Hullo!
Hello everyone,
Such a calm and balmy weather these past few days in Malaysia. Just would like to say, "Happy Ramadhan - Selamat Berpuasa' to Muslims everywhere. May you gain patience and much anticipated enlightenment (aha!) during these challenging times.
We were thinking of bringing out more information on hotels throughout the country, as well as making the blog more friendly and with more news!!
So, if anyone has any suggestions as to what you'd like to see featured, we'll try our best to accommodate and publish more interesting stuff on a (much!) more regular basis.
Till then, check out the new hotel apartment in Terengganu, Sumai Suite Hotel as well as several Ramadhan buffet offerings during the month.
Have a splendid month, folks!
Dive sites closure
Several dive sites in three states in Peninsular Malaysia have been temporary closed due to coral bleaching, a phenomenon caused by global warming that has increased sea water temperature. According to the Department of Marine Park, Malaysia has more than 80 dive sites.
The closure period is from July 2 until October 31, 2010 and the affected areas are listed below:
A Hundred Years in Ipoh
Being married to a man from Perak, it was inevitable that as I learned to love this person, I also had to learn to love his home state. Fortunately, neither task was too difficult to accomplish!
Perak has been fantasised, romanticised and idealised by all sorts of people from all walks of life throughout Malaysian history. In the days when tin prices were sky high, the Kinta Valley in Perak, possessing the world’s richest alluvial tin deposits, held promise of great fortunes for already-wealthy businessmen, small-time speculators and the average dreamer.
In Batu Gajah, about a half hour’s drive from Ipoh, the capital city of modern Perak, a visionary Scottish planter dreamed up a palace (with facilities such as an underground cellar, a rooftop tennis court, a large kitchen, a moat, an elevator and secret tunnels) for his beloved wife at the perfect location – on a little hill by the banks of Sungai Raya – before his untimely demise rendered the project incomplete. Today, a century later, Kellie’s Castle stands as a lonesome yet still beautiful relic of a once tragic romance.
Ancient wonders of Niah
It is pitch black, cold… and eerily scary.
Brrr…gives me the goosebumps. No wonder bats like to live here.
Eeeeekkk!!!!
What was that?!
Arrgh…flying insects…
I was trying my best to walk as slowly as possible on the slippery plank walk, with trusty headlamps lighting the way. It was a torture, especially with guano– bat dung ‘perfume' on the ground everywhere, its smell hanging heavily in the air.
The silence around me was eerily spooky.
Diving in Malaysia
Malaysia is a diving haven just waiting to be explored. Among the renowned diving destinations are Pulau Tioman, Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Tenggol, Pulau Layang Layang and Pulau Sipadan.
Pulau Tioman is said to be a real treasure as it has colourful coral reefs and marine life such as anemones, starfish, limpets and thorny sea urchins. There are more than 20 diving spots around the island; among the best are Pulau Tulai and Pulau Renggis.
Here, in vast gardens of hard corals, cuttlefish, angelfish, barracuda and turtles await divers. Deep diving enthusiasts will love Pulau Chebeh, the site of several giant manta sightings.
A Steamy Affair In Tambun
It's not something you expect to see, but on the walls of one of the limestone caves deep in Tambun, Perak, are some markings that might be dismissed as careless graffiti at first. A closer examination reveals that they are actually Japanese characters that link to Tambun's past. Apparently, the messages, mostly names in Japanese and expressions of homesickness, are believed to have been written by the Japanese soldiers who were in Ipoh in the 1940s.
Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF)
Each year, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) never ceases to amaze, tantalise, surprise while showcasing engaging talents from around the world. This year, in the 13th edition of RWMF there will be the Bisserov Sisters, a group performing from Bulgaria.
Gifted with fine voices and musical memories, they have performed around the world for more than 30 years.
Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, Penang
Located in Penang’s ‘Little India’, in the capital city of Georgetown, the Sri Maha Mariamman temple reflects the city’s rich cultural heritage.
This tropical island of Penang, lies in the Indian Ocean, just off the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Penang’s rapid growth as a trading hub in the early 1800s, especially in commodities such as nutmegs, cloves and pepper attracted traders from Europe, America, Arabia, India as well as China.
The Royal Mulu Resort
An Orang Ulu dance enthrals guests as they arrive at the Royal Mulu Resort (RMR). The resort, a 30 minutes’ flight from Miri city in East Malaysia, is an ideal getaway. It is especially so, for those wishing to go on a trip to the famed UNESCO World Heritage site, Gunung Mulu National Park.
Mesmerising Lambir Hills
The snake slithered through the undergrowth. Pausing, flickering its tongue and rearing its head, slowly….
Startled, I took a step back. I peered closer at the small snake basking on the forest floor.
It had longitudinal reddish orange stripes, with bits of greenish lateral stripes on a black background.
Was it a Banded Malayan Coral Snake? Or was it the Striped Kukri Snake?