Melaka and Kuala Lumpur

Note: I got back safely to the US a few weeks ago and was able to enjoy spending time with family and friends.  I'll be finishing up with the last 4 posts on my travel.  Best of luck in the new year.

Megan’s audit trips took her to Kuala Lumpur for a weekend.  I was able to catchup with her.  We explored KL a little bit and also sampled Melaka.

Melaka – a past maritime power

Melaka is a historic port town.  Once known as the Venice of the East, old Melaka attracted maritime trade from Europe, Middle East, Indian, China and Southeast Asia.  Its policy as a free trade zone made it an amazingly successful and diverse bazaar.  The wealth inevitably attracted the European colonial powers (the Portuguese, Dutch and British).  Under colonial rule, Melaka’s trade was heavily taxed and the port’s influence and economic vibrancy faded.  Other port cities such as Penang and Singapore were prioritized over Melaka. 

Today Melaka is a small city worth a visit.  The old historical buildings are fascinating and there are museums for every interest.  The maritime museum and ethnology museums are informative and extensive.  The Chinatown neighborhood has plenty of antique shopping but beware as that quality varies.  Melaka has plenty to explore for a day trip or a quick weekend jaunt.

Standing outside the Maritime Museum

Melaka's Chinatown with a cool dragon decoration

Delicious food in Melaka

Melaka has some unique takes on cuisine.  One of the first things we had was Popiah which is a spring roll on steroids.  Like Singapore, Kuching, and Penang, Melaka has its own take on Laksa.  We tried both o those dishes and more at  Nancy's Kitchen Restaurant.  And for dinner we crushed some Satay Celup.  It’s similar to steamboat where we select the raw ingredients on skewers which dump into a boiling vat to cook; the difference being that instead of boiling flavored water there is boiling peanut sauce.  The tables had built in heating and containers to keep the peanut sauce warm.  After a few minutes of sitting in the boiling sauce, the food was ready to devour.  Satay is normally quite tasty and even though the end product was probably not quite as good as normal satay, the novelty of the celup style made it worth trying once. 

The satay celup peanut sauce heating up in the middle of the table.

Megan enjoying playing with her food

Kuala Lumpur

KL is a tin miing town that has boomed into a megacity and the capital of Malaysia.  KL’s metro population is over 7 million and the city is very spread out.  The public transportation is inconsistent thus logistical issues prevented us from fully exploring KL.  There were a few things worth mentioning.

There is a solid bar and restaurant scene in the Golden Triangle area of the city.  It’s good for a night out with plenty of bars and clubs to hop to.  We visited an Irish Bar that played mostly 80s music so we enjoyed that.

We also had an interesting visit to a Ramen restaurant for lunch on Sunday.  After watching ND clinch their undefeated season, we celebrated with lunch.  Megan got a beer and I did the adult thing and ordered a coke float.  The Ramen was fantastically flavorful and it had detailed step-by-step instructions on how to enjoy the Ramen.  It’s not just eating the Ramen; it’s enjoying the smells, the separate tastes and sequencing the eating.  During our lunch we had 3-4 little asian kids stare at us from across the booth dividers, which is a perk of sticking out like a sore thumb.  Our booth had L shaped seating, the best of both worlds (same siding and opposite siding).  When we went to pay for the Ramen, Megan won us a free lunch.  Pretty kick ass.

Ramen, gyoza, beer, and coke float

Singapore-Malaysia Soccer Game

Reading the local newspaper is a great travel tip.  It’s an easy way to understand what the locals are thinking and to relate to them in conversation.  The newspaper is also a source of event information.  We learned about the AFF Suzuki Cup which is a Southeast Asian soccer tournament for the national teams.  Malaysia was hosting Singapore for the first round on Sunday night so Megan and I decided to go.  Neither of us had ever been to a soccer game before so we eagerly anticipated the game.  It was great fun.  The crowd was raucous, especially the Malaysian super-fan supporter section.  They rolled out massive banners, banged on drums and taunted Singapore pretty much all night (see the video below during the national anthems).  We sat in the Singapore section and things got real exciting when Singapore scored.  The 3 Lions as they are known routed Malaysia 3-0 (Note that Singapore would eventually win the tournament as an underdog which is awesome).  It was a cool authentic experience as we were some of the only white people amidst the crowd of 40,000.  A weird thing happened though.  A number of Malaysian strangers would randomly walk up to us and say “welcome to Malaysia” then leave and laugh.  Not sure if it’s an inside joke.

Getting back to the soccer game was an adventure as we almost ran out of money and the trains stopped running.  We contemplated selling our excess possessions to fund our travel back.  Fortunately we found an ATM so I still have my KAMSC t-shirt from high school.  And don’t worry folks this (running out of money) doesn't happen very often to us.  We survived and were able to make it back; Megan worked the next day and I traveled back to Singapore.

Into the Jungles of Borneo

Megan and I ventured into the wild lands of Borneo during the Hari Raya Haji long holiday.  Borneo was unlike any place we had visited in Southeast Asia.  Borneo’s natural wildlife and indigenous cultures are quite unique.   For our trip, we based operations out of Kuching, the capital of the province of Sarawak.*

The exotic wildlife

Borneo’s wilderness is exotic and fascinating.  The island’s separation from mainland Asia has allowed wildlife to evolve in unique closed environments.  Consequently many animals found in Borneo are found nowhere else in the world.  A great example is the Probiscus Monkey.  The Probiscus Monkey has to be one of the uglier members of the primate family.  They have a strange fat body, bizarre coloring and a weird nose which makes them seem almost alien like.  They live in small groups high up in the trees where they feast on fruits and leaves.  We encountered a number of these creatures up close while staying at Bako National Park.

The unfortunate looking Probiscus Monkey

Bako National Park is a protected reserve on a peninsula in Sarawak.  We stayed there for two days and one night in order to see lots of exciting wildlife.  The lodging at Bako is quite humble and gets ripped on at Trip Advisor “Far and away, this is the absolute worst accommodations we have had anywhere. We have been to 64 countries, traveled backpacker style. We are not all that fussy, but these accommodations were disgusting.” and "Before I'm misunderstood I spent a week living in a jungle before coming here and am not unused to insects, cheeky monkeys or "roughing it" but honestly you're better to tent it than to stay here.", but the nature elements more than compensated.

The humble accommodation - not great but not the
apocalypse of crap that the reviews warned of.

The Park is home to 7 different ecosystems, 3 primate species, lizards, reptiles and 150 different species of birds.   We hiked for 7-9 miles each day through jungles, mountains, and grasslands to deserted beaches.  Along the way we spotted numerous monkeys, bearded boars, carnivorous plants, and much more.  The smells and strange sounds of the jungle were intoxicating.   At one point one of the macque monkeys made a kamikaze style run at Megan to grab her ice cream.  You gotta watch out when you are in Borneo!

Megan crossing the waterfall on a treacherous bridge.

An example of the rough terrain we hiked through

Looking out across the South China Sea.  At the end of the
land mass you can see the landmark Sea Stacks.

At night the rangers lead tour guides back into the jungles to see the wildlife in their nocturnal state.  We came across a Wagler's Pit Viper, the 3^rd most poisonous snake in Borneo.  We saw frogs whose croaks could be heard for miles away.  We saw a beautifully colored Kingfisher bird sleeping the night away.  We also ran into bats, tarantulas, spiders and florescent mushrooms.   The tour provided tons of night time thrills.  As a bonus we had two amateur photographers competing for the honor of being “that guy”.  They both took about 10 pictures and 7 minutes for every animal we saw, no matter how insubstantial the creature.  Megan’s patience was worn to the point where she referred to one of them as Mr. DSLR.  A note to Mr. DSLR if you ever read this blog: ‘We get it dude, you have a nice camera.  In the future can you please take just one picture and stop blinding the animals with your obnoxious flash?’

After Bako we took another trip to Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to see Orangutans in their natural habitat.  Despite the inclimate weather (our first time with bad luck in any of our trips), we were still able to see 3 Orangutans feeding.  These animals were amazingly graceful, coordinated and human-like.   The way they shook the trees as they floated from branch to branch was impressive.  Orangutans live solitary lives and are endangered, so it was truly an incredible experience being able to see them in the wild.  Megan and I made sure to leave a good impression in case Planet of the Apes ever becomes real. 

Orangutans in Borneo

The Culture of Borneo

Like many of the countries in Southeast Asia, Borneo is a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and religious beliefs.   What’s different is that Borneo has a fascinating indigenous population.  The Dayak are tribal people who dominated the island until colonization in the 1800’s.  They previously lived in the jungle areas of the land and had extremely different beliefs than the cultures of mainland Southeast Asia.  For example, the Iban people practiced head hunting which was the decapitation and then proud display of enemy human heads.  The people were also impressively interested in body art.  Many of the males had intricate tattoos in painful places.  The tattoos and body modifications are still observed by their modern descendants.  Megan and I learned much about the indigenous cultures during a stop at the Sarawak Museum.

Megan underneath human heads in a replica Iban longhouse.

The City of Kuching

The City of Kuching kept us busy for a couple days.  Right near the Sarawak Museum were other nicely curated museums on Art, History, Islam and more.  They provided hours of intellectual stimulation, especially the exhibit on different funeral and death customs.  Kuching also offers a nice riverwalk, a variety of souvenir shops and pretty good restaurants.   In terms of local food, the Sarawak Laksa was most excellent.  It was sweet and a bit spicy, not sour like Penang Laksa.

Kuching’s only disappointment was it’s dead nightlife scene.  Megan and I twice explored the city at night and all we found were a few empty bars.  The best place to relax and grab a drink was our Hostel Bar which was themed after an Iban Longhouse.  For a couple nights we enjoyed a few drinks and good company there.

Conclusions:

Borneo was an adventure.  The crazy wildlife, the exotic cultures and the interesting city of Kuching provided great experiences.  Kuching is a great base of operations for travelers interested in exploring the natural and cultural elements of Malaysian Borneo.   Travelers shouldn’t expect a rapidly growing cosmopolitan city like Ho Chi Minh City or somewhere in Bali.  Nevertheless it works as a solid base.   

Relaxation at Rawa

Megan and I recently traveled to Rawa for the weekend with our friend Jesse McGannon.  We had been contemplating a Rawa trip but to officially book it, it finally took a friend coming to town.  Rawa is a pretty undeveloped island in the South China Sea off the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia.  The island is quite unknown due to this lack of development.  For the weekend it was a perfect spot to relax.

Rawa the beautiful

Getting to Rawa requires a 3 hour cab ride to Mersing and a 30 minute boat ride through the South China Sea.  There's definitely something adventurous and romantic about having to take a boat to get somewhere.  We passed a number of small jungle islands and ragged rocks as we traveled across the sea.  Upon reaching Rawa we were treated to beautiful sights.  The beaches of Rawa were white sand and they mixed perfectly with the light blue water.  We saw corals and schools of fishes as the boat pulled up to the small wooden dock.  The resort shelters were separate bungalows that tastefully blended in with the cliffs and vegetation on the island.  The environment made us forget the outside world and made us excited to explore.  It was similar to the feeling one gets as a kid when they arrive at the first day of camp.  

Resort bungalows built right on the shoreline

Fun in the sun

Right away we wanted to explore, play with all the cool stuff and meet new friends.  After checking in, we changed in to beach attire and made a bee-line to the one of the sweetest water slides.  It was around 3.5 stories tall and had vicious turns that would invariably almost throw us out of the slide.  A number of times kids would go down it, get owned by the aggressive speed of the slide, start crying, and then immediately run to get back in line again.  

The destroyer - kids beware!

After about 3 (or more like 10) times down the slide, we rented kayaks and snorkel equipment.  The kayaks were great for seeing the undeveloped jagged coastline on the other sides of the island.  The caves, waterfalls, and cliffs were quite interesting.  Since Rawa is right on coral, there is great snorkeling and diving within swimming/walking distance.  At low tide I was able to get a great view of the coral reefs.  I even found Nemo!

Nemo and Dad in the Sea Anemones 

And of course no beach vacation would be complete with out some sports on the beach.  We recruited from the young/fun resort and coaxed some folks into the playing.  The diversity of visitors was quite impressive.  We meet people from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and England.  We all had a blast playing despite the net being so low that even Tom Cruise could spike on it.

Playing with the boys

Sunset and Night time activities

At night we enjoyed a BBQ buffet filled with eastern and western delights.  There was cocktails, beer, and soccer on the big screen for all to enjoy.  After dinner we ventured back over to the young/fun resort and hung out with our international friends.  It was a bit like a house party combined with the Hangge Uppe.  Good times.

Relaxing by the beach before sunset

Jesse likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, but mostly sunsets

Conclusion

Sunday afternoon had us traveling back to the real world and modern civilization.  We all had a little sun and were ready to regroup before the next week.  Rawa was an awesome hidden gem in Malaysia.  The environment is glorious without being overdeveloped like many of the popular tourist getaway spots.  The activities were numerous and the people were interesting without being to numerous.  I would highly recommend Rawa to both young travelers and families alike.

Weekend in Penang

A couple of weekends ago Megan and I visited Penang.  Penang is a Malaysian island off the western coast of the Malay Peninsula.  A visit was recommended in order to experience of its great food and laid back atmosphere.  We spent two days and on the island with the majority of our time in Georgetown (the old colonial center).

Monkey Beach at Taman Negara National Park.

We arrived in Penang early Saturday morning and we took a cab immediately to the Northwest corner of the island to visit Taman Negara National Park.  Here we trekked through the hills of the jungle, close by to the seashore.  We saw a number of cool sights: playful monkeys, the largest ants I’ve ever seen and naturally occurring waterfalls.  The sounds and smells of the jungle were intoxicating.  The treacherous hiking path reminded me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  Our pot of gold at the end of our journey was a really nice beach sparsely populated with locals.  We soaked in the pristine sights, cooled off from the humid hot weather, and then took a power boat back to civilization. 

The unique architectural contrasts (a Chinese temple next to a colonial style building)

In Georgetown we stayed at the Hutton Lodge.  The spartan guesthouse provided a convenient base from which to explore by foot the historic Georgetown area.  We were blocks away from Chinatown, Little India, nightlife and the colonial areas.  The mix of cultures was quite similar to Singapore.  Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its shophouse architecture.  Throughout the area were former Chinese clan houses which were really interesting.  The clan houses were bases where associations would gather to meet, conduct business and protect their own members.  It’s a mix of a Kiwanis Club, a Mafia family, and a Frat House.  The coolest architectural site was a Chinese temple that we saw during a night ceremony.  Impressive during the day, the building really impressed when it was lit up at night.  Sunday we took a self guided walking tour by the colonial landmarks and we learned about Penang’s past.  The Penang History Museum was a great pit stop that provided a cool air conditioning break during the tour.

Megan in front of the Khoo Khongsi Temple

The food in Penang is quite good.  Similar to Singapore it is a mix of Asia influences, especially Chinese and Malay.  We ate at a Hawker center with locals (we were the only white people there) and ordered some tasty Char Kway Teow and Laksa.  Our Saturday late night food stop was a street vendor burger stop.  The burgers were mouth-watering with fried egg, sweet chili sauce, succulent patties and a crisp yet fluffy bun.  It was by far the best burger I’ve had in a while; Megan and I shared one, and then I ordered a second burger just to experience it again.  Another awesome food delicacy was the Bacon jerky seasoned in chili sauce that we got at the street fair.  Slightly crispy yet still soft, the bacon was addicting.  Our only bad food experience was at the Red Garden Food Paradise.  We had to eat rather quickly to catch our Sunday night return flight so we settled on this place.  Upon arrival we realized it was a trap (a tourist trap).  The food vendors were aggressive in selling their food and the pictures looked a lot better than the actual food.  We ordered a Char Kway Teow that was subpar and the worst soft shell crab I’ve ever had.  This crab was cooked in very bready batter and the end result was what Long John Silver’s soft shell crab would be like.  Quite gross.  Penang couldn’t end on a high note, but it was a good overall experience regardless.

Penang clocktower dedicated to Queen Victoria

 Penang is a fun place to visit.  The food and culture are quite interesting and similar to Singapore. Both cities share a history as strong port cities that became important British settlements.  They both have a strong mix of cultures that colors their neighborhoods and foods.  Singapore is more developed but Penang has charm as a sleepy town with gems to find.  Penang is a nice place to visit but not essential to a Southeast Asia tour.

Asia Gangnam Style

While in Penang last weekend, Megan and I came across a street festival in Georgetown.  The festival was similar to those in the US with local business vendor booths, interesting county fair style foods (gotta love fried foods and meat on a stick), and musical entertainment.  Except that the musical entertainment wasn't a live band but a dance off.  And the dance off wasn't teams dancing to different songs but instead they were dancing to the same exact song in its entirety.  And that song was none other than the viral sensation Gangnam Style. 

If you are new to Gangnam Style, the quick debrief is that its a Korean pop song that satires the conspicuous consumption lifestyles in the rich Gangnam district of Seoul.  Most Korean pop is sappy garbage (think Michael Bubble and Hannah Montana), so the critique elements of this song are quick unique.  The song itself is very catchy and the dance moves are outrageous.  Which makes it a good candidate for a dance-off competition.  Let's meet our competitors:

Competitor 1: Old Guy who sucked

I'm not sure if this guy lost a bet or was delusional about his own abilities.  He had a relatively serious face with thoroughly mediocre "moves" I don't think his knees bent to an angle less than 165 degrees.  His jazz hands were ok but none of his moves corresponded to the music video or song.  Overall grade: C-

 

Competitors #2: The well rehearsed teenagers

The lead contenders had to be teenagers who were on top of this song months ago and had been rehearsing day and night since then.  These folks were legitimately very good.  They brought energy and performed some physically difficult moves.  They also had good group coordination which cannot be overestimated in difficulty.  Lastly, they gave proper homage to the video by using some of its moves and even having the lead dancer dressing like the singer. The only drawback was that the girl in the group was less into it than the others, dragging down the team effort.  Overall grade: A-

Competitors #3: The adorable kids

These kids were awesome.  They were really well rehearsed and totally unfazed by the large crowds and they had really good dance moves.  The fact that they were 7 and 8 made it even better.  Plus you gotta love the bow-tie.  Overall grade: A+  The Champs!

Conclusion:  Gangnam Style is huge globally right now, and Penang is no different.  The crowds for this event were very large but here was a complete absence of crowd participation or enthusiasm.  Crowd singing and cheering and dancing would have enhanced this competition by 200%.  Nevertheless, Megan and I found entertainment gold when we stumbled upon this.  One of those great spontaneous travel moments.  And the spicy chili bacon from the street vendors was delicious.  Street festivals are wonderful no matter where they are.