Really Truly Asia... Malaysia (Part 1 of 2 - Kuala Lumpur)

Place: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Language: Malay

Hello: Apa khabar (apa kabar)

Thank you: Terima Kasih (terima kasee)

There is this really annoying commercial on the already bad 4 TV channels we get in our flat. It shows these beautiful beach-y scenery and brightly garbed women performing traditional ceremonies in Malaysia. The tag line is a high-pitched woman singing “Malaysia, Truly Asia.” Get it? Because Malaysia rhymes with Asia! Once you hear it, you can’t get it out of your head (kind of like She's a Superfreak or that harmonica song the homeless man by the escalator is always playing in the morning when I pass him... I'm rambling, I'll stop).

So, we returned from our trip across the globe on a Saturday night (see previous post), and what did we do the following Friday for Ching Ming Festival? We went to Malaysia for a long weekend. (Since it has taken me so long to write this post, Ching Ming occurred on April 4).

We were warned before we went that there wasn’t anything to do in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (KL). But I couldn’t live in Asia and miss seeing the Petronas Towers, especially when they are only a short 2 hour flight away and my civil engineer of a father would kill me for not making the effort. (See what I do for you, Dad?) Besides, we are on a quest to see the world’s top 10 tallest buildings.

Let me start this story by telling you about my friend at work. As you know by now, I am employed. I can’t say where because I don’t want to get dooce’d (sidenote: If you haven’t read Heather's blog, you should, she is a way better writer than I am).

Well, I have this friend at work who is Malay and it turns out that he is going to KL and returning to HK on the same days as us, on the same flights even! What are the odds? So, at my insistence, he planned out our mini-vacation and even agreed to meet up with us for dinner and drinks. What a nice guy! I *love* getting tips from a local because they are always right about the best places to see, what sites to skip, common tourist traps and scams, etc. We always bring our trusty Lonely Plant guide too, but we try to do everything the locals recommend and never regret it.

The first night, we got the lay of the land from our personal tour guide (my colleague) who drove us around with his friend and showed us all the sights from the comfort of his air-conditioned car. Then, he took us to a local warung (outdoor cheap food stall where most Malays eat their meals) that I would have been scared to set foot in if he hadn't taken us and ordered for us (see below). Seriously, how can you order if you don't speak or read Malay? I'm fairly certain there were dried sardines in Marc's food. Then, we went for beers at a local pub where we discussed Malaysian politics with an American living in KL. So random, but very cool.

This trip, we decided to stay at the Ritz Carlton. As you should know by now, we are not the "Ritz Carlton types," but we got a great deal and convinced the concierge that we were on our honeymoon. Hey, we were, sort of. Note to readers: this honeymoon thing works, they had rose petals and special “Happy Honeymoon” pillows on the bed, and the pièce de résistance was the lavender-scented bubble bath the butler drew for us one night. I'll spare you the rest of the details.

We didn’t have much time in KL, so we spent our first day running around the city in 90 degree weather.

First up was Jamek Mosque. Unbeknownst to me, Islam is Malaysia's official religion, so there are mosques and women dressed in hijab everywhere you look. Muslims pray 5 times a day and non-Muslims are not allowed in mosques, so odds were against us actually setting foot in the mosque but we did get to see the men preparing for prayer. They washed their faces, hands and feet at the communal trough and laid their prayer mats on the floor upon hearing the call to prayer over the loudspeaker which can be heard all over town.

Next, we walked through Merdaka Square, or Independence Square, a vast green space that strangely inspired me to do some cheerleading. Don't say I never do anything to keep you entertained.

While we were walking around, we noticed a huge stage being set up for a performance that night on the square and a dress rehearsal was underway. I can't tell you who was singing (someone famous from what I could gather from the locals) or what she was singing but we took a video for your viewing enjoyment.

After a bit more walking around town, sweating profusely, we encountered the National Mosque. Luckily for us, they were in between prayer time, so we were able to enter the grounds. Unluckily for us, we were in shorts and t-shirts so we had to put on the garb they provided for us. We were given robes with hoods and instructed to take off our shoes. As a woman, I had to cover my head but Marc could expose his noggin. We looked like a couple of Easter eggs left in the dye too long, that or purple KKK members without the hats.

During our visit, the school in the mosque let out for the day, so there were plenty of little Muslim kids running around. Even the little girls must wear scarves on their heads. Marc befriended some of them who handed us literature and posed for a picture. So cute!

We still were not allowed in the main prayer room because we are not Muslim but we could stand outside and take pictures. The white altar-thing in the middle of the picture points towards mecca and no matter where you are, as a Muslim, you must pray facing mecca. Also, during times of prayer, only the men get to kneel in the front. That white line on the floor is the dividing line behind which women may line up, but for the most part, the women go upstairs to the balcony to pray. We met a really nice man that, like a prosthelatizer from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught us about his religion. He even gave us a book entitled 20 Most Common Questions About Islam that contains these precious gems:

• Why is the eating of pork forbidden in Islam? The pig is the most shameless animal on the face of the earth. It is the only animal that invites its friends to have sex with its mate. In America, most people consume pork. Many times after dance parties, they have swapping of wives; i.e., many say "you sleep with my wife and I will sleep with your wife." Could it be that pig eating promotes pig culture. We Indians look upon America to be very advanced and sophisticated. Whatever they do, we follow after a few years. According to an article in Island magazine, this practice of swapping wives has become common in the affluent circles of Bombay.
  
• Why is the consumption of alcohol prohibited in Islam? Alcohol inhibits the inhibitory centre. Human beings possess an inhibitory centre in their brains that prevents the person from doing things that he considers wrong. If he has to answer the call of nature, his inhibitory centre will prevent him from doing so in public. Therefore, he uses the toilet. When a person consumes alcohol, the inhibitory centre itself is inhibited. This is precisely the reason that an inebriated person is often found to be indulging in behaviour that is completely uncharacteristic of him. Many even urinate in their clothes. Neither do they talk nor walk properly. They even misbehave.
  
• Alcoholism is not a disease - it is Satan's handiwork.

Yes, these are direct quotes. I only I wish I was creative enough to make some of this up.

Even though there are many mosques, Malaysia is home to many different religions, so on one block you could see a Muslim mosque, a Christian church, a Buddhist (mainly Chinese) temple and a Hindu temple (at right). What fascinated me the most was that all these cultures live together in peace and respect each other because they are all Malay.

Even though Marc and I are Christians, it was really neat to see how other people worship and appreciate the differences between the religions. The United States is described as a melting pot and was founded on the premise of freedom of religion but I can't say that I know where any mosques, Hindu temples or Buddhist shrines are in any of the places I've lived in the US. This year of traveling has not only showed us different parts of the world geographically but also different customs and religions. It makes me appreciate how wonderfully diverse this planet is. My hope is that I keep that with me even when I move back to my seemingly homogeneous home.