Love is Everywhere

By Sandra Scott

Malaysia is an interesting country with many ethnic groups creating a multicultural society. John and I spent a wonderfully relaxing week at the Park Royal in Penang, which is one of the Malaysian states. It is an island on the northwest coast of the Malay Peninsula and a popular international tourist destination. There are many resorts and the island is very well developed with high rise building, many of which offer vacationers the opportunity to “make Malaysia your second home.”

On a day tour of Penang we saw Buddhists temples, an Islamic Mosque, a Chinese fishing village and British colonial buildings. Malaysian society includes the culture of the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and Europeans, along with the cultures of the indigenous groups from Borneo in West Malaysia. This rich mixture makes visiting Malaysia fascinating.

I am often impressed with how holiday traditions have become so international. The Park Royal Hotel is beautiful and reflects some of the area’s diversity with guests. At breakfast the hotel presents an amazing array of choices designed to please the tastes of guests from many countries and cultures. Penang is a favorite honeymoon destination for newlyweds from Saudi Arabia so it is possible to see a European in a bikini swimming next to a girl in a bathing suit that covers everything but her face, hands and feet. We saw young women completely covered in black, including their face, parasailing, walking on the beach and enjoying themselves along with everyone else.

So, I should not have been surprised when we went to breakfast one morning and saw the staff decorating for Valentine’s Day. I thought, erroneously, that Valentine’s Day was a Western holiday. It turns out, though, that the Chinese have a similar day that works nicely into their Chinese New Year, which often occurs around Valentine’s Day. The 15 days of celebration for Chinese New Year ends with Chap Goh Meh, or a Chinese version of Valentine’s Day. On this night, according to tradition, young maidens throw oranges into the sea in the hope of finding a good husband. It seems that chocolate and hearts are replacing oranges. Love and romance span all cultures, so a holiday like Valentine’s Day becomes universal.

Near the Park Royal we visited the Chocolate Boutique where the displays of Valentine chocolates were extensive. In fact some of the chocolates resembled those ubiquitous candy hearts with cute saying and designs. In fact, Chocolate hearts and chocolate roses were the most popular presentation.

Back at the hotel we stopped in the bar for a cocktail before dinner. We were not surprised to find they had their Valentine’s Day cocktail was called Love Bite. The cocktail contained a smooth mix of gin, Cream de Bananas, orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and a dash of grenadine. It had a lot of love but not much bite! Noor, the mixologist, explained that the cocktail can be made with or without alcohol to meet the desires of the guests.

Even though some people are against the celebration of Valentine’s Day because it is not part of their culture and others do not like the commercialization of the celebration, it looks like Valentine’s Day and love are here to stay.

Visit www.parkroyalhotels.com and www.visitpenang.gov.my.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Creators Syndicate
and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos by J. J. Scott.

©CocktailAtlas.com

Contact Us: Editor Webmaster