This is a story about a haircut, some bad news, life in Kuala Lumpur, and crocodile poop.
Before I set off for my first trip abroad to India many years ago, I harbored visions — visions of mystical women in colorful saris who would place their hands upon the crown of my youthful head and say, “I see great things in your future.” Through osmosis, I would absorb their wisdom and they would enlighten me with the path I might take to achieve such great things.
Instead, 14 years later, as I sat in a barber’s chair in Kuala Lumpur, a man named Deepak, a Gujarati Indian barber from Mumbai decked out in too-tight jeans and a checkered shirt, placed his hand upon the front of my head and told me I was going bald.
Where did I go wrong? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Humor, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll
26 Comments | 23 February 2011
Every morning and every evening, just down the block from our guest house in Kuala Lumpur, the local Hindu temple comes alive with the daily puja (prayer). Worshippers line up to break coconuts, families gather to share blessed meals, Hindu priests prepare to dress Ganesh, and the sadhu attempts to sell 3-D calendars sporting likenesses of Hindu gods.
Each time we pass, we are drawn in by it all. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 21 February 2011
With Chinese New Year coming later this week, we figured a panorama taken from inside Khoo Kongsi Temple, one of the grandest Chinese clan temples in Penang (and all of Malaysia for that matter), would be a good way to kick off the new year. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
23 Comments | 31 January 2011
We don’t know about you, but when we think Malaysia we think street food. And hawker centers (awful name, but that’s what they’re called) are where the action is for street food fanatics like us. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama, Photography by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
10 Comments | 30 July 2010
You know, the Chinese are funny people: so long as their eyes are open, they are looking for food.
– an ethnic Chinese Malaysian man sizes up the Malaysian appetite for street food
Truth is, this quote applies to just about everyone in Malaysia. And why not? Like many of its neighbors in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is home to the holy trinity of street food enjoyment: availability, quality and price.
From stink bean squid sambal to giant prawns in huge buckets of satay sauce, Malaysia delivers an experience of culinary and cultural diversity. Here’s a wee taste of the wide-ranging (Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian) bites you might find.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Food, Malaysia by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
23 Comments | 29 March 2009
Malaysia, Truly Asia? Perhaps, depending on how far and wide you’ve traveled. But tropical, modern, vaguely exotic and multiethnic it certainly is. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Malaysia, Photography, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 18 March 2009
As 2008 came to an end, we reflected on our experiences from the passing year. Best experience? It’s impossible to choose just one, so we share a few of the memories that are likely to remain with us through 2009 and beyond.
Some we’ve written about already. The complete story of others are yet to come.
Where 2009 will take us, no one knows (including us). Regardless, we hope your 2009 finds you healthy and takes you to fulfilling places, be they near or far. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 31 December 2008
Twilight quickly yields to night at Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 6 March 2008
Obstacle-removing turtles, cavorting monkeys, remarkable chana masala and free shoe repair. We didn’t find entries for these in our guidebooks, but we did find them on the streets and in the hills of Penang, Malaysia.
Guidebooks certainly give us places to go. But the most memorable moments of cultural experience, introspection and human kindness often pass somewhere between all the “must see” stars plotted on tourist maps.
You’ve probably heard this all before. It’s hardly an epiphany. So why do we bring it up? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Malaysia, Perspectives, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 2 March 2008
