Souvenirs from Malaysia

My house is forever filled with souvenirs that I could probably run a shop. I am a collector and although I have a craze for trinkets, I would like to bring home with me something which reminds me of a country. Standing on my table is a tiny elephant with pink feet leaning against a coconut tree with its feet up. Aptly titled Rest and Relaxation, these souvenirs are one of the oldest in my collection and they were the first that I picked up from Royal Selangor. Made out of an alloy of tin, aluminium and copper called pewter, these figurines and beer mugs are rather exclusive to this part of the country.

Photo credit – Leo Fung, Creative Commons, Flickr
I picked up several others but my favourites include a beer mug which shows vignettes of Malaysia and a beautifully carved plate . Although souvenirs made of pewter are available almost everywhere, I would recommend a visit to Royal Selangor.The largest manufacturer of pewter products , Royal Selangor’s tryst with the alloy goes back to the 19th century .You can pick your choice from photo frames to tea sets, from souvenirs to figurines. The range and variety of tankards here is rather amazing. I am told that Royal Selangor actually created the world’s largest tankard made of pewter which stands at a height of almost 2 metres and has a capacity of more than 2.5 litres. Mine however is just a simple mug , but nevertheless cheers to you and hope you bring home your own little pewter souvenir .