A Day in Malaysia

A ‘Malaysian Day’ is not to be conceived as a day celebrated by Malaysians to symbolize any particular occasion. Indeed it should denote a typical day of any Malaysian, a microcosm of what is in the daily life a Malaysian amidst the rapid developments in the urban areas and the well-conserved rural environment. My story is spun from my experience during a five-day holiday in Malaysia.

“You’re going back to Malaysia”, my parents announced unexpectedly, handing me air tickets, thus ending weeks of indecision as to where I was to spend my month-long winter break. I was to spend four days in Malaysia, my birth place, a place I hadn’t seen in 16 years, since we moved to Birmingham.

Day 1 All doubts seemed to fade however, as I stepped on board Malaysia Airlines aircraft. I was greeted warmly by the smiling kebaya-clad air stewardesses of the airline. Hours seemed to fly as the flight progressed, leaving London in the evening and arriving at dawn in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. I gazed out of the window, awed by the rolling acres of palm trees which sprawled over the humongous oil palm estates. We landed in the space-age designed Kuala Lumpur International Airport. After two hours of transit, I caught a connecting

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A troupe of lion dancers followed closely behind, springing spritely and bouncing on each other before leaping to get the ang-pow dangling from the door-way. At a certain spot, I was told to keep quiet. Low hanging trees formed canopies at some parts of the river, emitting an eerie green glow as we manoeuvred our way along it. So, when I received an invitation to a Chinese wedding, it was indeed a consolation for me. Suddenly, a loud thud , sounded as a green spiky , pungent-smelling fruit fell before my feet. The headman was elated as he nimbly cut the thick thorny skin to reveal custard-like yellow flesh within. The bride was dressed, as expected, in a red cheongsam. Under the watchful eyes and guiding hands of Ahmad’s aunt I managed to curve some abstract designs on the wax.

Day 3 Early next morning, I took a flight to Kuala Lumpur, thereafter coach ride to Kuala Terengganu. However, the constant chirps of crickets, the snorts of the domestic pigs, and the occasional splashing at the riverbank gradually lulled me to sleep. Needless to say, my hands made a hasty retreat and I spent most of my time looking at croc-like logs drifting down the river.

At noon, when the heat became almost unbearable, Ahmad and I decided to leave for his aunt’s batik factory.

Day 2 I woke up to the cock’s crow the next day. The batik is a piece of cloth on which ethnic designs are printed.

Approximate Word count = 1271
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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