My Travel Diaries of
Malaysia

Summary
Currency: Malayan Ringgit (MYR)
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Drink like a local: beer, teh tarik (special tea)
Special facts:
- Malaysia consists of two geographically separate parts โ the Malay Peninsula and the northern part of Borneo.
- There are over 200 ethnic groups in Malaysia, resulting in rich cultural diversity.
- The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004.
- Malaysia is home to the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia Arnoldii.
- Malaysia has five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the historic cities of George Town and Melaka.
- The durian fruit, known for its strong smell, is very popular in Malaysia but is banned in many public places.
- One of the national sports is Sepak Takraw, a type of football tennis played on a badminton court.
Language
In Malaysia you will find a colorful mix of languages, often referred to as “Manglish”, which combines elements of Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English.
Lah: A versatile suffix used to emphasize or weaken a statement. For example: “Why didn’t you come to the party yesterday?” – “I had a headache, lah”.
Kiasu: A Hokkien term meaning “fear of losing” and describing an overly competitive person.
Gostan: Means “to go backwards”, especially in vehicles. It comes from “go astern” and was merged into a single word.
Paiseh: A Hokkien word meaning “shy” and also used to express regret or embarrassment.
Potong stim: A Malay expression meaning “to spoil the mood” and also describes a person who is a spoilsport.
Sap sap sui: A Cantonese expression meaning “easy” or “no problem”, similar to “easy peasy” in English.
Macha: A Tamil term used to describe male friends. For example: “Hey, macha! How are you?”.
My Lesson:
Malaysia is a large island world, like Indonesia or the Philippines, but you hear nothing about the country
Travel Diaries
So far, I haven’t seen anything of Malaysia except the capital. While you always see incredible pictures from influencers from Indonesia or the Philippines, information from Malaysia is very limited.
I’ve only heard from a few travelers that the country is worth traveling through and getting to know. I think there’s still a lot to discover that hasn’t been shared a million times on Instagram yet.