Must buy before your bye-bye to Malaysia

On my recent visit to Malaysia, I was interested in bringing home souvenirs to keep my memories of the holiday fresh. However, buying souvenirs there was no mean task. Believe me, from authentic antiques to modern handcrafted items, the choices were delightfully plenty.

First on my list of must-buys was batik, the fabric Malaysia is best known for around the world. This textile art hailing from the east coast of Malaysia is popular among the locals as designs on sarongs. Bright and colourful in appearance, Malaysian batik is now available as table mats and scarves too.

I was also informed that the popularity of it has risen so much that international designers fashion their apparels with it. The motifs generally depicted in this textile art are based on natural elements such as leaves, vines and flowers, while geometric patterns are also common.

However, human depiction was conspicuous by its absence, raising my curiosity. I was told that since most of the artisans were Muslims, they deliberately avoided the depiction of human form as it was against the tenets of their religion. I greedily grabbed a few batik items as the skill of the artisans in creating those exquisite artworks was  hard to ignore.

On seeing the personal interest I took in the handicrafts, a batik dealer suggested that I tour a few villages like Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu, to watch how batik is made. This would be my list of places to visit on my next trip to Malaysia.

Next on my list were items made of beads. Yes, beads. They aren’t anything like the ones we get elsewhere. They come in beautiful, rare colours and are distinct. Necklaces, earrings, bangles, belts, hairbands and bracelets — Malaysian beaded accessories are a pleasure to see and buy, because they are inexpensive. I soon realised I could never have enough of them and forcefully left the place, but not before stuffing my handbag with a few varieties.

A stroll around Kuala Lumpur’s markets introduced me to the most popular items of Malaysian pottery, including the ones from the regions of Sarawak and Perak. While Sarawak is famous for its pottery that employs traditional designs and natural colours only, Perak is known for its distinctly shaped clay pots called labu sayong, used to store water.

Too bad I had to settle for just photographs of the delicate pottery due to transportation risks. Malaysian wood-carved handicrafts and mats also make for excellent souvenirs.