The other side of the Malaysian postcard

Hello Julien,

For me, the good points are shopping, generally low prices, inexpensive property, nice food, everyone speaks English.

The bad side...crime, lack of (or loss of) culture compared to other asian countries, jahat taxi drivers.

Mike

Haha. I cracked a laugh at that 'jahat' taxi drivers.

Taxi drivers or lack of taxis and decent public transport. And overpriced cards 

The good side? I would say green KL but as we are all covered in smog and choking now I won't say that  . Political stability is good though. And err the cheap food. Well 20 RM for Biryani and Kopi O in PJ now. So not cheap now.

I used to eat at SK Corner in Jln Tengkat Tong Shin when I lived in Bukit Bintang. Great maggie goreng and tosai masala. Very cheap and nice. That place is pretty full most of the time. Can't beat mamak food for price and taste.

My take:
Positives: warm weather, sense of action and change, economic freedom, familiarity from colonial roots, quirky and interesting logic, great to leave, but great to be back, time flies, amazing choice of food, people are friendly and open, beautiful nature, the perfect travel hub for seeing the region, following local politics is fascinating, good road sweepers, north-south highway, masses of cultural events and traditions, English language widely spoken.

Negatives: Air pollution due to dirty emissions, burning paddy fields and industrial practices, road surfaces that last only 3 months, drains that stink, high level of littering, spitting and clearing nose using pavement, gold diggers and other scams, rules that are not rules, frustratingly polluted rivers, beaches and seas, no real concept of the importance of maintenance (buildings, cars, roads, websites).