After relaxing on a remote island for a month, I rounded off my Spring Break by taking another holiday. This time to Malaysia, to see a special mango (read boyfriend). Kuala Lumpur had never been on my bucket list, but I now stand a convert to all this brilliant melting pot has to offer. All of Asia appears to have made a home here.
After surveying central KL with its swanky malls and skyscrapers, we headed out to the Batu Caves, a vibrantly painted Hindu holy site which extends into the hillside. One of my favourite aspects of visiting Hindu temples was admiring the spectacle of handmade, fresh flower garlands which could be offered to the deities. Meeting friendly people became the norm in Malaysia, inside the shrine we listened respectfully to a man relaying a conspiracy theory of a Hindu god gracing earth as an alien from outer space. In hindsight, I suspect he could’ve been pulling our leg…
A more genuine interaction occurred at a quiet Buddhist temple at dusk, a friendly monk popped out to discuss religion and even invited us back for tea! He then proceeded to humbly walk all of the neighbourhood dogs around the grounds, striding along with a wooden staff in a thoroughly enlightened fashion.
On the streets of KL, Buddhist and Taoist temples, Hindu shrines and Mosques sit comfortably within walking distance from one another, making sightseeing for the overheated foreigner bearable. To tell the truth, I became mildly obsessed with Islamic architecture on this trip and could be found scanning the skyline for domes at any opportunity.
All things considered, I believe my spiritual home lay in little India. We nipped in and out of grocery stores stocked full of spices and settled to eat the best curry of our lives in a vegetarian restaurant. Naively, we chose a few dishes at random, one of which proved to be a metre long rolled pancake. The waiters chuckled knowingly as they served us the intimidatingly large tube. Shocked but hungry, we devoured it all.
Partway through this adventure, we escaped KL for a couple of days to travel south to the historic port city of Malacca. In contrast to the capital, Malacca is a boutique town where funky street art can be appreciated by a wander or cruise along the river. However, during the sweltering days, our guiding principle was to find air conditioning at all costs. This led us to unexpected destinations, such as the eery Youth Museum and the strangely fun Upside Down House.
Compared to both Japan and the UK, I really enjoyed visiting a country that seems to make diversity work, and at least in the areas I passed through, the atmosphere felt incredibly peaceful.
The Carnivorous Woman 