Tomorrow I leave Malaysia for Taiwan, having spent just one day short of six weeks in the country (including a week in Singapore…I really have to stop referring to them as the same country).
I’ve enjoyed my time in Malaysia. People have raved to me about other parts of southeast Asia such as northern Thailand and Vietnam, but I’m pretty happy with Malaysia as my starting point. The Chinese population makes it familiar enough to me that I don’t feel disoriented, and it strikes a nice balance between developed and affordable that I can live cheaply without feeling deprived of first-world amenities. I don’t know if I would have spent six weeks here if I hadn’t needed to nest somewhere for the holidays, but I don’t regret it.
That said, when you stay too long in one place it stops feeling like you’re travelling, which is the place I’m getting to now. It’s fun getting to know all the nooks and crannies of Georgetown, but I know I’m not settling down permanently (not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s too damn hot in this country – and not likely to improve with climate change) and I want to see something new. It’s time to move on.
I’m looking forward to going back to Taiwan. I lived there from 2013-14, but I never felt that I took full advantage of my time there. My Mandarin improved significantly, but I spent most of my time either hanging out with other expats or surfing the internet in my apartment. Going back now feels like my opportunity to redeem myself. I’ll only be there for a few weeks, but I’ll be outside of more westernized Taipei. Plus, my social confidence is also a lot higher, and I’m more willing to jump into conversations in a different language. So I’m optimistic that this’ll be a more immersive experience than my last visit.
So let’s close out with what I’ve learned in Malaysia:
- If you’re cutting across the street (read: jaywalking), get in close behind a car. Cars behind aren’t going to ram into the bumper, so you have a bit of room and time to get to the sidewalk.
- Malaysian food courts are built for groups of people. In most places you pick a table, sit down, order a (mandatory) drink, and then tell the food stalls where you’re sitting. It’s a bit trickier when you’re on your own, so what I do is choose a free table, note the number, place my order, then sit down. It’s hard to pull off when the place is packed, but at less busy times it’s worked pretty reliably.
- Stay in the shade. The heat is tolerable when you’re in the shade, but stepping out of it feels like the sun is trying to punch you in the whole body at once.
- If you are trying to escape the heat, not every mall has a public food court. In fact, Malaysian malls have surprisingly few seating options.
- Malaysia is not colder in December. Malaysia is never colder. Malaysia is always hot. You cannot escape the heat. The heat will find you.
On to Taiwan.
Harmon Moon 