MALAYSIA INDEPENDENTLY

Peninsular Malaysia

It was time to leave for Peninsular Malaysia; we arrived in Kuala Lumpur and it was evening; the first impression of the city and the airport gives us a feeling of progress and wealth. Our base in KL will be the Swiss-Inn Hotel in Chinatown, a fairly inexpensive hotel right in the middle of the incredibly crowded local market. Here you can find a bit of everything, from the usual handbags, glasses, T-shirts, watches, shoes, CDs, DVDs, all rigorously copied down to the smallest detail. Kuala Lumpur stands out slightly from the rest of the country for its modern buildings, its venues, and its fairly frenetic daily life, unlike the much slower rhythms of Borneo, where we had come from.

The visit to the Sky Bridge on the Petronas Towers was the first stop of this Sunday morning, but unfortunately a slight delay on our part meant we didn't arrive in time to get the last (free) tickets for the afternoon ascent. The alternative solution for seeing the city from above was the telecommunications tower; once we reached a height of 300 meters....fog.....the Petronas could barely be made out and the surrounding view was very limited (only a few days later we learned it wasn't fog but smoke caused by the fires in Sumatra). The old sultan's palace, today the seat of government, is perhaps the most elegant building in the city; it overlooks a park where a large Malaysian flag flies, said to be the largest flag in the world.

Returning again to the Petronas Towers, one is truly left open-mouthed by their imposingness and their such singular style; glass and steel rise from the ground until they touch the sky. Inside them opens the Suria Kuala Lumpur shopping center, 6 floors of shops to make your head spin. Fortunately, you can isolate yourself from the noise and chaos in the adjacent gardens; it is always nice to find, even in these big metropolises, green areas so well cared for where one can isolate oneself; in this case a beautiful tropical garden makes space between the skyscrapers. As often happens, the skylines of big cities light up at night, and in KL too this tradition does not fail, giving tourists also a show of water games in the fountains beneath the Petronas Towers.

Nightlife in KL is quite lively; fashionable venues and ethnic restaurants are not lacking and mix with more traditional activities. The thing that stands out most when visiting KL is the peaceful coexistence of different cultures; Malays, Indians, Thais, Chinese mingle in daily life and then find their own origins again inside the temples and mosques scattered around the city. After three days of life in the modern Malaysian capital, we prepare to return to the jungle; we set off for Taman Negara. By coach to Kuala Tembeling, then three hours of traveling upriver await us to reach our camp, Nusa Camp. The journey is long but allows us to see life along the riverbanks; finally we arrive at our destination and immediately appreciate the peace and silence the forest gives us; by now the noises of the city are just a memory.

Inside Taman Negara park it is practically impossible to encounter the local wildlife (something quite easy instead in Borneo), and this was a small disappointment!! No Malayan tiger then....only forest and long walks; fortunately the untouched nature surrounding us rewards us with emotions thanks to its centuries-old trees, waterfalls, caves, night walks, and.....on the Canopy Walkway, the suspension bridges that from one tree to another, swaying, take you to a height of 50 meters above the ground!! The visit to a local aboriginal village showed us once again how even today there exist abysmal differences between local ethnic groups, some of which even today cannot or are unable to enjoy the most basic health and food rights.

We are setting off again, but today a journey within the journey awaits us; another 3 hours downriver along the Sungai Tembeling, and then the Jungle Train, 11 hours by train through the jungle, which would take us to Kota Bharu, the departure city for the long-desired Perhentian Islands!! The transfer from the coast to the Perhentians is fairly short; from Kota Bharu you have to reach Kuala Besut or Tok Bali to take the ferry. The arrival at the Perhentians was not as we had dreamed it; unfortunately the famous smoke coming from Sumatra clouded the paradisiacal view around us, the sun could not penetrate the thick cloud of haze, and the colors of the turquoise sea did not stand out. The enchanting coves, the white beaches, and the coconut palms leaning over the sea that we encountered as we approached our small resort, however, made us hopeful for the coming days.

Our Paradise Resort welcomed us with its family atmosphere; a bungalow booked from Italy would host us for 10 days at 8 euros a night......The Perhentian Islands are divided into Besar (the big island, where we were) and Kecil, smaller but livelier. The facilities on these islands are still fairly simple; I don't think any resort can boast a luxury category; daily life is all about freedom. You go in search of isolated little beaches by water taxi, by canoe, or on foot following the trails. Snorkeling and diving are the privileged activities, also because the coral reef is truly generous and offers great emotions even just a very short distance from the shore.

For someone like me, to say the least a fanatic of clownfish and their anemones, it was like being on the moon....hundreds and hundreds of little Nemos....never seen anything like it!!!In the evening, then, you have to try the various little restaurants on the beach; unforgettable are the evenings in the company of our friends from Turin, Massimo and Roberta; the distance between Reggio Emilia and Turin will keep us apart here in Italy, but the fish grills at Mama's Place and the mini cruise between Perhentian Besar and Kecil will remain forever an indelible memory!!!On these islands everything is very inexpensive, but what strikes you most is the relaxed atmosphere you breathe, which restored us before our return home.

The climate? Excellent, sun and heat, not excessively humid, and the sea.....well, what can I say......and the pleasure of discovering, exploring isolated beaches by reaching them by canoe, tiring but unforgettable; in short, when I imagined a tropical paradise I imagined exactly this, and I believe I found it in Malaysia, in the Perhentian Islands. The departure after 10 dreamy days was one of those with a lump in your throat; certain moments of total isolation and detachment from daily life are not easily forgotten.

We return to the Malaysian peninsula, and after visiting two temples on the border with Thailand we returned with a domestic flight to KL (with the low-cost airline Air Asia) for some last shopping and.....to go to the hairdresser under the Petronas Towers...that too is an experience...In conclusion, my Malaysia was the longest and most varied trip I have ever taken, certainly the most adventurous, probably the most beautiful; in short, unforgettable!!!