Malaysia: Part Trendy and Part Tranquill

By Roberta Sotonoff

Malaysia has quickly become one of the world’s most “in” destinations. Its capital, Kuala Lumpur, beckons visitors with its smart attitude and sleek altitude. Skyscrapers, world class shopping, five star hotels and spas abound. Though it may have leaped into the 21st century and progressed from headhunters to oil barons, part of its charm is that the culture hasn’t modernized as quickly as the country. Traditions like the marriage dowry remain in Kuala Lumpur and the rest of the country.

“I got married when I was 15. My husband paid 5,000 RMB (Malaysian currency about US$1415) and a cow. It was a very big cow,” says my guide, Nor Noridah who lives in on the island of Borneo in Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu.

My visit to both KL, as Kuala Lumpur is known, and Kota Kinabalu gave me a sample of both Malaysia’s trendy and tranquil life.

KL gleams with glass and stainless steel. The world’s tallest twin spires, Petronas Towers erupt 52 feet higher than Chicago’s Sears Tower. Connecting the towers on the 41st and 42nd floors is a double-decked skybridge. It is said to be a symbol of the future.

” When you walk the skybridge, you either collapse from acrophobia or it feels like you are on top of the world,” says guide Humdam Bom HJ Harin.

On the other hand, the blue and white tiled entrance of the 1,381-foot-high Menara KL Tower makes you feel you are entering an Old World mosque. The lobby’s dome of prisms shimmers. Its elevator speeds up 889 feet with stops at a revolving restaurant, the expected souvenir mall and an observation tower. But if its good shots you want, the Eye on Malaysia is your best bet. The 197-foot-high enclosed Ferris wheel revolves so slowly you can get that perfect picture of the Petronas Towers or other city landmarks.

Within KL’s towering structures is a bit of the old Kuala Lumpur. Government buildings reflect Moorish architecture. Directly across the street is Datran Merdera-Independence Square where people like E. M. Forrester and W. Somerset Maughn watched cricket games when visiting this former British colony. Malaysian independence came on Aug 31, 1957, during a ceremony that was held on this very cricket field.

For a long while, 120 years to be exact, the Central market was the local meeting and shopping area. Nowadays tourists in western wear come here to bargain for batik and crafts. Hindu ladies browse for a new sari material on Jin Tuanku Abdul Rahan Street where bolts and bolts of vibrant silk and tundungs –beaded, colorful scarves that Malaysian Moslem women wear– are everywhere you look.

Chinatown’s Petaling Street smells of curry and roasting chestnuts and “rambutan” (a sweet, chilled lichee drink) stalls are plentiful. Streets and alleyways are lined with Rolex, Fendi and Louis Vuitton knockoffs.

The real things are found in the boutiques and mega malls of the traffic-filled Bukitbintang Road. Upscale shoppers and veiled, jilbab-clad (black long coat) Saudi women will rush by you loaded down with bags from Gucci, Fendi and Louis Vuitton.

Spas are another trendy part of Bukitbintang Road. One of the newest is Kenko Fish Spa. For $11, you can sit alongside a pool and have Garra Ruffa fish nibble away at your dead and diseased skin. Once you adapt to it, the little munchers feel pretty good. After their 30-minute feast, your feet and calves will be smooth and your calluses gone.

Not as chic, but just as unique, is Suzi’s Corner on Jalon Ampang Street. Located near a viaduct and surrounded by a cyclone fence, the three-sided shack offers more color then the flashing Christmas lights that hang from its tin roof. While munching on some naan (Indian flat bread) there might be some Aussies dining on steak, Moslems eating rice, or some kids from the nearby international school sharing pizza or Chinese egg rolls.

You won’t find a Suzi’s Corner or KL’s glitz, crowds or trendiness in Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu. This Malaysian state on the island of Borneo is very laid back. Every evening families and couples gather by the boardwalk to watch the sun set over the South China Sea. Then they make their way down the narrow streets to have a bite at one of the numerous, nearby food stalls. The natives, including Malays, Chinese and thirty-two indigenous tribes, seem to enjoy the simple life.

Sabans were not always like this. Less than 100 years ago, some of them were headhunters. The Sabah Museum traces the history of many of the indigenous tribes with handicrafts and ethnic treasures. There are even wedding dowry items like giant jars, water buffalos and cannons. Today future Sabah grooms need only cash and the cow.

The culture of the Kadazon people is brought to life at the Monsopiad Cultural Village, a 20-minute drive from Kota Kinabalu. Visitors get to try out Kadazon skills like sling shots and stilts. Carefully take aim and you can hit the target with blow gun dart. Just past the sacred monolith is the House of Skulls. Dedicated to former warriors, headhunter’s trophies hang from the ceiling .Lady’s tung kung necklaces are also displayed. Tradition dictates that you wear two if you are single and three if you are married. They are quite heavy. “Maybe your husband is like a weight around your neck,” chuckles the guide.

Villagers present tribal dances and later give dance lessons at the community hall. The Darling Darling Dance, performed at weddings and happy events, pays homage to the spirits and helps to protect the people. What’s strange about this happy occasion dance is that the “warriors” will stare at someone in the audience and make weird sounds.

On the way back from Monsopiad, a good place to stop is Krishna Curry House. A multi-course lunch is served on a banana leaf. No silverware, just your fingers are used for eating and to mix egg, fish and tandoori chicken with the rice and veggies on the leaf. Sabah tea, which tastes like hot chocolate, accompanies it. All are quite tasty.

About a 1 ½ hours from the city, is Sabah’s high point, Mt. Kinabalu. It’s a hunk of granite like the Grand Teton but about 300 feet shorter. The lush primitive rain forest and hot springs of Kinabalu National Park were the backdrop for the first Survivor program.

Most visitors drive to Mt. Kinabalu’s base camp. Climbers who have just come down from the summit are easy to recognize–they are the ones that are limping. Non-hikers can take a guided stroll to learn about the 700 hundred ferns and the many species of orchids and pitcher plants. These “pitchers” are actually outgrowths of leaves. Giant “pitchers” can hold up to three liters of acidic water.

Speaking of liquids, the water which surrounds Sabah is crystal clear though too salty to drink. Sapi Island/ Tengku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, a quick boat ride from the harbor, offers watersports like snorkeling, parasailing, diving. You can also sea trek. Just don a helmet with a breathing device, walk along the bottom and enjoy the underwater life. With advance reservations, you can enjoy a hot lunch. The firing up of the barbeques is the signal for the monitor lizards to make their way out bush to see if they can scrounge some noodles, fish, shrimp, satay or rice. About 2 ½ feet long, theses creatures are as lazy as the visitors and like them mostly just catch some rays.

So when visiting Malaysia, satisfy your shopping cravings in Kuala Lumpur. Then hop a plane to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to chill out and not think about all the money you spent.