I am coming home!

It is time to go back home. And I can't stop myself from reminiscing about my stay here. I loved staying in Malaysia very much. I had a wonderful, relaxed, laid back time here. It was a sort of a long awaited vacation for me.

This country is so unique in its own ways. It has mostly 2 weathers- summer and rainy.

Its predominantly a Muslim country, but with almost equal population of Chinese and Indians settled here over a long time. I tried out Nasi Lemak, known as the national dish. Rojak, Cendol and Nyonya Laksa Mee were also awesome. The clay-pot cooking style is very unique. The food is slightly roasted at the bottom of the small clay pots and cooked wonderfully above. I became fast friends with a Chinese family here. They helped me to try out various Chinese cuisines. I looooouvvveeed Chinese food! (And we laughed about how Chinese food in India is actually Indian food and not Chinese! Ha ha!) I also got to eat some tropical fruits I had never heard of- Dragon Fruit, Durian, Rambutan, Longan, Mangosteen, Cempeda, etc. I loved all of them, especially Mangosteen!

Food was the top-most thought in my mind. So, now that I am over it, I also admired how the city I lived in (most parts) was squeaky clean. Mostly everyone stands in a queue in a bus stop, in a traffic signal or in KFC. People are polite and funny. (I found their sense of humor weird but funny!) There are so many shopping malls here. One can never get bored of window shopping (or real shopping, if you don't mind spending), and must I remind that its a good exercise?

There are quite a few lovely locales to visit in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is a busy place and has some important monuments to see. I lived around 30-40 kms away in a much quieter city, Shah Alam. I posted some pictures of my trip to Langkawi and Penang in this post. Penang is a lovely place for food lovers. And the transport within the city is very convenient because of the abundant local buses. Langkawi has so many gorgeous beaches! I also visited a cooler place called Genting Highlands, which mainly has theme park and a casino, and pleasant weather.

This picture was taken when my husband visited Cameroon Highlands. Here, he and friends actually picked Strawberries from the farm for a small amount; dewy, farm-fresh Strawberries! Also, the vegetables here are so so fresh! I did not get to go there :(.

I could not visit the other places like Terengganu and Melaka due to shortage of time.

Well, since I did not own a car here, I had to depend on cabs a lot. Some cabbies can be deceitful, finding ways to charge you extra. (So, beware. Always, climb in a cab that has a meter, and always carry change with you! It would be helpful if you learned Malay.)

Coming from another country (India), I also found some things strange, like:

• Many motorists wear their wind cheaters the wrong way, with the zipper side back.
• Nobody honks.
• All houses have a safety gate outside the main door, and none have door bells.
• You have to order a drink when you go to a restaurant. None of the restaurants offer you water on their own, or they charge you.
• The government encourages 5 kids per family.
• It is acceptable to eat out almost daily.
• The Muslim women wear swimsuits that cover them from head to toe.
• The locals' English is different from what I am used to. Also they spell certain things their own way- "post"-pos, "monorail"- monorel, "lift"- lif, "section"- seksyen, etc.

Although I am excited about going back home, I surely will miss Malaysia.