22

When you travel to any country across the world, you’ll realise that some aspects of your destination will please and surprise you, while other aspects will challenge you and teach you a lesson or two. In many cases, travelling for leisure allows you to enjoy the country even more. Of course, this is keeping in mind that you don’t have a packed itinerary with too many places to visit, all the necessary packing and unpacking, wishing to accomplish anything and everything – that leaves you with little to no room to breathe.

Mention Malaysia to a certain Hilary Gittings (pictured, in black, with her sister) and she will tell you as it is. Born and raised in New Zealand, Gittings has been to Malaysia at least thrice. Despite having to go through jet lag due to differences in timezone, she said, “Everytime I depart from Malaysia, one of the things I always think of is how I will miss the weather and the warmth we seldom experience back home.”

Gittings, who has relatives in Malaysia, shared with me the things she liked most about the country.

1 TEMPERATURE- Temperature is a huge difference compared to the climate in New Zealand, specifically Wellington where our summer only gets to around 28 degrees on a good day. While it takes a while to get used to the change in climate, after you get over the humidity and stickiness, the warmth is very pleasant. It is also very convenient not having to carry a jacket around everywhere in case the wind has a chill factor like it does in Wellington.

2 FOOD – Eating in Malaysia is always something I look forward to as everything has so much flavour and a lot of variety. Dining out is also a lot cheaper than in New Zealand so eating out for almost every meal is always fun – even if we order the same thing just because we know their dish is the best. Noodles for breakfast is always a favourite.

3 SHOPPING – Shopping in Malaysia is also a favourite as there is so much variety in styles and brands. From giant malls to markets there’s always something that keeps you buying more than you went for. Shopping for something to wear is always fun because most things come in smaller sizes so every shop I go into I can try anything on. Malls also have a lot of new brands we don’t have in New Zealand, especially those with a lot of cute prints or embroidery which nobody can get their hands on in New Zealand.

4 ACTIVITIES – With the good climate comes weather to be able to do activities in. Things like waterparks, pools and beaches are good during the day and the sun isn’t as harsh as the humidity is higher rather than rays of sunlight. There is also a lot of sightseeing to be done through which you can learn about the history of certain landmarks and tourist attractions.

5 CULTURE – In any new country you learn the culture of the place. Travelling to Malaysia opens your eyes to different cultures as they have many different people, languages and dialects. You learn their social norms and how they have different ways of living and how they live their day-to-day lives. You can also gain more knowledge and share your own culture while experiencing and learning new things.