Last week, I was in Peninsular Malaysia and this was my first trip to an Asian country outside of the Philippines. Malaysia is indeed a melting pot of cultures--Malays, Chinese, Indians co-exist in this country. During my trip I also saw Africans, Afghans, Iranians, Pakistanis, and even Koreans.
Together with my Malaysian friends, I visited the historic city of Melaka, inscribed on 2008 as a UNESCO World Heritage City. I was impressed with the various designs of the buildings and colorful bridge at Putra Jaya, a planned city that serves as the federal administrative center of Malaysia. Of course, the iconic Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur was something I didn't miss as well as Merdeka Square with its fascinating buildings of colonial architecture. Merdeka Square is also known as Independence Square because this is where the country declared its independence from British rule decades ago.
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| Melaka |
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| Putra Jaya |
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| Merdeka Square |
While there I ate in restaurants and sampled street foods. I experienced buying at pasar malam (night market). I strolled in Suria KLCC (Malaysia's premiere shopping center) and dined at the food court, but bought goods at the community convenience store. I moved from place to place on foot, by LRT, bus, and car.
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Pasar malam
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In a sense I felt like I never left the Philippines. I saw Filipinos in different places; heard words I use everyday like
itik (duck),
kambing (goat),
bangsa (nation),
siopao (steamed bun)
, siomai (dimsum)
, tikoy (glutinous rice cake)
, misua (thin noodles made of flour); took off my shoes before entering a local home; and ate fishballs and
taho (soya pudding) on the street. I saw the physical features of the Malays and I think I could pass off as one of the locals. Of course, there were obvious differences between Malaysia and the Philippines, but I took more delight in the things that we share. With this visit, I realized that yes, I am a Filipino, and yes, I am an Asian too.
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| Taho on the street |
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