Selamat Datang
Welcome to Malaysia
(Notes from diary)
By
Abida Rahmani
My trip to Malaysia in a way was long overdue.This program got finalized last month.
It's my first ever visit to far east . Hopefully it is going to be a great experience. Finally after a detailed research about the flights it got booked through emirates airlines !
My journey Started from Phoenix sky harbor international airport @10:15 am to JFK New York . I'll change the terminal to take my flight for Kuala lumpur through emirates airlines. Wish and pray for a safe and nice flight.
My flight from Phoenix through US airways arrived at terminal 8 in JFK airport. It all went very well without any glitch.Now I had to take Emirates flight from terminal 4.
After getting the baggage found the way to airtran , an airport train between terminals and arrived to emirates terminal. Luckily an agent was available for checking in and I checked in with quite ease. She asked me to reduce the weight of my carry on and put it in my baggage. It was a great help. After Checking in went to a chapel which was more like a mosallah (Muslims prayers place). to pray and had food later on from a nearby outlet. Did some phone calls..
So far so good.ا
At JFK international airport terminal 4 , waiting for the emirates flight to board on for Dubai and then Kuala Lumpur.
The flight in Airbus A380 -800 is awesome. The plane Is gigantic,May it is saved from disasters. The aviation industry has progressed so much.However the hospitality standards were far better in the bygone days.The American and Canadian Airlines are too practical now.
On my today's flight of US airways which is going to be the biggest US airline after merger with American Airlines,only water, tea, coffee and other soft beverages got served. There was no peanuts or pretzels even and rest of the food was on sale! The baggage is charged too.I was charged $4 extra for unknown reasons .
On this Dubai flight It was a great benefit that we were only two ladies on either side of the middle 4 seats row. Both of us slept well by spreading our legs.. Service is really good. Watched some Pakistani TV shows.
It was a brief stopover at Dubai airport. Emirates terminal is magnificent. I remembered the old run down airport in 1996.It's a sigh of comfort for a Muslim land to be prospered.
Now on flight to Kuala Lumpur,the person sitting next to me is a nice gentleman .He works for halliburton , posted in KL he is regional in charge of southeast Asia . Seems to be quite enterprising.we talked at length about USA , Pakistan and Malaysia . He was a U.S. Graduate and had a luxurious life in Malaysia.
Arrival @ Kuala Lumpur
It was all lush green surroundings with spread out palm trees when the plane started its descent. The airport seemed old but quite upgraded with all basic modernization .Had to take a train to baggage and immigration. Got a three months visa to stay in Malaysia from immigration .
Mahmood and kids were there to receive me. It was lovely to be with them. There building is 9 Bukit Utama condominium. They live on 23rd floor. No.4 is missing on each floor as a Chinese superstition,therefore floor no. 4 and 14 were missing. They have spacious dwelling and the building has great amenities. Golf course, swimming pools, tennis courts, gyms and much more. The area is beautifully landscaped.
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Yesterday we went for dinner to Papparich restaurant at centre point mall. It was a Nice dinner with spicy seafood Malaysian style with rice nasi and tasty coconut, pineapple drink. Then to masjid Wilayah ,a spacious masjid with a grand architecture. We offered Maghreb prayers there and roamed around.it resembles the blue mosque of Istanbul.
In the morning we had Malaysian breakfast of rotis , just like our crunchy parathas with daal and dried fish sauce. It was roti chanai with teh Tarik(mixed sweetened tea) .Went to kuala lumpur bird park, masjid Negara another beautiful Masjid for prayers and lunch. Islamic art museum was incredible with Islamic artifacts , dresses, furniture and models.
The weather outdoor is quite a bit hot and humid being an ecuadorian country ,it's weather , day and night are almost same all year round. With plenty of rainfall, the drainage system is wonder of the world.
There are eating areas outside masjids,where one can get food on affordable prices. Most of these street restaurants are called Mamaks. In the evening went for dinner to authentic Delicacy of Karachi "BBQ Tonight "with Mahmood's courtesy. It was superb with delicious, tasty variety of BBQ, chicken, lamb ,beef tikka, seekh kebabs and much more with tasty roughni naan.Earlier we went to the curves mall , had ice cream at baskin Robbins.
it's not astonishing to find that most American Franchises of food, beverages , ice creams ,trendy branded garments, apparel,shoes and all other accessories are available in Malls in Malaysia as it’s all over the world. It shows how America or American economy is ruling the world.
Kuala lumpur is a sprawling modern city with prestigious malls, masajids,lush green parks , multiple shopping areas, towering residential buildings with a vast Variety of houses,modern highways, infrastructure and its twin towers or Petronas were once world's tallest towers. They still are a big attraction with its dancing fountains and shopping malls.
Yesterday did some of shopping and went to night market that starts after 10 pm . Nice experience through a glimpse of Malaysia.This night market has some good bargains as it was hot and humid we enjoyed drinking big coconuts full of nutritious water.
There were celebrations for Chinese New Year of Ram or Goat with red decorative lanterns all around in abundance and fireworks at night.
This morning the Lion dance in the building was quite spectacular and captivating. It started with loud bang of music and dancing acrobats inside lion’s costume, a typical Chinese tradition.Then they went upstairs.Grabbed the big plates of oranges or tangerines and started tossing to audience. It's some kind of Chinese tradition or superstition. I was able to catch one, a sign of good luck.
It was a hectic trip full of excitement so much to do and watch with aching knees felt impossible at times.
To kuala selangor in the afternoon . Prayers in masjid . Palm trees plantations . Date palms, coconut and others!
We drove Up the mountain in Kuala Selangor on a train to watch silver back monkeys at Melawati . Amazingly friendly specie,They had long arms with soft touch and small heads, the babies were of golden color. The color gradually changes to silver grey when they grow up.Malaysian Eagles or Hawks were circling around the area . Later I learned that they are after eating the babies.
We Bought monkey's food of beans, carrots, sweet potatoes and bananas to feed them.
it was selling all around. They jumped on us , climbed on our shoulders for food. A common specie of monkeys were there too but people were only interested in silver back monkeys.
Later on had typical Malaysian food and dessert, ABC by name ,A mix of beans and corn with ice cream,syrup and ice on top,I liked it. The long cone shape crispy bread with sweet taste was yummy. Tried to have steamboat but it was not offered halal. Being a multi religious country they serve non halal menu too. Even in the building there are BBQ grills which shows halal and non halal.
Offered the prayers at masjid and proceeded after dark to see Fireflies on a boat ride in the river. It was an Incredible experience !
There are certain trees in the river to which fireflies are attracted. Our cameras were not capable to catch the shots of fireflies in the dark. We wore life jackets and went on our boat. The boatman was going slowly near the trees. These were filled with glittering fireflies, a spectacular sight to watch and absorb.it looked like if the trees are illuminated with thousands of glitters. I remember these fireflies in my childhood during monsoons. We use to catch them and put them in a jar. I assume that the idea of glittering light is derived from them.
Visit to Putrajaya
Putrajaya is the capital of Malaysia. A fabulous modern city with great architecture of parliament buildings, palaces, government residences, scenic parks. We drove up the hill near parliament building . From there had a great sight of city down with awesome layout lakes and rivers.
Went to a horticultural park .Over there the Moroccan pavilion was enchanting. Its architecture and inscription depicted the Granada and Cordoba of Spain. Many of the newly wedded couples posed for stylish pictures with their photographers,friends and family. The gardens were filled with exotic tropical plants. The palm tree plantations are spread over miles and miles.Then there are rubber trees , coconut palm, date palms and such an exotic variety of other palms and ferns.
We drove to Pink masjid for Maghrib and Isha. On our way we stopped at Green Masjid for Dhuhur. All these Masajids are constructed aesthetically with vibrant colors, themes, exotic Quranic inscription and architecture. Grateful to Allah swt to have such a great Muslim country.
With the majority Muslim Malay population,Malaysia is quite diverse religiously and ethnically .Chinese form the largest minority and a lot of Tamils , filipinos and other ethnicities could be seen.Malay Muslims are good practicing Muslims. Wearing scarf and modest dressing is common among Muslim women. S
Markets :
Visited these affordable markets. petaling Street, Central Market and Chinese Market ,got some good bargains!
Encounter with Dorian!
At the fruitmarket we got Mangosteen, Cherimoya, Jackfruit , Dragonfruit etc. However the most sought out Dorian was unavailable .Earlier have seen Dorian at ChinaTown grocery stores but never tasted.It belongs to the jackfruit family.Saw its fruit sold in some pastry wrappers . We were adamant to have a real Dorian and luckily got a small one in a fruit shop. There were so many restrictions about its eating. Learned that it isn’t allowed in restaurants because of its bad smell.
Anyway I found it a tasty sweet and soft fruit, tasted creamy and custard like. The aftertaste was a bit like onion. However I was unable to figure out so much negative stuff against this fruit. My nephew and his family warned that we shouldn’t burp inside the car.
Visit to Singapore !
Singapore river cruise
It took us 5 hours from KL to reach and cross the borders through Johor Boro.There were border formalities on both sides. Singapore once was a part of Malaysia ,now enjoys the status of an independent neighboring country. It was a British colony and then under Japanese occupation. Now it has a strong , vibrant economy,strong trade and business ties.
After settling down at our hotel, had dinner and went for the incredible and most famous "night
Safari". It was an absolute fun to encounter animals during night. We roamed through shuttle and on permitted spots walked around.With the restriction of " no flashed photography" tried to absorb it personally!
Singapore trip was a bit hectic and short with the feeling that it's too expensive compared to Malaysia. It'd have been better if there was one more day. The downtown malls and area is purely exclusive. Gardens by the bay"is something out of this world with exotic local plants and gardens around the world. The idea of supertrees was a fantastic one! Those were some fabricated tall structures all around wrapped with fresh plants. The plantation and irrigation system was incredible!
The Marina bay singapore river cruise proved to be a great treat to enjoy the fabulous sightseeing of Singapore down town around. The symbolic MarLion splashing water in the mid of the river. Singapore means the village of Lion. There is a story of a lion mermaid in the local folk tales and it's a symbol of Singapore.
Then the high tall statue of Marlion was situated on Sentosa Island with changing colors that looked awesome. On Sentosa Island we went through train . The area is spectacular in attractions and displays.
On our way we had supper at Little India in a restaurant . The soiled , stenched rundown eateries are a part of third world poor countries ,yet it was Singapore .
Then our Cherished visit was to Cameron highlands. At 5600 feet elevation it was one of the most scenic place.
Nice hotel room with a scenic window down the hill including amazingly lavish breakfast. The tea gardens were unique forming a serene uniform landscape over the hills.went to BOH tea shop , factory and surroundings . Watched how the tea leaves are processed in the old factory. The tea plant seems like some common shrub.It’s amazing how the human intelligence figured out processing it into a hot drink. Enjoyed our tea at the terrace of BOH tea shop.
Next day on our way back went to Genting Highland and had the awesome cable car ride through the Malaysian rain forests back and forth.
Tea Gardens at Cameron High Land!
My Malaysian trip was approaching its end ,with swollen feet and aching body . Went and explored many places ,Singapore,putrajaya, cyberjaya, Cameron highlands, Genting highlands, Petronas towers, night safari @ Singapore, river cruise, gardens by the bay, Sentosa island , bird park KL. Most of the places were spectacular. For shopping the best were petaling street and central market. Went to amazingly beautiful mosques. Masjid Wilayah,Jami or Indian masjid , masjid green at cyberjaya, pink masjid at putrajaya, masjid zainulabidin and so many small and big masjids. It's a blessings of an Islamic country to have prayer places everywhere.they call Musallahs “Surao”. The toilets were available in plenty in all public places and masjids. Some where In Good shape , others rundown but water was there. In most toilets the toilet paper roll were hanged outside. Later on I realized the logic that it was a wise step because with water it could have destroyed easily..
Toilets are Tandas here. I just loved their slogan Selamat Datang ( welcome) many of the words are similar to Urdu ,Arabic and Farsi. Awam is public .
Went to eat some amazing food at BBQ tonight, Hadhar moth, old town white coffee, teh Tarik and many more.
Extremely grateful to my Hosts they provided me extraordinary care, comfort and attention.
Right now sitting in A38o going Dubai.
Landed at Dubai, the flight was smooth and enjoyable. When landing at Dubai, it was sand all around . What a vast difference than Malaysia. over there it was lush green all around.
