Malaysia is not a country that comes to mind immediately as a must-see gaystination, but it’s a great place for a good time, a country full of interesting and unusual sights, activities, and attractions. The food is delicious and the manscapes as scenic as the landscapes. Unusual for an Asian country, there is also something of a lesbian scene as any Saturday night at Club 9 will reveal.
Kuala Lumpur is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, with locals of Malay, Chinese, and Indian origin keeping two handfuls of European expatriates company in the search for new friends. Kuala Lumpur’s gay scene is far friendlier and more relaxed than Singapore’s and Bangkok’s; you won’t be lonely for long. Cultural and religious influences in the country may lead one to think that openly gay living is taboo. Well, yes, it is, but same-sex couples are living together all over the city, albeit in a discreet manner. As for gay singles, there’s no limit to the fun to be had.
Malaysia’s holiday attractions are not as well known as those of its neighbours, but travellers who have already been there can tell you just how much there is to enjoy in the country. Sun and beach? Yes, got that—thousands of kilometres of sand and far fewer people than Thailand. Exotic culture? Kuala Lumpur’s Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia is the best in the country. Food? Malaysia is food heaven; from five-star dining to street food, every meal has the potential to put an orgy of flavour into your mouth.
Though the local market on Petaling Street is a fun place for a quick meal and bargainhunting, it is the shopping malls that are a big reason why people from all over the world flock to Malaysia, and KL in particular. The shopping is first class, and the prices are much lower than they are at home. For an extra special souvenir, take home a custom-made Bufori, a car built completely by hand after the prospective owner has been measured as if having a suit made. The company’s motto is ‘Nothing Ordinary’, which makes Buforis perfect for eclectic (wo)men who have everything. You pick the colour, the interior fabrics, leather, metal—every single detail is yours to decide.
With all the cultural diversity, Malaysia has a continual stream of special events to drop the jaw of any jaded queen, this one included. One of the most colourful is the vivid Hindu celebration of Thaipusam, wherein devotees pierce themselves with spears, hooks, tridents, and a variety of other pointy things, then march in a procession up the steep steps at Batu Caves, just outside the city. Despite the name, Thaipusam has nothing to do with Thailand; Thai is the name of a month in the Tamil calendar (corresponding roughly to January/February in the Western calendar) and pusam is the zenith of the star in the sky during the month of Thai. The spectacle is amazing. If you make the effort to get there before dawn, you will see the preparations for the procession, with heads shaven and skin pierced without a single drop of blood spilled.
Malaysia’s European ties are most obvious in Melaka, the city recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about two hours’ drive south from KL, making it an easy daytrip. Here, the vestiges of Portuguese and Dutch colonisation can be seen in the old buildings, in the faces of the locals, and in the delights of the unique Peranakan cuisine for which Melaka is famous.
The Tourism Malaysia website offers a lot of helpful information to assist in planning your visit. Despite the screams to be heard from Europe and other places, Asia does luxury better than anywhere in the world—and costs a lot less. If there is one country in the world in which to indulge, it is Malaysia; for the price of an ordinary hotel in Australia, you can be welcomed in high style here. The Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur is a favourite, with wonderful rooms and a convenient location in the Golden Triangle – KL’s business and tourism centre that also happens to be its gay centre, too. Yes, a gay centre. Don’t expect rainbow flags and drag queens, but do expect lots of muscley guys exiting California Fitness for a cruisy coffee at Starebucks.
Shangri-la’s sister hotel, Traders, is just off the main street of the Golden Triangle and has postcard-perfect views of Petronas Towers, once the tallest buildings in the world and a symbol of Malaysia’s coming of age as an economic powerhouse. The view is best from Skybar, Traders’ open-air, poolside bar where the city’s young and beautiful come for drinks and delicious snacks after a hard day’s shopping and before a hard night’s partying. Even a non-bar person like me was very impressed, and it had nothing to do with the nonstop glasses of champagne and lychee rose martinis.
Shangri-la is two monorail stops and Traders three to Chow Kit and the pleasures of Otot2, Kuala Lumpur’s fun ‘relax club’ where the open-air rooftop is an amusement park for admirers of the male form. This place is one of the least pretentious gaythering places in the world, a place where guys talk, eat, and laugh with their friends old and new. For a full overview of Malaysia’s gay scene, visit Utopia Asia’s Malaysia pages.
MORE INFORMATION
www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my
www.shangri-la.com
www.iamm.org.my/i_ex
www.utopia-asia.com
www.otot2.com
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