Malaysia
While most Western people think of Malaysia as being the country on peninsula Malaysia, Malaysia is in fact made up of peninsula Malaysia, various islands and Sabah & Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Malaysia is a confederation of states. The northern states in peninsula Malaysia having previously been ruled by Siam (Thailand).
The population of about 18 million is made up mainly of indigenous Malays (Bumis), Chinese and Indians.
Malays tend to be very friendly and gentle. Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, in his book 'The Malay Dilemma' (first published1970), indicated issues, which explain many of the pro Bumi policies of his subsequent government. In a nutshell, one could say that the Bumi's natural lack of aggression, made it difficult for them to compete, with more business oriented races, such as the Chinese. Dr. Mahatir has tried to put policies in place, which make it easier for Bumis to compete, while not making life so easy that competing is unnecessary. His stated long term intention is develop the Bumi business skills to a point, where protection, will eventually no longer be required.
Whereas Thailand to the north is predominantly a Buddist country, Malaysia is mainly Islamic. Islamic laws are enforced on the Muslim population, in addition to the general laws which apply to every one. An example is 'close proximity'. Whereas an unmarried couple who are not Muslim, can share a hotel room, a Muslim unmarried couple would risk prosecution.
Peninsula Malaysia has large areas of Jungle clad mountains, areas of vast plantations, and other areas, which have been developed for industry and housing.
The plantations produce things such as rubber, palm oil, fruits ( including Durian ) etc. Manufactured goods include electronic goods, computer components and the national car, the Proton.
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To my eyes, Kuala Lumpur, the capital, is by far the most beautiful city in South East Asia. The Architecture contains strong Islamic influences, making it stand out from other cities, where the buildings are clones of Western design. While old areas of the city remain, there are many beautiful new buildings. The twin Petronas towers, is probably the best known. Certainly when built, there were the tallest towers in the world. Even the KL tower, has a graceful, distinctive style, which distinguishes it from the many other telecoms towers, which can be found in many major cities of the world. As well as old shop houses, the city has some buildings constructed during the British colonial era. Many of these also display a heavy Islamic influence. The KL Railway Station is a good example.
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The new KLIA ( Kuala Lumpur International Airport ) at Sepang is rather far from central KL, as evidenced by the fact that the taxi fare is more than twice what it was from the old airport at Subang. But once again it is architecturally magnificent. You don't really get much of an impression of it on arrival. However on departure you get to see it at it's best.
Since the 1997 economic crisis, no doubt many of the wonderful facilities of KL have been under utilised. As a Brit myself though, I can't help compare landing at drab old Heathrow, followed by a ride on the tube (overground/underground train, MRT etc.) through a graffiti and rubbish strewn landscape to a drab over priced hotel, with the totally different and much better experience in Malaysia. Whether one approves of Dr. Mahatir or not, the Malays under his leadership have put down an infrastructure they can all be very proud of. One suspects that there are still major economic challenges to be endured. Some of this is doubtless because, what has been built needs to be paid for. Reflecting back on Europe, neither the Channel tunnel nor Euro Disney were instant successes.
Since I am a fan of all foods spicy, most of the cuisine's of South East Asia are great for me. Malaysian food is no exception. My Malaysian favourites include Laksa, Otak, Rendang. The best chili crabs I've ever eaten, were at Malacca, to the south on the west coast of peninsula Malaysia.