Friday, March 04, 2005
KL, as the locals say
Kuala Lumpur is a pretty crazy place. Traffic flows without virtually any order, and motorbikes seem to have a totally different set of driving rules than cars. Crossing the street is an adventure every time. It's hot, and a little dirty (but not any dirtier than Hough, or Anacostia or the South Bronx), and the hostel I'm in is a total dump ("Let's Go Southeast Asia" sux, I've decided). Bargains are much easier to come by outside the big city, I reckon. I was a little overwhelmed when I first arrived this morning, but I spent most of the afternoon wandering around the city's main park (which is really, really nice) and I feel a little more at peace this afternoon.
While Malaysia is officially a Muslim country, the Muslims make up only 50-60 percent of the population. In addition, it's never been a militant strain of Islam here (as a matter of fact, before "globalization," the girls here didn't wear headscarves - isn't it strange how an increase in information can lead a culture to a more conservative path?) So, Centerleft, beer is easy to come by although not as cheap as in Thailand (a can of cheap (Chinese, Thai or Balinese) beer is about US$1 here; European imports about 50-100% more).
One interesting element of the culture is how much religion is integral to all of the groups. The Hindu shrines, the Buddhist temples, and the mosques are all really integrated - both architectually and socially - into the fabric of the community. Even the handful of Christian churches. For the ethnicities of Malaysia, it seems that religion and culture are very intertwined.
I plan to spend the weekend here in the capital, and I think I'm going to head up into the mountains (Cameron Highlands) for a day or two before I finally make it to the beach. It's just too darn hot not to be near a body of water I can swim in.
I think I want a motorcycle.
While Malaysia is officially a Muslim country, the Muslims make up only 50-60 percent of the population. In addition, it's never been a militant strain of Islam here (as a matter of fact, before "globalization," the girls here didn't wear headscarves - isn't it strange how an increase in information can lead a culture to a more conservative path?) So, Centerleft, beer is easy to come by although not as cheap as in Thailand (a can of cheap (Chinese, Thai or Balinese) beer is about US$1 here; European imports about 50-100% more).
One interesting element of the culture is how much religion is integral to all of the groups. The Hindu shrines, the Buddhist temples, and the mosques are all really integrated - both architectually and socially - into the fabric of the community. Even the handful of Christian churches. For the ethnicities of Malaysia, it seems that religion and culture are very intertwined.
I plan to spend the weekend here in the capital, and I think I'm going to head up into the mountains (Cameron Highlands) for a day or two before I finally make it to the beach. It's just too darn hot not to be near a body of water I can swim in.
I think I want a motorcycle.
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If the traffic laws are similar to what I read about Vietnam (which you'll find out soon enough), the motorcycles don't have differrent laws--they just ignore them. Italians with scooters are the same way, and that's in safe, responsible, orderly Western Europe, so I'm sure crossing the street is an adventure for you right now. Another Vietnam stat I read was on the enormous number of people killed every year in traffic accidents, so watch your step. But hey, I don't need to tell you that.
Motorcycles work their way out of tune pretty quickly, so if you're serious, you need to learn to work on them yourself, or pay a fortune in maintenance.
I used to work with a Malaysian woman at the OSU library who said it's a good market for ESOL. Besides the ease of the native language, you'll have to give me some thoughts when you return.
Oh, when you get to the beach: look out for the really, really, big waves.
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Motorcycles work their way out of tune pretty quickly, so if you're serious, you need to learn to work on them yourself, or pay a fortune in maintenance.
I used to work with a Malaysian woman at the OSU library who said it's a good market for ESOL. Besides the ease of the native language, you'll have to give me some thoughts when you return.
Oh, when you get to the beach: look out for the really, really, big waves.
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