Malaysia, a top tourist destination in India, is more like two countries in one, divided in half by the South China Sea. While the Malaysian peninsula boasts of bustling cities, colonial architecture, misty tea plantations and chilled-out islands, the Malaysian Borneo hosts remotely wild jungles of the orangutans, granite peaks and tribes. It also offers some spectacular diving for the aqua-adventure lovers. The main thing that brings together all its pockets of ethnicities, religions and landscapes is ‘food’. Malaysia offers travellers a variety of cuisines to choose from. The Chinese-Malay ‘Nonya’ fare, Indian curries, Chinese buffets, Malay food stalls, Dayak specialities and some impressive Western-style food are some of the delicacies found in Malaysia.
Malaysia is considered to be a top tourist destination in Asia that has been attracting over thousands of tourists each year. With many attractive places to visit and plenty of adventure activities, it stands true to its slogan title ‘Malaysia, truly Asia’. This paradise is a must visit and will surely leave you spellbound. There are many Malaysia tour packages that offer visiting few of the best destinations in Malaysia. However, keep in mind the below listed places in Malaysia that must be a part of your Malaysia tour package.
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia is a city that is filled with steel-clad skyscrapers, historic monuments, lush green parks, bustling street markets and trendy nightspots. The colourfully adorned mosques and temples are an essential part of the country’s Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. Kuala Lumpur is a home to the Petronas Twin Towers and is also considered to be a shopping paradise with some of Southeast Asia’s enormously large shopping malls that house the world’s top brands and street markets where you can find extremely rare antic items. While Kuala Lumpur has a lot for tourists, here are a few of highlights of this destination:
* Petronas Towers: Petronas Twin Towers, once the tallest buildings in the world, are today the world’s tallest twin structures. The 88-storey Twin Towers situated in the country’s capital is designed to mirror the country’s high-tech ambitions. The views from the midlevel sky bridge of the Petronas Towers are a little hazy yet thrilling. The beast feature is the acoustically sound Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
* Batu Caves: One of Malaysia’s most unique and distinctive features is the labyrinth of caves that are found within the country’s limestone abutments. Kuala Lumpur’s biggest gift of nature are the Batu Caves are a sacred place for the Hindus in Malaysia. They consist of three main caves and a number of smaller ones. To reach the religious and magnificent Batu Caves, you will need to climb 272 steps.
* Central Market: The Central Market is an old building, situated at the border of China Town that has won awards for its architectural design. In this market, you can find plenty of souvenirs. It is considered as a haven for tourists, where you can buy handicrafts, arts, traditional wear, kebaya, songket, etc. Everything you wish for, is available here at affordable prices. The Central Market, at one point, used to be an old ‘wet market’ for selling meat, vegetables and other local products. However, today, it is a place for exotic souvenirs that are worth buying. Those with an eye for unusual products will enjoy browsing through the market’s extensive range of novelty items such as jade trees and blown glass souvenirs.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is an inspiring and world-famous centre that welcomes orphaned and injured orangutans for rehabilitation before returning them back to the forest life. They also have in the recent years opened an outdoor nursery for the orangutans, where the toddlers are taught the building blocks and swinging skills which they will need to keep them alive in the wild. If you want to further explore the sanctuary, there are several walking trails that lead you into the forest. There is also a trail through the mangrove forest to Sepilok Bay. The forest department can also arrange overnight accommodation at the bay for those who wish to spend their night amongst nature in the wild.
Langkawi
Langkawi is a land that is surrounded by water and is made up of 99 islands on Malaysia’s west coast. Surrounded by turquoise-blue seas, the interior of the main island is a mixture of attractive paddy fields and jungle-clad hills, where the shoreline is fringed with fine white-sands and swaying coconut trees. Having many beaches, this island is especially known for its excellent diving opportunities and hides a treasure trove of other exciting holiday opportunities. The people here have quite a laid-back vibe. This tropical island doesn’t lack spas, seafood restaurants and beach bars which keeps tourists coming back for more.
With a mixed combination of the urban city life, nature at its best and the wonderful beaches, Malaysia stands to be a destination that not only offers tourists a great time when in and around Malaysia but also offers them unforgettable experience and memories that visitors can take back and cherish. When you plan on making a trip to this incredibly wonderful land of Malaysia, do make sure to check out your Malaysia tour package and visit these mentioned places.
Sabung Ayam
Borneo: Violence: Dayak demonstrators rampaged through Palangkaraya
Natural Sound
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Hundreds of Dayak demonstrators protesting police brutality rampaged through this central Borneo town Friday, setting ablaze security posts and a police truck.
The latest incidents came a day after riot police shot dead as many as six indigenous Dayaks following a visit by Indonesia’s head of state.
In Palangkaraya, authorities said that Dayak mobs killed a Madurese settler and paraded his severed head through a village southwest of the provincial capital.
They were soon joined by several hundred Dayaks armed with machetes and spears, who attacked and torched several empty security posts and set fire to a police truck parked nearby.
They gathered stolen police riot gear, setting fire to it on the street.
Dayaks claim they have been robbed of their birthright by government policies under the rule of former dictator Suharto, who was ousted in 1998.
Suharto encouraged tens of thousands of settlers from overpopulated Madura to move to Borneo and establish farms on Dayak tribal land.
Meanwhile, about 500 students from local colleges rallied at the site of Thursday’s clash to protest the killing by police of one of their colleagues.
Wahid’s administration has said it would work to reconcile the rival ethnic groups with the aim of repatriating tens of thousands of Madurese refugees.
In Jakarta, President Abdurrahman Wahid who had traveled to Palangkaraya on Thursday hoping to bring peace to Central Kalimantan province where Dayaks have slaughtered about 450 settlers appealed for calm and shrugged off growing calls for him to quit.
“I am convinced that we can overcome all problems,” he said.
He blamed the violence between Dayaks and migrants from Madura island on a small group of agitators and said most people in the province wanted to live in peace.
His mission to quell ethnic tensions in Kalimantan on Thursday went tragically wrong when Dayak protesters threw rocks at riot police who responded with gunfire just minutes after Wahid flew out of the region.
Media reports said six men died in Thursday’s clash. However, police said four civilians and one policeman were killed.
The bloodshed was a further blow to Wahid, who is fending off calls for his resignation over a range of crises and scandals as Indonesia struggles with its uneasy transition to democracy.
Adding to Wahid’s woes was continuing violence elsewhere in the country, and a sharp drop in the value of the national currency due to the prolonged turmoil.
In the westernmost province of Aceh, seven people – including five refugees – died in clashes between government forces and separatist rebels, police and human rights activists said Friday.
SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia)
“There was only one warning shot followed straight away by shots directly at protesters. I’m wondering why the police didn’t use tear gas to disperse the crowds, which we know they have.”
SUPER CAPTION: Fitriansyah Mathias, witness to yesterday shooting
SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia)
“I was looking for my younger brother and then realised I had been shot. I fell to the ground straight away.”
SUPER CAPTION: Bimbo Sumarinanto, man injured yesterday shooting
SOUNDBITE (Bahasa Indonesia)
“The wounds appear to be from bullets and the impact of hard objects, especially those wounds on the heads and faces of the patients.”
SUPER CAPTION: Doctor Hafner Fandan
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