OpenRoad Audi - OpenRoad Driver

Inset photos: Dominic SchaeferWhile Malaysiacompetes for visitorswith neighbouring countrieswho sell themselveson their party beaches or ultra-moderncities, this welcoming, under-the-radarnation of 23 million turns out to havejust as many attractions. And withEnglish widely spoken and a network ofexcellent highways, it’s ideal for a colourfuldriving adventure.Deciding on a leisurely three-nighttrek that would encapsulate as muchdiversity as possible, my driving buddyand I plotted a route from the capital,Kuala Lumpur, up the western coast tothe island of Penang, a comfortable 400kilometres apart.First stop: the capital. KL, as the localscall it, is stuffed with malls hawkingeverything from thumb-sized cellphonesto familiar fashions sold far cheaperthan we can buy them here. Adidas runnersand Nike shirts are often half-price—although larger sizes are hard to find—while fake Louis Vuitton and Hugo Bossaccessories are a steal at the markets thatburble around the city.While a monorail links KL’s mainattractions, we spent our time duckingdown back alleys lined with chattyoutdoor cafés serving vadai (Indiansavoury doughnuts) and chee chong fun(Chinese rolled rice noodles). We alsodiscovered a kaleidoscope of religioussites: graceful Muslim mosques, brightHindu shrines and intricate Buddhisttemples, often sitting side-by-side.After an evening of drinking inthe city’s bar-packed Golden Trianglearea, we set off late the next day.Remembering that Malaysians driveon the left, we were soon slipping pastold British colonial buildings and theshimmering glass spikes of the PetronasTowers, the world’s tallest building.Taking highway Route 2, we headed west.Our first stop was less than an houraway in Shah Alam, but it was alreadythe end of the afternoon when wearrived. The capital of Selangor state, thecity was once a rustic rubber tree plantationuntil rapid rebuilding created a hubof business headquarters and apartmentcomplexes. OpenRoad driver |