Here are all the posts for Malaysia
swimming with the sharks
Not being content with snorkeling the coral immediately in front of our Tioman Island resort, we hiked about 45 minutes north to Monkey Beach. It was deserted. We snorkeled the north side of the bay. This area is used for beginner diver training and I could see why. The water dropped off from 20-30 feet to what appeared to be 70-100. I had a sense of vertigo and falling as I snorkeled above the precipice.
After warming up, we snorkeled the south side. It was high tide. I enjoyed the environment. Large boulders had tumbled down Read more
student conversation, video
Conversation with Malaysian education students in Cameron Highlands. Dawn answers questions. In high def.
multicultural heritage
Randy commented: “Taking a grand stab at futurology, would you care to speculate on whether any Asian melting pots are going to use their multicultural heritage to become global players? Seems like an advantage but so often it becomes the fault line for disintegration.”
Very interesting topic. Malaysia was founded on its multicultural base. After World War II, British set cooperation as a requirement for releasing the country from colonialism to independence. The National Museum celebrates multi-ethnicity. At the political level, Read more
Malaysia summary
Malaysia appropriately celebrates its multiethnic character. It’s a lively melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures. Georgetown and Malaka were particularly interesting in this respect, especially their food dishes. Both have recently been recognized as World Heritage Sites to reflect their history and uniqueness.
Tioman Island was a special treat. The Cameron Highlands were refreshingly cool and picturesque with the tea plantations.
Pulau Tioman
Penumba Bay is so nice, I forget that I am a traveler and slip into a relaxed vacation mode. My days are spent snorkeling, hiking, walking the beach, collecting shells, watching the tides of the South China Sea and wondering about the weather.
There’s a lot of hype about Tioman–one of the ten best island and location for movie, South Pacific. It’s well-deserved. We avoided the eastern coast of Malaysia until the end of our trip because of the northeastern monsoon season. It typically Read more
Mersing
The only reason to go to Mersing is to catch the ferry to Pulau Tioman. We traveled from Melaka by bus for four-and-a-half hours and arrived at twelve-thirty. The last ferry left at twelve noon; the schedule is dependent on the tides. We caught the two hour ferry to Tioman the next morning.
Lodging–Accommodations in Mersing are relatively expensive and low-quality. Our room at the Country Hotel was above the dried fish store.
Melaka
Melaka is a quaint town with lots of history and tourists. Somehow it manages to keep its authenticity despite the large number of tour buses. Town square, Chinatown, the shopping mall, night bazaar and neighborhoods are all interesting. Visited the Maritime Museum, People’s Museum and fort.
Travel–took a bus from KL (Puduraya station) to Melaka; Read more
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, commonly referred to as “K.L.,” has the old and new. The colonial area, Meredeka Square and Chinatown are interesting. The new includes Petronas Towers (once the tallest buildings in the world), and KL Tower (still in the top three tallest towers). We visited the National Museum, National Mosque, Islamic Arts Museum, Bukit Benang and KL Sentral neighborhoods, and rode the monorail.
A couple of annoyances. Read more
Pulau Pangkor
Malaysia is famous for its islands on the east coast, but it is northeast monsoon season now. Pangkor is on the west coast, so it is unaffected. It is a small, sleepy place where fishing is more important than tourism. I spent several days at Nipah Beach swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and hiking. The place was empty and quiet. Aside from a limited choice of restaurants, it was a wonderful place to relax.
Unfortunately, a monkey took my camera. It was in a Read more
Cameron Highlands
A cool, mountainous resort, a welcome relief from the heat. Tana Rata, a tourist town is the center. It’s fun hiking, visiting tea plantations and observing high-tech strawberry horticulture.
Travel–took mini-van from Georgetown directly to hotel in Tana Rata.
Lodging–The Cameronian had good home made scones, but otherwise nothing special.
Petronis Tower
Petronis Tower taken and sent from KL Tower.
Penang
Penang is a fun place to visit and a great place to eat. Five centuries of colonialism plus Chinese, Indian and Muslim influence on traditional Malay culture have created a diverse multi-cultural society–and good food.
Char kway teow–big rice noodles Read more
Malaysia
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country’s history were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore’s secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism.