Selamat Tahun Baru Cina

My sojourn to Malaysia has exposed me to a lot of different people, cultures and ways to doing things. Last weekend will go down as a memorable one of sorts. It marked my first Chinese New Year celebration is this truly diverse society. It was amazing to see all the different “races” in the South Eastern nation unify to celebrate the annual curtain opener for their Cantonese cousins.

                                        

Stadhuys, Melaka

My girlfriend and I decide to spend the Chinese New Year in the iconic city of Melaka. We arrived at midday to a city reading for the festivities. The city was aglow with crimson red, traditional Chinese decorations and lights reading to illuminate their colorful city.  It was nice to also see a good number of other tourists converge on the small city to join in the New Year celebrations.

St Paul's Church

 After checking into we our hotel and settling in we decided to take a walk in the city. Our walk began on the popular Jonker street or walk as the locals prefer to call it. The rather long stretch of road is home to all manner of shops and stalls; peddling all manner of goods and mementos that  will appeal to even the most laid back traveler. I was amazed at the number of European tourists I came across in the street; the sheer number of French, English and Dutch speaking people left me wondering if I was in a Belgian town.

Independence Memorial, Melaka.

 While Melaka is miles from the shores of Europe, it shares a distinct similarity with many tourist cities in the EU. In this respect, Melaka is a tourists haven; its plethora of museums, temples, mosques, and other religious places of worship. The architecture is a mix of old and new; where modern steel and concrete meets crimson red and old structures of historic value. Its canals, bricks structures and low lying bridges present a rare glimpse into the ways of the former Dutch inhabitants of the city. The iconic Stadhuys attests to this period of time.

Islamic Museum, Melaka.

Fort A Famosa

 Like the Dutch, the Portuguese also left quite a mark on the old city. The Fort A Famosa meaning "The Famous" in Portuguese, Kota A Famosa in Malay), located near the church of St Paul and the Sultan of Melaka's palace, is a reminder that the Portuguese once inhabited the city. The old stone structure dates back to many years to the 16th century and is thought to be among the oldest remaining architectural landmarks of European heritage still standing in Asia. The Porta de Santiago, a small gate house, is the only remaining part of the fortress still standing.

The Orang Utan House

Other interesting sights to see in the Melaka are Orangutan House famous for its bespoke  unconventional, yet Tee shirts. The prices are little steep for ordinary Tees though, but I guess some tourists might find the alright. 

Well that is pretty much is all we saw in Melaka. The city is amazing, and although we didn't get to see many locals, it is was worth  a visit. Accommodation and travel to the city is cheap. Travel time is approximately 2 hrs from the capital Kuala Lumpur via coach from TBS. More so all the tourist attractions are within close range which makes it easy to navigate. however, this also means one can pretty much see the entire city in a few hours. In all, it was worth it and I hope you can also make it. Till then....byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Selamat Tahun Baru

Welcome to the New Year people. This marks my first blog post of the year 2012. Like most pious of people, I began the year with resolutions, determined to make the most of life, love and happiness. It’s been 4 months since I stepped foot on the shores of Malaysia, life has been ok, not great but just ok. It could’ve been better but what is life without challenges. Speaking of challenges, the year began rather tediously for my compatriots back home, the government out of the blue, as always to, to scrap subsidies on petrol or gasoline as our distant cousins the Yanks quip. As such my twitter timeline (TT) has become flooded with the hashtag #FuelSubsidy and the religious face-saving rhetoric - God Help Nigeria – often peddled on the lips often commonplace when things go wrong in Nigeria.

Truth be told, Nigeria leaders always let us down, our history is strewn with tales of no god politicians like the crop the ruling party PDP now peddles. In truth politics in Nigeria has always been more about than People Deceiving People (PDP) which coincidentally is the acronym for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. But that is Nigeria. Developments back home always leave me wondering whether we are have been cursed with such circumstances, its either Boko haram haranguing out collective resolve or MEND disrupting the flow of our national black gold (oil) income, or the Police/Army harassing our human rights, I weep for Nigeria. But as I always quip, we must help ourselves – such is the state of Nigeria. I love my country but…(Well I will leave that).

At home we are plagued by issues. Living in diaspora is no different. Being Nigerian has become more pain than pride. Recent developments in my country of domicile have led many a Nigerian to question his/her patriotism. While some have taken advantage of the goodwill of the nation, others have preyed on the innocence of our host nation, and I mean Malaysia, where I now live. The activities of a few unscrupulous compatriots have brought shame to their honest and hardworking compatriots. From drugs to internet scams to racketeering, there is of shortage of criminal endeavour these young men engage in. As such carrying a Nigerian passport or identifying oneself as Nigerian has become a magnet for the cops. In the last weeks, loads of Nigerians have been whisked away in cuffs by Malaysian cops for various reasons ranging from failure to show proper identification, which goes beyond the traditional student ID. Time will tell.

Have to stop this post here…Wish y’all the very best of 2012!

Kuala Lumpur GetAway!

It’s been a great weekend so far. With my one and only now living in KL, short for Kuala Lumpur, we decided to go round and see the city. Our walk like that most of people began with a visit to the iconic PETRONAS twin towers, Sutria KLCC and the water park located in the city center of the Malaysian capital.

Petronas Twin Towers

  

My first Pint in MY @ Swiss Inn Hotel

The sheer size of the PETRONAS Twin Towers edifice is a sight to behold. If the size doesn’t impress you then the magnificent architecture should wow you. The 88 storey glass and steel edifice is not only home to the Malaysian National Oil Company (NOIC) but also the melting pot for all kinds of shopping. Read more about the building here.

Lunch at the Swiss Inn Hotel

While at it, we decided to have lunch at the cafe #DOME. Despite the crowd at the venue, we managed to get good service and the food was good too. Afterwards we decided to go window shopping and were not the least disappointed. The KLCC Sutria Mall which houses the designer shops is huge. Its a must see for any visitor in Kuala Lumpur.

The skyline of Kuala Lumpur is impressive. For a second I thought I was in Manhattan, hehe but seriously the array of modernist architecture can pass for the Square Mile in London. The water parks and play ground is a magnet for families who come to cool off from the perennial heat wave that often envelopes the city. 

To crown the wonderful weekend we decided to go for a night out. Our port of call was the Reggae Mansion - Bar, Cafe, Hostel and Kitchen. This nice establishment located in Petaling Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur is chic; he food is well priced and the service was great. The air is cool, milieu is chic and mostly patronized by European tourists who come to soak in the sights and trappings of the city. It is located on 49-59, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Kuala Lumpur, 50000, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur is a nice place to getaway. I have enjoyed every bit of it and will do it again soon. But before I return to the jungle-palm plantations of Johor and the nerdy milieu of Universiti Teknologi, I intend to soak it all up. Travelling is indeed an experience all must live and enjoy. On my visit list are the Asian cities; Bangkok, Mumbai, New Delhi - i hope i can get to see them before the end of 2012.