Browsing Tag Malaysia travel
Close to nature on Malaysia’s Tasik Kenyir
By Asian Correspondent at October 3, 2012 | 4:31 pm | 0 Comment
By Gordon Lethbridge The prow of the motorboat rose as we picked up speed and skimmed across the water leaving the Sultan Mahmud Dam behind us. Soon there was little to suggest that this lake was man-made or that it was twice the size of Singapore. As we sped along by the shore, hornbills flew between trees, their outsized beaks looking a little out of place on their more...
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The good, the bad, and the one regret – Cycling in Malaysian Borneo
By Asian Correspondent at September 26, 2012 | 3:58 pm | 0 Comment
By Mark Caltonhill FOR a step into the unknown, I can thoroughly recommend cycling from Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah, to Kuching, capital of Sarawak, some 1,300 kilometres to the southwest. I say “some”, since when I tried to check the distance on Google maps, it wouldn’t offer a figure. Then I noticed why: the road from Sabah peters out in the hinterland near more...
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Malaysian Events and Festivals
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
At almost any time of year, some part of Malaysia is busy throwing a party. While the majority of Malaysian people follow the Islamic faith, the presence of many other cultures in the country means that a multitude of celebrations crowds the calendar. Traditional Chinese, Hindu, Buddhist, and indigenous tribal festivals have an honored place beside Malaysia’s secular more...
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Malaysia’s hill country: The Cameron Highlands
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
The bus from Tapah to Tanah Rata winds slowly and steeply through jungle-clad and mist-wreathed hills. I’m on my way to Malaysia’s biggest hill station, the Cameron Highlands. Every one hundred metres or so is a palm frond shelter, built with varying degrees of sophistication, where a man or a boy waits, hoping to sell fruit or oversized beans hung up in rows. Small more...
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Learning to cook in Georgetown, Malaysia’s foodie capital
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
By Jim Cheney When you think of great food destinations in Asia, what cities come to mind? Bangkok? Hong Kong? Maybe Tokyo? What about Georgetown, Malaysia? Sitting on the island of Penang off the northwestern coast of Malaysia, Georgetown is a former British colony that is becoming one of the hottest culinary destinations in the world. Named in a 2009 New York Times more...
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Kuala Lumpur: A city of contrasts
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
From the air Kuala Lumpur is vast, surrounded by palm plantations and mountains rising from the cloud. Huge new suburbs in Mediterranean colours line the motorway from the airport into the CBD. Malaysia is a country with a deeply held traditional respect for the past. It also has high tech industrialisation, natural resources and a growing economy. Over one-and-a-half more...
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Discovering Malaysian Borneo in seven days
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
Straddling the equator and taking in three of Southeast Asia’s most fascinating countries, Borneo is one of the world’s great islands. In terms of sheer size it is only second to Greenland and New Guinea, and it remains one of the most ecologically diverse destinations on the planet. The Proboscis monkey is one of Borneo’s treasured endemic species. Pic: Joanne more...
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Day in the Life: Langkawi
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
Lying 30 kilometres off the coast of northwest Malaysia, between Penang and the Thai border, is Langkawi, a stunning 99-island archipelago and one of Malaysia’s most popular tourist destinations. It is not really surprising that Langkawi has become one of Malaysia’s top holiday spots. The beaches are long and beautiful, the locals are friendly and the turquoise hue of more...
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A day in Malacca – Malaysia’s red town
By Asian Correspondent at September 2, 2012 | 1:53 pm | 0 Comment
By Nisha Jha As I alight from a luxurious bus from Kuala Lumpur, the first thing I notice about Malacca is its distinctive color. Standing there on the road I turn full circle and cannot believe my eyes. The buildings, doors, the pavements, and even the hoardings… everything in the vicinity is red. Have I landed in a little girl’s dream world? I am so awestruck more...
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Kuala Lumpur Heritage Walk – a walk through the origins of the city
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Anuradha Goyal Every big and old city has stories to tell, stories of how it was born and how it evolved into its current Avatar, and Kuala Lumpur is no exception. Kuala Lumpur gets its name from its two rivers—Gombak and Klang—that meet in the center of the city. If you’ve visited the Malaysian capital you may have seen them at some other point, flowing across more...
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Malaysia: Three of the best dive spots
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Lucy Grewcock Not only are these dive sites three of the best in Malaysia, they’re up there with the world’s best. Layang Layang Lying 300 kilometres north of Sabah, in the South China Sea, Layang Layang is one of the best places on the planet to see hammerhead sharks. This manmade island is no tropical paradise but beneath the surface, its relative isolation more...
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Top sailing locations in Malaysia
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Natasha von Geldern Whether you love sailing under canvas or by motor, on small craft or large, independently or on a charter, the extensive coastline of Malaysia offers a wide range of sailing experiences and interesting ports of call. From the popular waters along the coast from Langkawi and the multi-cultural attractions of Penang Island to the exotic seas around more...
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Top sailing locations in Malaysia
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Natasha von Geldern Whether you love sailing under canvas or by motor, on small craft or large, independently or on a charter, the extensive coastline of Malaysia offers a wide range of sailing experiences and interesting ports of call. From the popular waters along the coast from Langkawi and the multi-cultural attractions of Penang Island to the exotic seas around more...
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Exploring Melaka’s heritage
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
ACROSS the 16th century the great European powers jockeyed for position and fought bitterly over a scrap of land on the coast of what is now Malaysia. The Portuguese came first in 1511, headed by admiral and military genius Alfonso de Albuquerque. They were seeking the fortunes to be made in this vital trading post. The Dutch threw out the Portuguese in 1641 and then the more...
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Running in Malaysia
By Jo Lane at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
I AM one of those travellers that always packs a pair of running shoes in my bag even if I don’t really have space. There are some really good places to run in Malaysia, on the beaches and islands in particular. However, even in the cities you will find nice places to run. Beating the heat is of course a major concern when exercising in Asia. I recommend you run either more...
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Running in Malaysia
By Jo Lane at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
I AM one of those travellers that always packs a pair of running shoes in my bag even if I don’t really have space. There are some really good places to run in Malaysia, on the beaches and islands in particular. However, even in the cities you will find nice places to run. Beating the heat is of course a major concern when exercising in Asia. I recommend you run either more...
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The ‘must see’ temples of Kuala Lumpur
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Alun Hill, MCIJ Kuala Lumpur is rightly described as a melting pot with numerous ethnicities represented throughout the city. There are Chinese and Malays in roughly equal proportions and a smaller number of Indians. Consequently, the city has a number of religions represented in its temples. These are predominantly Hindu and Chinese places of worship, although the more...
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Honeymoon travels to Malaysia
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Sana Pervez A honeymoon is one of the most cherished kinds of holidays as it signals the beginning of a new journey for two people who will always look fondly back on it. We got married in November 2009 and along with a great wedding I also wanted a perfect honeymoon. While I had help from family and friends for the wedding I felt the honeymoon was a private affair and more...
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Kuching’s colonial heritage
By Graham Land at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
Kuching – Explore the narrow streets filled with Chinese shophouses, the Astana and Fort Margherita in Sarawak’s most beguiling city. The most populous city and capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, Kuching is a beautiful and clean city with an intriguing history and a captivating character. Known as “Cat City” due to the more...
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The old English charm of Maxwell Hill
By Asian Correspondent at August 28, 2012 | 12:19 pm | 0 Comment
By Shivya Nath With English bungalows, blankets of mist and lush greenery, Maxwell Hill can charm any visitor with a heart for adventure. As I shelter from the rain under a makeshift shed, the mist engulfs what little was visible of the surrounding wilderness. The roar of our ancient four-wheel drive has faded away, signaling my mother to lay out our mini picnic. Pigging more...
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Melaka: Malaysia’s cultural melting pot
By Asian Correspondent at June 28, 2012 | 10:14 pm | 0 Comment
SCOOTERS are buzzing and tooting through streets lined by faded historical buildings. But I’m not in a small town in Portugal or Italy. I’m in Malaysia, in a town once mighty in commerce and now languishing in the shadows of history. Melaka, at the foot of peninsular Malaysia, is a cultural melting pot to end all cultural melting pots. It rests quietly on the more...
