malaysia debrief

now that i've been home for a little over a week and i think i'm finally over jetlag, i thought i'd share some fun facts, anecdotes, casual observations, and trip highlights from my short trip to kuala lumpur.

1. first impression: when we were going through immigration at 3 a.m. on tuesday morning in an eerily empty airport, the officer was listening to guns and roses and happily singing the lyrics to sweet child o' mine as he examined and stamped our passports. hilarious.
2. food: i ate pretty much everything in sight and it was all sooo good. a simple (but probably not 100% accurate) way of describing the food is that it's a cross between indian and thai. my favorite was otak-otak (or otah-otah). the literal translation is "brain-brain," but it's actually a very yummy spicy fish cake wrapped in banana leaves and grilled or steamed.
3. agricultural products: rice, palm oil, and rubber. i read in the paper one day that there are plans for a new convention and exhibition center (the largest one in the country apparently), which will be shaped like a rubber seed.
4. artisinal products: batik fabrics and pewter objects. we took a trip to the central market on wednesday morning and with a little more time and a larger suitcase i probably would have come home with way more stuff!
5. government: constitutional monarchy, where the king changes every five years, as it rotates among the 9 sultans of the Malay states. the king is the leader of the muslim faith and the head of state, while the prime minister is the head of government. the current king is relatively young (in his thirties, i believe), so he may have the opportunity to be king a second time before he dies.
6. other random facts:

• malaysians have a thing for desserts - the dessert buffet at the hotel was almost as big as the food buffet.
• borneo contains 60% of the world's species of flora and fauna.
• the petronas towers, aka the KLCC, were the world's tallest buildings when they were completed in 1998. now, at a mere1,483 ft they're tied for 4th and 5th place behind Burj Dubai (2,684 ft), Taipei101 (1,667 ft), and the World Financial Center in Shanghai (1,640 ft).
• it costs $1.75 to let little fishies eat the dead skin off your feet for ten minutes at the "cute fish spa" at the kuala lumpur central market. it tickled like crazy at first but then it felt like a massage. i have since read up on this topic and it turns out that the fish are actually called doctor fish (officially Garra Rufa) and not only can they exfoliate your heels, they can also alleviate the discomfort of psoriasis and other skin diseases. a fish spa pedicure or manicure in the u.s. can cost up to $60!