Apple's Planet

Rasa Sayang Hey - Malaysia 2008

Rasa Sayaang Hey, rasa saayang saayang hey was a Malaysian song that became so popular that all Malaysians were assigned to teach their foreign coutnerparts to sing the song. "´Rasa sayang” means “to feel love” and “to feel so much love that one gets heavy hearted to Leave.”

I made a short visit to Kuala Lumpur in December, enroute to Australia. My visit was limited to Kuala Lumpur but, there is more to Malaysia than Kuala Lumpur. If I had the opportunity, I would have rather travelled to Sarawak & Sabah, places that are endowed with the world's richest and most diverse ecosystem. Sarawak's ancient rainforest canopies, the world's largest flower - the Rafflesia; squirrels and snakes that can glide through the air, mouse deer the size of kittens, pitcher plants that eat insects and even relish the occasional small mammal. In fact, there are countless species of flora and fauna, yet to be discovered that would have been a photographers paradise.

Historians often speak of Malaysia's ancient past as something "shrouded in mystery," a kind of black hole in Asian history. The truth is that there is not much archeological evidence or written records from ancient Malaysia; but it is likely that this situation will change. Many suspect that there are more prehistoric archeological sites along the coasts and in the jungles and hills, but given Malaysia's riotous vegetation it will take time to find them.

Early writings from India speak of a place called Swarna Dweepa -- the Land of Gold. This mystical, fantastically wealthly kingdom was said to lie in a far away and unknown land, and legend holds that it was on an odyessy in search of Swarna Dweepa that the first Indians were lured to the Malay Peninsula. Blown across the Bay of Bengal by the reliable winds of the southwest monsoon, they arrived in Kedah sometime around 100 BC. Whether or not the civilization they encountered there was the one from the ancient chronicles will probably never be known, but it is certain that the sailors considered the trip lucrative. From that point on, and ever-growing stream of Indian traders arrived in search of gold, aromatic wood, and spices.

Until the 15th century, the Hindu kingdoms of peninsular Malaysia were largely overshadowed by neighboring kingdoms in Cambodia and Indonesia. The strongest of these kingdoms was called Sri Vijaya, and the records of Chinese, Indian, and Arab traders laud it as the best trading port in the region. It was the first great maritime kingdom in the Malay archipelago, and other ports quickly emulated its success. At some time around the 13th century, as other entrepots emerged, Srivijaya's influence declined. The lack of a strong central power, coupled with the ever-present nuisance of pirates, amplified the need for secure, well-equipped port in the region. Fate would make this port the city of Malacca.