Brian and Jo Clayton
Their son is a famous rock star - Adam Clayton of the band U2 - and they could choose to live anywhere in the world, but at the end of the day, they chose Malaysia. Britons Brian and Jo Clayton are happily settled in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and love the friendly and casual atmosphere that Malaysia has to offer. Having lived in this country under the MM2H program for a year, the Claytons made time for The Expat to tell us all about their life here.
The Expat: what made you choose to live in this part of Malaysia?
Brian: I worked here for two years as a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Captain Pilot [737] from 1992 to 1994, seconded from Aer Lingus [Ireland]. Since then we've returned annually for a holiday to escape the Irish winter, staying at the Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort in KK. We really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere so we looked to buy property, perhaps a condominium in KK. We found that most did not have a decent sized balcony, as we enjoy the cool evenings having a "medicinal whiskey" or two. We are now renting a condo with a rather small balcony!
The Expat: what was the main reason you decided to come and live here under the mm2H programme?
Brian: We joined MM2H, so we could stay as long we liked with the 10-year visa.
The Expat: what do you like most about living in Malaysia?
Brian: The warm tropical weather. Here in KK, we can usually have cool breezes in the mornings and evenings. The great variety of food, particularly the Malaysian stalls and local coffee shops have so many choices for such low prices compared to back home.
Jo: The people in Sabah are so genuinely friendly and there is a laid back atmosphere. We are really impressed with the racial mixing, tolerance and religious harmony. English is widely spoken and there is always someone who is willing to assist by speaking reasonable English.
The Expat: What do you like least about living in Malaysia?
Brian: Inevitably there is a certain amount of bureaucracy, asanywhere else. Our mobile phone company insists that we top up at end of the month, even when we have plenty of spare capacity which we will probably never use. The postal services seem to be very slow and even from KL, a letter can take over a week to reach here.
The Expat: Did you travel outside Malaysia in the last year?
Brian: Yes, to Ireland, England and France.
The Expat: Do you socialize mostly with foreigners, Malaysians or both?
Jo: Both, we have lots of local friends too.
The Expat: what do you miss most about your home country?
Brian: Fly fishing and our dogs. We brought them here for two years when we were working here and then they had a six-month quarantine period back in Ireland.
The Expat: Tell us about your favourite pastime in Malaysia.
Brian: Our exercise regime is swimming daily. Our socialising takes place nearby at the Kinabalu Yacht Club and local restaurants on Tanjung Aru's First beach. We are members of the Sabah Branch of the Royal Society of St.George (yes, even in Borneo we celebrate St George's day around 25 April and sometimes even Trafalgar Night).
The Expat: How happy are you with the MM2H programme? Would you recommend it to others?
Brian: We are happy that it is now a 10-year visa. However, not so happy about the continuous "moving of the goalposts" that is changing the rules and requirements. Yes, we would definitely recommend the MM2H as it is well worth the effort to have such a good quality of life at our "young age!"
By Aida Ahmad
