Malaysia: lights and shadows
- Lo
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
Here I am again! It's time to talk about my personal experience in Malaysia... I've taken a look to many volgs and blog in order to build up an idea about this Country but finally, I can only talk about my experience which seems to be far from the one I read about so I'll give you my point of view. First, I landed directly in Kuala Lumpur from Beijing.
DAY ONE: My first impression was probably the one that everyone has, great surprise and expectations. This city seems to compete with the nearby Singapore so, as soon as you arrive in the area of the Pretronas twin towers, your mind begins to be fascinated by skyscrapers, boutiques and lights. Incredible. Arriving late in the evening in Kuala Lumpur is for sure much more than surprising.
My disappointment begins with the extreme difficulty in finding a Malaysian restaurant in that area but, as always, more or less I've managed the situation and I ended up at 1919. I'm a bit perplexed but I've waited to wake up the following morning in order to get an idea of this place.
DAY TWO: I woke up early and went for a walk away from the so-called center. destination Chinatown and Central Market. in the first 500 meters I really appreciated vegetation, the tropical climate gives this city an anomalous appearance for someone like me who mainly knows European capitals...
they don't have a lot to share with the equatorial environment. Then I stumbled upon some spots that left me rather perplexed... while I was walking I saw an unexpected form of poverty, naked people sleeping on benches, on sidewalks, everywhere... under opium effect and probably more... I forgot to say it was 7:30 AM. I choose not to publish photos of these people to respect this people.. it's not needed... I wonder though, didn't all those who praise Kuala Lumpur and its avant-garde see this? I ask because it honestly didn't leave me indifferent at all. Maybe coming from China, where you can't find any homeless on the street even applying your best effort, increases the gap and makes everything more evident and sharp... but I say, boutiques are beautiful, but they are the same all over the world, the same shop windows, identical products... in my opinion it is people who make a place special and this impact has honestly left a deep mark in my mind and made me reflect on a lot...
Beside this, I took a tour of the central market which I found excessively touristy but without a real connection with the concept of a market; so I went to Little India and Chinatown. Well, Chinatown is always full of surprises but compared to the same neighborhood in other cities like Bangkok, everything is much less over the top and you don't find any particular things but rather a quantity of strictly fake shoes, bags etc.
In the afternoon I walked without a specific destination but I headed to the Pavillion, a huge mall full of luxury brands that actually made me feel like I was in any place... I could have been anywhere in the world, not necessarily in Kuala Lumpur. I finished my day with a quick dinner and a margarita... no positive vibes at the moment, nothing surprising...
Let's see if "DAY THREE" goes better!!!
SEE YOU SOON!!!
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