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It is well known that the Malaysia population consists of three ethnic groups, Chinese, Malay, and Indian.
Before my trip, I somehow have understood the existence of the former two, the third one, however, was beyond my awareness.
Geographically, Malaysia is a neighbour of India. There is only Bay of Bengal (the bay north of Indian Ocean) between them. That explains the huge number of Indian dwellers in this country.
The first breakfast I had in Malaysia was at a small Indian restaurant near my hostel. I tasted roti and, OMG, it was so cheap! A roti with egg was only about RM2 (A$0.67, CNY4). Watching the guy making roti was a lot of fun, reminding me a classic Chinese joke about how bad for an Indian chef to make roti with both of their hands, coz they use their left hand for some other purpose. Anyway, I was thinking about the joke while having the roti, it was a sin.
Then in Penang we went to a district marked as ‘little India’. It was full of Indian boutiques, DVD/CD stores and food stalls. I was attracted by a huge gorgeous picture of Brahma. (I didn’t figure out it was Brahma until I realized he had four heads.)
Opposite to this poster was a DVD/CD store. The young Indian shop assistant was very warm and beautiful that we had three pictures with her. (they are unfortunately in my cousin’s camera) I bought my housemate a CD of religions Indian music, which later on turned out to be he didn’t like. And I bought an anima DVD about the story of Ganesha (the Indian god with an elephant head).
The Indian people we met in Malaysia were really nice and friendly. Here are the photo we took in an Indian restaurant.
In Penang we went to an Hindu temple. I had heard this religion encourages its followers to worship multiple gods. But I was still amazed that the number of statues in that small temple.
The gate tower (Gopuram) was medium-sized.
In Kuala Lumpur I went to a Gurdwara (Sikh temple). Lonely Planet claimed it as the biggest temple in SE Asia. Upon entrance, every visitor is required to cover their head up. (I should have taken a picture but it seemed inappropriate) Then I came through the dining hall. The guys sitting there kindly offered me food and drink (they were free) but I just had lunch. Then a guy took me up to the Darbar Sahib (main hall) upstairs. I had to wash my feet before entering. It was a big empty hall and I walked extremely cautiously. At the end of the hall, under the statue of their god, lying a bowl of Karah Parshad, which is a sweet food made by semolina, butter, and sugar. I was offered one spoonful and I thought it was rude to refuse so I tasted it. Sweet it was. And oily as well. I asked my guide what it meant to be but he just smiled and refused to explain.
In Kuala Lumpur, I talked to an Indian young man who can speak fluent native Mandarin. He said he went to a Chinese school in Malaysia. He was the only one in his family who attended a Chinese school, under the will of his grandfather. I thought it must have been difficult for him to start learning and starting making friends with Chinese people.
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