Malaysia is an interesting mix of cultures, with indigenous Malays living side by side with India and China descendants.  The two cities I went to, Penang and Kuala Lampur, each had Chinatowns & Little Indias practically next door to each other.  It's interesting coming from the USA with nearly every ethnicity represented, to going to visiting places like Japan, Cambodia & Thailand each probably 95% just one race, and then being in Malaysia with three ethnicities apparently cohabitating peacefully.  I'm told they attend each others holiday festivities, etc.; a sign of acceptance.

The majority of Malaysian people are of Islamic faith, and fearing that some do not regard America very highly I usually said I was Swiss when asked where I was from (for my own safety).  Malays are very friendly and many stopped to speak with me, in particular one security guard chatted for 20 minutes with me.  He welcomed me, told me Switzerland was great, and unprovoked proceeded to tell me how Malaysia is a peaceful nation, but considering that all Americans think all Muslims are terrorists, should/when the war on terrorism strikes Malaysia the Malays will fight back. 

In addition to Penang and Kuala Lampur, I visited the Cameron Highlands, a very mountainous region engulfed with jungle.  It is so moist there all of the time that a trek through the jungle is incredibly green, as all tree trunks and limbs are covered with moss.  The coolest plant is the Pitcher Plant, which looks like a sock hanging from the mantle at Christmas time, with a single leaf at top like a swivel lid to a trashcan.  Sweet nectar attracts bugs into the bottom of the sock, where a sticky substance catches the bug.  As the bug shakes to get free, the vibrations cause the lid of the can to close.  I'm told this is the only carnivorous plan other than the Venus Flytrap.  Big ones were about 10 inches long, 3 inches diameter.  Cool, man!

Some other tidbits:

- Living standards & infrastructures appear to be more developed than in Thailand, though prices are just as cheap.  It seems like the farther South you go on this land mass, the more developed.

- Fascinating mix of architecture, with both strong Indian and strong Chinese influence as well as many buildings from the British colonial era.  In Kuala Lampur in particular, many new office and other buildings had beautiful mosque-type features designed in, making the city look the most exotic I've seen.

- The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur are two office skyscrapers standing side by side, among the tallest buildings in the world and a bit taller than the World Trade Center twin towers were.  Standing in front of these beautiful buildings was a saddening experience as one is reminded of WTC.

- Interesting ritual at a temple frequented by Indians:  they take small coconuts and light the top on fire, and they also take some coconuts and slam them onto the ground to smash them.  Anyone know the symbolic significance?  Neat to see.

- What a small world:  Of the ~five American's I've run into, one stopped me because he saw my UVa hat; turns out he's a UVa med student taking time off!

Postscript:  update 2.24.2002.  Yikes.

Whoa -- remember that UVa student?  Check out the news story below.  We were in Kuala Lampur (KL), Malaysia when it happened.  He (not me) was on the airport bus, was tied up and had a knife put to his neck.  Everyone survived o.k., but he was extremely shaken up to say the least.  Scary.

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18 on way to KLIA robbed in airport coach
By NELSON BENJAMIN AND SIMON KHOO

BANGI: Five men, believed to be members of the notorious Mamak Gang, hijacked an airport coach and used chloroform to subdue passengers before robbing them along the way to the KL International Airport yesterday.

The 18 passengers, including five foreign tourists — an American, an Australian, a Japanese, a Chinese national and a Filipina — aged between 22 and 40, were taken on a 45-minute terror ride before being tied up and relieved of their cash, passports, mobile phones, cameras and jewellery.

They were then dumped at the Nilai rest area, about 30km from the airport. The robbers fled in a four-wheel drive vehicle, driven by an accomplice, who had trailed the bus all the way.

SEARCHING FOR CLUES...investigators getting ready to inspect the airport coach for fingerprints at the Bangi police station on Friday.

The robbers had boarded the bus along with the other passengers at the Jalan Chan Sow Lin LRT station at 6.30am, carrying their “luggage”.

About 20 minutes into the journey, they struck. One of the robbers went behind bus driver Md Darus Abas, 40, and pointed a pistol to his head. He ordered the driver to switch off the interior lights.

The four other robbers, who had by then donned ski masks over their heads, pulled out pieces of cloth soaked with chloroform, three parangs [type of big knife], and an axe from their bags.

Covering the cloths over the faces of their victims, they relieved them of their belongings as the heavily tinted bus was being driven towards Nilai.

Throughout the journey, the robbers also used pieces of plastic string to tie up their victims’ hands.

Md Darus, who described the hijack as a “terrifying incident” said he was ordered to lie face down in the bus with the other passengers before the robbers fled.

“Earlier, although I was scared, I did as instructed because the lives of the passengers were at stake. The incident happened very fast and I was unable to catch a good glimpse of the robbers,” he said.

One of the victims, Khairulnizam Abdul Rahman, 25, who was seated at the third row from the back, said he saw a man walking past him towards the driver.

“Soon after, four other men were manhandling several passengers seated at the back. Then suddenly, the lights went out and someone shouted jangan bergerak (don’t move). I then realised it was a robbery.

“I was very scared but kept my composure when one of the robbers approached me. He asked me to hand over my money (RM500) and my cellphone,” he said, adding he did as told to avoid getting hurt as the robbers were all armed and violent.

Khairulnizam, who works as an administration assistant at the airport, said he travelled from his house in Kampung Pandan daily and that it was the first time he was robbed in such a way.

Chinese national, Hu Jun, 27, from Shanghai, said he was here on holiday for a week but ended up losing 40,000 yuan (RM20,000), his luggage and passport. He also missed his 9.30am flight home.

The Australian victim, a woman in her 20s, who did not wish to be named, said she had a wonderful time in the country until the incident struck, adding she would contact embassy officials here for the next course of action.

Another victim, who wished to be identified only as Ng, 40, said he and his wife were on their way to Bangkok for a holiday and lost several hundred ringgit and US dollars.

A businessman, identified as Chan, 44, of Bukit Permai, Ampang, said he lost about RM7,500 after one of the robbers covered his face with a soaked handkerchief.

“I felt dizzy soon after and was tied up. Seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my neck as one of the robbers snatched my gold chain,” he said, adding he was on his way to Cambodia for a business deal.

State CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Datuk Mangsor Ismail, who was at the scene with his deputy Supt A. Paramasivam to supervise investigations, said no arrests had been made so far but police had launched a state-wide search for the robbers.

He said police did not rule out the possibility that the robbers were members of the Mamak Gang who were high on the wanted list for over 150 hijacking-cum-robbery cases.

Those with information are urged to contact the Selangor police headquarters at 03- 55142222 or the nearest police station.

Airport Coach Sdn Bhd senior manager Mohd Salleh Adnan said the company would help victims on accommodation and other expenses including insurance coverage.

He said it was the first time that their bus passengers were robbed in such a way since the firm began operations more than three years ago.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has extended assistance to the five foreigners by providing tickets and helping out with their travel arrangements.

A spokesman for the airlines said the office had issued new tickets to the victims to ensure that there were no disruptions in their schedule.

She urged the others to contact the duty manager at tel: 87763555

Cambodia ~ Thailand ~ Malaysia ~ Singapore ~ China ~ Mt. Fuji ~ Japan