Week 14: Putrajaya and Gunung Nuang

This week was a bit more relaxing, but I did my best to make the most out of seeing something new. That being said, I spent Malaysian Independence Day hiking the mountain Gunung Nuang. This is a trek about an hour outside of Kuala Lumpur, and more of a mental struggle than anything else. Totaling approximately 20 kilometers and over 1000 meters of elevation, it is a hike up what seems to be a dried riverbed of red clay. In some places it was so steep that you were forced to grab a rope and pull yourself up a slant. Despite the challenge I had a nice time, as it was with a Meetup group of like-minded and adventurous individuals. That is, until I found out that in jungles, leeches live in the trees and will drop down  when they sense blood-that revelation put a bit of a damper on my day, but I seem to have come out unscathed.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of being invited to Putrajaya by my coworker, to explore the city with him and his wife and son. They made excellent tour guides, bringing me to such sights as the Iron Mosque and Prime Minister’s house. They even took me to lunch where all the foreign dignitaries eat! Putrajaya is a cool city because it is within 40 minutes of Kuala Lumpur, but they have moved all the government officials there to reduce traffic congestion. It is a very well planned city, with a lot of green space and well-manicured lawns. It was a nice, relaxing way to spend a day and learn more about Malaysian culture and the Islamic religion, both of which my hosts were so gracious to share.

Since this is a short post, I’m going to back up a week to comment on my client visit here in Malaysia, because there are a few peculiarities worth noting. (It’s always interesting to see how business is conducted in foreign countries.) This particular client had a schedule of stopping work around 10am for a company-wide breakfast (or, for us foreigners, second breakfast.) Because they were so well fed, when lunch time rolled around they would abstain from eating and instead, all of the office lights would be turned off and you could see people leaning back in their chairs and taking naps, watching videos, reading books, etc. Even the factory floor seemed to die out during this time. I tried to convince my boss that this is the way business should be conducted in the US as well, but unfortunately she did not agree with that sentiment!