Best Souvenirs to Bring Back From Malaysia

Whenever I go on a trip far away, I always feel like bringing back gifts and souvenirs for friends and family so they can share in my wonderful experience.

Here are some things that I found that were a hit from Malaysia with my friends and family back home!

FREEZE-DRIED DURIAN CHOCOLATE

Durian is the national fruit of Malaysia.  It gets a bad rap for the smell that comes from the fruit itself but it if you give it a chance, you'll find it actually tastes quite good.  If you have any aftertaste, you can follow it up with a mint or some type of fruit like guava, which is readily available everywhere.  The best way to share this fruit is through chocolate form.  The Durian is freeze-dried so the smell is contained in the chocolate and makes this safe to board with on the plane ride home.  I brought some home for friends and family to try and they all loved it.

I bought this pack from the island of Langkawi where chocolates are duty free on the island.

GAMUT SABUN (Sea Cucumber Soap)

The Sea Cucumber Soap is infamous in Malaysia.  I brought home a bunch of these as souvenirs for coworkers, friends and family.  People from Japan already know about this soap and it is the number one souvenir they take back with them from Malaysia.

They were easy to find in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi.  I found the best price for them to be in a lovely store called Nirmala Sari located inside Central Market in Kuala Lumpur.  There are two sizes to chose from.  The small ones come either with collagen or without collagen.  The ones without cost RM10.  The soaps with collagen costs RM12.  The bigger one cost RM25.  They are all  wrapped in a beautiful Malaysian batik cloth which make great souvenirs.

There are a variety of fragrances to select from.  They have everything from fruity smells like strawberry and apple to flowery scents like rose, Malaysian flower and lemongrass.

According to traditional medicine, these soaps contain healing properties that help with skin disorders like pimples, wounds, improving pigmentation, eczema, psoriasis and in controlling oily skin.

The old story goes that a fisherman deep into the shore was returning from a day of fishing, with his bare feet underwater.  He tripped on a rock in the water and stepped on a Gamat sea cucumber.  When he pulled his foot out of the water, he found a white, slimy substance glued to his foot.  He was annoyed by the creature, and killed it.  The following day, the fisherman found out that on old wound he had on his foot was healed by the slimy substance.  Since his discovery, Gamut has been applied to heal wounds and maintain healthier skin.

KNOCK OFFS

Malaysia is great for finding non expensive knock off of your favourite brand.  I brought home gifts for my family that was easy on my budget.  My niece had asked for a Gucci hat so I was on the hunt for it and eventually found one on the Chew Jetty in Penang.  I found shoes in Prada, Jordans and Gucci brands in Cameron Highlands.  Family and friends will always appreciate gifts and if they look expensive, they will love it!  Petaling Street is famous for knock off so try there first.

I bought the Gucci hat for RM20 ($6.60 CDN).  Compare that to an authentic one selling online for $420 CDN!!

DODOL

Ready to try another Malaysian treat?  Why not try dodol?  What is a dodol, you're wondering?  Well, a dodol is an ethnic Javenese candy created in Indonesia and can only be described as a sweet taffy like sugar-palm based candy.  It's main ingredients are coconut milk, jaggery and rice flour.  It can be mixed with either pandan, from the pandan leaf, or durian, for flavouring.  I bought a pack of pandan dodol in Penang at the Jonker Street Market for RM 2.

The pandan leaf tastes alot like vanilla so I found this choice pleasant.  Give it a try!

MAGNETS/BOOKMARKS/COASTERS/POSTCARDS

Do you like to collect a small item from each of your travels like I do?  I bought a magnet from each city I visited as a souvenir.  I also bought postcards and bookmarks because I love bookmarks.  All of these items tell a story and serves as a reminder of your time there.  Besides being cheap,  it's also light enough to carry in your luggage or carry on to bring back home with you.

Coasters from the Islamic Arts Centre

TEA 

I visited the BOH tea plantation while in Cameron Highlands on a tour.  As an Indian in a tea plantation, I can't tell you how much joy this brings me.  I love tea!  I grew up drinking it as a child and continue to enjoy it today for at least three times a day!  I couldn't leave BOH tea without purchasing some lovley Malaysian tea.  They had a retail store attached to the restaurant which sold all types of tea produced at the plantation.  My favourites included those from the Seri Songket BOH tea collection.  They come in flavours of Mandarin, Lychee Rose, Lime and Ginger, Mango and Passion Fruit.

I also bought a bag of Aik Cheong brand of Ginger Milk Tea Teh Tarik (Pulled Tea) from Central Market in Kuala Lumpur.  I find it has the right blend of all the ingredients and now wish I had bought more.  Try this one out if you like Ginger Milk Tea like I do!

There are so many things to bring back from Malaysia.  I had to buy another suitcase just to bring back all the little treasures I had bought there.  These are just a few of the items that were a hit with family and friends.  Go out and explore and you will find even more out there. Enjoy your hunt!

If you've bought something from Malaysia that you would like to share, please let me know! I would love to hear from you!