After over twenty-four hours in the air, we finally landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city.
Our first excursion was visiting Chinatown, which is also known as Petaling Street.
This section of the city is adorned with colorful murals which depict historical and cultural images.
This artwork is not confined to the stone walls and often features physical components.
For example, a painting of children playing with marbles had several fixed in the concrete beside it.
Navigating the bustling market, where peddlers sell “luxury” goods such as watches, handbags, and shoes.
It is customary to haggle with traders, as they inflate the price for tourists.
As a business student, this provided an intimate experience of buying and selling, since most
American merchants fix their prices.
One of the skills we were taught was to always “low-ball” the traders - counter offering less than half the asking price.
In my experience, many would appear briefly insulted before giving you a deal closer to your requested purchase price.
Another skill was remaining prudent during negotiations.
Traders exert a lot of effort in convincing you to purchase something.
Several would bag up an unpaid item and hand it to me, perhaps hoping I would feel obligated to pay.
As the buyer, however, you have full control over a buying decision and can walk away at any time.
Following the market we visited several nearby temples and religious sites.
The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu place of worship in Malaysia and features an impressive and colorful
gopuram, or entrance. We also toured the Jamek Mosque, which sits at the intersection of two rivers in
Kuala Lumpur’s city center.
To conclude, we learned about Malaysian independence in 1957 at Merdeka Square, where the first
Malaysian flag was raised after the colonial period.
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