2 in 1 Wrap-up

Before to start, we must say... it is one month you get regular news from us but we didn't get much from you guys! Don't hesitate to write us mails and explain what's happening in your lives!

The Malaysian stuff:

- Malaysia has a majority of Muslims, so except in really touristy area, it is more respectful for girls to cover up: long pants and t-shirt during 2 weeks for Claire

- Hold hands, kiss or show affection in public is frowned upon (in Indonesia as well actually), kissing can actually lead to jailtime in some regions, so keep our distance

- opposite to that, public burping, spitting, snorting, throat clearing and singing along to the music you hear on you earphones are condoned. Same applies to Singapore

- both countries are multi-ethnic. The majority is Malay but there are large minorities of Chinese and Indian people and in Singapore a lot of Westerners

- Since Melaka was an importantport for spice trade, a lot of Chinese and Indian merchants settled there hundreds of years ago. They married local Malay women, and their descendants have specific names, "Baba-nonya" and "Chitta" respectively

- there are a lot of people in Germany jerseys on the streets. Non-german people! But no jerseys of other national teams. Probably all bandwagon fans!

The Singapore stuff:

- The streets are calm and extremely clean. No chewing-gum on the floor... no wonder, chewing gum is actually forbidden to avoid it being thrown on the pavement in the first place

- We didn't see any beggars or homeless people. The only person we encountered who definitely looked poor was fishing in a pond. Makes you wonder a bit if they are exceptionally taken care of - we doubt it - or if they are just kept out of sight

- Although restaurants are very expensive, it is possible to buy relatively cheap meals in hawker centres and mall's food courts. But it isn't so easy to find a restaurant on a Sunday

- KL and Singapore are similar in that regard that they try to lure the rich people of the middle east to their cities. Both cater to their needs and are shopping heavens with countless luxury hotels

- you also notice right away when you are in a big Western-style city such as KL or Singapore. While in the smaller towns and especially in Indonesia, everybody smiles at you and says hi this isn't the case here. First, they are much more used to tourists and white folks. But second, it also is a lot more anonymous in big cities. Same development as in EuropeRead more