We’ve only been to two places in Malaysia and Joylani warns me not to make premature judgments about places, but Malaysia is already one of my favorite countries. Here’s my initial impressions of the place, and thus my rationale for ranking it so high:

This is a bit superficial, but my very first observation about the country was that everyone speaks English. It’s such a nice change after being largely unable to communicate in Thailand, Lao, and Cambodia, and its probably the best English we’ve heard on this trip after Scandinavia. Thank you Britain!

The culture is different from what we’ve seen recently. Unlike Hindu South Asia and Buddhist mainland SEA, Malaysia is a moderate Muslim state. Women cover their heads and dress conservatively, mosques and minarets adorn the horizon, their calls heard five times a day, and an arrow on each hotel room ceiling indicates the direction of Mecca. When I think about this feature of Malaysia, its no wonder I like Malaysia; for one reason or another, many of my favorite places on this trip have been largely Muslim: Turkey, Kashmir, Kerala, and the Maldives.

Malaysia is incredibly diverse. I read that Kota Bharu is actually one of only three Malaysia cities that have a Malay majority. The national demographics show that just under half of the population is Malay, about a quarter are Chinese, with Indians and native Orang Asli each composing about ten percent of the population. Reminds me of home. Its also good for us, because Joylani gets mistaken as a Chinese, and I as a Malay.

The food is great. With such a diverse population, what else could one expect?

The people are really helpful and nice. Questions are usually given a helpful detailed reply. Several people have gone out of their way to show us directions, as well. Although this may be a function of speaking a common language, Malaysians seem to always go to great effort to help.