Signs

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Back in 1971 or thereabouts, the musical group Five Man Electrical Band had a hit single by the same name as the title of this post. Some of you may remember it...

Sign, sign

Breakin' my mind...

Malaysia has some pretty impressive signage, particularly in the big cities like Kuala Lumpur. Take this one that we encountered while on the night bus tour.

I have no idea what it says, but that building has gotta be 30 stories high and the entire side is a light up billboard. I wonder who has to change the light bulbs when one of them goes?

This advertisement for AmBank was a little more reasonable in size, and quite eye-catching with the goofy looking camel mascot. Everyone had their cameras out as we drove by!

Of course, KL has lots of non-neon signs too, like this one listing all the rules one must obey while in KLCC park.

It's kind of a fun read, and we definitely paused to check all the rules before proceeding, just to make sure we understood expectations. For example, according to the sign, one is forbidden to (among other things)...

• ride a bike or play games (It's a park, really???)
• walk on shrubs (I'm trying to understand why anyone would even want to try this, maybe because there's a rule against it?)
• bathe in the toilet (I hope this means toilet in the more general bathroom sense)

Speaking of bathing in toilets, I couldn't resist taking a photo of this sign that was in a public washroom at Penang Hill.

While some of the rules seem like common sense, like flushing the toilet after use, others may seem downright bizarre to Westerners.

Do not squat on the toilet bowl. Zero chance I'm going to attempt that! But this one makes a lot more sense when you realize that squat toilets are still very much a thing in Malaysia, and that apparently some people prefer them over the more modern pedestal toilets. Not me though.

Showering is not allowed. Likely related to the fact that all toilets in Malaysia have a flexible hose attached to the wall behind the toilet, commonly known as a "bum gun." I suppose if you were to squat low enough you might be able to use this as a shower.

Please keep the floor dry. No doubt this serves as extra reinforcement for the rule about not showering. Or perhaps is a polite way of saying "mind your aim with the bum gun."

Then there was this one, strategically placed on the back of the front seat in one of our Grab rides. You'll notice that the most prominent warning (in 3 languages no less) is the hefty fine for vomiting.

Of course, anywhere that tourists might go, there will be signs advising us on how to behave. Like this one at one of the temples we visited, telling us that we were "strictly not allowed to roll the granite balls in the lions' mouths."

I'd say the photo is pretty accurate in that you'd never know there was a granite ball in the lion's mouth unless you got right up close and peered inside. I'd never have bothered to go looking for a ball in a lion's mouth myself, but I guess enough other people have that a sign is now required.

Let's see, what else...

Oh I know. We visited the famous Kek Lok Si temple while in Penang, and there were plenty of signs there too. This first one was my favourite. It ever-so-politely advises visitors that accidents and injuries are inevitable, and that the temple carries no insurance. For this reason, the temple cannot entertain any claims, so we are advised to be extra careful and responsible for our own risk. Also, we should "have a nice trip and be home safely." Thank you, we will!

Some other instructions that we diligently obeyed during our visit were: not to pluck the flowers...

Not to liberate tortoises into the pond...

And not to visit hubbub of civilization...

I'm still not 100% sure what this actually meant, but judging by the pictures at the bottom of the sign, I think the general idea was that one should be quiet when entering the prayer hall.

One of the more interesting sets of signage was this pair. The first indicated "Speakers' Square" in a local park in Penang and stated that "The right to freedom of speech, assembly and association is guaranteed by Article 10 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia." Good news, yes?

But the second sign had me a bit worried when I read that, "anyone who uses the speaker's square to make speeches do so at their own risk." And further, "The State Government and the Municipal Council of Penang Island will not be responsible for any prosecution or legal action by the Police or civil proceedings."

I'm not sure what to make of that statement in relation to the first, but I'm not about to make any speeches so let's just move on.

Ending on a lighter note, hair saloons seemed to be a thing in Malaysia. We saw them everywhere. I suppose the idea is you can enjoy a cold beer while getting your hair cut?

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