Christmas in Malaysia

It's Christmas Day in Malaysia as I write this, a little after 9 pm, and we've just returned from another amazing dinner at our now-favourite Chinese restaurant. But aside from the duck we had at dinner...

...it doesn't really feel like Christmas here.

First off, there's no snow. Not that that's ever been a requirement for those of us who have lived on the west coast of Canada. But it's also not cold and rainy and windy and icky. In fact, it was another 32 degree day today, and tonight's low will be around 25 again. (That's celsius, for any of you that still think in fahrenheit.)

And the people aren't really acting any differently. You know how at Christmas people try to be a little nicer, a little kinder, and a little more helpful? We'll, that's how people are every day here, so no difference really.

There's also a noticeable lack of Christmas music playing in every shop and restaurant, and minimal decorations if there are any at all. Houses aren't all lit up with lights and inflatable snowmen and candy cane lanes, and there are no competitions for who has the best Christmas display.

So what is Christmas like in Malaysia? We can't say for sure since it's our first one, but here's what our Christmas was like...

We started our day with a yummy dim sum breakfast, then hopped in a Grab (Malaysia's Uber) and headed to the Penang Botanic Gardens.

Despite being officially a Muslim country, Malaysia does recognize Christmas Day as a national holiday so we weren't sure what would be open and what would be closed. However, a little advance research had told us the Gardens were open every day and admission was free, so we thought this was a safe bet for something to do on the 25th.

We spent the morning strolling and exploring, and discovered some colourful flowers...

...some side trails that got us up close and personal with the jungle...

...(and the occasional well-placed boulder)...

...as well as a series of gentle waterfalls...

...and a lily pond with not a single lily in it.

Oh well, at least there was a shady bench where we could rest.

A high point of the visit was getting a few good photos of some very bold macaques...

...as well as a couple of much shyer dusky leaf monkeys...

After a couple of hours, despite trying to stay out of the sun and taking frequent sips of water, we were feeling old and tired so we decided to head back out to the main gate to call a Grab. Just beyond the gate, we passed one of those wonderful Malaysian outdoor food courts and decided to stop in for a cold coconut. It definitely helped us re-hydrate, as well as being fun to drink.

Back at our hotel we had a short rest to recharge for the afternoon adventure we'd planned. As it turns out, the malls are also open on Christmas Day in Malaysia. Yes, you heard that right. Shopping malls are wide open on Christmas Day, and everyone goes there for the day. At least, that's how it seemed to us.

Of course, this is the complete opposite of Canada. As we all know, the malls in Canada are a crazy busy place to be around the holidays, especially for the last few days leading up to Christmas Day. The difference is that while in Canada the malls all close on the 25th, in Malaysia the malls are THE place to be. Go figure!

Actually, I'm quite sure it has a lot to do with Malaysia's mall culture. If you haven't read that post yet, you'll just have to take my word that everyone who was not employed at a mall, was at a mall today, taking it all in. Along with us of course, as we headed to Penang's largest shopping mall - Queensbay - to experience Christmas in Malaysia.

For weeks leading up to Christmas Day the malls all had their centre courts splendidly decorated. Here are a few examples from our collection.

This was at Gurney Plaza, one of the two fancy malls along Gurney Drive, a very ritzy area of Penang full of fancy high rises that are apparently full of people who buy fancy brands like Prada and Gucci. Teddy bears was this year's theme at Gurney Plaza.

And from Suria KLCC, one of KL's most prestigious malls, located right below the Petronas Twin Towers. The theme this year appeared to be simply "gold."

And finally, Berjaya Times Square, also in KL, had a butterfly theme at their centre court Christmas dispaly.

At Queensbay mall, where we were spending the afternoon, the theme was "Piñata Christmas." The centre court had traditional Mexican piñatas hanging from the ceiling, and giant piñata creatures as part of the floor display. If you look closely at the stage below the Christmas tree, you'll see four ballerinas, who were having their photo taken just before their performance.

Today was just the culmination, with events and performances taking place all day long and into the evening, closing time at most malls being 10:00 p.m.

Malls here in Malaysia are huge. Massive. Gargantuan. Queensbay is half a kilometre long and four floors high. Berjaya Times Square has ten floors, one of which is an indoor amusement park, complete with roller coaster. We are not normally mall people, but when in Rome....

So we hung out at Queensbay for a couple of hours, browsed a few of the shops (my favourite was the kitchen section at a local department store called Aeon), checked out the latest model cars, and listened to the sales pitch for a new waterfront condo project. We marveled at the number of shops all selling the same thing: watches; lingerie; fancy handbags. We took a few photos to prove we'd done the mall Christmas thing, then got in a Grab and returned to the sanity of our hotel room.

Another brief rest (all that mall-ing is tiring!) and then we were off for dinner at the aforementioned Chinese restaurant where Gerry treated himself to duck and we toasted Christmas with oolong tea.

Wherever you are in the world right now, and however you're spending this day, we wish you:

Selamat Hari Natal

聖誕快樂

Merry Christmas

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