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Colorfully adorned and costumed bharata natya dancers perform at a temple in Malaysia.
Photograph by Sanjay Kumar Kawauchi, My Shot
In the beginning it was about spices. • Europeans—the Portuguese, Dutch, British—ended Egypt's domination of the Eastern trade, and Malaya, as it was known, would never be the same. • Many stunning reminders remain of its rich cultural past, but this verdant country spread across the end of the Malay Peninsula and the northern third of Borneo has other enticements. • Beaches, from powdery white to midnight black, beckon snorkelers. • Kuala Lumpur somehow marshals all of Malaysia's attractions into one place—the evocative British colonial buildings, the midnight market lamps, the easy grace of its friendly, welcoming inhabitants.
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