The question in topic here is Why visit Malaysia? And I am sure many of you who have not visited Malaysia would like to know what this multiracial and multicultural country has to offer for travellers. Since I have been actively traveling around the country in the last 3-4 years, I will do my best to share my experiences and reasons on why you should visit Malaysia without referring to Wikipedia or any other online information, that is simply because I am a Malaysian who grew up here in Kuala Lumpur.
Where is Malaysia?
Malaysia is a relatively small country located by the earths equator and sandwiched between Thailand and Singapore. Divided into two parts, there is Peninsular Malaysia where the main cities lie while over in the island of Borneo, there are the states of Sarawak and Sabah which shares the island with Kalimantan and also Brunei.
More about Malaysia
The country has been independent since 1957 after British Rule and therefore we are celebrating our 56th Independence Day this August 31st. Each year, a different city is selected for the celebrations which is a public holiday nationwide. Another fun fact is that Malaysia is also known as a country with the most public holidays in the world.
The people of Malaysia
With a total population of almost 28 million people living in peaceful harmony, our multiracial society is broken up into three main races - Malay, Chinese and Indian. The rest are from various ethnicity which are mainly the Ibans from Sarawak, Kadazans from Sabah, Portuguese form Melaka and many other smaller sub-ethnicity which are too many to name.
The language in Malaysia
Yes, English is widely spoken here especially in the larger cities and towns but our national language is Bahasa Malaysia where every race speaks this. For the traveler, fear not as you will somehow realize that your English is understood overall. For the record, government schools here teach English as a second language. Basic English is easily understood nationwide.
The food in Malaysia
The best part about Malaysia is the food! If anyone has been here before, try asking them, I kid you not when we shout about our Malaysian food. As we are a multiracial nation, you can imagine the amazing melting pot of food found around the country. Till this day, I can assure you that as a local, I am still finding new and interesting Malaysian food whenever I travel in my own backyard.
The most interesting choices of food for the visitor to Malaysia would be the Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisines. From high-end restaurants right to hawkers, you have a choice of experiencing all of this. It is highly recommended that you try some of the Malaysian signature dishes like Satay, Nasi Lemak and Rendang (Malay), Chicken Rice, Fried Kuey Teow and Laksa (Chinese and Malay) and Banana Lead Rice (Indian). One dish that is shared by all the major groups is Rojak, a cut fruit salad mixed with peanut or shrimp paste sauce. You can find Indian, Malay and Chinese Rojak at many places around Malaysia. Apart from these dishes, there are numerous sub-cultural ethnic dishes worth exploring throughout the country.
