The garden of lights

Selamat Datang Malaysia That is, welcome to Malaysia, the land of a thousand charms, the land of unspoilt natural emotions and sensations. Malaysia, with its contradictory yet fascinating scenery. Tea plantations and rubber trees with colonial-style houses next to ultramodern cities, discovering that the past links with the present to give life to a singular fusion of customs and cultures; the harmony of ethnic groups and religions inhabits this fantastic country, and the call of Malaysia leaves no one indifferent. Arriving at KLIA airport I already see one of the most important masterpieces of futuristic engineering in the world; its beauty, its size and the logistics for getting around leave me open-mouthed. I believe that among the many airports I've seen in different parts of the world, here nothing is imperfect.

On the road to Kuala Lumpur I stop in the new 21st-century city, PUTRAJAYA, with some of the most modern and distinctive infrastructure; among the green and colourful gardens stands out the lake with its metal bridges, each different from the other, modern yet with an ethnic echo, linking with the PERDANA PUTRA BUILDING, the Prime Minister's office, and with the PUTRA MOSQUE, coloured pink. Every street is characterised by its own street lamps, different for each one. We set off again and, arriving on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, I already see its famous towers soaring. KUALA LUMPUR, a city that offers a mix of old and modern buildings, blending into a particularly harmonious environment. KL, as its inhabitants call it, is the capital that astonishes with its order, the efficiency of its public transport and its large number of parks and gardens.

The city is famous for its important skyscrapers, superbly lit at night, which have been nicknamed "the garden of lights". The PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS tower over the city; I'm literally dazzled by their majesty and beauty, so imposing with their 452 m, a metal-and-glass structure with a modern architecture that echoes the ancient. The silhouette of this mega monument, post-baroque in style, part gopuram of a Hindu temple, part minaret of a Muslim mosque, sums up the spirit of this new Malaysia, a multi-ethnic nation; the structure, studied in every detail, gives life to the past, the present and the future. I also visit the interior of these majestic towers and I'm literally speechless: a coming and going of people, an endless number of shops, and then you look up.... I never stop being amazed.

I take the lift, I barely manage a breath and I've gone from the ground floor to the top floor of the towers; they're fantastic. At night they're even more enchanting and fascinating, with their aura of light all around creating a surreal, breath-taking atmosphere. The next day I visit the city with its various Chinese temples, the great mosque, the railway station and the beautiful botanical garden, then I head to the outskirts to BATU CAVES, the most important Hindu temple, where the tallest Hindu statue in the world stands. It's created inside a cave reached by climbing a staircase of 272 steps; it really is worth the effort — a very evocative temple that creates around you an indescribable sense of tranquillity and serenity. From here I set off for the mountainous area of great scenic interest at CAMERON HIGHLANDS, where we find the largest tea plantations in Malaysia.

Besides the brilliant green of the tea plants, the hills are coloured by other crops such as strawberries, cabbages, tomatoes, carrots, green pepper and, of course, flowers. The typical fruit, vegetable and flower markets colour the streets of the little towns, breathing in the scents of spices and incense, creating the serene atmosphere of times past under colonial rule. The houses in period style are still built today to keep intact the charm between nature and time. In the late afternoon the mist creates a fairytale landscape; it doesn't even feel like being in Malaysia. Having come down from the hills I go to the city of KUALA KANGSAR, where one of the most beautiful mosques in the world stands, the UBUDIAH, along with the ROYAL PALACE of the Sultan of Perak.

The domes of the mosque are golden, and with the reflected sunlight and the setting of tall palms it looks like a mirage in the city. What can I say, every corner of this country changes constantly, leaving me ever more amazed at how nature, history, different cultures and modernity blend together. Later I move further north, almost on the border with Thailand, to the island of PENANG or GEORGETOWN, with its long stretches of golden sand and old colonial buildings along the coast. Inside the island I find mixtures of various cultures and ethnic groups; a few metres from one another I find Chinese, Thai and Burmese temples, a blaze of colours and gold that dazzle you with their grandeur and diversity. The next day I move to the southern part of Malaysia, precisely to MALACCA. All of Malaysia is enchanting, but perhaps Malacca is the area that struck me most after Kuala Lumpur.

We're in the period of Chinese New Year celebrations, and in this city there's the largest concentration of Chinese population in all of Malaysia, so everything is decorated for the occasion. The city of Malacca is situated on the banks of the river of the same name; a centre of the spice trade, it's steeped in a rich tapestry of ways of life and the cuisines blend in the streets, leaving particular aromas. The streets, the houses, the bridges, the whole city is decorated with thousands of little red lanterns, musicians on every corner play auspicious music for the new year, performers act in the street; all this creates a very special atmosphere. With the Chinese New Year festivities I bid farewell to this city and return to Kuala Lumpur.

I allow myself a little more time to visit this wonderful city, to shop and then to say goodbye to the marvellous towers, which once again leave me open-mouthed. I say goodbye to this country that surprised me; I didn't think I'd find so much diversity in a single place. Every city is different from the next; it feels like visiting different countries and cultures, but in the end there's always something linking it all to the motherland: Malaysia. MALAYSIA, a truly WONDERFUL place. Hotels out of A Thousand and One Nights; even the simplest is very beautiful and luxurious. CROWNE PLAZA in Kuala Lumpur with a view of the Petronas. STRAWBERRY at Cameron Highlands, colonial style. HOLIDAY INN in Penang, right on a golden beach. RENAISSANCE MELAKA in Malacca. Breakfast and dinner are international buffets, very varied and to every taste.

Lunches all eaten in typical restaurants: the cuisine is very spicy and hot, you find soy in any dish and even in drinks, the meat is good but, being cut very small, you can't tell what animal it is, and the fish is excellent, whatever the variety. Public transport is excellent, whichever you decide to take. You can move around safely both by day and by night, even in the big city of Kuala Lumpur; if you go to the poor part at night, where the shacks are, it's better to be accompanied by guides, but there's really nothing to see. Only by day is it nice to go and watch their daily life and the multi-coloured market. Local handicrafts are varied, very beautiful and colourful; with a few euros you buy loads of stuff. The evening venues are very nice, welcoming and quiet. The night markets are calm, you find everything, even things you'd never imagine; the technology is very advanced