What are the ten reasons why you should visit Malaysia? Well, there are so many reasons why. First, it is a multicultural society which is composed of different kinds of people with different cultures and religions. So this country is composed of the Malays, who are predominantly Muslim, the Chinese, who are mostly Buddhist and the Indians, who are mostly Hindus and Muslims. And of course, there are Christians here too. So just like the US, it is a melting pot. So in a way, it is unique among other Asian countries. Yes, China has some ethnic groups too, but they are not as involved into the affairs of the country as much as in Malaysia from what I observe. In the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, there are Chinese too, but they’re a very small minority. Second, because of this mixture of different cultures, you get different kinds of food: Chinese food, Malay food and Indian food. Definitely Nasi Lemak is my most favorite not because it is supposed to be the national Malaysian dish but because it is not something you can find anywhere else except Malaysia. It is not like Chinese food or Japanese food which is pretty much available in most parts of the world. In the US, I don’t think I’ve seen any Malaysian food restaurant. Maybe they do exist, but you probably need to look for them, and they are not everywhere. Third, its infrastructure is one of the best in Asia. The public transportation: subway, monorail, bus, taxis, and Grab (the Uber of Southeast Asia) are all easy to use and not too expensive, so it is easy to get around its cities and around the country. For example, if you go to its bus stations, it looks more like an airport rather than a bus station. It is definitely much better than in Thailand and Vietnam. And Kuala Lumpur’s transport rail system, such as the subway and monorail, is definitely comparable to Hong Kong, and everybody knows Hong Kong has the one of the best public transportation system in the world. Fourth, the apartments here are much bigger than most of the apartments in other Asian countries. They are definitely more spacious. I think they’re even more spacious than most of the apartments in Los Angeles, California, so definitely this is a big plus. Fifth, based on my experience, most Malaysians can speak English, and the Malay language is composed of Roman letters, not some other characters such as Chinese, Korean and Thai. And most words are quite easy to pronounce. There are no tones to deal with in contrast with Chinese, Cantonese and Vietnamese. Also since this country is a multicultural society, Malay is not the only language spoken here. The Chinese population speaks Mandarin and other Chinese dialects as well as Malay; on the other hand, the Indian population speaks Tamil as well as Malay. And it seems some or a lot of Malays not only can speak Malay but also the Arabic language since I see some Arabic characters in a lot of places too. Sixth, the country’s landscape is quite stunning. It has mountains and beaches. Even in Kuala Lumpur, it is very green. And their parks are quite big and beautiful. For sure, there are still a lot of places I should visit over here. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, I have to be wary of traveling to other parts of Malaysia due to the possibility of a second wave of infection. I am not an alarmist, but based on my research and findings about this virus, I have to be vigilant. Maybe once I get to China or any other country where I will, for sure, settle down for a while or for good, then maybe I can relax just a tiny bit and travel domestically in that country. But for now, I need to be healthy in order to get the visa. With what’s going on in the US, definitely I don’t have a plan to go back home. It is just my mother I am concerned about, but for me to go back there, it is not going to help her. First of all, as I travel, I can get the virus on the way over there and get her infected. Second, a lot of people are losing jobs over there, so it is not like I have any other opportunities left for me over there, but here in Asia, I still have more opportunities available for me. Third, racism is on the rise, so besides worrying about the virus, I don’t want to be worrying about this too. Fourth, a lot of people are not taking this pandemic seriously over there due to politics, conspiracy theories and distrust of the scientists and doctors. Fifth, the President happens to be leading the country in the wrong way. Seventh, the people are quite friendly and helpful. No, this is not like Thailand, the Land of Smiles, so you don’t really see people smile at you as you greet them, but that does not mean that they are not friendly nor helpful, but they are. Especially once you get to know them. Anyway Thailand seems to be changing. I don’t feel like it is the “The Land of Smiles” anymore. Maybe because there are too many foreigners living and visiting over there, so it is not the way it used to be. Well, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong. Eight, it is a country that is underrated, so it is not overrun by tourists and expats from what I see in contrast with Thailand. Maybe because this country is a lot more laid back and not as crazy as Thailand where it seems like anything goes. And for me, I like it. I mean, I am not really into partying that much anymore. Ninth, for Americans, the government gives a 90 day social visit visa, which is much better than a 30 day visa they give in Thailand. So for the long term travelers, this is a great thing. Tenth, the country, like most Asian countries, really cares about its people and took the Covid-19 coronavirus seriously and did a great job controlling its spread. Having been stranded here for four months now, I feel glad that this was where I got stuck. At least I feel safer and at the same time, the government was nice enough to extend my visa. Now hoping that the country extends my visa some more at least until Hong Kong or any other safe Asian countries opens its borders. For sure, just like what I said before, I don’t want to go back to the US. So now you know the top ten reasons why I think Malaysia is a great country to visit. And I do believe that since it is a multicultural country like the US, Canada and UK, they can definitely learn a lot from this country.
