Robinson World Tour Part 2: Multicultural Malaysia

Multicultural Malaysia

Our adventure in Malaysia started with an uneventful border crossing. From here we encountered our first Malay transport and drivers. We were headed for the city of Penang and the old British section of George Town. (More on George Town in a bit.) The drive what became eventful. We were travelling down the highway and then we could hear a thump-thump-thump sound so the driver pulled the van over (we were travelling in passenger vans for most of this trip). The reason for the thumping noise was that the sidewall of the front right tire had ballooned out and as we sat there it popped (more of a small pyrotechnic noise). Our guide was in the other van and well ahead of us at this point so our driver took is slow and got us to a service area to where we thought he would change the tire - WRONG -. He just needed a toilet break. With part of the sidewall and some of the tread missing (see photo below) we ventured back out on the highway for the remaining 80+km drive much to our dismay (the drivers English was not that good so communication of exactly what he was doing was sparse at best). Well if any of you have knowledge of tires know that you need the entire tire for is to work and you guessed it the tire popped –thankfully we didn’t lose control- and we pulled over to the side of a major highway (similar to the 400 series highways near Toronto). Once at the side of the highway the driver took down what I think was supposed to be a jack and a tire iron. I asked him if he had ever changed a tire before and the answer was no that he was just a driver. So I decided to help. The reason for the question was that he was that the van was barely off the road and he was standing on the highway with cars/trucks/buses narrowly missing him staring at the van. I told him that we needed to move the van so we could work on it more safely. After angling it into the guardrail and giving ourselves some room I took the tire iron and tried to loosen the lug nuts. The rims were aluminum and the nuts had welded themselves onto the studs and the lug wrench was not exactly the correct size. We needed proper tools and thus help. After convincing his superiors that we couldn’t fix it they called for the highway patrol who after a hour and a half wait and much better tools fixed the situation. We tried to make the best of it as seen in the photo below.

After the arduous trip to George Town we checked into our hotel rooms. The only thing missing from the hotel room was the chalk outline on the floor and blood stains. To say it was sketchy would be giving it more credit than it deserves. With the eventful trip, late arrival and interesting accommodations we were hardly in the mood for dinner and a walk about. We did go to a local food market area for some street eats but that was it for the night. The next morning had us up early and on trishaws (like a rickshaw) and touring the old colonial part of the city. Our rider/guide was very nice and had a lot to say about the city. (see photos below) We visited the pier area where we could see the area that was destroyed by the tsunami of 2004. The driver described the event first hand. It was quite the story. The city is also known for its murals and art work.

We only spent half the day in George Town (Penang area) and were off towards the Cameron Highlands. The drive started out normal enough and then things changed quickly once we got into the highlands area. Asian drivers drive very fast regardless of road conditions. The road was hilly with many curves and it had started to rain. We were in the hills for maybe 10 minutes when we came across our first serious accident. It looked like a moto with two people tried to pass a truck. They didn’t make it. (I leave it at that) A little further down the road there was another accident with a van on its side and another moto in the ditch with the driver some distance away. Not sure of the outcome on this one but it was serious. Our driver continued to speed through the hills. We got behind a transport (they don’t travel well in hill areas and go slow) and our driver was getting impatient as the other van was well ahead of us and you could tell he wanted to catch up to them. This is when he made the most idiotic pass I have ever seen. There was construction and cement barricades on each side with just enough room for two cars to get by. On a blind curve he gunned it and started to pass much to our gasps and this is when we saw another transport barreling towards us. I’m not exactly sure how we made it because there was no room (I think both truck drivers locked them up to avoid hitting us based on how they moved) but we thank God that we’re alive at this time. The driver got an earful and he was apologetic. This drive was the worst we have ever had in our lives. The rest of the driving in Malaysia was uneventful as our guide has told the story and requested the safest drivers and they have been very good since.

Cameron Highlands is in an agricultural area with a lot of greenhouses. It get colder there (highs in the mid 20’s) and a welcome change from the sweltering heat elsewhere. It was here that we saw the multiculturalism of Malaysia. Just looking at the choices of food (Malay, Chinese, Indian, Aboriginal, Thai, Vietnamese, and the list goes on) you get a feel for all the different people that live there. In the highlands we took a day hike for 4 hours in search of the Raffles plant. (The largest flower in the world -over a meter in diameter. ) Remember I said that it wasn’t hot in the highlands, well that’s not entirely true. We ventured into the lower parts of the hills to find the plant as it likes warmer temperatures. To say that I sweat a lot is an understatement. Was it worth the hike is up for debate. The hike itself was challenging and beautiful. After the hike we ventured back up into the hills to visit a tea plantation. We have seen and visited a couple plantations in Africa so this was not as special for us as it was for the others but it was part of the trip.

The next part of our Malaysian adventure had us in the capital of Kuala Lampur (KL for short). This city is very clean and you can see the affluence here more so than anywhere else in the country. Malaysia itself is richer than the surrounding countries and it shows. In KL we visited mosques, temples, the Petronas Towers, Sky Bars, China Town, Central Market, various museums and had numerous walkabouts in the city –see photos below. It is also starting to get pricier for food and definitely drink the further south we go.

Our last stop in Malaysia took us to Melaka -a very multicultural and historic town. It was founded by the Portuguese, taken over by the Dutch, conquered by the British and finally the Malaysian people have their independence. The architecture here was very mixed and showed the various ethnicities - see photos below.

Malaysia stared off very adventurous on the roads and ended very peacefully as we made our way to Singapore on a public bus. The people of this country are very friendly and for the most part accommodating.

Sorry to those of you that have been commenting on the blog as we have not been receiving these. I am not sure what is happening. We have just received some Africa comments from over two months ago. I guess the best way to contact us is my email or Lisa’s Facebook.

Malaysian Family Robinson