Colours of Malaysia - from the islands to the jungles (PART 1)

Ni hao! (this time greeting in Mandarin:))

Malaysia is a country that has been recognized as one of the twelve mega biologically diverse countries in the world. The COLOURS of Malaysia experienced in two trips...

• to Langkawi island
• to Taman Negara – jungle trip in the National park

... and crowned by an event called ''Colours of Malaysia'' which celebrates the cultural and natural diversity of the country.

Let's see what this diversity consists of:)

TRIP TO LANGKAWI

Langkawi island is the biggest island on the west cost of Malaysia. It is a duty free paradise with a reaaaaaaaaally cheap alcohol (a can of beer costs only RM 1.80 or LTL 1,50), reaaaally cheap chocolate, and interesting night life.

The case started when 4 uncomplicated people sat down for a planning dinner and came up with a briliant idea to go to LANGKAWI!

Arrival

The interesting thing in Malaysia is that trains are late. So, instead of 12 hours trip, we were travelling 14. No wonder that so many people actually were surprised about our choice; however, 14 hours in sitting places, freezing from air conditioner, with only locals around was a good experience.

At the end of trip we got to know a local girl who was going to her hometown (Alor Star)– the same village as us. Sometimes some people appear in our lives by accident but in the right place at the right time. This was one of those situations, because the girl helped us to avoid taxi drivers who always try tend to think that white people have a lot of money, and we got a lift from her and her friend’s parents to the nearby village Kuala Kedah. There we took a ferry to Langkawi island – 1,5 hours and ‘’LANGKAWI, Here we come’’.

Tengah beach and everyday routine

Langkawi gang – 12 uncomplicated people - met in Pantai Tengah.

The experience started with a few cans of duty free beer, sunbathing in the sun or in the shadow (I really don’t wanna loose my precious white skin:)), swimming in the sea, and getting hit by waves (almost everytime left without a swimming suit:)).

What I really enjoyed in the island, was also sea food – was really craving for salmons, other fishes, prawns, squids, calmar. Yami, yami...

Trip in the island

Renting a car is the best way to see the island.

This was the plan for our second day. First stop and CABLE CAR – seeing the jungles and waterfalls below, and few of 99 islands surrounding Langkawi.

Second stop and CROCODILE FARM – going around the swimming pools where aligators hide themselves waiting for tasty tourists:) During our trip they did not succeed, however, they were fed by the farm people there. Fow me zoos and these kind of farms always raise controversial feelings: on the on hand, it’s good for educational reasons, on the hand, it shows cowardliness of people and artificial atmosphere that human being are above other species.

The third stop - black sand beach. The sand was really black, however, nothing really special to see excpt very littered beach.

After dinner and warming up in capital of Langkawi – Kuah – the fourth stop was REEEEGI BAR. There I really forgot that we were in Malaysia – hearing regi sounds, dancing, another round of duty free beer...

Trip around - island hopping

Island hopping is another interesting activity to do in Langkawi. As the island is surrounded by 99 smaller islands, local companies take tourists to the tours to 3 or more of them. We took a tour to 3 islands for RM 30 or LTL 24:)

The first stop was to feed the eagles in a deserted bay, well, not really deserted in terms of number of boats and people there as a lot of companies bring tourists to see will birds.

Wet rise island was for relaxing, having a swim in the sea and getting bitten by jelly fishes. You should have seen the speed with which we were swimming back to the cost when one of us got few bites:))

Pregnant maiden’s island was the most tricky one as in the middle of the island there is a lake which has a legend behind. A mortal man and a princess once fell in love and by putting her tears on his face, the princess got pregnant. However, the child did not live long after the birth. So, mother entrusted the body of the son to the lake. Therefore, people somtimes see the white crocodile or shark (legends differ:)) in the lake. And the most important part – the princess blessed the lake and any childless woman who drinks that water can become pregnant soon. As none of the girls felt like having a child, we even did not even touch the lake. Who wants to give birth to a little shark afterwards??:)))

What is more, when we were coming back from the island hopping, we saw an island from the profile and it has a shape of a lying pregnant woman with a face, breast, bigger belly – cute and interesting with unleashed imagination:D

The trip goes to an end. The reporting comes to a final message... Islands are one of the colours of Malaysia – probably blue – that need to be explored and that are rather diverse hopping from one to another.

And for the veeery end of the message a riddle, that was not solved in Langkawi (hmm not suprised WHY:)):::::::::::::::::::::::::

‘’It’s weightless, you can see it with a bear eye, when it is in the bucket, it makes it weight less. What is that???’’

TO BE CONTINUED...

Fruit parade!! King and queen->

AND here it comes...
The violet king, bright in colour BUT almost tasteless...
It's nice to look at,
Though COLOUR is not what matters...

Dragon fruit


The queen is SWEET, SWEET, SWEET. Yami...

Mango... just few out of many EXOTIC FRUITS one can easily find in Malaysia.

Working culture in Malaysia

Hi!

Wanna feel a culture shock in terms of working culture? Malaysia is for sure the right place to come!:) And it’s not better or worse – it’s just different!

I am working in an international university, so most of the differences are lighter here, however, while speaking with other interns I found many similarities that we experience (especially, people from Europe).

• The working culture in Malaysia is based on strict hierarchy. The approvals have to be got for smallest decisions. The feeling that you are small and insecure is in the air:) At the end it depends on you if you accept this feeling or not as, to my mind, the hierarchical system developed not only because bosses are bossy but also because in general people are obedient, tend to obey and accept the situation.

• One of the best illustrations for this is a story from one of the friends who from time to time was doing presentations to her colleagues at work. And whenever her boss was there, he was the only one asking questions – others were just too afraid to do this when he was present.

• Even being hierarchical, the system of responsibilities is not really clear. First weeks I was totally mixed as we had to submit reports for 5 different people in very different positions. Well, I would not say that situation is crystal clear already, but it’s OK:)

• Working culture here is more based on emotions and intentions, not agreements, logic, and management. And this is not easy for European person who wants to have a clear answer and decision made:) Some decisions are made without efficiency analysis and reasoning. This is well reflected in the management system which could be named “NOW”. I wann a meeting with you NOW? Your are going on a business trip TOMORROW. You will work on Sunday THIS WEEKEND. These are not funny phrases; these are situations that happened to me or other interns:) At the end this culture never lets you to be bored:)

• You can hardly hear a Malaysian person telling NO – for them it somehow happens very naturally. Now whenever I hear “can can”, I tend to double check if the answer is really yes or it’s “yes” that will be politely forgotten. In general, negative information or constructive feedback is not there.

• Foreigners can do career faster in Malaysia. A big community of expats (that’s how they call foreigners working in Malaysia) could be found here. And actually Malaysia benefits a lot because of this open policy as the know-how of different countries helps the country to develop faster.

BUT WHY? Is it possible to put everything into a smooth flow?

In a warm climate people spend more time not thinking how to survive but what’s life all about...

...and when you think about this for a long time you find that a human being is basically just one of the species, very vulnerable (especially that here a lot of natural disasters)...

...therefore, people here in Malaysia/Asia tend to be obedient, never say no, are more emotions oriented, never define clear responsibilities...

...therefore bosses have to be bossy, to push the company/organization forward.

And at the end the final message: IT’S JUST DIFFERENT!:) Coming to another culture, I always have the principle to accept it and at the same time to give something that I have the best from my culture.

Selamat jalan (good bye)!
Ruti

Getting famous?!?