Robert and Hootoksi Tyabji, Kuala Lumpur, 2003, updated May 2020

For two years before I retired from UNICEF in 2003, we considered several countries for the perfect spot. As British citizens, the UK was a possibility but  the climate was wrong for us tropical types. India would have been an easy transition but I knew I wasn't prepared for India's chaotic way of life and notorious red tape. Meanwhile, Hootoksi’s parents proposed Malaysia. We had visited them frequently over the years as they had made Kuala Lumpur their permanent residence since the ‘60’s and enjoyed a contented, peaceful lifestyle there. The parents had creeping health issues and as there was no one to take care of them in their old age, we chose to come. This was a great relief for Hootoksi's siblings in the US, and Robert's sister in Australia. We were eligible for a long term visa under the "Malaysia Silver Hair" retirement programme (later renamed "Malaysia My Second Home") so we would be near our families in Malaysia and Australia.

Malaysia is a wonderful country, modern, progressive, multicultural, democratic and liberal. The travel promo "Malaysia Truly Asia" is quite accurate in that respect (it was known in the PR industry to be one of the most successful image building campaigns in recent times). The country's infrastructure is excellent, the shopping spoils one with its vast variety and choice of goods, and the food is legendary. All at affordable prices! It offers a peaceful residential experience, a fertile investment climate, diverse culture, harmony, safety, and with many natural and man-made wonders. Bahasa Malaysia, a version of traditional Malay, is the official language, but English is widely spoken, as are Tamil and various Chinese dialects. It is a major tourist destination, receiving more than 25 million visitors annually, nearly equal its own population! And best of all, my UN pension is not taxed under Malaysia's territorial tax regime. 

Settling in

We had planned to drive to Kuala Lumpur through Nepal, India's northeastern region, Myanmar and Thailand. However, in spite of the Myanmar ambassador's best efforts, the Myanmar government was unable to assure us safe transit so we had to abandon that adventure and settle instead for a dull commercial flight. We moved into Hootoksi's parent's spacious apartment until we found our own accommodation. They lived in one of Kuala Lumpur's first 'highrise' (just 5 storeys!) buildings in the heart of the modern city centre, with half an acre of garden, less than a minute's walk from the iconic Petronas twin towers. Now, 17 years on, that building has given way to a 40-storey behemoth, surrounded by even taller buildings.

We bought a small car and started driving around the country in search of our ideal location. We had moved into a large apartment in RoNosh, my father-in-law's 9-unit low-rise condominium in Ampang, the city's diplomatic area, and were in no particular hurry to move. However, we saw many options on our wanderings around the country. Our favoured choices were in Port Dixon and Tanah Rimba, a forested area in the mountains just north of KL, but in the end we dropped them as being too far from Hootoksi's parents. One Sunday, Hootoksi found a newspaper ad for a house in Shah Alam that seemed perfect. Shah Alam is the capital city of Selangor, the country's wealthiest state. The 3-storey house in question is just 25 km from the folks' address and is very well connected with KL via a choice of expressways. Best of all, it met all our requirements: ample land around it, a secure, quiet, hilly and leafy neighbourhood, enough space to suit our lifestyle and to comfortably accommodate visitors, and strong feng shui.  

Experiencing the Magic of Malaysia 

Hootoksi Tyabji, Kuala Lumpur, July 2004 

Soon after we arrived in KL, we bought a little grey car, a Proton Satriya, a guide book and Malay phrase book, packed our stuff and took off to explore Malaysia. The roads and highways everywhere are top notch. We drove to Penang, Ipoh, Melaka, Port Dixon, Langkawi, and Mersing. We took the ferry to Tioman Islands where we stayed on Salang Beach. We had a wonderful relaxed time, swimming, snorkeling, eating and drinking in the exotic beauty of our surroundings! Back in our trusty little car and on to Terengganu and Kuala Besut from where we took the boat to the Perhentian Islands.

Once again, we were delighted by the beauty of the place. The coral reefs were full of the most amazing fish of every shape, size and color and we were most fortunate to see and swim with a giant sea turtle!

We eventually managed to drag ourselves away from this little paradise and head onwards to Kota Baru and Fraser’s Hill, both of which we thoroughly enjoyed. The leeches that grabbed us in the jungles of Fraser’s Hill were 'fond' reminders of our treks when we were living in Bhutan and Nepal. We also drove to Cameron Highlands and Taman Negara and then headed back to KL, happy to have decided to make Malaysia our home.

In the midst of house hunting we read about the International Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak and so flew there to experience what promised to be a fabulous event. And it truly was! In fact, we had such a good time there last year, that we went back this year too, taking in the caves at Niah National Park along the way.

The music festival takes place in the second week of July at the Cultural Village in Damai, near Kuching. We stayed at the Holiday Inn from where the venue is an easy stroll. We have been to many festivals around the world and would rate this as among one of the most enjoyable. The backdrop to the stage is the rainforest itself and when the sun is setting or the moon is bright, the effect is difficult to put into words, you really need to be there to feel it!

There were bands from all over the world and the quality of music and sound was exceptional. The event was well organized and managed and though there were thousands of people, we never felt overwhelmed or crushed. We bought tickets for all three days and during the afternoons attended some of the workshops. These were both informative and entertaining. The language of music is universal and when it is shared and enjoyed by so many at a festival there is a feeling of togetherness and universal love, of joy, wonder and abandon.

Thank you, Malaysia for giving us the opportunity to share the magic of your land and make it our Home.

Why did we choose Shah Alam?

Before 1963, Shah Alam was known as Sungai Renggam and was a palm oil plantation situated between Petaling Jaya and Klang, connected via the only highway at that time, the Federal Highway.

Malaysia developed very rapidly after independence in 1957. Shah Alam was opened in 1963 with the purpose of making it the administrative center of Selangor once Kuala Lumpur was made a Federal District in February 1974. With the consent of the 8'th Sultan of Selangor, in December 1978, Shah Alam was proclaimed the capital of Selangor with an area of 41.68 square km. The city has since expanded to 293 square km. Because of its rapid growth and importance, Shah Alam was declared a city in October 2000. The current population is 481,000 (2020).

When we came to Malaysia, we had a vision of the kind of place we wanted to live in. That place was surrounded by trees, quiet, clean, well maintained, in a nice neighborhood, not far from supermarkets and shopping, yet within an hour's drive from Hootoksi's parents in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. While there are quite a few areas in KL which met most of our criteria, most of them were beyond our budget.

Then, thanks to our good friends KT (Bobby) and Sheila Joseph, we discovered Shah Alam. And on a Sunday afternoon, Hootoksi saw an ad in the newspaper for a house in Shah Alam. One thing led to another, and soon we were negotiating to buy it.

Shah Alam has everything we were looking for - millions of mature trees, at least two lake parks, plenty of quiet, low rise housing, at least one good wet market, all the major supermarkets and malls - Giant, Tesco, Aeon, Jaya Grocer, Big - close by, night markets, morning markets, you name it, all within a few minutes' drive. And, best of all, the traffic is light in comparison to other cities thanks to our wide avenues and large leafy roundabouts. There are three major hospitals just 15 minutes away, three big hotels and dozens of smaller ones. We have quick and easy access to four major expressways and can be in KL in 30 minutes, or at the Singapore or Thailand border with no more than three stop lights to slow us down. There are no movie theaters or pubs here, but the buzzing cities of Subang Jaya and Klang are right next door!

So Shah Alam was a no-brainer for us!

The house is one of about 60 bungalows arranged in concentric circles around a hill called Bukit Kayangan (Fairyland Hill), with the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor at the peak. There are wide, wooded grassy slopes and walking tracks, hundreds of mature trees and even a helipad which is available to the community for its functions . There is an imposing gate at the main entrance to the hill, and another (ungated) entrance on the opposite side. There is no retail activity within the section, only landed residences. The house we chose is No. 10 on Jalan Istana (Palace Road) and is right off the street from the palace gate.

The house was owned by a pastor and had been used by his wife as a school until she moved to larger premises in another part of town. The interior of the house needed repair but the structure and electricals were in excellent shape. Once the price was agreed the pastor permitted us to start renovating while the paperwork and government permissions were underway. We received the ownership documents four months later and took possession right before Christmas of 2005. 

Just in time to start receiving a continuous stream of house guests! 

Our Home

Birth of a Waterfall

The land around the north and east sides of our house slopes steeply upward for about 20 feet to the boundary fence and public garden, road and palace beyond. This grassy slope has been very challenging in terms of what and how to plant on it, but at the same time the dream of a rocky stream and waterfall has tantalized us every time we gazed at the slope from our bedroom or a balcony.

Outside its forests and plantations, Malaysia is a land of landscaped gardens, fish ponds and water features of all kinds. After checking out a few landscape companies we found one that specializes in recreating natural looking streams, waterfalls and ponds, just what we’d been looking for! So in November 2005, we decided to take the plunge and build the water feature of our dreams.

The landscapers, Batu Keras Enterprise, undertook to build a recirculating stream, waterfall and pond, as well as a bird bath, and also to plant out the slopes, in an estimated time frame of 2-3 weeks. It took them longer than that, but a year later, we think the result has been well worth it!

 Our glorious pond...looks lovely, sounds soothing.