The
mesmerizing magnificence – Malaysia- a travelogue
Whilst the first and by far the most common word that would
appear all across Malaysia , one that ironically welcomed us at the airport was
‘KELUAR’ which means ‘EXIT’ ! be that as
it may this country was geared up for tourists all across its length and
breadth . Tourism is one of the most
important sectors of Malaysian economy , in fact second only to industrial/
manufacturing sector. The thrust on tourism is distinctly felt . As we landed
in KLIA-2 , which was previously called Low cost carrier airport (Malaysia is
also the birthplace of many low cost air carriers like Air Asia , Malindo
airlines etc) , the first thing I felt was the calm and composed nature of the
people and the sparse populace as my subsequent stay confirmed , in a stark
contrast to India , this country was a quiet country despite the teeming
entourage of tourists flowing in .
As I headed to the city round up of Kuala Lumpur , the board
signs reminded me of the heavy influence that Sanskrit and urdu/Arabic words
have had on the Malaysian language , the Bahasa Malaysia . Words like “bahaya”
for danger derived from “Bhaya” in Sanskrit,
such examples were aplenty . Yet as our guide informed Malaysia populace
was a amazing mix of all the ethnicities of Asia – the Indian subcontinent, the
mongoloid and the south east asian .
Kuala lumpur is a commercial centre and it has many high rises that looking up and straining
the neck for so long made me get a pain in my neck (one of my colleagues in
fact suffered sprain in the neck , whether it was because of The Petronas towers
it is not known !). The Petronas towers were the most truly remarkable
structures , standing tall , these architectural marvels seemed to follow us
wherever we went around the city. Brilliant pieces of architecture as they were
, they were also aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the night lighting
increased their splendor and selfies galore with different poses and new
devices were bought to aid in taking selfies !
Islam flowed through the lives of the Malaya people here
like a quiet river flowing through a country. It was not azaan from
loudspeakers but the quiet prayer rooms built at all public places that
signified the presence and distinction of Islam here as compared to the
subcontinent . Islam here has influenced and in turn has got influenced by the
local culture.
Of the ethnicities the most distinct from the mainstream
were the Chinese people , they were more separated whilst the Indian Malaysians
seemed to have become one with the local populace. Following traffic rules ,
discipline on streets and a love for quiet business was apparent as I visited
the shopping malls , the streets like China town (Petaling Jaya) , Low yat ,
adjoining street to the pavilion mall etc.
The Capital gains of Malaysia – Putrajaya
While having received ‘gyan’ from the net ,from day 1 here I
was pestering my friends to visit Putra Jaya , it took no less than the High
Commissioner from India to Malaysia to finally influence them to visit the
brand new capital Putrajaya . Around 50km from Kuala lumpur , this entire city
was built by the Malaysian government and the city evokes an unparalleled
splendor and being one of the most recent capitals built , looking at it one
wonders about the adage – Rome was not built in a single day ! The bridges ,
the mosques , the Prime minister’s residence , the national square , national
monument all a heady cocktail of modern, Islamic and malayan architecture , it
was as though a long ballad written in cement and steel ! Yet there was again a
quiescent splendor , little crowds and large lung spaces , green spaces abound
by design . Putra jaya – was an example to be emulated .
LANGKAWI – step in ,
be duty free !
Literally coming on the weekend and being free from the
official class hours and discovering this duty-free wonder island was a
refreshing experience . It reminds one of Goa . The hustle –bustle of tourists
from every nook and corner of the world , buzzing night life , streets lined with
restaurants of every possible cuisine . Pristine beaches, endemic wildlife ,
present a nature sponsored break from the routine. Island hopping tour takes
you to various uninhabited islands with limestone caves , the splendid back
waters. Noteworthy being the pregnant maiden’s lake which provided picturesque
setting and a swimmers’ paradise.
A little further the cable car and the sky walk on which the
shooting of the bollywood hit Don took place and the visit to a zoo was all
great. Cenang beach is a beautiful beach especially sunset being exquisitely
soothing to the eye and the Parasailing adventure
there provided a extraordinary view with an orange setting sun , blue waters and green islets of
land - picturesque and serene.
The visit to Batu caves reminded me of the Indian connection
that this land carried with the ancient Indian civilization with the tall
statue of Swami Ayappa , the presiding deity in this magnificent limestone
caves . The caves were awe-inspiring. But unfortunately we missed the dark
caves tour which was closed at the time of our visit.
The good , the bad and the ugly .
Tourists always have some extraordinary and some sour
experiences . First the bad one – As it happens in India ,two taxi drivers
literally bullied us by charging illegal extra sum for bags that we were
carrying , which were only laptop bags , when confronted by my friends they started
into abusing India and Indians . We left huffing and puffing and with a bad taste must say.
On the contrary , the security lady of the mosque in Putrjaya
was so cordial and profusely aplogised us for the mosque being closed after
7.30 pm for non muslims , her genteel and humble nature made us feel good not
just about Malaysia but about Islam as well.
On the last leg of the travel we had been to Sunway Lagoon
which was rather unremarkable amusement park.
Those of us who had been to Genting well gambled their time well I suppose.
Over all the trip around this “truly asian” country left me
with an new insights , learnings , lots of fun. Flying back I enjoyed the sweet
after taste that a wanderlust can experience after exploring a new land.
