Imagine that you only have three days to travel around Southeast Asia and you cannot choose which country to go to. In Bali, take selfies with islanders in national clothes? To Hong Kong, walk through Chinatowns? Or maybe to Sri Lanka, visit Hindu temples?
Go to Malaysia: here you can do both. In this country, the culture and traditions of three civilizations at once are mixed: Chinese, Indian and Malay.
The Chinese and Indians settled in Malaysia thanks to the British, who needed labor to develop distant colonies. Of course, both Indians and Chinese sailed to these regions before. But the mass migration of these peoples occurred precisely during the period of British colonization. Today, the Chinese are the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia (22%) after the indigenous Malays, and Indians are in third place (10%).
In Kuala Lumpur, as in any metropolis, ethnic diversity is especially noticeable and is manifested in everything: from architecture and cooking to taxi drivers. With the latter, by the way, be on your guard and agree on the price in advance – in Malaysia, as in most Asian countries, bargaining is the order of the day.
The main architectural landmark of Kuala Lumpur is, of course, the Petronas Towers. They simultaneously mark the business center of the city on the map and serve as a landmark for tourists – if you get lost, just raise your head and find the skyscrapers. The Twin Towers are considered an example of modern Malay architecture – the top of each of them in cross-section forms a Muslim star: Islam in Malaysia is the state religion.
What does a Chinese do when he settles in a new place? Correct: he opens the market. If you are one of those who like to wander among the shopping aisles, shop around and choose the right jewelry among the piles of Chinese costume jewelry, head to Jalan Petaling. In this area of Kuala Lumpur, descendants of Chinese settlers organized the city’s largest open market. The main Chinese shrine of the city is also located here – the Temple of Guang Di, the Taoist god of war. And literally a five-minute walk from it is the Sri Mahamariamman Temple – a Hindu temple with the most complex facade, which resembles a carved box. It seems that the architect managed to fit all the Hindu gods on it.
Indian migrants brought their famous cuisine to Malaysia. Today, the culinary traditions of the Malays, Chinese and Indians have completely mixed. When ordering lunch in restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, do not forget to specify how spicy this or that dish will be – Indian chefs do not know when it comes to spices.
