"Which country is the best?"

Born, brought up and worked in Belgium, worked for a few years in Hong Kong, and now residing in Malaysia and on top of that having had the luxury to travel around with my folks when I was a kid, visiting many extraordinary places.....I'm often asked the question "Which place do you like the most? Which place is the best to live in?"

If you've asked me a few years ago, I would have not hesitated to blurt out... "Belgium". After all, it's the place where I've spend my childhood, partied my way through adolescence, and also worked. I'm not a full-blooded Belgian (in case you haven't noticed :p), but these formative years have had a major influence on my train of thoughts, behavioural pattern...

I've realized that I can't possibly compare one place, country with another....it is simply pas juste, not fair. Every place is unique in its own sense, has its attractions but also its 'disadvantages'. As a mere tourist, we only see the 'polished' part of a particular town, city, country itself....and I do believe it's a human reaction just to remember only the 'good' things of places we've been to, 'people' we've interacted with.

Malaysia is still in a sense a 'developing' country, but it is developing at a breakneck speed like so many other countries here in the Pacific region. One can see modern buildings, exellent infrastructure next to 'slums', combine this with inefficient governance and a horrendous driving attitude by Malaysians.................and when you go to the country side, it is like you've stepped a few decades back in time. The only way is forward for Malaysia, and hopefully I will see the day when it is on par with the 'Western' world regarding quality of life.

Whereas good ol' Belgium is just that. I just get a sense of deja-vu whenever I have the chance to stop by in Belgium, like nothing has changed, like time has stood still. Have to admit though that this has its charms.....old towns remain old towns. And about HK...needless to say that this capitalist driven city has shed all its 'heritage' in the name of progress. It's a great place to shop at, ultra efficient transportation system, damn greatest skyline of the world, but somehow it lacks, dare I say it....a touch of 'humanity'. I'm not surprised of this lack of 'social' engagement......people work Japanese-like hours, live in awfully, expensive small flats with barely 'space' for themselves. No wonder 'they' are all on edge.

The fact is, I reside in Malaysia now and despite my gripes about certain issues, I've come to accept this place for what it is. Ofcourse it helps a lot that my dear wife is a Malaysian, tutoring me basic Malay language which enables me to interact with the locals (and English being a second lingo here is definitely helpful too in case I stumble with my limited Malay vocab :p). And finally....the local food here....what a delight for my taste buds. The spices used are totally out of this world for this Belgian steak with french fries dude. A mix of Indian, Malay, Chinese cuisine at very affordable prices. There is a Flemish saying that says that 'love goes through the stomach' and I can only acknowledge this phrase of 'wisdom'.

But heck, Hong Kong cuisine with its fresh seafood and dim sum is unbeatable, Belgian mussels together with authentic Belgian French Fries and mayonaise is a must have too.......

Lol, see.....I haven't made up my mind which country is the best place to be.....but feel free to visit any of these aforementioned countries. You definitely won't regret it, I vouch for that.