Malaysia, that other country in Southeast Asia that's not Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia,
it's not that travelers don't come here, it's just that it's not as well known for
those looking to do the typical Southeast Asia thing.
Of course that's what makes it so great.
It has the amazing beaches, the islands to match, and it has the good food, including
Malay, Chinese, Indian, and just about every other type you can think of.
And of course it has the people, welcoming, diverse, eager to show off their home.
I've entered east to Terengganu, to the lesser known part of this narrowly shaped country,
then circled back to KL, Kuala Lumpur for you outsiders.
In search of the aforesaid, as well as for a few answers as to why travelers in the know
speak so reverentially about this place.
About an hour west of Terengganu is Lake Tenier.
This is actually the largest man-made lake in all of Southeast Asia.
It's about three times the size of all of Singapore Island, which is really amazing
when you think about it.
Now if you come and visit, you can rent a boat for about 100, 150 US for the entire day,
that's with a driver, and you can visit the many, in fact dozens of islands within the
lake.
There's a number of restaurants you can visit and have lunch.
There's actually a number of resorts as well if you want to spend the night or two there.
Now just a warning, it's very, very isolated here.
So if you're going to spend the night, you probably want to do it with somebody that
you can get along with because it's boy romantico, otherwise it's going to be a little boring.
At daybreak, we ventured off into the lake on our chartered speedboat and headed to the
far end of the water's edge to begin our hike into the thick of the jungle.
Walking to the middle of the jungle of Malaysia, it seems like a typical Monday for me.
Actually, no, not at all.
What's surrounding us was an unyielding cacophony of insects, birds, and the calls of other
unknown creatures that could likely end my life within seconds of an encounter.
The good thing about hiking in the shade of the jungle is that I feel sweat in only about
90% of my body per se is 100% normal.
Once over the crest of the hill, we came across a mountain spring feeding a pristine freshwater
lake full of hungry fish.
Naturally, we felt the need to feed them.
Something tells me this isn't the first time they've encountered over-eager visitors.
We then ventured back onto the lake to explore some of the dozen or so islands that call
the lake home, many of which you can stop at for lunch or even camp out on overnight.
You know, just in case you're into jaw-dropping views like this.
We just stopped at an island in the middle of the lake and their specialty is the cherry
tarongano, which is a special cherry that's grown here in the island, and they actually
make juice out of it, so I'm going to give it a try.
It's good.
Kind of not too bitter, kind of slight flavor of cherry, but good, refreshing.
The main reason for my trip here was to join in on the squid jigging fest taking place
in Tarongano, Malaysia's second largest city.
What is squid jigging, you may ask?
Well, for you non-fishermen and city dwellers like myself, it's the act of clumsily standing
on a boat and dropping a squid hook, or jig, into the water and hoping the real fisherman
next to you doesn't laugh at you too much.
Well, one out of two isn't bad.
Whatever you're in Asia, Southeast Asia in general, you'll see Dorian, Dorian is a fruit
that's either one of the best things you've ever tasted or one of the worst-smelling fruits
in the world.
So, you can see here it's kind of a spiky green fruit, put it on the ground, thumbs there,
break it open.
And you can see inside here it's kind of a, almost looks like a larb fiber yellow soft
fruit.
Take it out.
It's good, not the cleanest food you eat in the world, but it's good.
Okay, now.
The center of Tarongano is the wet market.
Here you'll find snacks, vegetables, but most importantly some of the best seafood you're
going to eat in all of Malaysia.
Yes, the seafood here doesn't in fact taste as good as it looks, and you can rest assured
it's fresh.
Nothing frozen, genetically modified, or pre-packaged here.
And yes, you'll also need to wash your feet afterwards by any means necessary.
Next stop, the famed floating mosque, and the chance to try out some snacks nearby.
Malaysians definitely love their desserts.
This is a sudi, a type of fruit.
They kind of make it into a cake putty type of dessert, so I'll try it.
Let's go, it's kind of sweet, a little soft texture, very good.
The Malaysians, if you haven't been able to tell, love their desserts, this one's called
ABC.
I initially thought it was called Lion Dury Sila Beretor, which was the sign in front
of the stand, which I was then told was, wait here, get in line, but it's actually called
ABC.
So it's shaved ice, lots of flavored juices, ice cream, and they kind of sprinkle some nuts
on top.
It's quickly melting because it's roughly 100 degrees and humid outside.
And this tastes like nothing I've ever had before, but good, pretty, kind of, lots of
different flavors, but it's good.
So we're in Old Town White Coffee, which I've been told is kind of the Starbucks of Malaysia.
I'm not sure if that's true, this actually seems way, way better than Starbucks, and
obviously it's about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so I need some nice coffee, and it's three
o'clock in the afternoon.
So I need a little kick.
So I'm going to order here, excuse me, Siamese, Sattu, kopi, naan, yango, tamir, kasi, and I
am probably getting a hamburger now, but I want coffee, but we'll see if I ordered it
properly.
It's served by naan yango, which is basically, you see, I think it's like, froth, condensed
milk, and coffee.
It's served over ice.
Mmm.
It's so good.
I could drink that every day.
It's an ad for the Rainforest Cafe, that is not a good sign.
Okay, despite the obvious trappings of international tourism, branded baseball cap, anyone, the
KL Tower is quite possibly the best place to get an overall sense of the city, and to
really be amazed by its scope.
Ball & Board is a pretty compact city, and you can get around by foot quite easily, but
of course there's also many taxis around.
Within the city, you can get pretty much anywhere for around 23 ringgit, in the U.S. that's
about $7.
The best part about it is there's AC in the taxi.
I've been sweating this entire trip in places I didn't even know I had sweat glands.
Just down the hill and a short ride away is the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers, the
petrodollar-funded, architectural wonder of the southeastern Asian world.
Probably the most famous landmark in all of Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Towers, Petronas
being the state oil and gas company of Malaysia.
Now, the towers themselves were designed by famed Argentinian architect, César Peli,
and are 80 stories high, 452 meters tall, and if you wake up early enough in the morning,
meaning 4 a.m., you can go to the stop and visit, fortunately for me, that did not happen.
I'm here at the market in Chau Kip, which is in the northern part of Kuala Lumpur, and
I stopped in to get a street-side snack called a pambalik.
This is basically fried dough, they put sugar in it, nuts, and a dollop of corn.
I'll give it a try here, it's good, it's kind of like an Asian variety of a crepe.
Just on the list is rigaton, or rigaton, I'm totally butchering that I'm sure, but I was
told it's basically potato fried with coconut on the outside.
That's exactly what it is, let's see here.
A short walk away is Kampung Baru, a historically Malay neighborhood that is so far avoided
over development, and is a great place to wander around and explore.
Kampung Baru has been one of my favorite parts of Kuala Lumpur, this area is kind of this
old, sleepy Malay village area, surrounded by these downtown high-rises of Kuala Lumpur.
It's a really, really different contrast, but really, really cool area, great restaurants,
local shops, and cool area to walk around in.
This is so cool, Kuala Lumpur has monorails, this is officially the city of the future.
The monorail is one of the best ways to get around the city, and I decided to hop on during
the rush hour and head to where the story of Kuala Lumpur begins, its rivers.
One of the first things you notice when you visit Kuala Lumpur is that most people actually
call it KL, that's probably because the words Kuala Lumpur actually means the meeting of
two muddy rivers.
Thankfully the city has since transcended this unfortunate name.
A stroll around its historic center provides a glimpse into its colonial past.
Madaka Square in the center of Kuala Lumpur used to be the center of life during the era
of British colonial rule.
Around the park was bring many administrative and commercial buildings.
If you come to the square now you'll see that it's actually a very symbolic location for
the country of Malaysia.
It was here in 1957 that they declared independence from Great Britain, and they've been free
ever since.
Malaysia is comprised of many different people from different backgrounds, about half the
country is of Malay descent, a quarter are Chinese, and there's a very large Indian minority.
Kuala Lumpur itself really represents all these different people to find a little India,
a Chinatown, and of course a Malay area.
Basically what this means is good food anywhere you go.
I know people tell you when you're in Kuala Lumpur one of the things to do is to go to
the malls, but I'm telling you this right now, not going to happen.
A night out on the town in Kuala Lumpur almost always means starting out in the so-called
Golden Triangle, the city's answer to Times Square, and if you're lucky it means a meal
out in Jalan Alor, the city's famed outdoor restaurant district.
Swarming with locals and visitors alike, you'll find a food scene that caters to literally
every craving one could possibly have.
Probably one of the best places to get free food in the entire city is Jalan Alor, it's
areas in the Golden Triangle, and especially in the weekends it's just bustling with people.
You'll find everything from different types of Chinese, Thai, Indian, but of course Malay
food.
My word of advice, come hungry and leave any frog lovers at home.
Be honest, I say Southeast Asia and you think island paradise with white sand beaches.
Not to be outdone by its neighbors to the north and south, Thailand and Indonesia respectively.
Malaysia has its share of beautiful islands, including Radaing off its eastern shore.
We're in Tarangano, about an hour north by ferry is Radaing, Radaing is probably one
of the most famous islands in all of Malaysia, lots of beautiful beaches, palm trees, white
sand, peace, tranquility, you know, that kind of thing, okay.
Guest for the record, I am into that kind of thing, once in a while.
Radaing Island is easily accessible by ferry from Tarangano, and once you are there, there's
not exactly a whole lot to do on this isolated island, other than swimming, diving, resting,
reading, eating, drinking, and the occasional 3 hour hammock nap on the beach.
Well I'm going to miss you when I leave Malaysia, but I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon again,
at least in my dreams.
