Treated like royalty

GulfWeekly reporter Shilpa Chandran had a right royal time in Malaysia when she joined a whistle-stop tour of the popular holiday destination.

IT is not everyday that one gets to witness at firsthand an historical event of crowning a king in an exotic Asian kingdom.

As part of a media familiarisation trip, Tourism Malaysia in Dubai invited a group of journalists from the region to attend the installation ceremony of the 11th ruler of Negeri Sembilan state, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, followed by a visit to the state of Malacca and federal territory and capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The royal event took place for the first time in 42 years and 'grand' would be the best way to describe the two-day function.

The palace was picturesque and the security not as thick and strict as one would expect. The royal colour was yellow, which the king and his wife adorned, followed by colourful silk, traditional attires worn by relatives, palace courtiers, ministers and guests. In fact, female guests (like myself) who weren't dressed 'appropriately' in long skirts and long tops, were given the Malay costume.

Negeri Sembilan is one of 13 states in Malaysia and if you are a first-time visitor, you would be amazed at how exotic it really is. From the local dress, the food, customs, traditions, entertainment and landscapes ... everything about the state is a refreshing change from the typically brown and sandy contours of the Middle East.

It resembles Kerala, in India, where my family originates, for more reasons than I can count. Aside from the tropical climate and fauna, the lifestyle and eating habits were quite similar. A striking resemblance was the early-day customs of thrashing rice from the husk and scraping coconuts - I still do it when I visit my parents' home!

People in Negeri Sembilan are extremely hospitable and are very easy to communicate with. The state even has 'home stay' programmes, which comes under the umbrella of Tourism Malaysia to promote cultural and traditional tourism. The project is taken up by different districts across Malaysia where all homes in the neighbourhood join hands to welcome and treat tourists and visitors to the authentic way of Malay living.

In terms of entertainment, the traditional music is something that can best be defined as 'tinkling'. It brings to mind the feeling of being in an open hall with a hundred wind chimes. The dances are no less amusing with their elegant hand moves and swaying bodies.

Malaysia's essence is quite literally in its tourism tag line of being 'truly Asia'. Although 57 per cent of the country's population comprises of Malays, Chinese and Indians form a major part of the community. Similarly, although Islam is the country's official religion, Deepavali, Christmas and the Chinese New Year are widely celebrated. Examples of these are the various temples, shrines and mosques including Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin.

Thirteen kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur lie the Batu Caves. It is a limestone hill with a series of huge caves which houses the Hindu God, Murugan. History depicts the age of these caves to be around 400 million years old. There are 272 steps leading to the main temple and at the base, there is a 42.7m tall statue built by an Indian trader, K Thamboosamy Pillai, in 1891. The temple also has a Ramayana cave depicting the story of Lord Rama.

A unique sight in the temple was monkeys. Lots and lots of naughty, handbag-grabbing, food-stealing, fighting, little grey monkeys - a sight only too common in many Indian temples and yet again I found another similarity.

Malaysia is rich in its history and we received an insight into it at Malacca, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site since July 7, 2008.

We had only a few hours in this beautiful city, which was thoroughly disappointing An impressive thing about Malacca was that the government was making efforts to restore the state to what it looked like in its heyday and encouraging residents to renovate their homes using materials such as wood and stone.

Kuala Lumpur is a metropolitan and thriving city by all means. Tall buildings kissing the clouds, a thriving shopping haven, up-to-date technological advances, architectural brilliances like the renowned Petronas Towers, a 5,000-sqft aquarium, botanical gardens, war memorials, convenient road transport networks ... a few of the reasons why the city is such a favourite amongst many travellers as well as businessmen.

What stood out most prominently, I feel, was the greenery amidst all the growth and glamour giving the city a very earthy aura.

A trip to Kuala Lumpur is certainly incomplete without a visit to the new federal administrative centre - the 'planned city' of Putrajaya. In order to avoid the congestion in the city, much-loved former prime minister and an icon in the progress and growth of the country, Dr Mahathir Mohammed, came up with the idea of Putrajaya.

The city is stunning and its architectural brilliance will make you gape in wonder, most specifically at the pink coloured mosque situated opposite the current Prime Minsiter's residence which is said to have been crafted, designed and helped to be built by Iranian craftsmen.

The city's most breathtaking features, however, are its bridges and lamp posts. To distinguish one ministry from the other, each building features a unique design giving it a strange sort of importance and individuality.

If you are planning to travel in this direction you must stay longer in Malacca, buy batik silk, eat a roadside chicken satay in Kuala Lumpur, stand beneath the Petronas Tower and look skyward to see its massive height in all its glory, shop at China Town, take a taxi drive within the KL city with a Malay driver, buy a book by a Malaysian author and finally try to manage a home stay, at least for a couple of days.

For more details visit the Malaysian Embassy in Seef or check out the Tourism Malaysia website at www.tourism.gov.my