Malaysia is like scrambled eggs on hot buttered roti bakar. And to make the dish more exotic you can add a little cili padi.
That’s how I see Malaysia through expat eyes – a delightful scramble of cultures, languages, food, climate, geography and attitudes. A simple yet exotic feast for all the senses. I first came to Malaysia as a teenager – ‘wide eyed and open mouthed’ – there were no twin towers, you could swim in the ocean in Penang and no jelly-fish would bite you, there was no road to reach Damai Beach in Kuching (you took a boat ride), Bangsar Village was palm oil estates and the sky was always blue.
More than a decade later, I’ve returned to Malaysia to start a PR company and I’m still ‘wide eyed and open mouthed’ – the changes are dramatic – a scrambled egg mixture of the good and bad. That, I suppose is called progress, as Malaysia grapples with the exciting task of moving swiftly into the 21st century. As the ‘big bird’ drops down from the sky and lands at KLIA, you are dazzled by the modern world class airport (not the KL I knew as a boy in short pants). Then a smooth car ride on a highway (that could be Los Angeles) passing palm oil estates and then suddenly almost eerily and yet magnificently you glimpse the Twin Towers shimmering in the distance – surrounded by sky scrappers.
I’m certainly ‘wide-eyed and open mouthed’ again. The Bangsar of palm oil estates is now a cosmopolitan district with classy coffee houses, restaurants and shops enveloped with ‘swank’ condos and swimming pools. Expats and locals gather at all hours for a drink and chat. Am I in uptown Kuala Lumpur or downtown Melbourne? A night stroll through the heart of the city sees bars, nightclubs, glitzy shopping centres thronged with people. It’s ‘rush hour’ at 1.00 a.m. in the morning. Is this laid back Malaysia or swinging New York? The beat goes on. And then when you leave bustling KL, the scene changes from highways to winding narrow roads with ‘mamak’ stalls speckled along the way. From the highlands of Camerons where you can sip tea, eat scones with strawberry jam and cream over a log fire (is this a little bit of England?) to the burning sun and rolling waves of Penang a short distance away with five star hotels and bikini-clad holiday makers; (Is this a glimpse of the Caribbean?).
Across to the islands of Malaysia – the Perhentian Islands – cascading verdant green hills sweeping majestically to a turquoise coloured ocean and crystal blue skies. Fishermen drawing nets and coconut palms swaying gently in the breeze. Is this the Greek Islands, I ask? A short flight to the West Coast and you ‘arrive’ in Kuching or Kota Kinabalu – still Malaysia but still different. Sarawak with its towering rain forests, giant caves mixed with longhouses and the odd Iban warrior contrasts vividly from the ‘suit & tie’ KL.
Could this be South America and the Amazon? Going north into Sabah, the scene changed quickly from forest to ocean. Deep blue waters for some of the world’s best snorkeling and deep sea diving.
Fish galore. Is this a little bit of the Maldives? It’s all part of delicious Malaysia – the people are all Malaysians, but the culture and style in various parts a little different. The food all Malaysian, but the flavour and ingredients are a little varied. The climate all Malaysian, but changes quickly from the cool highlands to the hot coastlines. The geography all Malaysian, but contrasting from sweeping tea plantations and palm oil estates to rain forests and colourful oceans. The buildings and landscapes all Malaysian, yet a combination of modern and old. So as I sit down to breakfast, whether it be a roadside mamak stall or in a new age café – I order scrambled eggs Malaysia style and leave the trimmings to the Chef – cordon bleu or kampong style.
Tourism any ‘which way’ is a billion dollar industry and catapults investment in the country. Malaysia today attracts 21 million visitors a year. Singapore attracts 10 million visitors a year. Compared to Malaysia, what has Singapore got to offer the tourist – ‘nothing’. No beaches, no rainforests, no highlands, no rivers, no waterfalls, no indigenous people, no handicrafts, no traditional ‘makan’, no shopping (cost effective) – as the locals say ‘no nothing’. So if Malaysia can only get twice as many visitors as Singapore – something’s wrong! It should be triple or quadruple today not tomorrow.