IdeaStar Web Developer Steve Harrison recently traveled with his family to one of the far corners of the earth, Malaysia. It was a memorable trip, full of intriguing food, exotic sites, and interesting experiences. Here’s a few pictures and comments from Steve about the trip.

Where did you go?

We went to Malaysia. While we were there we visited the capital, Kuala Lumpur; Saramban; the historical port town, Malacca, and the island of Langkawi.

With whom did you go?
I traveled with my wife, Meili; my son, Jeremy; and my in-laws.

Why did you go?

Primarily, we went for a reunion with Meili’s family. It was a chance to meet much of her family back home. For me, it was also my first time in Asia.

How long were you gone?

We were away for a month. It’s not often we’ll be able to travel that far, so we wanted to make it memorable.

What was your favorite part of the trip?

The food was easily my favorite part of the trip. Every meal was distinct and an adventure. But aside from that, my favorite part was all the traveling and exploring. So many aspects of life over there are different from what I expected; I enjoyed observing and soaking it all in.

What was your best food memory?

It’s very difficult to pick one dish as a favorite, especially when we enjoyed five meals a day. If it wasn’t for all the walking, I’d have gained 20 pounds! All the food, fish, noodles were very tasty and fresh. I particularly like the fish balls and satay. I enjoyed all the curries, and pulled tea. There was also a Japanese restaurant that served the most savory sashime. My mouth is watering thinking about it. We got to enjoy an abundance of local fruits: dragon fruits, rambutan, lychee, durian, and mango.

What was your worst food memory?

On my last day there, I was treated to some bird’s nest soup - a delicacy made from bird saliva. It was actually pretty sweet tasting, and I was fine drinking it until I was about three quarters into it. Then the imagery of the ingredients got to me and made me a bit weasy. So I gave the rest to my five-year-old son - he gobbled it up, gladly.

What is Malaysia like?

It’s lush, green, and humid. Everyone wears t-shirts, shorts and sandals. It’s fascinating to observe the mixing of three distinct cultures, Chinese, Indian, and Malay. It’s an Islamic nation, so they’re fairly conservative. As I mentioned before, diversity and freshness of food is really important there. On one hand you have a very modern capital with the world’s tallest twin towers, the Petronas Towers. There were at least a dozen skyscrapers being constructed in Kuala Lumpur during my visit. On the other hand you can travel east and visit traditional Kampung houses - houses on stilts, that are still being used today. There a mix of progression and tradition.

What was your most memorable experience?

It’s very difficult to isolate the most memorable experience. In the end, it was spending time with family that will stick with me the most.

Any advice for somebody planning to visit?

Keep an open mind and be prepared to eat. If you’re looking for a vacation away from it all, stay at the Andaman Hotel on Langkowi. The service is impeccable, and it’s pretty close to paradise.

Anything else you would like to add?

Truthfully, it’s going to take me years to sort through all the photos and memories. One month isn’t nearly enough to soak it all in.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 11:36 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.