Malaysian Road Traffic Signs

Road traffic signs in Malaysia generally follow the international standards used in Europe, but there are a few which have been tailored for local conditions. This one is my favourite:

It informs users of this busy urban dual carriageway that bullock carts, trishaws, pedal-powered food carts and bicycles are not permitted.

The chances of seeing a bullock cart these days are rare. I recall seeing some in Malacca about 25 years ago. They were used to ferry tourists around the padang. They’ve gone now. This may be the only bullock cart left in Malacca:

Trishaws have all but disappeared too as a means of transport. There are a few in the main tourist area of Melaka for selfie purposes. This working trishaw was spotted in Penang a few years back:

 Food carts are still around but they too are under threat as urban councils tighten up on hygiene laws and parking spaces. I snapped this photo in Muar some time ago (probably would cost a lot more than RM 3 today):

It’s a shame to see these icons of traditional culture disappearing from modern Malaysia, to be replaced by sanitised shopping malls, food trucks and Uber cars. All that’s left is the road sign as a reminder of what has been lost.

Muar

GRAND TOUR – DAY 1

Muar is a colourful town – literally. The old shophouse lined streets in the town’s commercial have been colour coded, so that there is a pink painted street, a blue street, a yellow street and so on.

This block on the corner has been painted to blend in with the colour schemes of two streets.

The area around Jalan Ali is known as Hunger Street due to the large number of eating establishments.

This enterprising vendor has everything he needs mounted on his trishaw to run a tasty business. Looks very clean and hygienic considering he has no running water.

Even the departed are well catered for. This bottle of look-alike brandy is made from paper and is intended to be burnt as an offering for deceased relatives :

As are these paper trainers:

Being located on the coast at the mouth of a large river (Muar River) there is plenty of seafood around and many of the shops are selling  ikan bilis like this pungent pile drying on the pavement:

Besides the shophouses, Muar possesses an attractive bunch of colonial era buildings such as this courthouse built in the 1920s:

Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim on Jalan Petri was built in 1927 on the banks of the Muar River. Despite being a mosque, there are British influences in its design including the unusual 4 storey minaret tower.

The people of Muar liked the design so much that they built a mirror image copy of it on the opposite bank of the river.