-It's said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out."

Today we're steppin' out in Malaysia and exploring its diverse natural... [ Indistinct speaking ] ...artistic, and cultural riches.

Ooh.

-Ahh.

-Look at that.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

[ Man singing in native language ] -While today Kuala Lumpur is a dynamic modern city, in pockets, I can still find warungs, local eateries, remnants of an older, slower, gentler-paced life.

-Hello.

Good morning, sir.

-Selamat pagi.

-Selamat pagi.

-What are you making?

-Nasi lemak.

-This is glutinous rice with coconut milk and beef sauce that they put inside.

-And then we wrap it up.

-Yeah.

-And put this side over here.

-And bend it like this.

-And then bend it this way.

-Yeah, yeah.

Bend it.

-Mmm!

-Very nice.

-Very nice.

Digging in, so to speak, is really a good attribute of being in Malaysia.

It really gets you in touch with your food, literally.

Always use your right hand and just enjoy.

That's what it's all about.

It's about really enjoying your food.

Now we're gonna try some of the tempura dishes they have here.

This is bakwan, which is fried vegetables.

And this is tempeh.

What is in here?

-Chili sauce with garlic.

♪♪ -As you can see, there are many different things that you can have as a Malaysian breakfast.

And if you get out early, you really feel like you're in another world.

And that's why we travel, right?

Here we are in the skybridge between the two Petronas Twin Towers.

You know, when I was here 20 years ago, this was the tallest building in the world.

What place does it hold in the hearts and minds of Malaysian people now?

-It's very dear to us.

You know, it was a symbol for us back in 1999.

It showed the world that we have arrived as an economic power within this region.

And still today, we look up to the Twin Towers and we are inspired to continue that growth.

-I love the fact that here in the center of this city, you can get a combination of the old way people used to live and the new modern growth.

-That's the beauty of Kuala Lumpur -- the contrast.

♪♪ [ Engine starts ] ♪♪ We're at the ICC Pudu.

-So, we're featuring Chinese food and culture here.

What percentage of the population is Malay and what percentage is it Chinese, what percentage is Indian here?

-The Malay make up about 70% of the population.

And then we have the Chinese at about 20%, 23%.

And then the Indians make up about 8%.

These vendors -- they've been around for many, many years.

This is a very good example.

This is called the Ah Weng Koh.

They specialize in a very special coffee.

-It is a cross between teh tarik and cup of coffee.

-Yes.

-This is wonderful.

I love these markets 'cause you really get to have a sense of the community.

-And they come to the markets in the morning to meet their friends, have a cup of coffee.

-How did you get interested in all this?

-I grew up in many parts of Malaysia because my dad was in the army, and I fell in love with the diversity of Malaysia.

As compared to what some people call a melting pot of cultures, to me, I think Malaysia is more of a tapestry of cultures, and the beauty is when these cultures overlap, what I call the seams of the tapestry.

And that's, again, only found in this beautiful country.

-Mmm.

Roses, gardenias, all sorts of flowers are being used here to create the garlands, to decorate the gods in temples here in the Brickfields neighborhood, where the Indian population has a place where they get to celebrate their Indian culture.

Along the street here, there are shops where the Indian community will come for ingredients for their different foods -- spices, particularly -- to make them feel at home here in Kuala Lumpur.

The culture comes through the foods, and there are restaurants along the streets here where you can get a taste of India.

We've got a great combination of something very traditional called a dosa, or dosae.

-Yeah.

-And this is sort of a twist to a very traditional roti canai, but they do it differently here.

-So, this is an Indian version of a Malay dish.

-Exactly.

[ Chuckles ] You're a pro.

[ Laughs ] -Very good.

-Yes.

-Okay.

And how do you eat this?

-Like this, and put a little bit of curry on top.

More?

-Little bit more, a little more.

-[ Laughing ] Okay.

You like your curry.

-Is this gonna be spicy?

-A little bit, a little bit.

-That is very good.

-This is definitely my favorite.

-You eat very well in Malaysia.

-Yes.

Hence, this.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -The more than 1,900 high rises in Kuala Lumpur consist of residences and a full range of accommodations, from modest to super luxury, like the Imperial Lexis Hotel, where it's easy to get your day off to a spectacular start.

♪♪ There's over 1,200 miles of train track running throughout the 13 states of Malaysia.

We're on the train going into the state of Perak and the town of Ipoh, which was where the first track was laid back in 1885 by the British colonialists.

I always think there's a little touch of elegance still when you're taking the train.

-Selamat pagi.

-Selamat pagi.

-So, welcome to Ipoh.

-This is all part of the English era.

-Yeah.

-When did the English come to Malaysia?

-They started in 1511.

-This is part of the Heritage Trail.

-Yes.

-It's a memorial to J.W.

Birch, who was in the first part of the residency program that the British put in in order to administer loyalty, justice, patience... -Patience.

-...and fortitude.

-Fortitude.

-And he was here from 1874.

-Yes.

-And he was no longer here after 1875.

And that's why there's a memorial -- because he was murdered... -Yes.

-...because he was a little bit out of touch with the local... -Yeah.

-...culture.

I think it's also -- A very important part of this memorial are the figures that surround the bottom, which depict the passage of civilization in the world.

And there's one figure that's missing, and that was the figure of Muhammad.

And of course Malaysians removed that image because in the Islamic faith... -Yes.

-...you can't depict the image of Muhammad.

I think it's great that something as could be easily overlooked makes such a message about what it took to create the country of Malaysia.

Ipoh's Heritage Trail leads me to the historic Ho Yan Hor tea shop.

-You can see over there -- this is original recipe.

The original recipe, only 20 herbs, but now we have 30 herbs.

All of these herbs was imported from China.

This also mean "people," and then this mean "able."

-Everyone can drink, meaning he was making something that everyone... -Everyone can drink.

-...could drink and it would be good for them.

-This night tea is a relaxing tea.

This one we made from mulberry leaves.

The mulberry leaves also good for your eyes.

-I'm feeling calmer already.

-Yes.

-Alright, so, let me -- Let's try -- What's the next one?

It says "original."

So, this was the original recipe that we were looking in there?

Oh, I can't wait to try this one.

How many years have you been making this original herb tea?

-83 years.

-83 years?

Wow.

-So, without this tea -- -I'm not even 83.

-Oh, really?

-Isn't that amazing?

Oh, I'm much younger than that.

[ Sniffs ] -Is it nice for you?

-This is extraordinarily different.

-Yes.

We are honored to have you here in Ho Yan Hor Museum.

-Thank you so much.

♪♪ Located in central Malaysia, the Royal Belum State Park covers almost 300,000 acres.

It is a protected and pristine area more than 130 million years old, rich in rare flora and fauna, including the gigantic rafflesia and 10 species of hornbills.

As if that was not enough, it is also home to tribes of Orang Asli, Malaysia's original people.

The Jahai, formerly a nomadic hunter-gatherer trader tribe, have established permanent villages along Temenggor Lake.

So, what's the name of this village?

-Kelewang village.

-And how many villages are there like this?

-15 village.

-And how large is this?

How many people?

-49 families, 110 people here.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] [ Singing in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Singing continues ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -So, what's going on today?

-We are providing health screening for the villagers.

-Also I see food, as well.

How often do you do this?

-Annually.

-Now, how difficult is it for them to get health care and to get to health care?

-They have to take the boat to go to the town, so I think it is difficult for the villagers to receive help.

-What inspired doing this?

-Our objective is to spread kindness among... -Oh.

Fabulous.

-...human beings.

-Spread kindness among people.

-Yeah.

-We all need those kinds of volunteer clubs, don't we?

Thank you for doing that, and God bless you for doing that.

That's wonderful.

-Thank you very much.

-Malaysia's starting to make strides towards sustainable tourism and protecting new areas.

The Belum Rainforest area is called the "Gateway to Nature," and it's a gateway to the right kind of tourism and travel, as far as I'm concerned.

♪♪ [ Speaking Malay ] Bon appétit.

♪♪ From the state of Perak, I travel east into Kelantan, where the ethnic majority is Malay.

While the state is more traditional, the people are no less open and welcoming.

Selamat pagi, selamat pagi.

-Selamat pagi.

-We're on the road to Kota Bharu, which is the capital of Kelantan state.

This state is filled with cultural riches.

This stand here is producing roti canai, which is an Indian-influenced dish.

But as we get into the culture here in this state, which is mostly Malay, we're going to have different kinds of dishes.

Okay, okay.

What can I do?

Oh, fold here like this?

Aha.

Perfectly done with it.

Oh!

Ah!

-[ Laughs ] -What we've learned is, here in Malaysia, culture is expressed through food.

For instance, in this state, they have a much heavier breakfast.

I think it's because this is a rural state.

So people would eat and go out and work hard in the rural environment.

-[ Speaking Malay ] -Okay.

That's a lot of fun.

You get a lot of your tension out.

Mm.

And this is the sauce for the roti canai.

Oh, this is fantastic.

Batik is a Malaysian cultural icon.

In Kota Bharu, the capital of Kelantan state, you can still find the textile art authentically produced in family workshops, where the printed patterns are formed by wax and copper blocks.

Ayu Fashion still uses the historic print method for designing batik, and we're pulling one of these off the wall.

There's 6,000 to choose from, but this one looks nice, huh?

And I particularly liked it because right in the center are two hearts.

And being a romantic at heart, I love the fact of two hearts coming together in the center of this design.

Puji here is going to do the process.

He just dips it in the wax.

Alright.

-Now.

Okay.

-The new "Steppin' Out" print at Ayu.

Oh, that one's perfect.

In another method for making batik, the fabric artist uses the liquid wax in a tool called a tjanting, which has a spout to draw the intricate patterns.

The most popular designs are flowers and geometric shapes because Islamic custom forbids animal and human images as decoration.

What is Aini doing here?

-Woman pajamas.

-This is a woman's pajamas?

The pajamas are beautiful.

-They are.

-Wow.

And so most of these designs are, like, one of a kind.

If I get it, nobody else will have the design, right?

What can I do?

-Yeah.

You can color if you want.

-I need to color all the little dots.

It's not gonna hurt the other colors, right?

Because the other colors are covered with wax.

-Yeah.

-Well, we finished the process.

Now we've got the fabric.

Okay, what are these fabrics good for?

-This one for a man's shirt.

-Men's shirt.

Like this.

Like this.

-This one for woman shirts.

-Look at this one.

Who do you think that would be good for?

Could I wear that as a shirt?

-Yeah, you can wear it.

-You think so?

It's a little bit purple, don't you think?

-Yeah.

You would be so handsome.

-Oh, well, that's -- I need that.

I need that.

Oh, well, thank you.

-You would look so young.

-Oh, I'll look so young?

Let's -- Let's -- Can I have two of those shirts?

What do you think?

-Yeah.

It's okay for you.

-Okay for me.

Well, terima kasih.

-Sama-sama.

♪♪ -Yeah.

-Terrific.

This is wonderful.

I love this.

-Yeah.

Thank you.

-You have to be careful when you're a tourist or a traveler in a country and you do things like this.

You don't want to do them like they're a joke... -You're right.

-...and that you're making fun of the culture.

-You cannot, you cannot.

-So, tell me -- how do people use this hat?

-They're using a praying mat when they're traveling.

-Right.

-So they will take it away, make it like this, and they can also use as a praying mat.

-So you have your prayer mat and your hat.

-Yes, easy.

-Well, that's pretty significant 'cause now God's always on your mind.

-Yeah.

God is always in the mind.

-I like that.

-Yeah.

-I love Malaysia.

You know, people are so friendly and they're so happy.

When you come up, people greet you in many places.

They put their hand on their heart.

It's good to remind us that that's the way we're connected to each other.

Do you clink glasses in Malaysia?

-No.

-No?

You don't?

-No.

-Well, what do you do?

How do you -- -"Silahkan minum."

-Silahkan... -Minum.

Silahkan minum.

I like that better.

I like that better than "cheers."

Silahkan minum.

[ Laughter ] Preserving and protecting Malay culture is an important aspect of official policy.

The Malaysian constitution gives certain societal privileges to ethnic Malays.

It is also evident in the practice of Malay music, activities, arts, crafts, and the preservation of historic homes.

[ Rooster crows ] Selamat pagi.

-Selamat pagi.

-Here we are.

What a beautiful house.

-This is a Kelantan typical 12 pillars house.

-How old is it?

-154 years old.

Yeah.

It's original.

It's authentic.

You can see there fish -- -Fish scales.

-Yeah.

-This house was originally by the river, so the connection to the water makes sense that you would have fish-scales tiles.

I know this is a Malay house and every element in it is for a purpose.

-Right, because we are really particular on the four elements.

The air, the ventilation -- the air will come from the floor, from the doors, from the windows.

Then also the lighting, okay, will come into the house directly.

The ground -- we have to ensure it's fertile and there are water sources.

That's the reason why this house is very close to the river.

-[ Speaking Malay ] -Oh, my God.

♪♪ Ooh!

-Ahh.

-Look at that.

Wow.

Which one of these dishes are the special dishes from the area?

-This is a prawn with petai.

This here, village chicken.

Pucuk paku.

It's a vegetable.

Here's a fried egg.

-Then we have some great dishes over here.

That looks like -- -We call this ikan bakar.

It's a fish.

-This would be something you might catch outside the window.

-Yeah.

-Is there a competition between different states in Malaysia?

-They have their own signature.

They have their own specialty.

Terengganu and Kelantan almost the same.

-Is there one state that says, "We have the best food"?

-Um, I think so, but it's not really.

[ Laughs ] -How important is food to Malaysians?

-Very important.

Really significant.

-It's really a part of each of the state's culture, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And the people, the different people, the Indian people, the Chinese people... -I think Kelantan is the state which is a place where you can find so many dish.

-That's what it looks.

Look at this.

-Yeah.

-It's a wonderful spread.

-Terima kasih.

-Yeah.

Sama-sama.

♪♪ -The main benefit of practicing the silat sekebun is can preserve the heritage from our past.

-And how about the spiritual aspect of it?

-Oh, yeah, when we learn the silat, we also need to learn the Islamic practice, which is need to respect the others.

-What is it like to be in combat with your father?

-I need to move according to what are the soft yet respectful move to attacking my father.

And my father need to block with also respecting that the movement cannot hurting me.

For example, I be the attacker.

-Okay.

-And my father be the defender.

-Yes.

-So I will approach my father as an attacker.

And my father will defend it and block my attack, like this.

-[ Speaks Malay ] -And I will follow with another attack.

-Oh!

-And my father will catch my hand.

And my father can attack me at the same time.

-Oh!

-Ah.

So I need to... -Terima kasih.

Terima kasih.

-Nice to meet you.

-While Malaysia's constitution states every person has the right to profess and practice his religion, Islam is the official faith of the Malay people.

There are more than 6,800 mosques.

The Floating and the Crystal Mosque are two notable ones in the coastal state of Terengganu.

[ Man singing in native language ] [ Singing continues ] -Welcome to Terengganu.

-Terima kasih.

Thank you so much.

So lovely to be here.

Believing in Islam -- what does that give you as a person?

-Islam is the one religion from God.

We believe that we need some power from God for peace here and after.

-So, Islam gives you the strength to be in this world.

I understand.

-Yeah.

-There seems to be in the world these days a lot of separation from each other.

What do you think is the main reason for that?

-I think we need to search the sames, not the difference.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-We need to emphasize the way we're alike rather than our differences.

I bring my viewers with me... -Okay.

-...to learn and to take away from the experience something to make us better.

Nobility is not being better than anybody else.

It's being better than the person you were.

The more we get to know each other and to take each other's hand, the better we love each other.

-Thank you also.

-Terima kasih.

-Sama-sama.

♪♪ -We're here in one of the many islands.

The main island that we're staying at is Redang.

One of the main reasons we're here is for the sea turtles.

There's a university here who's working for the revitalization of the sea turtle population.

A lot of people know about the beautiful beaches of Southeast Asia, but not too many people are aware -- and that's a good thing 'cause they're more secluded -- of the beaches of Malaysia.

Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Well, the proof of the water is in the swimming.

Ah!

♪♪ ♪♪ That was really great.

[ Laughs ] Swimming with the green turtles.

Fabulous, fabulous.

One went right under me.

Fabulous!

This beats everything.

This is perfect.

Swimming with the turtles.

Fabulous.

I've never done that before.

[ Breathing heavily ] [ Laughs ] Well, that's something you don't get anywhere.

I mean, fish, yeah.

Coral, yeah.

Swimming with green turtles in the South China Sea?

[ Laughs ] Priceless.

That was beautiful.

Terima kasih.

Thank you for steppin' out with me in Malaysia.

I first came to Malaysia to film two episodes of "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope."

My life and times have changed and 20 years later I'm back and I'm steppin' out in new directions.

Rather than hit the tourist trail, together we followed a path less traveled.

From the ultra-modern capital, Kuala Lumpur, with its pockets of the past, we've journeyed from west to east, from one historic, cultural, and natural connection to another.

Along the way, we've met the many faces of Malaysia -- Malays, Indians, Chinese, and indigenous.

They were eager to greet us, feed us, teach us, and proudly share their heritage with us.

The older I get, the more legacy means to me.

And what we leave behind begins with what we pick up along the way.

Malaysia filled me up.

At the Crystal Mosque, I was thinking of what separates us.

We are the same, the imam said.

We must concentrate on our similarities rather than our differences.

Cheers!

Mark Twain was right.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.

May your next adventure always be your best.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

♪♪ -For a DVD of any of my "Steppin' Out" adventures or my companion memoir and travel book, "Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys," call 888-876-3399, order online at josephrosendo.com, or e-mail me at TV@josephrosendo.com.

-♪ Mm, mm, mm ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ -Now that we've stepped out in Malaysia together, learn more at josephrosendo.com, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my magazine, blog, podcast, and social media.

Stay in touch -- 888-876-3399, or e-mail me at TV@josephrosendo.com.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ ♪♪ -[ Speaking Malay ] Come on!

We're going!

We're winning!

Hey!

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -♪ Yeah ♪ -♪ Steppin' out ♪ -♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ [ Laughter ] -♪ ...birthday to you ♪ -You're a really good... [ Laughter ] -♪ Steppin' out ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪