Malaysia

Malaysia is the last country on my 'to-do' list, then it's on to laundry and dinner. So, let's try and get through this quickly! 

It was Survivor Finale night, and since this season was in Fiji, and we already have that covered in Hawaii at the Polynesian Cultural Center, we had to find an appropriate country for the day. What better than to go back to the very first Season with Survivor: Borneo. 

But Borneo is only half of Malaysia. The whole country is like a two for one deal. It's a mix of the modern world, and a developing nation. 

First off, you have peninsular Malaysia, hanging out on the bottom of Thailand and connected to Singapore by the 'second link' a bridge/causeway combo. In peninsular Malaysia, you'll find sprawling cities, forested highlands, and some fringing islands. The high tech, mega-cities, like it's capital Kuala Lumpur, are thanks to the countries moderate oil wealth. 

It's in Kuala Lumpur where you'll find the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world at 1,483 feet. The towers also feature a double-decker sky bridge connecting the two towers at the 41st and 42nd floors. It's the highest two-story bridge in the world. 

Over in Malaysian Borneo it is much less sophisticated. It is partly covered by impenetrable jungle where headhunters roam. There's still nomadic people and indigenous people calling this area home.

 Tribal Longhouses and Dense Jungles complete with wild orangutans are Borneo's trademarks. It is one of only two places on earth to spot the super smart animals who build nests high up in the trees using tools. (There are only about 12,000 of them left in the wild). 

Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures. The official language is Bahasa Malaysia, but it's national motto of 'unity in diversity', reflects the blend of Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures (just to name a few). 

But it terms of wildlife, it is also considered one of the 17 mega-diverse countries on earth. Experts believe that Malaysia contains 20% of the world's total animal species. (We looked at some and particularly enjoyed the Malaysian Tapir). 

Plants also get their due in Malaysia, as it is home to the largest flower species in the whole world: the Rafflesia. The blooms can be up to 39 inches in diameter. But apparently the thing is stinky (some liken it to a combo of rotting meat and stinky feet). 

Another record held by Malaysia- the world's largest 'room' is the Sarawak Chamber, a cave system in one of Borneo's National Parks. It's 1,969 feet long, 1, 427 feet wide and 377 feet tall. It could fit 8 jumbo jets in it, with room to spare. 

The boys made their postcards for Malaysia. They all decided to feature both aspects of the country. 

Calib made the Petronas Towers for Peninsular Malaysia, and the stinky flower and the tapir for Borneo. 

 

 Peyton did virtually the same thing, but his featured some orangutans in the trees. 

Hayden's depiction of the two places hands down won my vote. 

 For food I thought about making Chili crab. It's a whole crab filled with a sticky, tangy chili sauce. But, while it is supposedly delicious, it's also notoriously difficult to eat. 

Satay is also super popular in Malaysia, but we had just had that for Brunei, and while Asa and I loved it, the boys weren't really fans. 

So for Malaysia we settled on  Roti John Sandwiches, Malaysian Street Noodles, Stir Fried Kai Lan (Broccoli), Mashed Banana Fritters, strawberries, and a lemon ginger zinger drink we found at Trader Joes (which I forgot to take a picture of- sorry!) 

This dinner earned four spoons up. 

Surprisingly, Calib was the hold out. He did basically clear his plate. But he wasn't a huge fan. His favorite was the broccoli, and his least favorite was the sandwich. He was convinced there was something weird in there- when it's basically meat egg and onion. I suspect he saw the recipe where it says you can add anchovies and freaked out. 

Hayden LOVED the sandwich and had an extra- Peyton's to be specific- because they traded noodles for the sandwich. 

Asa loved the whole meal. 

For, it was kind of weird. First of all, I was convinced I would hate the Broccoli, since it had oyster sauce in it, and I was totally grossed out by the fish sauce that one time. But it was actually delicious. And then there was the the sambal oelek appears in a couple recipes, and I was worried it was going to be over the top spicy. Now, I just don't do spicy, and I think it's because I'm anosmic (I have no sense of smell for those of you just joining us.) I don't really get flavor and heat, I just get the heat. It's weird- and it's really kind of gross 'tasting' when you get nothing but heat. But this- this I actually got flavor AND spice- and it was kind of nice. My lips were a little tingly, but it didn't have that usual spicy awful taste. So I'm not sure what was different about this. I ordered it from Amazon, so we have quite a bit of it, and the recipe didn't use all that much of it. But I'm sure we'll find plenty of other stuff to put it on. It might be the new Chippy Salt (which Peyton asked me to order more of for his birthday). 

Malaysia got colored in pink next to Thailand and Indonesia, and we made sure to not color over Brunei. 

Malaysia was our 17th country in May- the gold standard for how many countries we're aiming to get done a month. But, it's going to be hard to get there the next three months, so we're hoping to squeeze a few more in before June. 

That's 85 down, 108 to go! 

Next Up: Croatia