First impression of Malaysia is similar to discovering a motorway in the middle of the jungle especially if you happen to land straight in Kuala Lumpur without Penang decompression chamber. It's Dubai built in India or London after tuning implanted into Chinese soil. If you think you've seen it all Malaysia will mock your confidence to death and play on your stunned corpse. Everything is suddenly smooth, quick and easy to understand, even compared to Thailand. Vietnam and Laos seems to be a distant history stuck in a different dimension. I felt transported back to the future, to Europe or Hong Kong.
Malaysia has more races than all other South East Asian countries combined - Malays (with all range of variety called Bumiputra), Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Indonesian, Thai on the Peninsula and indigenous tribes of Khmer, Chams, Burmese, Orang Asli, Iban, Bidayuh, Punan, Penan and Senai on Sarawak and Sabah speaking 137 living languages and practicing freely their own religion from Islam (which is official state religion and particularly dominant on the East Coast), to Hindu, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and animism. This variety explodes in your head but works perfectly (at least on the surface) in everyday life. Tolerance and understanding is absorbed with sun beams and fresh air here. It may look like chaotic demographic kaleidoscope ready to collapse with any hint of a social unrest, but in Penang and KL Indian restaurant overlap with Chinese shops, mosques face Hindu temples or share courtyard with Chinese pagodas, you can hear 10 different languages in one place but there is a mysterious balance, sealed by universal currency of smile and kindness. Malay are politically privileged but they don't take it for granted like Emirati people. You start understanding this jigsaw puzzle when you read history - Malaysia was always amalgam of separate states stapled by introduction of Islam in XII century, exposed to Portuguese, Dutch, English and Japanese occupation without holding a grudge to this day. It's hard to swallow for us, used to national uprisings, country borders and patriotism. Is it a weakness or sign of a higher consciousness, more virtual identity not desperately attached to the history and occupied land? It's hard to find more friendly and eager to interact people in all Asia. Hordes of tourists infesting like a locust Taman Negara, Perenthian Islands and KL every year seems to not spoil their open mind and natural curiosity Curiouser and curiouser like Alice in Wonderland would say...
What is more fascinating is a contrast between ultra modern transport system, shopping malls and highways and ram shackles just behind next corner, food stalls neighboring expensive restaurants, black-ties seating on a bench beside homeless bums and eating with their bare hands from a shiny, silver plates. This is especially striking feature of Kuala Lumpur, modern yet chaotic, clogged in traffic and humidity capital city (and one of the three federal enclaves) of Malaysia. The only thing that makes you more confident is language, Bahasa Malaysia which uses the same alphabet - great relief after impossible to break enigma codes of Thai, Cambodian and especially Lao. It looks like a child mumbling though, like somebody randomly put English words into sentences - it seems to be familiar but your optimism collapses once you start deciphering it. Some words are hopefully taken directly, just spelled phonetically. Another benefit of colonialism and latin alphabet is that English is widely spoken, making it even too easy and definitely not truly Asian...No more french fried,berbecue or mistakes in spelling their own city names that corrupt your language skills when you spend too much time in Thailand. Suddenly you don't have to analyze information boards - you just read and it make sense!
One thing that Malaysia is definitely famous for (if not tolerance and Petronas) is food, taking the best from Chinese, Indian, Thai and European and putting it together into another unique mixture. Penang laksa, Koay Teow (equivalent of Pad Thai), Nasi Kandar, Wan Tan Mee, of course all types of Goreng (noodles or rice) and snacks like Roti Canai or Chee Cheong Fun can convince your stomach (great place to try it all is Gurney Plaza in Georgetown or Central Market in KL). Shopping is also rewarding as you get better quality stuff than anywhere else in Asia in a still great price (especially on a duty free Langkawi). Malay worship Western food to the higher extend than other nations though. It's cool to visit KFC instead of having sushi. Sitting in a night market, surrounded by traditional food stalls gets you rather American songs from 60's and 70's (echo of Saigon?) than local music - you feel bizarre, like staged in a Tarantino burlesque set, but muezzin call still penetrates cultural background reminding you of where you are or maybe adding another dimension to this postmodern, homogenized cocktail.
I came armed with reserve towards Muslim country labelled as too-developed to be backpacker's dream, but Malaysia just got me by surprise. It's a leisure time compared to Laos logistic trauma, Thai bargaining or Vietnamese scams - you don't need to be vigilant, fully focused or ready to defend your pride and wallet 100% of your time. People are honest, friendly and ready to help without expecting financial benefits. They will even chase you out of the shop if you forget your change. Striking kaleidoscope of nations, religions, traditions and culinary treats living in one place. It seems like a quintessence of Asia ready to become Europe. Truly Asia? I don't think so, but what an amazing and varied compound, an experiment initiated by a mad alchemist and then left alone to grow and it grows magnificently...
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