Well, what can I say? Being back is like not having gone at all. The memories of our blissful break are slowly fading while we immerse ourselves in the daily drudgery that is work and annoying the children parenting.
I was asked what it would be like to live in Malaysia and I can honestly say that I would consider it if I could carry around my own personal air conditioning unit to blast me with cold, dry air every minute of the day and night. Aside from the heat and stifling humidity, I can’t say enough about what a beautiful place it is. Of course I viewed everything with those rose coloured holiday spectacles so could I have just not noticed the bad? Absolutely.
As I mentioned in my previous post, my children were welcomed wherever we went. Not just welcomed, but respected and loved. People made allowances for my stroller/pram and helped me whenever they saw me struggle trying to steer the dang thing. If one of my little ones were seen crying, immediately there would be at least two or three people appearing from thin air to help. They tried to make the children laugh, to distract them or just wanted to make sure the boys were OK.
People never get angry. Traffic during peak hours is nerve wracking and drivers weave their way from one lane to the next, oftentimes without even indicating. Nobody seems the least bit phased by this and everyone gives way. More importantly, there are no accidents! If I accidentally bumped into a fellow pedestrian while out shopping, I would immediately apologise but always the victim of my clumsiness would smile and just shake their head as if to say an apology was not even necessary.
Islam is everywhere. Masjids are a frequent site and I am sure my mother and sister were thankful for the prayer rooms in the shopping centres. Nobody need cut their shopping short if it’s time for Zuhr – just head for the prayer room and get back spending. There are adequate areas for women to pray at the masjids too and these are well maintained and of considerable size.
The cost of living from what we saw and compared to Australia is very low. Food is very cheap as is public transport. Fuel is cheaper here too. Wages though would also be small so maybe everything balances out.
Everything is green! The main road from the airport to our hotel was flanked either side with plush rainforest. Such a welcome change from our dry and barren city (Brisbane has just switched to Level 5 water restrictions – might blog about that if I have time). It rained nearly every afternoon in Kuala Lumpur. Not just rain but we were treated to a spectacular lightning show as well. And this is the DRY season.
Yep. I think I could live there.
