Travelfish correspondent Pat Fama

Pat is a freelance writer and journalist based Kuala Lumpur.
Website: http://we-write-stuff.com

Posts by Pat Fama:

• Easing down a gear: Welcome to Pulau Ketam

  First published: 22 Sep 2011
  

  Kuala Lumpur may be one of the more laid back large cities in Asia, but it’s still a long way from being a stress-free place. When the noise and the sheer crush of people get too much, the obvious option is to head to the countryside. But even there, Malaysia’s love affair with motor vehicles … read the full post

• The best free stuff in Kuala Lumpur

  First published: 22 Sep 2011
  

  In world terms, Kuala Lumpur is a relatively affordable place to visit, but compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, with the notable exception of Singapore, it’s expensive. Accommodation is the biggest single outlay, with the cheapest decent rooms costing upwards of 80 ringgit a night. But many tourist attractions too are seriously overpriced, particularly … read the full post

• How to celebrate Arthur’s Day in Kuala Lumpur

  First published: 15 Sep 2011
  

  When Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on his iconic brewery in Dublin in 1759, he could not be accused of short-term thinking. But I’m sure even he would be surprised by the worldwide popularity of the beer that bears his name, more than 250 years on. An estimated 10 million glasses of Guinness … read the full post

• How serious is the haze in Kuala Lumpur?

  First published: 13 Sep 2011
  

  1997 was not a vintage year for Malaysia. Not only was the country battered by the Asian financial crisis, it also had to deal with an air pollution disaster. At its height, the 1997 smog covered about 3,000 square kilometres of Southeast Asia. Malaysia was particularly badly affected, with Sarawak recording some of the highest … read the full post

• The Orang Asli (First People) of West Malaysia

  First published: 08 Sep 2011
  

  Ask visitors who the indigenous people of Malaysia are, and I suspect the answer from the overwhelming majority would be “Malay”, which is not surprising given the sustained efforts of Malay nationalists to perpetuate this misconception. Malays have indeed lived in what is now West Malaysia for several hundred years. But when they first arrived, … read the full post

• MyDance Festival 2011 and other dance in Kuala Lumpur

  First published: 06 Sep 2011
  

  I have to confess that while I have always been a fan of dance as a participatory sport, the idea of watching a live dance performance fills me with absolute horror. Others may see poetry in motion. I, however, would much rather watch paint dry. Still, it takes all sorts, and I am more than … read the full post

• An introduction to Fraser’s Hill

  First published: 31 Aug 2011
  

  One of the quirkiest, and to my mind charming, legacies of the British Empire are the hill stations dotted round South and Southeast Asia. Chosen for their cool climates, and endowed with an architecture redolent of “home”, they provided a welcome respite from the realities of living in the tropics. Once independence came to the … read the full post

• The Mid-Autumn Festival in Kuala Lumpur

  First published: 26 Aug 2011
  

  Up until a few decades ago, Kuala Lumpur had a Chinese majority, and it was only very recently that Malays became the city’s largest single community. Even today, most of central KL feels much more Chinese than it does Malay, which probably comes as a big surprise for any visitor expecting a conservative city dominated … read the full post

• Starhill Gallery Arts Festival

  First published: 23 Aug 2011
  

  Shopping is not just a popular pastime in Kuala Lumpur, for many people it has reached the status of a religion. Shiny new malls open with alarming regularity, providing yet another place to worship the god of consumerism. And despite offering virtually nothing original, they seem full of happy customers, even before the paint is … read the full post

• Kuala Lumpur’s two Little Indias

  First published: 18 Aug 2011
  

  While Chinatowns are all round the world, Little Indias are rather rarer. Except in Kuala Lumpur that is, which as of last year, has not one but two of them. Or not, depending on whether the area in central KL, which has been known as Little India for decades, has been officially stripped of its title. … read the full post