Introduction: arriving in South East Asia

I have been to Asia before and loved it. But never did I stay longer than two weeks and never did I make it to the South East of the continent. I was very excited to finally make it to this part of Asia. Only after my arrival, did I learn more about the union I was about to explore over the next months: ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In May, I flew to Kuala Lumpur, rented a car and started to plan a short round road trip across Malaysia. I did not know anything about Malaysia other than its capital, Petronas and the formula one race. I was very surprised to find a beautiful and interesting country. You have to visit Malaysia and see it for yourself!

Kuala Lumpur: a great transfer hub within Asia

Like Singapore for intercontinental journeys, Kuala Lumpur is the main hub for travellers within South East Asia. There are great connections to all ASEAN countries and you sooner or later spend some time at this modern Airport. Over the following weeks, I will have spent a few nights here, waiting for a connecting flight in the morning. But first, I explored the big city itself. Kuala Lumpur is very different than expected. What makes the city really unique, is its multicultural people and food. The Chinese, Indian, European and even American influence is omnipresent. Besides being a dense and high rising city, there is also a highway and sky train cutting through the city centre. Walking around in the heat of the concrete jungle was no fun at all. After all, I could not wait to leave the city!

Pangkor Island: white beaches and lush forests

The further away from Kuala Lumpur, the nicer Malaysia felt. After visiting the famous and busy Batu Caves, I reached the less known and more idyllic Firefly Sanctuary. The short boat ride after sunset was like an amazing journey through blinking stars. Because of some time constraints, I decided to visit the less touristy Pangkor Island. The drive was surprisingly uneventful and comfortable. After only a few hours, I reached the ferry from the mainland into the paradise. The small island is mostly covered in thick forest and is not much developed. Only one narrow road brings a few tourists in pink taxis to the other side, where the blue Ocean and white sand is waiting. Most visitors were from Malaysia itself.

Cameron Highlands: fresh tea and strawberries

With a heavy heart, I left this small paradise again. In the central highland of Malaysia, lush green tea plantations were awaiting me. What I did not expect was a rather triste scenery with the ugliest apartment blocks and white covered greenhouses. Most of the highlands were agriculturally used and the rest plastered with concrete. Those picturesque green tea fields were only an exception in the landscape. The other surprises were the many strawberry plantations and chocolate productions. To some extent, I was reminded of my home in Switzerland. The cool and foggy weather in this hilly region added another twist to it. This was nice for a change but we were happy to move on.

Malacca Straight: many centuries of history

For my last stop in Malaysia, I drove to Malacca in the South. Historically, this city is much more important than Kuala Lumpur. This is where the first Sultan ruled over the Malaysian Peninsula and also the Portuguese and Dutch colonialists arrived. Because of its old ruins and the valuable heritage, the city is now protected by UNESCO. Today, the city hosts a weird mix of Chinese, Moslem and European architecture and culture. All major religions and cultures of the world are present, yet none is overly dominant. This also summarizes the delicious culinary mixture in Malaysia: Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisine are all very tasty!

Brunei: from the Sultan palace to the rain forest

After the Malaysian peninsula, I visited Borneo. However, I limited my short trip to the small Sultanate of Brunei and left out the Malayan and Indonesian part of the Island. Like Malaysia, this small country gained its wealth from natural resources and is a predominately Moslem country. This was very obvious, as I visited the country during Ramadan, where nobody was eating during the day. All restaurants were closed or offered only take away food. In my experience, this is the strictest Moslem country in all of ASEAN. Besides its many Mosques and golden monuments, the Sultanate excels in protecting its rain forests. My short visit to the Temburong National Park was a highlight. Riding a canoe up the river and then walking through the lush green canopy of the rain forest was amazing.

Visit Malaysia: being surprised by nature

Malaysia surprised me from the very first until the last day. I could collect a series of utterly diverse and unique experiences. From dense and multicultural cities to green forests, hills and majestic beaches. Not every place was as beautiful and comfortable but after all, I’ve had a great time. I enjoyed delicious food and learned a lot about an interesting culture. My first experience in South East Asia or the first two ASEAN countries was a big success. After my visit to Malaysia, I am hungry for more!

An extraordinary thanks to the CouchSurfing platform and its amazing members!