Back to our Roots trip - Part 2: Malaysia

The main reason for our Asia trip was actually Part 2 of the adventure: Malaysia. My mother grew up in Kuala Lumpur, so it felt especially meaningful to gather there for a mini family reunion with my sister and her family, my cousin Ling Ling, and many relatives who still live in Kuala Lumpur.

Before meeting up with family in Kuala Lumpur, we decided to spend a few days in Sabah, which is in the Malaysian part of Borneo. Sabah is famous for its beautiful beaches, crystal-clear waters, and amazing snorkeling. Things that we all love!

After an about 4 hour flight from Hong Kong, we arrived in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, late in the afternoon. Located on the Malaysian side of Borneo, Sabah is known for its stunning coastline, rich wildlife, and diverse cultures.

As our plane descended, some of the first landmarks we spotted were the region’s striking mosques,

We took a taxi to the Marina Court apartments and quickly realized the apartment looked nothing like the photos. It was very run down and there were bugs in the bathrooms.  We even considered finding another place, but ultimately decided to stay because it had five bedrooms and a large living room where we could all gather, play games, and spend time together. Most importantly, the air conditioning worked well. At just $200 per night for the entire five-bedroom apartment, it was still an excellent value (it came to $20/person/night).

One of the bedrooms. Each one was large, but very worn down:

Having spent the last week enjoying nothing but Asian cuisine, we were eager for a change of pace. We found the perfect seaside Italian restaurant, where we enjoyed a wonderful meal while watching the sun set over the ocean.

We also enjoyed exploring the nearby night market, which gave us a chance to experience a little more of the local culture and daily life.

Monday, July 6

The next morning, our first task was to find tickets for the island-hopping tour we had planned for Tuesday. We headed to the main pier and were pleasantly surprised by the price. For just $30 per person, the full day tour included visits to three islands and a snorkeling guide.

We bought the tickets from this shop, near the Main Pier: 

Near the pier, we spotted a large mosque:

Afterwards, we took a taxi to a beach and surprisingly it was quite empty, besides a replica of the Eiffel Tower!!

After many hot days, jumping into the water was incredibly refreshing. The beach and water weren't pristine, but they were clean enough for an enjoyable swim.

At 1:00 p.m., a driver picked us up to take us to the Mari Mari Cultural Village. Like many of the excursions we booked, it was very affordable and even included dinner. The village reminded us of a mini Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu. We moved from hut to hut, learning about the customs, traditions, and daily life of the various indigenous tribes of Sabah.

The entrance to the Mari Mari Village:

A traditional hut:

Wedding decorations in one of the huts: 

Josh with the chief:

We were able to sample some of the foods being prepared by tribal members:

 

One of the most memorable parts was watching a homemade trampoline inside one of the huts. The villagers demonstrated how it was used and amazed us by bouncing incredibly high into the air.

Before dinner, we watched a cultural show featuring traditional music and dance:

The food was decent and we especially enjoyed the variety of options: 

Here we are, ready to head back. Janette and Jared even got some temporary tribal “tattoos” as a fun souvenir of the trip.

Later that evening, at 10:45 p.m., my sister Ting-Wai and her family and my cousin Ling Ling arrived from Switzerland. It was a joyful reunion! After being apart for about a year (and for our children many years), it was so much fun to be together again.

Tuesday July 7

The next morning, we left by taxi at 9:00 a.m. for our three-island hopping tour. Upon arriving at the pier, we were fitted with snorkeling gear along with many other tour participants, which took some time. Once everyone was ready, we set off for Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, a beautiful cluster of islands just off the coast.

The first island we visited was Mamutik Island. Upon arrival, each visitor was required to pay a small park entrance fee.

This island and its crystal-clear waters were beautiful, and although there was some litter, it wasn't too noticeable.

First, we spent some time swimming and snorkeling near the shore. Then, a guide who was included in the tour took us to another part of the island for a guided snorkeling excursion. We saw countless colorful fish and beautiful coral formations, all just a short distance from the beach. Perhaps to protect the reef, or perhaps simply to generate additional revenue, access to that particular area was only allowed with a guide.

The guide only area: 

The snorkeling excursion lasted about two hours. Later, we learned that the guide's supervisor had encouraged him to extend our tour from one hour to two because our group were all confident swimmers (which is I guess uncommon with many Asian tourists). We were of course very happy for the extra time. 

After that, we explored the island and were delighted to watch a gigantic monitor lizard roaming through the outdoor restaurant area:

And some more pictures before leaving this island: 

Our next stop was Manukan Island. By then, we had worked up quite an appetite, so we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant on the island. The Gesslers, who had arrived late the night before, were feeling the effects of jet lag and looked as though they might fall asleep in their chairs at any moment!

On this Island we didn't go swimming, but just enjoyed the beautiful beach after lunch. 

Our next stop was Sapi Island. Upon arrival we learned that the best reefs were located just to the right of the pier when facing the island. Snorkeling on our own, we found the experience to be even better than at Mamutik Island. One reason was the lack of crowds. Most people seemed reluctant to venture farther offshore without a guide, so we basically had the area to ourselves. The water was crystal clear, and we saw countless colorful fish among the beautiful coral reefs. It was easily one of the best snorkeling spots we have ever visited.

We stayed there so long that we were the only tourists left on the island and we had to rush back to catch the last boat back to Kota Kinabalu. It was a great day.

Back at the apartment that evening, we played the Spoon Game, which was so much fun. It's always a great time when we're together with the Gesslers and Ling Ling.

 Wednesday, July 8

The next day, a van picked us up at 7:00 a.m. for a full-day guided tour that cost just $24 per person. We visited several places throughout the day, some more interesting than others.

Our first stop was a hanging bridge, where a small cultural performance had been arranged for the tourists.

Crossing the hanging bridge:

After crossing the bridge, we found ourselves in a market with mostly locals. It was fun to see where the locals shopped. 

The highlight, however, was discovering Apam Balik, a popular Malaysian pancake that Josh and I had first tasted in London many years ago when the children were young. We had searched for it ever since, but had never managed to find it again, not even while living near London. Finding it in Malaysia was therefore a delightful surprise. Apam Balik is a thick, fluffy pancake filled with crushed roasted peanuts, sugar, and creamed corn, and it was every bit as delicious as we remembered.

Next, we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in the region. The area was lined with souvenir stalls, where Josh bought a T-shirt and I found what was essentially a Malaysian version of a lavalava. With the amount of time dedicated to browsing the shops, we began to suspect that this tour was as much about supporting local merchants as it was about sightseeing.

Mount Kinabalu: 

The next stop was a site featuring the world's largest flower: The Rafflesia flower.  

Seeing it in person was quite impressive. The flower is famous and featured on their currency:

Of course, we each had to take a picture of us and the flower: 

The next stop was lunch in a Chinese restaurant. We were ready for some food at that point, it was very hot in the van, the drive was long and the traffic was horrendous. 

On the way back we stopped by the Kundasang village that had a giant nappa cabbage in the intersection.

Back from this excursion, we took a short break and then headed to a beach to see the sunset. Unfortunately it was too cloudy and it wasn’t that picturesque. There were tons of people at that beach. I guess it was the go-to spot for sunset viewing. We finished the evening by enjoying dinner from the nearby market stalls.

Thursday, July 9

The next day, Jared flew back to Stanford to return to work, while the rest of us continued our Malaysian adventure.

After much debate, we followed Sarah's recommendation and visited the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. It turned out to be a great decision. We saw a wide variety of animals, including the famous proboscis monkey, known for its unusually long nose.

The proboscis monkey:

Sabah is also known for its orangutans, although the wild populations are found in a different part of the state.

The best part of this wildlife park was the animal show – Ting-Wai even got to hold a huge snake in front of everyone!

One of the best part of this show was Ling Ling’s reaction to the snake, which was much worse than mine!! Notice how the little kids are not scared at all!!

We also watched a Malayan sun bear (the smallest bear species in the world) climb right above us: 

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the park, although it was a very hot day. Good thing for handheld fans!!

Afterwards, we discovered a simple little restaurant near the wildlife park that served some of the best and most affordable food we had enjoyed on the trip. There was no air conditioning, only a few fans, but the food was absolutely delicious. Incredibly, lunch for four of us came to just $16.

Ling Ling enjoying her meal Nasi Goreng Pataya:

After lunch, we were picked up once again by a tour guide. Thankfully, this van had much better air conditioning than the one from the previous day, which was a huge relief. He drove us to the pier, where we enjoyed another meal before heading out on two river cruises in small boats.

The first cruise took us through mangroves in search of proboscis monkeys. The scenery was beautiful, and we saw plenty of long-tailed monkeys along the way. The proboscis monkeys, however, were very high up in the trees, making them difficult to see. We were glad we had already gotten a much better look at them at the wildlife sanctuary.

Our fun tour guide showing us a proboscis monkey!:

After the cruise, we were treated to a very small fire show consisting of a single performer twirling flaming sticks. It was simple but entertaining.

Once the sun had set, we boarded the second river cruise to see the fireflies. It was a fascinating experience, especially since we had never seen fireflies in such large numbers before.

It was around 9:40 p.m. when we finally returned to our apartment, tired yet grateful for another enjoyable day full of unique experiences.

Friday, July 10

We got up early and took a taxi to the airport for our flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur. After arriving in Kuala Lumpur, we used the Grab app to book a ride from the airport to the Sleeping Lion Hotel. The hotel was very nice. Although the rooms were small, one feature we especially appreciated was that the toilets could handle flushed toilet paper, unlike our Kota Kinabalu hotel and the Yangshuo hotel.  

For lunch, we ate at a nearby shopping mall. It was wonderful to have Ling Ling with us, as she knew the area well and could show us around.

Afterward, we took the metro two stops to Central Market, one of Kuala Lumpur's historic landmarks. The market was filled with interesting shops and also featured a small museum that shared the history of both the market and Kuala Lumpur itself. It was an enjoyable way to learn more about the city while exploring its local culture.

From there, we wandered through more of Kuala Lumpur's historic districts to an Indian restaurant, where we met up with my cousin Sue.

The design of these buildings made it easy to see that Malaysia was once a British colony:

The first mosque built in Kuala Lumpur: 

It was so much fun spending time with Cousin Sue. I don't remember her from my childhood, so it was wonderful getting to know her. She is quite a character and we laughed a lot. 

The food would have been delicious if it hadn't been so incredibly spicy. For us, it was almost too hot to eat! 

After dinner, we enjoyed a beautiful walk back toward the hotel, passing several historic buildings along the way. One especially impressive sight was a beautifully renovated former government building that looked absolutely stunning.

And a view of the 1st mosque at night:

We returned to the hotel around 8:20 p.m. and took a brief break until 9:00. By then, it seemed as though Kuala Lumpur was just beginning to come alive. The streets were noticeably busier in the cooler evening air, with people out enjoying the city.

We walked to the Petronas Towers, and they were absolutely amazing. The towers themselves were stunning, especially when lit up at night. In front of them was a beautiful fountain with a water and light show, which made the whole area feel magical. We spent quite a while just enjoying the views and taking it all in. It was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Kuala Lumpur.

Saturday, July 11

The next day we took a taxi to the Batu Caves. The giant golden Hindu statue was the largest we had ever seen, and there were monkeys everywhere. 

We climbed the more than 300 colorful steps leading up to the caves.

Views inside the cave: 

Back down the stairs and more pictures: 

And one more group picture: 

We ate lunch nearby and then took the taxi back to the hotel. And while waiting for the taxi: 

After this excursion, Ling Ling took us by metro to a shopping center, where we stocked up on what felt like a ton of curry powder!

 To use the metro, we had to purchase these coins from a nearby machine:

This is the exit to the shopping mall:

The day ended with a wonderful reunion at Uncle Onn's home, surrounded by many of aunts and uncles and cousins. Ting-Wai's son, Jonathan, had also just arrived from Switzerland and joined us for the gathering.  In total, we were able to meet six of my mom's brothers and sisters, along with cousins Ling Ling, Sue, and Patricia. It was a wonderful evening filled with stories, laughter, and the chance to learn more about each of the aunts, uncles and cousins.

Group Photo of everyone, with the aunts and uncles in the front seat: 

The next generation: 

Patricia, Ting-Wai, Irina, Sue and Ling Ling

And the youngest generation: 

Jonathan, Janette, Tamara, Timon and Sarah

Delicious food galore:

in front of uncle Onn's large house: 

Uncle Onn told us that there were many more photo albums at another family home where Uncle Foo lives alone. He offered to take us there. The rest of the group was tired, but Janette and I couldn't resist going. That house turned out to be a treasure trove of family history. Among the stacks of memorabilia, we discovered some important genealogy records that Janette was able to identify and many old photographs.

At uncle Foo's home, the former Chin Family home:

Janette with some of our family treasures:

Here's a picture of us at that very house when I was a teenager. When our family visited Malaysia during our childhood, this is where we stayed:

There were about 30 albums in the closet upstairs. It took many pictures to upload to Family Search. It was a great visit, and we didn’t get home till about 11 pm.

Sunday, July 12

The next day, we met Uncle Onn and Shijue outside the church and attended sacrament meeting with them. Oncle Onn joined the church in his twenties, while he studied in England. Interestingly, my mother didn't learn until decades later that both she and her brother had joined the Church independently of one another.

It was a fairly large ward, and it was fun to see the congregation where Uncle Onn and Shijue attend church. We also attended Relief Society. One thing we appreciated was that everything was conducted in English, which makes sense given the many different languages spoken in Malaysia. 

After the meetings, we took a family picture at the church:

We had lunch together at a nearby restaurant:

Afterwards, we visited the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, an impressive mosque located about halfway to the airport. Janette left from there to the airport to fly back to San Francisco. 

Janette and Shijue in front of the mosque:

And all of us: 

To enter the mosque, visitors were required to wear red robes so that everyone was appropriately covered. Even the men had to put on robes if their shorts were above the required length. 

The mosque itself was beautiful, and it was interesting to experience a place of worship so different from what we are accustomed to:

And one more picture of Shijue having a great time with her great nieces Tamara and Sarah. They couldn't stop giggling over the fact that their great aunt is only about 40 years old!! 

We then headed back to the hotel and cooled off in the hotel pool. What a great view from that pool!

For dinner we headed back to the mall – almost everyone went for non Asian food! We found some pretty good Italian food!

We also checked out the night market in walking distance from the hotel. We got some very cheap massages, foot massages and pedicures. All for about $20. 

The night market offered every kind of food we could imagine:

We tried out this interesting waffle ice cream combo and it was heavenly!

Monday July 13

Last day in Malaysia. We ended our time in Malaysia with a fantastic GuruWalk tour of Kuala Lumpur. 

There were many tour options. We chose this one because time wise that worked out best. We were so glad we chose this one!

David, our guide met us at the Chin Ancestral Hall, which was built by members of the Chin family after they immigrated in the late nineteenth century and became successful in Malaysia. During the tour, we learned that Ling Ling's father had studied Mandarin at the ancestral hall. Our family doesn't know for certain whether we are related to this particular Chin family, but both the tour guide and the people at the hall felt there was a good chance that we are connected somehow. At the end of the GuruWalk,  we went back to the ancestral hall. They didn’t find anyone from my ancestors in their membership records, but that doesn’t mean they are not related, only that they didn’t register.

Afterward, we stopped at Merdeka 118, the impressive new skyscraper that was still being completed and would eventually include a hotel.

We then explored Chinatown, which is always fascinating and crowded: 

In China town we visited a beautiful Chinese temple tucked away from the main tourist routes. Most of the visitors there appeared to be locals, which made the experience feel especially authentic. We loved learning about the traditions and the temple's history.

The guide explained that this Chinese temple is unique because it welcomes worshippers of many different faiths. Inside, people can pray to deities from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and other traditions, all in the same place.

The tour ended at Central Market, where we stopped for lunch. Afterward, we returned to the hotel and spent some time shopping at the mall with Ling Ling. Before long, it was time to say goodbye to Malaysia. At 6:00 p.m., we headed to the airport, where we enjoyed one last amazing lounge buffet before boarding our 11:00 p.m. flight to Tokyo.

Malaysia was an incredible experience, but meeting so many of my relatives there made the trip truly unforgettable. It was especially meaningful to visit the place where my mother grew up and to see firsthand the people, culture, and surroundings that shaped her early life.

View from the airplane: 

Tuesday, July 14

Well, our trip was not quite over yet. We arrived in Tokyo at 6:00 a.m. and, with a 10-hour layover ahead of us, had plenty of time to explore the city. We took the train into northern Tokyo:

We visited the Sensō-ji Temple, one of Tokyo's most iconic landmarks. With its impressive five-story pagoda, beautiful temple grounds, and traditional atmosphere, it felt like the quintessential Japanese experience.

Afterward, we wandered through the nearby market streets, did a little shopping, and stopped at a café for pastries. For lunch, we decided to have sushi - of course!

There was an impressive monkey show: 

And lots to shop for: 

All in all, we enjoyed Tokyo very much, it was quite clean and beautiful.

We went back to the airport for our flight to Seattle. There, we had a 3 hour layover – one more airport lounge visit, and then flight to Salt Lake City. We arrived in SLC at 5 pm.

Here's a pretty view of Mount Rainier on our flight from Seattle to Salt Lake City:

What an amazing trip – truly a trip of a life time. 

THE END