I love Kuala Lumpur. I could live here. It is by far the most cosmopolitan city I have ever visited. It appears that Malaysians have embraced their ethnic diversity and made a really vibrant country from the resulting epoxy.
The quality and variety of the food is just to die for. It’s a pity I can only eat three meals a day. As a vegetarian, I feel especially welcome here. Most places in the U.S., I am regarded as some kind of freak who “only eats salad.” In Korea, they’ve never heard of vegetarians and get this puzzled look when told I don’t eat meat (Direct quote: “That’s not meat, that’s ham!”). Here, I can go to the food court at the mall and there’s a vegetarian section where I don’t have to ask, “Is there meat in that? Chicken? Fish? Ham? Anything that once moved under its own power?”
I’m not entirely certain, but the easy availability of vegetarian food may stem from the intersection between the Muslim dietary laws with those of the Hindus and Sikhs. The food court section I had lunch at today had been officially certified by an Islamic organization as “Halal.”
If you’re more of the carnivorous persuasion, don’t let my vegetarian talk turn you off—you’re more than covered. I’ve been told that some Buddhist Chinese practice vegetarianism, but that does not seem to be the rule here.
Society here appears to be quite tolerant. For example, although Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, alcohol and tobacco are readily available. One thing that is not tolerated, however, is drugs. There is a mandatory death sentence for anyone caught in possession of illegal substances, including cannabis.
It’s possible I may have looked like some kind of country bumpkin on his first trip to New York or Chicago when I first visited the Petronas Twin Towers—the tallest buildings in the world—but you go there and see if you don’t crane your neck and snap some pictures.
Despite having a population comparable to Phoenix, Kuala Lumpur has a well-developed public transit system, including rail, buses and taxis.
Everyone I have met has been very polite and helpful. They’re a little aggressive when behind the wheel, but that seems to be more the rule than the exception in this world.
Overall, I give this country an A+ and recommend it as a travel destination to non-drug-users who can endure the trip required to get here.
