Keranamu Malaysia

As our car sped down the banner-filled street named Jalan Dang Wangi, we asked the tour guide what the words Keranamu Malaysia meant.

“Because of you, Malaysia,” said Raza, turning the car around a street corner. “Do you know New York’s Time Square? Do you have something like it in your country?”

We were in Malaysia’s Berjaya Time Square, inspired by New York’s Time Square. The Asian version is slightly similar, minus the skyscrapers, large billboards and crowds. We were impressed. We hadn’t expected Malaysia to be so modern like Singapore but with the beautiful natural resources.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur a few days before Merdeka day, August 31 to find the city bedecked with Malaysian flags. If it weren’t for this half-day city tour, we couldn’t have known that Merdeka in Malay means independence. The country achieved independence (without any war) on August 31, 1957 as the Federation of Malaya under the first prime minister Tuanku Abdul Rahmn Putra Al-Haj. Malaysia was formed with the entry of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963. Two years later, Singapore became an independent country.

High above the clouds on board the Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur, we had seen the lush green plantations of palm oil trees surrounding the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We learned that Malaysia is the world’s largest palm oil producer and palm oil has traditionally been used as cooking oil (vegetable oil). Because of the high price of crude oil, the demand for alternative sources of energy is great and biofuel is one such alternative.

Biofuel can be made from vegetable oils obtained from crushing palm fruit. It’s really hitting two birds in one stone: the palm oil tree plantations are valuable for the ecosystem and enhances the international airport while its fruits are commercially in demand worldwide.

Our private city tour took us (my twin and I) to Merdeka Square where we saw tents and preparations being made for Merdeka day. According to Raza, the members of the Royal Selangor Club once played football, rugby and cricket at the Merdeka Square during the British occupation in the 1930s and before World War II. The flagpole in the middle of the square is one of the tallest in the world – 100 meters high. The Malaysians have preserved the English gardens and fountains as well as the Tudor-design of the Royal Selangor Club adjacent to the square.

Across Merdeka Square, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (Supreme Court) was also undergoing a last minute paint job. Even with the scaffolding, the tower clock, graceful arches, and copper domes are reminiscent of Moorish architecture. Nearby is the old railway station which is also of Moorish architecture, with its minarets and arches. Looking at this old world charm, I can only imagine that Malaya in the 1930s must have been exotic.

The best part of our tour was the visit to a leather factory, batik factory and chocolate factory. You guessed it, I love going to factories not only because of the authentic finds but also because one learns something new from these visits.

At the batik factory, for instance, we learned that a genuine, high-quality batik would have the same pattern equally visible on both sides of the cloth. This indicates the application of wax on both sides instead of one side only. For that is what batik really is – a method of dyeing a fabric by which the parts of the fabric not intended to be dyed are covered with removable wax. The hand-painted (silk) batik is the most expensive, running into hundreds of ringgits! For my mother, I found her two cotton batik dresses with a back sash that can be tied to a ribbon to accentuate the body. Because my mom hates the “large, shapeless” batiks normally found at the flea markets, we had to look for not-too-expensive cotton batiks with a unique style.

Malaysian batik designs and colors are more contemporary as compared with traditional Javanese batiks that use human or animal figures and earth colors. This factory makes it for tourists because the batik motifs are either flora, fauna or marine. The artist-salesman demonstrated to us, using a mannequin, the different ways one can use a batik silk scarf as a beach top. It really came out sexy on the mannequin. ‘You have a nice figure,’ he said, ‘why don’t you try it and see? I’d like to see you in it.’ I shook my head, smiling. Maybe if I’m alone and no one’s looking!

At the leather factory, the salesman started by showing us a real cow’s skin hanging on a wall, complete with cow’s hair and leather beneath it. He punched the leather with his fist, as if proving that it’s really genuine. If a hole is pierced, he said, the leather is a fake. This Malaysian factory, he said, made leather goods for famous brands abroad. How much is a bag worth? Oh, even at factory prices, the bags ranged from 300 ringgits to a thousand ringgits! Considering the exchange rate of 3.6 ringgits to a dollar, a bag for a hundred US dollars? I settled for a pair of soft leather boots instead, for US$35. At a convention later that evening, I inaugurated the brand new shoes when I went up the stage to share my health story before an audience of 500! Strange as it may seem, the brand-new boots boosted my confidence. No wonder they call it power dressing.

The chocolate factory was not in our original itinerary but we wouldn’t miss it for the world. I love chocolates, but I have to watch my cholesterol if I eat too much. Beryl’s is a Malaysian brand of chocolate and the most saleable chocolate is the Tiramisu, as in tiramisu cake. Instead of cake, they coat almonds with Tiramisu-flavored chocolate which is really delicious. If one can’t go to Beryl’s Chocolate factory, you can find them at the Central Market or known locally as Pasar Seni or “Art Market.” (Another bonus at the Central Market is the Foreign Exchange rate which is better than those in the malls.)

If you’re shopping for Malaysian souvenirs, you will find them at the Central Market – batik scarves, tee-shirts (that glow at night), bags, handicrafts, postcards, paintings, etc. – at cheaper prices. You can also find stores selling Indian or Chinese specialties. That afternoon, three young Chinese-Malaysians were playing beautiful music using wooden, stringed instruments before a small crowd of tourists.

There is one mall that you shouldn’t miss while in Kuala Lumpur though. That’s the KLCC or the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. At the second and fourth floors, you can select your food from the many cuisines available. That first evening, we were famished and cold from the travel, and a hot soup was on our minds. We found the Ipoh stall, which offered several soups, and opted for the Ipoh Fish ball Hor Fun noodles. Ipoh, it turned out, is an actual city in Malaysia that is famous for its noodles. The flat, white rice noodles, along with Fish balls and other seafood served in a soup, was heavenly. But don’t forget the best part of the KLCC – that’s the short cut to the Petronas Towers. The Petronas is awesome. Pure, unadulterated stainless steel. We missed seeing it at night because we didn’t know there was a shortcut from the KLCC that first evening. No one told us.

If you’re flying with Air Asia, you might as well try Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak for 8 ringgits. Nasi Lemak is a traditional Malay favorite, tender chicken rending with fragrant coconut milk and pandan rice. It’s served with accompaniments like cucumber, peanuts, boiled egg, fried fish and sambal sauce. If you’re not used to eating spicy food, take it easy on the sambal sauce. Just take a little, to spice things up. At the Armada Hotel where we stayed, the best part of the daily buffet breakfast was the rice: long-grained and fragrant. I don’t remember the names of the Malaysian dishes that we tried, but they all tasted good with the rice.