Malaysia is the first country we have visited that, admittedly, I did not do a ton of research on. Before we left the US I checked out travel guides from the library on the places we planned to visit: China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, South Korea, and even a couple places we have yet to visit (Thailand and Philippines). Not doing much research kept expectations low, but also felt a little like going into the unknown.
Ok, let’s be honest, Jessica and I actually did some research, but it is a lot different researching from my comfy coach at home and at night in a cramped hotel room after a busy day in a new place. We did determine where we might go in Malaysia, and for how long (about a month); originally we planned the east side of the country or Borneo, but those were not where we ended up. It is important to note that mainland Malaysia is a thin peninsula south of Thailand and north of Indonesia, with Singapore at the very bottom; the northern part of the island of Borneo is also part of Malaysia.
One thing we had learned about Malaysia was that it is always hot, regardless of time of year, as it is located just north of the equator. So, we figured, as long as we avoided rainy season, whenever we visited would be a fine time. We learned this isn’t always the case, as you’ll see over the posts to follow (we ran into burning season instead, yay!).
We decided we would start our journey in the northwest corner of the Malay Peninsula, with Penang. Pulau Penang is the island name (where the airport is located) and corresponding mainland comprise the state of Penang. Our journey in Malaysia would take us from Georgetown (the capital of Penang) to the city of Ipoh, then on to the capital of the country, Kuala Lumpur (abbreviated to KL by locals), with a quick trip to Melaka (or Malacca) while we were in KL.
As you can see above, there are 14 states of Malaysia, which are the number of lines in their flag, with the star also having 14 points; the crescent moon represents Islam, as Malaysia is an Islamic country.
The US and Malaysia flags look very similar, don’t they? The Malaysia flag was actually based on the British East India Company Flag, dating back to the 1600s, when the Company ruled Malaysia.
Malaysia has three major ethnic groups, the native Malay, the Chinese, and the Indians. We were lucky enough to be in Georgetown on Malaysian Independence Day, which celebrated its 69th anniversary this year. Right down the street from our hotel was the main parade route. We woke up early and found spots to watch the parade in the shade.
We really enjoyed watching all the different groups in the parade, from school marching bands, firemen, and military to local and national organizations, dragons and more!
The parade even ended with motorcycle groups (a group of women riders were even cool enough to pose with Jessica)!
The food in Malaysia was really great. Their food is a combination of the three main ethnic groups’ food, and we went on two food tours, one in Georgetown and the other in Kuala Lumpur.
There is even a subset of Malaysian culture called Peranakan, which are the children of Chinese who married Malay and created a whole new culture. When the British ruled Malaysia, they opened Georegetown as a free port, so many from southern China came to Malaysia to make their fortunes. They created their own food too, called Baba and Nyonya (Papa and Grandma in English).
We tried Indian specialties Pani Puri and Samosas, many kinds of Roti (a round flatbread prepared in many different variations, some with egg, onions and cheese), Nasi Lemak and Nasi Kandar (steamed rice dishes with curries and other gravy), satay, Cendol, multiple Chinese noodles dishes (like Hokkien Mee, Char Koay Teow and Loh Mee), chicken and beef rendang, Yoo Char kuey (a Chinese fried dough snack, like a bigger and better Churro), the best mango and coconut shakes, and so many others (which Jessica details further here). We even tried Durian again (it wasn’t much better) and attempted to make our own Roti! The food was absolutely amazing and a highlight of our visit.
I hope you enjoyed this bit of history as we learned so much about Malaysia, the culture, the people during our visit. We had a blast traveling through Malaysia for a month. A lot more to come!
I love a good parade – how fortunate that it was close to where you were staying and you could see it. What fun! The food in these photos looks delicious – it is so colorful and pretty.
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