We present you our interesting facts about Malaysia, things that we have learned in our trips there that we did not know and have surprised us:
Interesting facts about Malaysia
- They drive on the left, by British heritage.
- The bikes are not for 1 or 2 people. That is a total and absolute loss of space. If we go 4 to the same place for 2 motorcycles if with one we arrive and spend less gas? Well, that, like in several countries neighboring Malaysia, is very typical to see 3 or 4 people on the bike, a boy and behind the girl and a baby of months, etc.
- It has a brutal cultural heritage and there are cities like Melaka, which have come to be colonized by Portuguese, Dutch and British, with the footprint that generates.
- Singapore separated from Malaysia after an armed conflict on August 9, 1965.
- Malaysia is divided into two parts, separated from each other by the China Sea. On the one hand there is Peninsular Malaysia (where we were), which is the most inhabited and multicultural. The other part, Borneo, is still a very virgin and unpopulated place.
- The Petronas Towers were until 2003 the highest of the planet with 452 meters of height, surpassed later by Taipei 101, in Taiwan.
- Malaysia has a tropical climate. For example, Kuala Lumpur temperatures fluctuate throughout the year between 26 and 32 degrees, that is, an eternal summer.
- They have a monarchy that we are not used to. They function as a non-hereditary elective monarchy, that is, they choose their king and he changes every 5 years. Would it be very good that in Spain you could also choose not believe?
- Speaking of motorcycles, I found it very funny (I had not seen it before) that people wear the jacket as if it were put inside out but only up to the elbows. I suppose it is to protect yourself from the sun and not to burn your arms (because cold does not do even a little). It’s a bit crappy sausage but all the bikers take it and it was funny to see it.
- It is reputed to have the best food in Asia. It is not that Malay cuisine is extremely varied, but it receives a lot of Chinese and Hindu influence, so there is a choice. The flavors are spicy, spicy and very tasty. Also the prices are cheap. Between 4 and 8 ringgits (1-2 euros) you have a consistent and delicious dish.
- The beer is expensive. For real. If before I told you that for 4 ringgits you can eat, getting drunk will be more expensive for sure. The prices of a beer in a supermarket range between 7 and 11 ringgits (depending on the touristic site and the competition you have). If instead you ask for it in a restaurant, the cheapest thing we saw was 16 ringgits, that means that a beer is 4 times more expensive than a plate of food with vegetables, noodles and meat. Crazy, no?
- They are tremendously friendly and friendly. Leaving aside Kuala Lumpur, in the two weeks we traveled through Malaysia, I only met a Malay who did not greet me (and the ranciete’s face was already visible). That people greet you and give you a warm smile became a routine during our visit in this endearing country. I have not removed my habit a month after I left. It is nice to cross people, to greet and smile and since I have very far to mine, receive these small samples of joy and tenderness make you feel a bit like home.
- The buses are super comfortable. And I speak knowing that all my life my mother has sent me to town by bus, about 10 hours away. Those from here (we had to ride in enough) are very pros. Super wide seats, the backrest is pulled back and from the feet comes the typical pad that makes them stand up, with which there is a point where you are practically lying down. They are also covered in a little chunky disc color that gives a funny point.
- On the train there are wagons only for women. On the outside and on the inside, they are well signposted (it is impossible not to notice), and it is forbidden for men to stay in those wagons specially made for women. At first I was very shocked, because I had never seen it but when you walk around for a while and you realize what a hungry face your aunt and uncle are watching you begin to understand the need to create these wagons. According to official statistics, almost 3000 rapes were reported to the police in 2012, but the heaviest part is that more than half went to girls under 16 years of age. By this I do not mean that Malaysia is not safe, on the contrary, I did not feel fear at any time, but if it is true, when you come across several groups of men you feel intimidated by the way they look at you.
- The use of the handkerchief is widespread, also in young people.
- In most places the shower and the toilet are together, and I did not really like the truth. That is, when you shower, it is impossible that you do not wet the entire sink. There is no separation of the shower (or curtain, or different tiles, or anything at all) so that you leave everything upside down and then you go to pee and the cup is wet. My mother would cross here, she gets mad when water falls on the screen (that’s what it is for), imagine if the whole sink got wet.
- And to finish, and what most caught my attention is the strong multicultural component that this country has. Mainly Malays, Hindus and Chinese coexist and you can see in a restaurant eating at the same table one with a spoon and fork (here they do not use a knife), another with chopsticks and another with their hands. In the same way, you can find a church, a mosque, a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple in the same street.
