penang me.

to us, malaysia was like a more tropical version of south korea in many ways... polluted, rife with quickly slapped up and half finished concrete apartment buildings, garbage strewn just about everywhere, a general lack of paint on everything, extensive construction and deforestation, and 'vacation' destinations that were tragic examples of overdevelopment and commercialization ruining locations that were probably not really that scenic to begin with.

however, malaysia differed from korea in one major way -- the food was amazing. the multiple ethnic groups living on the malaysian penninsula (indian, malay, chinese, and british) served up a wide variety of excellent cuisines, and we enjoyed tandoori chicken, chinese chicken-rice, satay, curries, even tea and scones, as we traveled south along the penninsula from penang, to the cameron highlands in the central mountains, and south through kuala lumpur to singapore, loving every single meal. we found the blend of so many distinct cultures in such close proximity fascinating - frequently visiting a buddhist temple, hindu temple, mosque, and church all within a few city blocks.