Malaysia, a plurastic society

My apologies for the delay in posting.  Myanmar blocked all things affiliated with Google (Blogger being one of them) therefore, I could not post.

I posed a question in my last posting, asking if whether or not different religious groups could live  peacefully next to each other.  In contrast to the religious fighting, rioting and upheaval between Buddhist and Muslims in Southern Thailland that I experienced,  roughly 50 miles across the border in Malaysia, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Buddhist all live peacefully next to each other.  It is a truly amazing sight to witness girls in head coverings walking out of school with their friends in plain western style clothes, chattering and giggling away at what I am assuming to be the lastest gossip or love interest ; or prehaps more striking is the image of Buddhist monks leaving their monestaries and walking pass a Muslim mosque.   I think that it is the historical significance and geographical position of Malaysia that makes it quite unique in acceptance of differences.  Being  at the cross roads of sea routes , the gate way for ships from China to go to Europe and/or the Middle East, and vice-versa, I would conjure that the peoples of Malaysia are accustomed to welcoming in « strangers » and making them into « friends. » In my short time in Malaysia,  I have noticed that differences seem to be the norm rather than the exception.

A perfect example of this blend of cultures is the port city of Melaka, right on the Straights of Melacca.  Preceeding colonization in the 14th century, the Sultans of Melaka developed strong diplomatic relationships with China and India, welcoming trade and persons from those civilizations to Melaka.  After the 14th century, Melala was first colonized by the Portugese, followed by the Dutch, then the British, and finally the Japanese.  During a three day stay in Melaka, I witnessed through food, architechure, and personal interaction this beautiful blending of different cultures.  Street stall sell Chinese egg noodles tossed in curries from India with a kick of tart lime and chili peppers from Thailand.  I stayed at a 200 year old guest house, built during the Portugese era on a street where a Chinese Buddhist temple exists next to a Muslim mosque, next to a Hindu temple.  The experience of being woken up by the sound of the call to prayer at the mosque, which was followed by buddhist monks chanting their morning prayers is like listening to different parts of similar chouruses, all blending together to create a beautiful harmony.  Prehaps this is why the street that my guest house and these places of religious worship are located on is called Harmony Street. 

The day before I left Melala, I had the opprotunity to sit down for a Chinese Tea ceremony with one of the daughters of the Chen family—one of the first Chinese families which came to Melaka during the Ming dynasty.  Over tea, I expressed to her my facination with Melaka, Malaysia and the culture of openness and acceptance.  She smiled at me and responded simply, « when you grow up in a diverse environment as this, you learn that to live happily, respect for one another is the key. »

Crossing Borders (and Religions)

My journey to Malaysia from Thailand starts with a 9 hour overnight boat ride from the island of Koh Tao on the Gulf of Thailand back to the town of Surat Thani on the mainland.  The Lonely Planet (LP) Guidebook describes the overnight boat ride as, "let the boat and ocean gently rock you to sleep as the ocean night air cools you off from the day's heat."  The LP leaves out the part of being crammed onto the boat with about 50 other travelers (some of them who have not showered in what smells like days), and "sleeping" on mats that measure no more than 38 inches wide.  The "gentle rocking" of the ocean is a flat out lie, and as for the cool air part, the air is indeed cool, however, it is still extremely humid. 

Myself and the 49 other backpackers and some Thai's arrive on the mainland around 4:40am the next morning.  I am then ushered onto a bus and start another 10 hour journey to the border town of Su-Ngai Kolok, the southern-most part of Thailand.  There is a warning in the LP saying that this border crossing "may be" unsafe due to frequent and spontaneous religious clashes between the Muslims and Buddhist populations.  Well, the LP was published in 2008, which means the research was done in 2007; it is 2010 and I have not heard any news of violence, so I decide to make this border crossing...

The journey via road is beautiful.  We ride along side the beach almost the entire way.  As the bus rolls along, I reflect on my trip throughout the rest of Thailand.  From the mountain terrain of Northern Thailand, to the densely populated Bangkok and central Thailand, I am now traveling in almost flat and sparsely populated land with the ocean on one side and coconut groves on the other side.  Along the way, Buddhist Wats dot the landscape, with the roofs peaking out behind tall trees and villages, pointing directly above, as if designed to send the thoughts and prayers of its peoples to the celestial skies. 

Once we reach the Southern most province in Thailand, I immediately notice a change.  Saffron cloaked monks gives way to women in burkas and head-scarves.  Along side the Thai script on buildings and road signs is Arabic script.  Mosques now dot the landscape with their crescent moon and star.  Along with this sudden change in religion comes barbed wires, check-points every 10 miles, soldiers carrying guns, sand-bag trenches, and tanks along the road side.  I am in complete awe.  I ask myself, is this all really necessary?  Can the violence really be that bad?  Apparently so.  Since the 2005, over 5,000 Muslims and Buddhist have been killed as both sides have fought for "control" of this Southern Province.  Major fighting has stopped in 2008, but the area is still tense--hence, all of the army and artillery in the area.  Even the 7-Eleven that my bus makes a rest stop at is crowded with soldiers and guns.  I think to myself that this must be some sort of representation of the Middle East, specifically Israel.  Are two, three, four, etc... religions not able to co-exist side by side?  Apart of me wants to jump off the bus and spend one day in this region and talk with some locals about the situation and their thoughts; however, the better part of my judgment kicks in and I get back on the bus after the 7-Eleven stop and continue on to the border.

The border crossing itself is uneventful.  Like crossing from Viet Nam into Lao, I also had to walk with my bag across the border, only instead of 6km, it was only 500 meters.  Hello Malaysia! 

an Oasis in Thailand

Immediately when I crossed the border from Lao into Thailand, the first thing I noticed were how nice the roads were: wide, smooth, not under construction.  Traffic flowed effortlessly and I think for the first time since I have been in Southeast Asia, I was able to fall asleep in a moving vehicle without the help of sleeping aids, constant honking, or being thrown 2 feet in the air from my seat and hitting my head against the ceiling.  From the border into Thailand from Lao to the town of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, it is about a 6 hour journey.  In Viet Nam, the journey would of taken 10 hours, and in Lao, it would of taken 13.  About 3 hours into the journey to Chiang Mai, the bus makes a rest stop.  Usually, I am very annoyed with these stops because it takes up so much time and it forces everyone to get out into the hot and humid weather again.  As the bus pulls to a stop, I slowly open my eyes.  It was then that I saw the green, orange and white stripes, and a big, bold, number 7 .  7-Eleven...literally a lone beacon in the darkness that from the first moment I laid my eyes on it during the bus ride mentioned above, to the border crossing from Thailand into Malaysia, has been forever sealed in my memory as a saving grace.  I will attempt to express my love for 7-Eleven:

Let me begin with giving some context to the situation.  The temperature in Thailand hovers around the mid to high 90s with extreme humidity.  At night, it cools off to the mid-80s/low 90s.  In Bangkok, there is very little breeze, which makes it seem even hotter.  From a backpacker's viewpoint, it can often be extremely frustrating in Thailand (and in Vietnam, Lao, etc...), as vendors often see you as a walking dollar sign, so prices are quoted sometimes 100-200% higher than what they actually are.  There is always a price haggling game to be played, but after a couple of months, it gets really old and exhausting.  Also, because Thailand sees so many tourist, many have actually just paid the higher prices, which then makes it extremely difficult for budget backpackers like myself to try and negotiate down to a fair and reasonable price.  Often times, the vendors just simply won't sell their products, which means having to walk 2 blocks to find another vendor that will.  That means, walking 2 blocks in the hot sun with sweat dripping everywhere, desperately looking for something, and then finding it, having it not be exactly what you want (the old "same-same, but different" situation), and then having to negotiate down the price.  Some friends have asked what I do with all of the "free time" that I have, since I cannot sight see and/or be traveling every day...well, the process above takes up a lot of time.  I am trying trying to get sympathy points from anyone...I am just painting a situation to explain my love for 7-Eleven.

I walk into a 7-Eleven.  The air-conditioning greets me, surrounding my entire body, as I go through its sliding glass doors.  Within 5 minutes in the mini-market, my sweat pores close, the sweat/stickyness on my body "dries-up" and I feel somewhat "clean."  This is the physical reaction that I get from a 7-Eleven.  From a psychological/emotional view point, it is comforting and exciting at the same time.  I go to buy a chocolate bar.  The options are presented right in front of me:  I can either get the imported Snickers OR the generic Thai brand.  The prices are labeled and no price negotiation is involved.  I can pick up the chocolate bar, touch the wrapper, smell it, hold it in my hand, etc... and not be afraid of a vendor yelling at me. I then wander around the mini-market a bit longer, trying to prolong my time in the air-conditioning, thinking of other foods/items that I might need/want.  Perhaps an ice-cold Coca-Cola to go with my Thai-generic brand snickers bar?  Amazing!  I don't even need to go to another vendor to purchase the drink!  It is right here in front of me.  I wander a bit more, up and down the clean, bright aisles, looking at the various products and their prices.  I then take my items and go to the cash register where the nice man/woman behind the counter totals up my purchases, I give the money, and s/he gives me the correct change!  The other thing that is amazing about 7-Eleven is that EVERY ONE that I go into, I can expect the same thing; and if I want to change it up the next day and have some M&Ms with a 7-UP, I can, and know the approximate price.  Therefore, because of this, I give thanks to 7-Eleven for being EVERYWHERE in Thailand.  I am proud to say that there is rarely a 7-Eleven that I pass that I do not go into--mostly never to buy anything, but to escape the heat. :)  7-Eleven, I love you.  Thank you for having air-conditioning, constant pricing, lots of selection, and a logo that can be recognized from blocks away!