The venue is a sacred place for Hindus in Malaysia. It consists of three main caves and several smaller ones.

In order to reach the caves, discovered in 1892, young and old, have to climb an intimidating 272 stairs for a few quiet moments at the temple and a glimpse at the caves.

For the religious, it’s quite a fulfilling journey. It’s good exercise for the adventurous, for thrill seekers and especially good for couch potatoes.

The old port city of Melaka, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, is where we find rich historical material and some interesting connections between Malaysia and South Africa.

This city, established in 1400, is where Maria, the wife of Dutch settler Jan van Riebeeck, died and was buried. Her body was exhumed in 1915 for reburial in Cape Town, alongside her husband. And it is around Melaka that you can pick up some Dutch influence on the local language.

A banana, for instance is called a “pisang”. In South Africa, it is called a “piesang” in Afrikaans.

When it comes to golfers, they get to play on a course designed by one of our country’s golf greats – Ernie Els.

As a result of the Dutch, Portuguese and Italian links, Melaka, in particular, attracts a huge number of tourists from these countries. Most of them are descendants eager to trace their own history. - Sunday Independent

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