{"id":2461,"date":"2024-05-08T08:45:31","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T06:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/?p=2461"},"modified":"2024-05-08T08:48:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T06:48:06","slug":"malaysia-our-mixed-experience-in-the-cultural-mixing-pot-of-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/malaysia-our-mixed-experience-in-the-cultural-mixing-pot-of-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaysia \u2013 our mixed experience in the cultural mixing pot of southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Indonesia we spent 1 \u00bd months in the country just north of it and had the opportunity to see lots of different places there. Our journey started in the capital Kuala Lumpur, or KL, how it\u2019s called there, as locals almost always use abbreviations to refer to their cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuala Lumpur<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Accidentally, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur during the Chinese New Year celebrations. As a major part of the inhabitants are of Chinese descent, the celebrations were huge, and we got to see Dragon dances and the like on multiple occasions. Shops offered sales and everything was decorated in the traditional red. The temples were stuffed with people and it was a delight seeing so many following their tradition and paying their respects at Guan Di Temple<\/a> and Thean Hou temple<\/a> – two gorgeous Chinese temples, the former on top of a hill, while the latter is situated firmly within the Chinese quarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from the Chinese, there is also a big Indian community in KL and this is were our first accommodation was. While the food in Little India<\/a> is absolutely delicious and ridiculously cheap, the accommodation was a nightmare and we moved to a more expensive apartment, in a fancier area of KL, later on. Little India is still worth a visit though, it is nicely decorated and situated right next to the main hub for public transport – KL Sentral station \u2013 and of course you can visit Indian temples there as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of these temples is situated at the Batu Caves<\/a>, where you walk hundreds of colourful steps up towards a big cave with multiple shrines and temples inside. On the way you will see many monkeys snacking on things locals or tourists brought them (or accidentally had with them). Don\u2019t forget to explore the area at the bottom of the cave as there are other ones with art expeditions and meditation areas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city center offers everything you\u2019d expect from a modern city in Asia \u2013 the famous Petronas Towers<\/a>, modern architecture, green parks and water areas. You can find shopping centers and night markets and easily spend a day exploring it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My personal highlight in KL was our day at Noble Gateway though, you can read more about this here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
dragon dance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Guan Di Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Thean Hou temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
David the ox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Petronas Towers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
night market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Batu Caves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
monkey snacking<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
inside the main cave<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
a side cave<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
meditation room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
in our fancy apartment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cameron Highlands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the excitement of the big city, we wanted to chill down a bit and escape the heat for a while, so we took a bus to the Cameron Highlands<\/a>, famous for their mossy forests and green tea plantation. We had a nice time there, but one should not underestimate the distance between the famous green views and the town with the hotels. As we didn\u2019t have a car or scooter (and we didn\u2019t see a place renting them there either), we spent a lot of time walking and exploring the area on foot and didn\u2019t get to the more secluded areas. One day we wanted to go for a little hike in the mossy forest<\/a>. After the ascend to the starting point though, we decided to just head back down, as we were exhausted from 3hrs uphill walking and they wanted an entry fee for the last 500m to the viewpoint. For real hikes in the national park, you have to get a permit a week prior to your hike, so this is something to be aware of as well. During this particular hike though, we were accompanied by the cutest stray dogs, who really followed us all the way up and back down. So, 10\/10 puppy location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
the Cameron Highlands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Flower along the way<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
a gorgeous view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
David and the 2 trees<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
dancing in the fields<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
having fun posing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
chilling goat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
the VIEW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
we were both there at the same time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
the puppies enjoy the view as well<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
the end of our mossy forest tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
some mossy forest we found along the way<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Miri<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Miri<\/a> is a small town in Sarawak, Borneo, with little to do and little to see. We stopped there on our way to Mulu national park (more about this adventure can be found here) and while we had a nice time there, we were thoroughly disappointed by the beach and didn\u2019t feel comfortable going for a swim there. We did a little walk on a hill right next to the city<\/a>, which was nice, but I wouldn\u2019t go there for that alone. Miris advantage lies in its proximity to Brunei and other excursion locations, so I would only recommend you go there, if you have something like that planned\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
a tree <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
at the beach, not feeling very comfy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
view from the top of the hill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
a plant on the way to the beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
the bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
on our hike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Working in Desaru<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally, our last stop in Malaysia was Desaru Coast<\/a>, where we had another workaway. Sadly, as the season was just starting, this wasn\u2019t quite as exciting as we\u2019d hoped. We were working at a water sports supplier, renting out Jetskis, SUPs and Kayaks at different locations along the beach. Due to the weather conditions, we didn\u2019t get to try any of them and only rented them out on a handful of days, instead selling snacks or just sitting out our shifts at a fancy hotel. You see, why we were rather bored. We had a really nice time talking to the locals though and even enjoying Iftar with them one evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town, where we stayed, was called Bandar Penawar<\/a> and had little to offer. There were a handful restaurants and a nice pool bar, where I learnt that David is a bad ass player. Apart from that we visited a Fruit Farm<\/a> together with the other workawayers and had a blast there. We learnt about and tried different fruits, some of which we hadn\u2019t had before and honestly, what more do you need in life? Fresh, delicious tropical fruits are like 50% of my motivation to be on this trip. That being said, the lunch there was ok, but not super good. We could get as many fresh fruits as we liked at a buffet there though, so that made it ok \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
working in our matching pink shirts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
our kingdom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
public beach from the outside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
the beach was real nice though<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
enjoying the fruit farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
post work posing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever been to Malaysia? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below! Thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

xxx<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After Indonesia we spent 1 \u00bd months in the country just north of it and had the opportunity to see lots of different places there. Our journey started in the capital Kuala Lumpur, or KL, how it\u2019s called there, as locals almost always use abbreviations to refer to their cities. Kuala Lumpur Accidentally, we arrived …<\/p>\n

Malaysia \u2013 our mixed experience in the cultural mixing pot of southeast Asia<\/span> Weiterlesen »<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,1],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel","category-blog","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2461"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2503,"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions\/2503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daiasjourney.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}