Selamat Pagi!
We write you from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one stop on our northward journey from Singapore to Thailand.
Arriving in the clean-freak utopia (to Tanya's delight) of Singapore, we saw the city through the magnificent tour of Tanya's cousins. From the iconic Singaporean Merlion (half-mermaid, half-lion) statue and the Raffles Hotel and bar (the home of the Singapore Sling, a touristy and addictive syrupy concoction), to the many ethnic enclaves of Little India, Malaysia and China, to the sanitary yet dynamic nightlife of Clarke Quay (including a bar called The Clinic which serves drinks out of IVs and sits people in wheel-chairs), we enjoyed Singapore tremendously.
Singapore is a small island on the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia with four million people concentrated in an area of twenty by forty kilometers. A benevolent dictatorship, the island functions like a well-oiled capitalist machine. For those of you who don't know, Singapore surpassed "developing country" status many years ago - this is one rich island with spotless streets (there is a ~$350 dollar fine for littering), crazy-modern technology (the parking lots tell you exactly where to drive to find that one empty spot), tons and tons of shopping (a near-infinity of stores at all price levels), and amazing food drawing from its multicultural heritage. People say that Singaporeans have two hobbies-- eating and shopping-- and it's no joke. After only two days in the city, we could already feel ourselves getting chubbier!
After Singapore we worked our way up Peninsular Malaysia (a whole 20 minutes away) taking two successive buses to Melaka and then Kuala Lumpur. The first destination (also known as Malacca) was a small historic port town with a couple of small attractions that were unfortunately, not too exciting. Nonetheless as our first introduction to Malaysia, the town made us happy. It was here that we started to recognize the country's multiculturalism and just how nice its people are - we have been welcomed with smiles everywhere we've been.
One of the defining features of Singapore and Malaysia is the diversity of their populations. Over the past couple hundred years, the region has been influenced/dominated/bred-into by the Indians, the Chinese, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, and the Americans. So far, every town we have been to has a Chinatown, a Little India, a bunch of Malaysian cuisine, and the usual assortment of Western outfits ( e.g., Starbuck's, McDonald's, GAP). Additionally, the current wave of development has brought Bengalis, Sri Lankans and Filipinos in droves. For example, in Singapore on Sunday nights you can see thousands of single, male migrant-workers enjoying their one day off by walking the streets of Little India, going to the local temple and calling their families for hours on their cellphones.
Our second stop in Malaysia was Kuala Lumpur, the cosmopolitan home to the Petronas Towers - our favorite attraction in Malaysia so far. Thanks to our previous employer, we were able to go to the 57th floor (way beyond the tourist Sky Bridge on the 41st) and appreciate the view of the city and its surrounding lush hills (see pictures). Designed in an Islamic motif by an Argentine and constructed (separately) by a Japanese and a Korean team (in something like a competition), the towers are some of the tallest in the world and dazzling in their beauty. Beneath the towers lies one of the most amazing malls we have ever seen as well as a series of gardens, a public pool, and an aquarium. The towers are the landmark of modern Malaysia.
Here are the photo albums: Click here for Singapore, click here for Melaka and Kuala Lumpur.
Tomorrow we are taking off for the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands and then the island of Penang. We will write more from there.
We write you from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one stop on our northward journey from Singapore to Thailand.
Arriving in the clean-freak utopia (to Tanya's delight) of Singapore, we saw the city through the magnificent tour of Tanya's cousins. From the iconic Singaporean Merlion (half-mermaid, half-lion) statue and the Raffles Hotel and bar (the home of the Singapore Sling, a touristy and addictive syrupy concoction), to the many ethnic enclaves of Little India, Malaysia and China, to the sanitary yet dynamic nightlife of Clarke Quay (including a bar called The Clinic which serves drinks out of IVs and sits people in wheel-chairs), we enjoyed Singapore tremendously.
Singapore is a small island on the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia with four million people concentrated in an area of twenty by forty kilometers. A benevolent dictatorship, the island functions like a well-oiled capitalist machine. For those of you who don't know, Singapore surpassed "developing country" status many years ago - this is one rich island with spotless streets (there is a ~$350 dollar fine for littering), crazy-modern technology (the parking lots tell you exactly where to drive to find that one empty spot), tons and tons of shopping (a near-infinity of stores at all price levels), and amazing food drawing from its multicultural heritage. People say that Singaporeans have two hobbies-- eating and shopping-- and it's no joke. After only two days in the city, we could already feel ourselves getting chubbier!
After Singapore we worked our way up Peninsular Malaysia (a whole 20 minutes away) taking two successive buses to Melaka and then Kuala Lumpur. The first destination (also known as Malacca) was a small historic port town with a couple of small attractions that were unfortunately, not too exciting. Nonetheless as our first introduction to Malaysia, the town made us happy. It was here that we started to recognize the country's multiculturalism and just how nice its people are - we have been welcomed with smiles everywhere we've been.
One of the defining features of Singapore and Malaysia is the diversity of their populations. Over the past couple hundred years, the region has been influenced/dominated/bred-into by the Indians, the Chinese, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, and the Americans. So far, every town we have been to has a Chinatown, a Little India, a bunch of Malaysian cuisine, and the usual assortment of Western outfits ( e.g., Starbuck's, McDonald's, GAP). Additionally, the current wave of development has brought Bengalis, Sri Lankans and Filipinos in droves. For example, in Singapore on Sunday nights you can see thousands of single, male migrant-workers enjoying their one day off by walking the streets of Little India, going to the local temple and calling their families for hours on their cellphones.
Our second stop in Malaysia was Kuala Lumpur, the cosmopolitan home to the Petronas Towers - our favorite attraction in Malaysia so far. Thanks to our previous employer, we were able to go to the 57th floor (way beyond the tourist Sky Bridge on the 41st) and appreciate the view of the city and its surrounding lush hills (see pictures). Designed in an Islamic motif by an Argentine and constructed (separately) by a Japanese and a Korean team (in something like a competition), the towers are some of the tallest in the world and dazzling in their beauty. Beneath the towers lies one of the most amazing malls we have ever seen as well as a series of gardens, a public pool, and an aquarium. The towers are the landmark of modern Malaysia.
Here are the photo albums: Click here for Singapore, click here for Melaka and Kuala Lumpur.
Tomorrow we are taking off for the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands and then the island of Penang. We will write more from there.
We miss you all and look forward to hearing from you.
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