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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Malaysia

58 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Malaysia

Updated July 1, 2024

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Museums 9
Architecture 8
Temples 7
Sacred Spaces 6
Colonialism 6
History & Culture 5
Ecosystems 4
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Stories About Malaysia

To get acquainted with Penang’s rich food culture, start with finding as many colorful iterations of kuih as possible, then dive deeper into the island’s history to understand how its vibrant food scene came to be.

A Gastro Obscura Guide to Penang

The tropical trading hub is home to delicious diasporas, fantastic fruit, and sumptuous snacking.
by Samantha Chong
A Ronald McDonald statue from a McDonald’s store in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Inside the Malaysian Museum Devoted to McDonald's Toys

Lee Choon Chiek has spent four decades collecting 70,000 toys, Happy Meal boxes, Grimace costumes, and more.
by Joni Chng
An overlooked character on the Victoria ship possibly got to his homeland before the Europeans arrived in theirs.

Did an Enslaved Man Beat Magellan to Circling the World?

The unsung hero may have also been instrumental in defeating the colonizers.
by Kate McMahon
Kebaya is the first restaurant in New York to focus on Peranakan food.

A Secretive Food Culture Enters the Spotlight

Peranakan cuisine is a feast of complexity.
by Samantha Chong
Metal guitarist and paper effigy artisan Koh Eng Keat sits on his motorcycle in front of a seven-foot-tall paper mansion. Keat runs 358 Custom Effigies Workshop with his father Koh Ah Bah where building elaborate papier-mâché effigies like this are just part of a normal workday.

Meet the Punk Rocker Building Life-Sized Paper Effigies for Malaysia’s Ghosts

The doom metal guitarist builds papier-mâché BMWs, iPhones, and mansions—then it all goes up in smoke.
by Marco Ferrarese
A man makes a traditional dragon heads for the Lunar New Year celebration in Bogor, Indonesia.

5 Colorful Stories About the Pageantry of the Lunar New Year

Go behind the scenes of celebration, from molten metal to sticky cakes.
by April White
A detail of a plant with blue berries, from Marianne North’s 1876 painting Curious Plants from the Forest of Matang, Sarawak, Borneo.

A Botanical Mystery Solved, After 146 Years

How a young illustrator’s attention to detail—and a determined Victorian woman's legacy—led to the discovery of a new species in an old painting.
by Gemma Tarlach
The endangered langurs need a hand—and, in Teluk Bahang, a bridge made from fire hoses.

In Malaysia, Recycled Fire Hoses Help Make Way for Endangered Langurs

These crossings keep them—and many other species—safe from roadway dangers.
by Kristen Pope

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