MALAYSIA
Malaysia is a country of Southeast Asia and split in two main regions: West Malaysia (Peninsular) and the east Malaysia (Borneo Island). Malaysia is known for the rainforests, diverse cultures, exotic cuisine, fascinating festivals, national parks, breathtaking underwater marine life, fresh water lagoons and beaches with emerald seas and golden sunlight.
INTRODUCTION
Malaysia is a tropical paradise. The two regions are the Peninsula Malaysia that constitutes the long fringe of land and borders with Thailand in the north and Singapore in the south and the East Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawalk,north of the Island of Borneo and shares its borders with Indonesia and Brunei. The south china sea separated the two regions.
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessible by sea, road, rail and air, the capital is Kuala Lumpur and the government administrative centre is Putrajaya. It is also possible to travel by rail within and to Malaysia via Thailand and Singapoer. The roads are among the best in the region. Car rental services, busses, taxis and coaches easily available.
WHEN TO GO
The climate is hot and humid throughout the year (temperatures ranging between 21C and 32C) with cooler temperatures in the hill resorts. Best time to visit is November to January and June to August. Average annual rainfall varies from 2 000mm – 2 500mm. Rain falls throughout the year in quick heavy showers with thunderstorms. The wettest months are between October and March.
GETTING AROUND
WATER: Ferry and hydrofoil services are available from the main land to the island resorts. The passenger ship, Virgo, departs from Singapoer and offers 4day/3nights packages to Phuket/ Langkawi, a 3day/2night Kuala Lumpur cruise to Melaka and Port Klang and a 6day/5night straitsof Melaka package.
ROAD: An overland journey to Malaysia from Singapoer and Thailand can be made easily by driving through on the North-South Expressway and East-West Highway.
TRAIN: The Malayan Railway and KTMB connects all the major towns in the peninsular.The railways are clean, cheap and reliable. The Eastern and Oriental Express is a luxury train service which make a round trip from Singapoer through Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok and return.
AIR: More than 40 airlines serve Malaysia including Malaysia Airline which service over 115 international routes around the globe. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), located in Kuala Lumpur is the busiest airport of Malaysia and is main international gateway of the country. Other important airports include Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Penang International Airport.
TOP 5 – DON’T MISS
• At 421 meters high, the Kuala Lumpur Tower is the Fourth tallest in the world and the tallest in South Asia and the Patronas Twin Towers is the tallest twin towers in the world with visits to the sky bridge.
• Visit Putrajaya, government administrative centre and see the amazing architectureof the 8 bridges.
• Sabah (rain forest) is home to the largest flower, Rafflesia, and largest leaf, Alocasia Macrorrhiza in the world. Visit the Batu Caves, National Parks (Bako / Niah / Tunku Abdul Rahman/ Taman Negara) and lake gardens. The Sarawak Chamber, world’s largest underground cave, and the 107 km Clearwater Cave found also in Sarawak are the longest cave in Asia.
• Diving off Sipadan island for an breathtaking underwater experience that includes barracudas, turtles and corals
• A visit to Melaka to see the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia, Cheng Hoon Teng with the vast Chinese cemetery, the ethnic group (merging of Chinese and Malay), Baba-Nyonya
MEETING THE REAL PEOPLE
Malaysia is a multi-racial country with a population of approximately 21.3 million people. This consists the main racial groups of Malays (56%), Chinese (33%) and Indians (10%). The national language is Bahasa Melayu (Malay) but english is widely spoken. Islam (53%) is the official religion but Buddhism (17%), Daoism (12%), Hinduism (7%), Christianity (6%) are practice freely.
Festivals and Events
• Chinese new year (January/February)
• Wesak Day – Birth of Buddha (May)
• Hari Merdeka (Indepence day) – 31 August
• Deepavali – Hindu Festival of lights
• Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival (July – September)
• Lantern Festival (September)
• Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (Selangor) - October
• Flora Festival/Parade – July
• Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
• Colours of Malaysia