Malaysia Truly Asia: Language, Culture, Food, Etc.
- Iyay
- Jun 9, 2015
- 6 min read
(Petronas Twin Tower)
Selamat pagi = Good morning, Selamat datang = Good afternoon, Selamat malam = Good evening, Terima Kasih = Thank you and Cantik =beautiful are the first few words I learned in Malaysia. Aside from their language, Bahasa Malayu there are a lot of things to discover in this country. One of them is their culture. Malaysia is a multicultural country. It has fusion of Malay, Chinese and India. There are a lot of Filipinos too. Another thing to discover are the places. Malaysia has a lot of tourist spots you can go to. Visiting these spots can be a lot entertaining and it Gives you opportunity to connect with the locals. I think the best discovery in the country is the food. It has been said that Malaysia is a food haven and it truly is. Get to experience the food from local restaurant, street foods to home cooking.
For a month of living in the country I get to know few things about them. I lived like one of them. I ate what they eat. I went to where they go. This is my experience.
(Cebu Pacific Flight to KL)
Arrival.
My friend and I arrived in KLIA2 around 6pm. It's quite an entertaining walk in the airport as you pass by shops and restaurant upon leaving. We got out of the airport around 6:45 pm. Outside we found my friend's mom and siblings in the car waiting for us. They (mom and siblings) live in Selayang Malaysia. And so we drove to their home. It was a 2 hours drive. It was nearly 7:30 pm and the sky was still bright. The sun sets late.
If there's no one to pick you up from the airport you can ride public transport:
(Our boarding passes and passports)
By train
Ride a train with KLIA Ekspres for RM 35 per head. It's a 33 minutes ride (1 stop) from KLIA2 to KL Sentral. You can check their website: https://www.kliaekspres.com. for more details.
By bus
Another way to transport is by bus. The fare and schedule of the bus depends on the bus operator you will be using. Check out this site: http://www.klia2.info/bus-services for more information.
By taxi
Taxi services at the KLIA2 are available at the Transportation Hub located at the Level 1 of the Gateway@KLIA2 building. Taxi services are available 24 hours around the clock at KLIA2. There are 3 types of taxi you can choose from. The coupon taxi, metered taxi and premier taxi. Check the website: http://www.klia2.info/taxis for more information.
Where we stayed
(Magna Ville Selayang, KL)
After a 2 hours drive from KLIA2 we headed to tita's place which we called home for few weeks. Her place is located at Magnaville Selayang and she's living there with her two kids. She's a Filipina but Malaysia has been her home for more than twenty years. They live in a condo that has pool, playground, gym, shop (convenience store) and cafe. She's renting a furnished 3 bedroom unit for RM 1300 per month (around Php 16000) with an area of 1200 sqf. Mura compare mo sa Pinas di ba?!
The food
(Teh Tarik - first drink in Malaysia)
Since we stayed there for few weeks and we decided to go food shopping since it's more practical to eat at home. For the whole duration of our stay we went for grocery twice.
NSK Selayang is where they usually go shopping for food. It is a huge wholesale and retail market in the area.
(Angkukulay! Kakauhaw! - Juiceboxes in NSK)
They operate 24 hours a day so you can shop anytime of the day. This place never lose people. NSK is like your usual supermarket, it has dry and wet area.
The first time we went there, the supplies we bought only cost around RM 200 ( Php 2500 more or less)? Our cart was full of meat (chicken, beef, lamb, giniling na beef and tofu), canned goods, milk, bread, vegetables, fruits, condiments, noodles, soap and cleaning materials. If you would buy those in the Philippines, those would probably cost Php 4000 to Php 5000. Actually this price is already a bit expensive for Malaysian because GST ( Goods and Service Tax) has just recently been added. GST is VAT in Philippines. 6% of GST was added effective April 1, 2015. Before April 1st, there's no tax in food.
(Wet area in NSK. Anlalaki ng isda. Adami ding options)
(This was the second time we went to NSK. These bags full of supplies cost around RM170 or around Php 2000. Mura noh?!)
We also tried eating out in restaurants and even tried street foods. Check out my other posts.
(Chicken and Vegetable Murtabak. I love this one!)
(Ais Kachang Special with Vanilla Ice Cream)
Transportation
Tita has a car and we used it to go places and it sure was convenient. We refueled a lot of times and refueling in Malaysia was a bit diffferent. To refuel you have to pay personally to the cashier inside the convenience store in the gas station. Then if the station has a gasoline boy, he would do it for you but some stations has no gasoline boy so you have to do it yourself.
(The ticket for the LRT/MONORAIL. The cheapest fare cost around RM 1.20 or Php 14.50 each)
Using car for transport is the most convenient way but I still like to try what majority does, to commute. When we went to KL City we were able to experience riding a bus, lrt and the monorail. Read my other posts to know my experience.
(Our bus ticket from Magna Ville Selayang to Pasar Seni cost around RM2.00 each)
(One of the mode of transportation in KL, the RAPID KL LRT Line)
Language
When traveling it is advisable that you learn even a little bit of their language. Aside from new knowledge, it will make your travel a lot easier as you could connect to people easily like when buying stuff, using public transportation and also to prevent people from fooling you (though this may be unavoidable at times when they know you're a tourist). I know learning new language can be difficult but you don't have to know everything. Just learn few words that you will frequently use when travelling, like greetings, numbers (even just from 1-10), asking how much and few more. Luckily, my friend lived in Malaysia until she's 10 years old so she still know a bit of the language.
(Our humble abode in KL)
Another thing I noticed was they often use the expression "la"/"lah" in speaking.
As per the magazine that I read in Air Asia plane, you pronounce this like the sound you make when you're opening your mouth as dentists instructed - "aaaaaaaahh" but with L at the beginning.
According to urbandictionary.com, La is a slang used mainly by people of South-East Asia (Malaysia and Singapore mainly) to complement almost any sentence available in a social conversation. The origins of this slang is basically from the chinese language, yet it is now used by almost anyone in the two countries mentioned above who aren't too shy to let their asian roots shine with pride. people who don't use the -lah slang is considered a snob to a certain degree.
This word is use to show you're being polite or way of "paglalambing".
You cannot only use La in their local language, you can also place this suffix in English words like " Can-la" , "Pretty-la", " No-la" and so on. When you travel, give it a try and watch them smile and make new friends.
Malaysia is a Muslim country though there are a different cultures and religion. They do take their religion seriously. Anywhere you go you will see a Surau. Surau is their praying area. You will see it in the mall, airport, restaurant, everywhere. Muslims do pray 5 times a day so having Surau everywhere is really helpful. You get reminded to pray so you won't miss it. The mosque will play a chant/prayer through a mega phone and even on tv so it's hard to miss.
I learned a lot during this month long trip. I learn to appreciate new things in this foreign place. Things that I didn't even think I'd like. Then you won't help yourself comparing it with your home country. Sometimes you start to fall in love with the place and wish to stay longer. Sometimes it will make you realize that there's a lot more than home and you crave to go and see as many countries and places as you can. It feels like you were blind and it's the first time you see the world and you want to see more of it. That's Me. That's what I feel whenever I travel. That's what my Malaysian trip made me feel. I want to see more.
