Reflections: Traveling in Malaysia – Part 2
October 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Restaurants
As I finished two and a half years living in Taiwan, I wanted to take one more excursion within Asia before I flew back to America. My roommate and I settled on five days in Malaysia, based out of Kuala Lumpur. We got to see many of the wonders of Malaysia, but missed out on the Petronas Towers.
One of the highlights of our trip was a trip to Kuala Selangor to see the fireflies. Although we probably could have gotten there a lot cheaper on our own, we opted for convenience and booked a package tour through our hotel. We were surprised when the ‘tour’ actually consistently of a very comfortable sedan for the two of us and our own driver! We drove first to a lighthouse, where we got to see the coast and the dozens of monkeys who were comfortable around humans. We then were taken to dinner at a riverside open-air restaurant, where we ate traditional Malay dishes. While we were there, the sun was going down over the river with a beautiful display of colors. We finally made our way to the “Firefly Park Resort, where we boarded a boat to see the fireflies. What makes these fireflies unique in the world is that they flash in unison every evening for hours. All along the river, in every direction, we could see fireflies flashing in synchronization.
Another great day trip we took was down to the seaside city of Malacca. This historic port town was heavily influenced by traders from around the world, so we had what seemed to be authentic Indian food for lunch, complete with eating with hands only off a banana leaf. We explored the city, had a snack by a stream in a French-influenced cafe while cooling off in the heat of the day, visited the historic Christ Church, and went onboard the ship that serves as a Maritime Museum. We also visited the replica of a Malay palace that houses the Cultural Museum, with historical artifacts and furnishings.
The last outstanding event of our trip was visiting the Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) to take their rainforest canopy hike. This is a series of rope & plank walkways strung between trees high in the upper reaches of the rainforest. It was fascinating to see the trees and ecology of the rainforest from that high up, but it also was a bit scary to have the walkways sway underneath while looking down at the ground far below.
When I think back on our trip to Malaysia now, an overarching memory is of the food. Malaysia has great food! There was a small snack stand outside our hotel, where we could sit outdoors and enjoy Malay chicken satay, Indian roti bread, and smoothies. There was another day that we went to an outdoor street market and enjoyed local delicacies.
The biggest disappointment of our trip was that we never got to go up the Petronas Towers, which were at the time one of the tallest buildings in the world. Although entry to the Petronas Towers observatory is free, it does require a timed ticket which must be picked up in person. We didn’t do enough research ahead of time, and so the first time we went, they were closed (as many attractions are on Mondays), the second time we went too late and the tickets were gone for the day already, and the third time was the day we were leaving, and by the time we got there, the times available were past when we had to go to the airport.
In spite of this disappointment, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Malaysia and heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, English-speaking nation to visit in Asia.
An Introduction to Malaysian Food
May 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Restaurants
Malaysia is a country with rich culture. The population is made of mainly Malay, Chinese and Indians while the Borneo sub origins made out the most of west Malaysian population. Malaysian food, of course is very much reflective of the diversity of the people staying here. Located at the Southeast Asia, Malaysia is in between Thailand and Singapore while West Malaysia is next to the Sulawesi and Philippines.
It doesn’t take an adventurous traveler or food enthusiast to appreciate Malaysian food. There are just so much to choose from, whether traditional or modern cuisines, deem to satisfy the choosiest tastes buds. The staple food in Malaysia is rice, just like the other Asian countries. Due to its sunny weather all year round, fruits and vegetables are in abundance while meat, poultry and seafood is inexpensive and readily available. Malaysian food, just like its people, is divided into Malay, Chinese and Indian and is still prepared by their own unique ways.
Malay food, in general is rich with herbs like lemongrass, tamarind, dried and fresh chilies, ginger and garlic. Malay dishes can be distinguished into a few methods of cooking namely masak merah (tomato sauce), masak lemak (coconut milk), masak asam (sourish tamarind) and masak pedas (spicy). Popular dishes that cannot be missed are such as nasi lemak (coconut milk steamed rice), sambal belacan (shrimp paste with pounded chilies), beef rending (dried curry) and serunding (beef floss). Satay, or barbequs meat on a stick, is originated from Malay cuisine has presence in restaurants all over the world today.
Indian food, on the other hand, has very much integrated northern Indian and southern Indian cuisines when they reach Malaysian shores. Popular for their curries, banana leaf rice and breads such as chapati, naan and roti (prata in some countries). Indian food has also been assimilated with Malay food through their mix marriages of Indian Malay. The resultant is Mamak food, which cannot be found in India, itself. Examples are like teh tarik (tea with milk), murtabak and rojak (mixture of fruits with peanut sauce).
Chinese food, like Indian food, has been assimilated with local cuisines. In China itself, Chinese are divided into so many provinces namely the Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Hainan, Teochew and so forth. In Malaysian, Cantonese food makes the most presence with its stir fry and steaming method. Chinese dishes such as dim sum, sweet and sour dishes, char siew (sweet barbecued pork),bak kut teh (herbal soup) are a few popular dishes. Steamboat or fondue is also widely available and can be a great experience.
There is no denial, Malaysia is a food heaven. Restaurants open very early through wee hours in the morning. There is food for every budget. Sometimes a hearty meal come with a small price, yet does not compromised on varieties. Head down to street stalls in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country and you will know what I mean.
