Malaysian Melancholy

I left Beijing last week for a six-day vacation in Malaysia. My mission, and I chose to accept it, was twofold:

1. escape the war zone also known as "Chinese New Year"
2. maintain an intense focus on the three "Rs" -- reading, rest and relaxation

Mission accomplished. Though I must admit, the heat and humidity in my holiday destination did produce enough perspiration to make me fully embrace the Year of the Pig.

Located on the north-west coast of the island of Borneo, Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah. A tourist haven with a small-town feel, KK is home to half a million people, making it Malaysia's sixth largest city. It faces the South China Sea with Mount Kinabalu in the background, rising 13,435 feet above sea level.

My hotel was a nice beach resort run by the Shangri-La chain. I became well acquainted with the pool and spa, did a little shopping at the local market, and also took a ferry to a nearby island for an enjoyable afternoon on a crystal clear beach. I also took nap after nap after nap. The lazy, laid back atmosphere was just what I needed, but I soon morphed into a melancholy state that stayed with me throughout the trip. Maybe it was the lonely sunsets. Maybe it was the sound of the water lapping against the pier. Maybe it was the three margaritas I had before lunch. Whose to say?

Anyway, after more rest than anyone really deserves, I caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital and the largest city (pop. approx. 2 million). My tour of the city included a stop at Independence Square, where the Federation of Malaya gained its independence from British rule in 1957. I soon learned the colorful banners around town were not erected as my welcome greetings, but were instead marking the celebration of the nation's Golden Anniversary. I also visited a leather factory (avoid sharkskin wallets), a chocolate factory (eat samples of everything, including the chocolate covered chilis) and a pewter factory (opt for a medium-sized vase after successfully talking the sales lady into reducing the price by 50 percent). There was also a brief stop at the King's Palace. His majesty wasn't accepting visitors, so I only got a photo of the front gate with a very bored guard in front.  He didn't look very menacing, but he was very well dressed. Great for photo ops. We also went by the Petronas Twin Towers, once the world's tallest buildings and still hyped as the largest "twin buildings". The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion. Speaking of religion, about 60 percent of the population are Muslims, 30 percent Chinese (atheist or Buddhist), 9 percent Hindu (mostly Indians) and 1 percent other, including a sprinkling of Christians. (No disrespect to my Methodist friends.) In its short 50-year history, the different groups have gotten along fairly well, and you're just as likely to find women wearing Birkenstocks as Burkas. The final tour stop was a Hindu temple at a place called Batuk Caves. The mountain top cave literally used to be filled with bats, so I'm not sure whey the Hindus decided it would make a great place for worship, but,who am I to judge? With all the tourists milling about, though, the bats left town, leaving the cave to some very colorful Hindu sculptures and a group of very well-fed monkeys.

All in all, it was an OK trip. Good, but not great. Fun, but not fantastic. Melancholy but not morose. You can take a cyber-holiday of your own by checking out my photo album on the left hand menu.

After that, get back to work.  It's time.

Comments

[mapgirl]

I love reading about your trips. Please continue the tradition of including a monkey picture in each travel collection.

m.

[Michael Vernon]

What--do you get about 60 vacation days every year?!?!