Hey Mister, You Want a Massage?
Tonight about nine I took a stroll down the big boulevard in the Golden Triangle to get a bite. I wanted to get something simple, and continue my tradition of eating native, (cheap). So I strolled down past about four dozen men and some sexy young women waving laminated placards […]
It’s an Acquired Taste…That I’ll Never Acquire
“It tastes like the best tasting thing you can think of, vanilla ice cream, or chocolate cake, in the toilet.” This was how Sara described the fruit that is distinctly Malaysian…the stinky durian. “My grandmother used to buy a huge four-foot bin of these, and we’d eat every single one […]
Where Arabs Prefer to Visit Instead of Melaka
We learned about the patterns that bring different nationalities to Kuala Lumpur from our guide, Sara. Each country seems to prefer their own type of relaxation. Each comes at different times–July and August are Arab times, and February is when Iranian visitors come to KL. The Indian visitors, she said, […]
A Tiny Boy Enjoys South Indian Food in Melaka
We’ve just arrived in the Portuguese explorer city of Melaka, on Malaysia’s west coast. This city is famous for the Straits of Mallaca, where pirates lurk, and for being a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. I remember being here in 2006; we even stayed in the same hotel, which is called […]
Watch Out For Falling Stinky Fruit
In the Meleka Palace Hotel in Kuching there was a sign above the elevator, warning that ‘no durian fruits were allowed on the premises.’ I read the local paper today to discover a photo of a man wearing a motorcycle helmet, holding one of these famously stinky, spiky fruits. Durian, […]
The Mysterious Abaya-clad Women in the Mall
Sony and I find the women behind these abayas to be both mysterious and frustrating. Mysterious because I keep wondering how they sneeze and how they drink coffee with that thing on…and how do their sunglasses not fall off their noses? At the buffet this morning a woman wearing an […]
Malaysia is a Groaning Buffet
You can judge a country by the way they eat…and Malaysia certainly tops my list of culinary wonderlands. It’s just that there are so many choices…and everything, almost, is really good. Ok, last night I did sample a ‘national dessert’ of shaved ice with three different syrups that I left […]
Letting Little Fish Nibble Your Skin is The Rage in KL
“Have you been to the fish spa?” asked Sara, our guide. “Oh you’ve got to try it, I tell everyone.” she said brightly. “In fact I am going there after I drop you off at the hotel!” The fish spa, we learned, is a place called Kenko, on an upper […]