Malaysian Road Trip! Episode 2: My First Mosque Visit

Episode 2 of my Malaysian road trip with Shum: I visit my first mosque, explore more murals in Ipoh, enjoy some incredible Malaysian seafood, and end the day at a beautiful park in Taiping.

Masjid Panglima Kinta. I’ve seen so many amazing mosques across Malaysia. I chose this one for my first visit in person because it’s smaller and, honestly, a little less intimidating. Our guide asked not to be filmed, and we honored that. He did a great job explaining the basics of Islam as well as the history of this particular mosque. I truly appreciate how difficult it is to share your faith without offending people, and he helped me feel much more comfortable visiting other mosques in the future.

Some of what I learned:

• It took 11 years to build, mostly because the materials were hard to get. The white “cement” is a mix of cement, eggshells and cockle shells: eggshells for water resistance, shells as pure calcium that binds like glue. Our guide said it’s about 20 times stronger than regular concrete.
• The woodwork is ironwood, so hard termites can’t eat it, and it was all handmade by a Penang carpenter using a no-nail joinery technique, fitting together like Lego.
• Worshippers stand shoulder to shoulder as a sign of unity.
• Before speakers, the call to prayer was made from the top of the minaret.

If it’s your first mosque visit: you can look up the rules for covering up ahead of time, but we didn’t need to; they let us borrow what we needed. I was worried about being respectful and had no issues at all. Our guide made us feel very welcome, and I wouldn’t hesitate to visit more mosques.

Ipoh murals. Right across the street and within walking distance are more murals. I can’t think of a city in Malaysia I’ve visited that didn’t have street art. It gives you a real local feel.

Seafood by the river. On the way to Taiping, we stopped at Rasa Sayang Seafood along the river, with open seating where you can watch the boats come and go. We had a seafood hot pot and coconuts to drink, and the prawns were outstanding. But sometimes it’s the simple things: my favorite was the fern with sambal.

It’s been over a year, so I don’t remember the exact bill. Google puts it around RM 20 to 40 per person, and I’d guess we were at the higher end, since Shum and I kind of did it up most of that trip.

Taiping Lake Gardens. By the time we checked in, it was getting to dusk, but we got a quick walk in at the park, and I’m glad we did. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular with locals for a walk or a bike ride.

Continue the trip in Antong Coffee in Taiping.