20 Lane Highway or the Borg are Us - Malaysia

BLOG – written on October 27, 2011 [Sikkim, India]

Malaysia

20 Lane Highway or the Borg Are Us

I don't know what happened in Malaysia. Too much too fast, perhaps? It's by far the most westernized Asian country I've visited. It's like the Western Borg just came and swallowed it whole, leaving just a sterile, soul-less Borg product in its wake. Uber-hot, uber-busy, ultra-congested and ultra-polluted land. I diligently tried to find one place that is livable/enjoyable there, finally escaping to the Cameron Highlands, where the country's tea is grown. 

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Alas, that was not much better than the valley – the tourist track cut its unnatural concrete lines into the green hills, and even the walking paths lay mostly along the highways.....not through the forests. And the pollution is tangible even there – at 2000 m altitude. Everything that could be monetized – was, it seems. Many freeways here have 20 lanes – no joke. The busses have seats the size of business class on a transatlantic airbus. There is a rail, but nobody uses it or knows where it is – it's easier to drive, they say. Malaysians proudly proclaim that “shopping is a national sport here.” That tells you what you need to know. I don't want to write much about the country, for what I have to say is less than inspiring – it is mentioned here only for the completeness of the journey account. Suffices to say, it's one bit of the map I'll not be touching, hopefully.

That said, I share the moments of beauty that did happen there.....