Malaysia has a very large Chinese population, about 1/3 of the country, and the New Year (year of the Ram, apparently) is a big holiday. The town is lit up with those pretty red lanterns. Downtown, the main drag is strung with lights and lanterns from the spreading canopy trees in the boulevard to the shophouses lining each side. At night, it’s almost like entering a tent, the decorations are so thick. Even the Cat Statue has a chinese outfit on. At midnight, the firecrackers kicked in. My neighbors on every side lit off these 10-foot long strings of ladyfingers in unison. It was deafening.
