By Yvone Tahana - Waikato Times
You`ve got to love a country that lays claim to the biggest beer tankard in the world.
It sits, almost 2m tall, a dull-silver looking vessel in Kuala Lumpur, not far from the city centre`s Golden Triangle - the uber shopping district, slums, and Malaysia`s iconic Petronas twin towers.
What`s ironic is this tankard isn`t standing in a country that has a reputation for drunkenness or binge drinking at the weekend. Rather, in conservative Muslim Malaysian, taxes are whacked on spirits and wine and some of the country`s states are as dry as empty kegs.
Malaysia is a country of contrasts, a third-world state with an economy growing at a rate New Zealand can only envy, leading to immense wealth for some while others live on the margins; night markets selling every type of label knock-off from perfume to DVDs, operate right smack in the middle of Old Chinatown KL, a place where huge ornate temples with turtle gardens compete for space with apartment blocks not 25m away.
KL is a brilliant hotchpotch of the colonial, mosques and Muslim-inspired buildings, Indian and Chinese temples, high-rise apartments, and houses in green leafy suburbs; while rapid economic growth has thrown in skyscrapers and luxury five-star hotels.
But back to the beer tanker. And the weather.
Step out of KL`s air-conditioned airport, one of the largest in the world, so big you have to catch a monorail to connecting terminals, and the heat hits like a heavy, soggy blanket.
For months of the year neighbouring Indonesia burns its forests to clear land for farming; the resulting haze hangs over annoyed neighbours such as Singapore and Malaysia.
That makes it hot and humid, perfect conditions for even a tipple of the 2796 litres the tankard holds.
It`s made of pewter, a soft alloy of tin, copper and antimony. Royal Selangor makes the pewter, the best in the world, it claims, and the tankard sits outside its KL factory.
Take a tour of the 122-year-old business and they`ll let you bang out your own wonky bowl, complete with self-engraved upside down initials. For kids and kids-at-heart, it`s fun.
Jason the factory guide reckons a drink out of a pewter tankard is something else, because the metal keeps the liquid cooler.
He looks hung-over, and in that heat I`m dying for a cold beer, so I take his word for it and make a mental note to get one.
For Kiwis, the exchange rate is pretty good - at a little more than two ringgit to the dollar, things are cheap for travellers.
And if you`re looking to spend money on something a little bit different, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre might sound a bit boring, but it has a hidden gem.
Tucked away on one of the lower levels just before an aquarium, is a little shop selling pottery, vases, spoons, plates and pots.
The artefacts are, supposedly, relics from shipwrecks in and around the waters of Malaysia - some of them date from the 11th century right up to time of the Dutch East India Company. They tell the trading story of the region especially in the South China Sea.
It`s amazing that not only can you look at a piece of Chinese porcelain that might be 500 years old, but you can also take that same piece of history home. If it`s for real, it`s crazy, cool, and it`d probably never happen in New Zealand.
Haggling at the night markets in Old Chinatown is expected and while it can be full on with every handbag stall-owner coming at you with faux Gucci, it`s good cheap theatre watching the exaggerated sighs, hand waving and stubborn stares. Be warned: once you enter into a haggle, you`re expected to buy.
This year marks the country`s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain.
Malays, Chinese and Indians are the main ethnic groups in the population of 26 million people.
My tour guide for the day around KL is an Indian man who reckons building a nation out of different cultures comes down to tolerance.
Since independence the state has made a concerted effort to oil the wheels of social cohesion, he says. Everyone learns Malay at school for a common language, although English has gained traction.
He says the atmosphere has to be one of mutual respect for each others` beliefs.
Under the Internal Security Act, the police move quickly to arrest anyone causing unrest, he says.
He reckons a big worry is that teenagers today are grouping together along ethnic lines, not making an effort to make friends from other groups.
It`s a quiet shift away from what the country is about, he says.
In a country of ethnic diversity, it`s funny that they can`t place Polynesian people.
I get asked a few times if I`m half Asian, something I`ve never before been mistaken for. But a few days later, a couple of Chinese women I meet on Penang Island could`ve been aunties from up north or the coast.
Penang`s about an hour north by plane from KL, off the west coast, much of it lush and bush-covered, a nice change from the concrete jungle.
I`m staying at Batu Ferringi, literally foreigners` beach, and at lunch are two of the plumpest, funniest, brownest Chinese women I`ve ever met.
They work for the Shangri-La`s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa - the only five-star place on the island - and part of the perks of having media stay is taking them to lunch and making sure they`re looked after.
They giggle and chat and tell us about the personal trainer we`ll meet after lunch all the while imploring our group to eat, eat, eat.
And Penang is all about food. Usually spicy, but the huge fried pineapple chunks in satay sauce are delicious. Forget about those doomsayers who reckon you should be careful about hawker food, it`s amazing for its variety, it`s cheap and who cares when you`re on holiday.
Little cart-owners set up shop in open-air sheds and Penang`s residents flock to them for food including Nonya, a fusion of Malay and Chinese.
NZ lamb was also on the menu at one hawker place but, like the $2 CD knockoffs, the meat is probably sourced much closer to Malaysia.
Just like KL, Penang is a mix of the new and the old. At Batu Ferringi, the Shangri La drips class. If you feel like living the high life, there`s no better place.
Jimmy Choo, he of the fabulous shoes, grew up on the island and knows the place well, staff say, but it really is a place women will appreciate.
Bliss is hopping in a marble bath on your balcony while frogs croak and an electrical storm revs up.
The massages left me feeling sore but were worth it.
A round-trip of the island takes a day. You`ll come across traditional Malay wooden longhouses atop stilts.
They line both sides of the narrow road that circles the island, and while some have intricate carved facades, many look tired. The houses are a reminder there are still some who are yet to benefit from development.
Back at the hotel, hawker tourist operators bargain for business on the beach. One Chinese man tells me his horse is from New Zealand stock, a former race horse. I don`t believe him but he spins a nice story.
He reckons his job is a hard way to make a living but he likes being outside all day.
Go to Malaysia to see an ethnically diverse place whose face is changing rapidly, where business is driving the country`s future, and where the contrasts between the old and the new are plain for everyone to see.
Source: www.stuff.co.nz (8 April 2007)
