Fighting the case for modernity, The Petronas Towers are the tallest twin skyscrapers in the world, and soar, leagues above other edifices forming the Kuala Lumpur skyline. Malaysia’s premier shopping emporium, Suria KLCC lies at the foot of the building. Its ground floor is graced with a parade of elite designer outlets, including Burberry, Moschino and Miu Miu. There’s also room for a cinema, concert hall, art gallery and a science centre. Equally worth a visit, Masjud Jamek is the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur. Its red brick and marble structure is strikingly beautiful, and based on Indian Islamic architecture. It was built at the exact point where the Sugai Klang and the Sugai Gombak rivers meet, and is surrounded by palatial coconut palms and channels of calm water. It’s free to explore the airy marble interior, and ideal place to hide from the heat outside. The Kings Palace is another favourite spot. Its ornate gateway makes the perfect frame for a photo opportunity, and is always guarded by two dashing cavalrymen in claret uniform upon gleaming horses.

Kuala Lumpur’s warm equatorial climate makes year-round visiting feasible. The temperature generally hovers around 30 degrees, but it can drop after rainfall. Malaysia’s rainy season begins in October and ends in March, making the summer months a great time to spend in the city and avoid the monsoons which can affect the rest of the country at this time of year. Light clothing is always recommended, but generally air-conditioning is endemic within city limits, and rains only serve to make the climate more refreshing.

Malaysia hosts a wealth of different cultures within its borders, but maintains a wonderful atmosphere of unity without compromising identity. This means, throughout the year, the country is never far from a state of celebration. The Hindu festival of Thaipusam celebrates Lord Murugan, the Tamil god of war. It sends devotees surging from the inner city on the tenth month of the Hindu calendar (usually either January or February) to the nearby Batu Caves- it is a celebration not to be missed if in the area. Chinese New Year in Malaysia is even more raucous, as over a quarter of its population are Chinese. At midnight on the first day of the New Year, hundreds of firecrackers are to be heard banging and screeching to signify the loud noises which scared off the legendary monster of traditional Chinese mythology. The city dazzles with decorations for weeks during New Year. Paper lanterns, animals and dragons and giant papier-mâché lions can be seen wriggling joyfully down the streets on the shoulders of Chinese dancers. On the 31st of August every year, Malaysia holds its annual Independence Day festival. On the eve of Independence Day, the many ethnic groups of Malaysia join in celebration. A huge and colourful parade is held in Kuala Lumpur’s streets, consisting of marching bands, martial arts displays, acrobatics, dancing, flag waving and traditional costumes. The evening culminates with the flag of Malaysia being raised proudly at midnight to a backdrop of sparkling, crackling fireworks. Rest assured, whichever time of the year you choose to make your visit, or for whatever reason, what’s guaranteed is a warm and helpful welcome from Kuala Lumpur’s diverse and inclusive citizens.

And then there is the food. Begin your day with Roti Canai and tea, an indian pastry pancake served with Malaysia chicken curry used as a snack and served everywhere at all times.  Indulge yourself in favoured dishes like Satay (marinated meat barbecued over the charcoal with peanut sauce, Nasi Lemak (coconut milk rice served with sambal ikan bilis and slices of hard boil egg and cucumber), banana leaf rice or Prawn Mee (noodles  served with rich flavored stock made of shrimp) just to name a few.

Despite the city’s wealth and evergrowing population it is certainly very budget friendly. You an easily find basic but decent rooms for 25 USD/night,and getting around is simple enough with metro, skyline or the frequent bus service. Worst come to worst, should you ever get lost simply ask as Malaysians are always  happy to help. And here’s a small secret you’ll probably be happy to learn: it is free to visit the Petronas towers, and ride the elevator up to floor 41 where the connecting bridge is. Simply make sure you get there before 11.30 when all the days passes are given away and you’ll be rewarded with this view overlooking Kuala Lumpur from one of the most famous buildings in the world…without having spent a cent!

Have you visited Kuala Lumpur? What did you like best? I found the peaceful mingling of faiths and cultures a model to repeated everywhere in the world. What stood out to you?

Some of these links could be making us some money, however we would not include them if we didn’t think they can benefit the traveler.

The post Why Visit Kuala Lumpur? appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

This said I found a great doctor and if you ever need to find a dentist in Kota Kinabalu I highly recommend him. This is his contact info:

Dr Lawrence C K Wong

Wong Nyuk Tien Dental Clinic
no 25 Jalan Tugu, Kampung Air
88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Tel 088 252 019
email lawrencewck@gmail.com

Hopefully you wont need his services, but if you do need a dentist you’re in good hands-  should you decide to visit him please let him know you heard from him thorugh this website. Thanks Dr Wong!

Have you ever had any medical emergencies while on the road? What happenned? Are you going to visit Dr Wong? If you do please leave a comment below, and an update when the visit is over for others to know how your experience was

The post What not to do in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

KK doen’t have good value hostels, but if you look thoroughly you will find a few new hotels for the same price: 65MR. Most of them are managed by chineese, and because of the good value they deteriorate quickly but appear again soon after. With accomodation sorted out my next task was to prepare the climb to Mount Kinabalu, but alas my wisdom tooth hadn’t had its last word.

I had to look for a dentist again and was confirmed that extraction was needed, which meant complete rest for a few days. I was not happy. But i had’t had my last word either. We made a flight reservation to Manila (Philippines) for 2 days later and I decided to climb as much as I coul the following day.

Thus off I went to the dentist, having previously confirmed a visit to Dr Wong’s clinic. Clean, with accredited European degrees and many customers it appeared to be a good option. One hour later I had one tooth less and a short clip of the extraction which I will post soon.

Doing exactly what I was told not to doI proceeded with my initial plan and woke up at 6:30 am to catch a bus to Kinabalu mountain. Liza would not join me this time- too much exercise.

The bus slowly and noisly makes it way there, allowing better views of the mountain as you get closer. By the time it drops you at the park headquarters you are at an altitude of about 1200m. I paid the mandatory fees for what I wanted to do (trek mid mountain and request permission once there to proceed further for better pics) and began the hike.

KK is usually climnbed in 2 days, stoping first at Laban Rata for a rest and waking up at 1 am the following day to reach the summit by sunrise. About 150 ppl of all ages climb the mountain every day, so you might assume that is it not a difficult climb. Technically speaking this is true, but you need some cardio resistance to make it to the top slowly, a lot if you want to do it quickly.

About 30 min into my hike I was already sweating more than what I ever had in that amount of time, and I am not kidding. My daypack was soaking and the small water bottle I had brought was very tempting. I would only be able to use my Nikon D90 once I reached my destination because there are to many trees to be able to take any pics before.

I slowed down my pace a bit but was still quicker than the rest of the hikers-I had less than 4 hours to do what people usually do in 6-10 hours.

Long story short, I accomplished my goal. I was allowed permission to walk beyond where my fee allowed me to and made it to the 3000m point. The temperature at that altitude had droped to about 10-15 degrees C, and the clouds were skidding along the mountain’s side.

A few pictures later I had to make my way back down, not without mixed feelings because I would not make it to the top- eventhough I was merely 1000 m away from base camp. I would not do what I had come to KK for, and had made a big effort to reach that place; thankfully my dentlat surgery was holding on but there was no way I could continue, plus the last bus would leave at 5 pm.

And so I did. The  way down is also very tiring, and  I wll admit that I got dizzy at the bottom when I crouched to take a picture. I then realized I had done all this exercise without breakfast or lunch, during a dental surgery recovery day, and with only a small water bottle.

I  slowly walked to the park store and bought a Kit Kat and some Gatorade, then reached the junction where the bus would take me back to KK. Satisfied yet exhausted I made my way to KK chit-chatting with Emma, a friendly british girl who was travelling for a few months as well. Once in the city I headed straight to a cheap stall to get some food and made it back to the hotel, where Liza did not look half as tired as I did.

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The bus ride from Sibu was not very comfortable ( I probably have a worst impression than what it really was because of my wisdom tooth) and about 2 hours before ariving to Miri it stopped for a lunch break. Checking very often that it would not leave us we ate some Roti Chanai and a burger,  paying  more attention to our bus after a white one parked in front of ours, but despite I was checking often it suddenly dissappeared and I barely caught a glimpse of it as it was turning around a corner and into the main road, leaving us behind  without our backpacks!

I called Liza and ran to the parking lot asking the passing cars if anyone could help us out. Fortunately it only took me 2 cars to get a yes and off we went.  Aswan, the driver, turned out to be a very friendly person who asked us about our trip and travel plans. As soon as we did he told us not to waste time going to Miri, and that once we caught up with the bus we should place our bags in his car and he would take us to the park, dropping us at a cheap hostel he knew of. The following day he had to go to Miri anyhow, so he would pick us up once we had seen the caves. Now that’s what I call luck!

The caves are quite impressive, particularly the Great Cave which aside from being huge is also home to the nest catchers. These people risk their lives climbing a 30 m rope without protection to get a bird’s nest with which a delicatessen soup is made:hte main ingredient of the soup is the saliva of the birds found in the nest . One nest means enough money to feed a family for the whole month.

Getting to the painted cave means crossing the pitch black moon cave which hosts some rather creepy and big insects, and the primitive paintings (over 40000 years old) have faded too much  for them to be attractive to the eye.

The sweaty trek to the caves and back is about 4 hours long and at a good pace, and eventhough we hade  covered most of it with a couple of friendly Malay girls we were forced to leave them behind and head back to the park entrance and meet Aswan.

Once he arrived we hopped into his car and stopped at his cousin’s place because he would come to Miri too. Friendly as well, he was amused by our story and offered some mango juice to quench our thirst.

The bumpy roat to Miri was covered quickly, unlike finding the hostel where we would spend a night before heading to Brunei. However the rude lady at the hostel made Miri even less attractive than wht it appeared, so Aswan suggested we rush to the bus terminal hoping to get the last bus to Brunei, and so we did. And we were lucky again! It was about to leave but waited for us to purchase our tickets. We couldn’t invite Aswan and his cousing for lunch in appreciation but they were not bothered at all. We took a few fnal pictures and thanked him profoundly for all his help, and off we went to Brunei!

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The following day we did a trip to Bako National Park with  an overnight stay, another highlight of the trip so far. We saw wild proboscis (big nosed) monkeys and their smaller gray relatives which were all over the place, not afraid of humans or stealing our food. Treking is awesome but tiring, and there are a few spectacular secluded beaches where you can get away from it all.  It is certainly worth going for at least two days, which is what we did. The best way of organizing it is from the tourist info center in Kuching- they have the best prices and all the info you will need.

Kuching itself is a medium sized city with a river that basically limits it on one side. From here you can organize trips to view wildlife ( seeing orangutans in Indoneisa should be a highlight). It has a special charm and is not expensive, hence a good base camp for other activities to be done around the area. The Tune hotel can be a good option if you want to stay in a modern building, and rates are similar to those os the nearby guesthouses which can be good options as well. The biggest flower in the world , the Raflessia, grows in a Park close to the city, but we skipped that option because we wanted to move north. Next destination has been Sibu, a small and frankly unattractive town where coincidentally I would spend my birthday. Not without surprises though…

Have you ever seen Orangutans? Where? What do you think of this wildlife reserve if you ever had a chance to see it? Please remember to share this post if you liked it!

The post Orangutans and proboscis monkeys in Kuching, Borneo appeared first on MaiTravelSite.

If you get there by bus you will then need to catch metropolitan bus number 17 from the central bus station and ask to be dropped at Dataran Pahlawan;  you’ll be  smack in the middle of where most of the attractions are.  There are two large shopping malls (one of them has a Carrefour with an excellent and cheap food court with AC) set in a green environment, plenty of cheap hotels and guesthouses  in nearby Jalan Melaka Raya 1 and 2,  and Chinatown is barely 800 meters away. This city is very different from the rest of the country, and you’ll see it  as soon as you get there.

During daytime the city boasts a lot of commercial activity and its “touristy” side is not as obvious, but there are several historical attractions that are better seen with sunlight such as the ruins of Fort A Formosa, Stadthuys Square and its famous  Christ Church and St John’s Fort. All of these can be visited for free.

Another activity you might enjoy is renting a bike (they are easy to find at 4 dollars per day)  and simply cycling around the city, perhaps even visiting the historical attractions it has. We chose this option and made it all the way to St John’s Fort and Melaka’s most important Mosque, Masjit Selat. We cycled for about 3 hours overall, and despite the intense heat had a great time as everything is very bicycle friendly.

If you’re staying in this area you might want to enjoy your lunch in the food court I mention above or at the alley that borders Jalan Merdaka street right in fron of the Carrefour. These food stalls might be a bit cheaper, but you wont have the AC that you could desperately need depending on what time of the year you’re visiting.

Melaka can be extremely hot during the day so make sure you have water at all times. But here is an a little secret: how would you feel if you could  jump into cool water during the hotest time of the day?  Mbmb swimming pool (right beside Taman Merdeka gardens) is an Olympic sized public pool extremely well mantained, super clean and open to everyone from 2:30pm to 4:15pm every day. The best part of it is that you’ll probably have it for yourself! It only costs 2 ringit per person and is excellent value; we went every day while in Melaka ( for more info visit the Mbmb pool site).

Once the sun begins to set the beautiful center is lit an an array of colors designed to emphasize the different monuments and cultures that coexist. Chinatown’s streets become red, trees shine in green and historical monuments are lit to show off a glamorous style. The flowered rickshaws are extravagantly lit and walking around is delightful, although the music the play might be a bit to loud for your liking.

Initial plan was to spend a couple of days at most but we ended up staying five. We easily made friends with a group of happy sales girls in one of the malls ( they were selling massage sofas and similar luxuries- needless to say that talking to them while trying everything and was a pleasure to all senses!) and met a Spanish couple that had been there a week already.

Next step was meant to be Singapore for two days, which ended up being 1 because of costs, letting Melaka hold on to us for an extra day which was great because we had the chance to participate in an open party that was being held in Little India. Oddly enough we were the only tourists there, but at the same time we were the only westerners enjoying the great Indian food…for free!

Melaka is famous for its colonial architecture and Nonya food, and I was looking forward to getting there. Yet what I found surpassed all what I expected and recommend  it as a must see if you ever visit Malaysia.

Have you been in Melaka? What did you like best ? I have no doubt that it is Malaysia’s most picturesque city, what do you think?  And please share this post if you liked it

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Getting to Pulau Perhentian Kecil was proving to be interesting already: it was the third time in the past 30 minutes that the taxi driver had pulled over on the busy road from Kota Bahru to Kuala Besut on our way there.

“Are you ok?” we asked.

“Yes, yes.” he replied, “ Me a little ..hmmm…sleepy. Yes , me sleepy”.

Oh boy.

We made it though, no scares at all (almost) and the speedboat to Perhentian Kecil was due on time. This was good news, after having endured a long trip the day before from Taman Negara to Kota Bahru in NE Malaysia. The 10 hour ride in the Jungle Railway had been smooth and comfortable in the air conditioned second class car- only 2 Ringit more expensive than the tourist car. Some travelers have said that the trip is quite annoying, but in my opinion as long as your seat has a clean window you are in for a nice ride.

The speedboat to Perhentian Kecil is fast- very fast. After 30 minutes of skimming and jumping over the waves we reached the southern tip of the island- and it is breathtaking. Crystal clear turquoise waters surround a jungle covered island where life is not what you and I are used to. We dropped our stuff in our quite basic bungalow at D’Lagoon (60 Ringit/ night, north side of the island), I jumped into my trunks and ran into the water. It felt SO good to be in what I considered what was one of the best beaches in Malaysia.

A few minutes later I grabbed my snorkeling gear and went for a quick dive- but it’s impossible. Just a few seconds after dipping my head underwater I found out why this is one of the top 10 diving spots in the world; within 100 m of the beach you enter a different universe, one where colorful life surrounds you in every direction: schools of Napoleon fish half as big as myself mingle with all sorts of smaller rainbow colored cousins; clown fish leave the sea anemone behind not to welcome you but to defend their home, despite being no bigger than my index finger and looking rather friendly, and small reef sharks swim around pretending they are no threat to the smaller groupers that hide in the coral reef. It is worth mentioning that I have snorkeled in a few places around the world like the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Florida, Cancun, the Mediterranean or Indonesia, and none of them had as much life as the Perhentians.

We spent 3 days here doing little else other than eating, sleeping, snorkeling and sunbathing and left the island with a nice tan and even nicer underwater memories (pity we had no underwater camera-make sure you don’t make this mistake), but not as nice bed bug bites. As a final note I want to say that these islands are not very cheap, so do not expect good deals, but I highly recommend you stop by for 4 days or so if only for the snorkeling. We certainly enjoyed our stay and am sure you will too!

The next stop was Cherating, a sleepy beach town about 300km south of the Perhentians. The small village is a good place to relax and do nothing, although monsoon season does make it a surf spot. Locals are very friendly and accommodation is good value, and I left with an easy but great recipe for my future hamburgers, courtesy of a charming street post vendor.

How familiar are you with these islands in Malaysia? What do the pictures inspire you? Of all the places, islands and beaches you have seen around the world, which would YOU call paradise? Share your thoughts below, and this post too if you liked it!

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Malaysia made a big deal of its nature during the 2007 tourism campaign, and rightfully so. At over 130 million years old Taman Negara is the oldest jungle  in the world and one of many in Malaysia, but certainly not the only one to enjoy. It has been, however, our first encounter with one of them and has lived up to its hype, except perhaps in what would have been the largest thrill: seeing a large wild animal, whether it be a “big cat”, en elephant or even a tapir.

To get there we got a bus from Kuala Lumpur to Jerantut (19 MR) then a shared taxi to the jetty (5MR) and after cruised in a small powerboat all the way to Kuala Tahan (35 MR). While doing so I couldn’t avoid thinking about Charlie Sheen and his buddies in “Apocalypse Now”; a brown murky river found its way through a dense jungle home to water buffalos and who knows what else. The 3.5 hour trip is everything but boring, and by the time you wonder how much further you will go you have reached Kuala Tahan and the park.

The small riverside village is somewhat dull at first glance and finding OK accommodation takes a while, but soon after its easy mood and friendly charm make you feel like one more villager.

Fried rice with chicken gave us the energy to join a night trek in the jungle, time during which animal viewing is supposed to be the best. Two hours later we were back in the restaurant and had seen nothing but a millipede, a scorpion, walking sticks and 2 deer in the distance. This said the sounds of the jungle are everything you imagine you will hear and much more.

On day 2 we did the canopy walk that offers nice views of the jungle at tree top heights and after made our way to the top of Teresek mountain to enjoy great views. The walk is no easy task, requiring some leg strength, good lungs and heaps of water to replace what is lost from the sweat.

At the top we met Johan and Lieve, a friendly Belgian couple that was having a hard time keeping the flies away from their faces, just as we were. Easy talking let to friendship and we all trekked the 2 hours back together, explored a nearby sinkhole and when done quenched our thirst in a restaurant boat. We had different plans for the following day but still hope to get together in Borneo…

Overall impression? Although we did not see any large animals and that was the main reason for going there, I would certainly go back. I enjoyed the treks, the dinners in the restaurant boats and the impressive sounds of the jungle. If you also consider the cheap costs or decide to participate in other activities that are offered (there are 9 day jungle walking treks, elevated hides for night animal observation, night drives…) then the equation becomes a no-brainer, bearing in mind that to see big animal you will need some luck. But then nature always runs its own course, right?

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Kuala Lumpur is a surprisingly modern city with a lot of vegetation but also traffic, depending on location and time. The first thing that caught our attention is the very large Indian population, with the distinctive appearance and pleasant smiles. And the second was the huge buildings with futuristic architechture that can be found in the Golden Triangle (around the Petronas Towers) and the outskirts of the city.

I had heard mixed reviews of the city from people who had been here, ranging from the “It’s a very dirty place I would not go back to” to ” A great metropolis with a  blending of cultures that will keep you busy for days”.  My opinion? It is something in between.

There are quite a few things to see in and around the city,  including the world famous Batu Caves ( famous for the Hindi pilgrimage that happens there once a year where devotees perform self-body tortures as a symbol of faith), Chinatown and Little India, and the reknown Petronas Towers, in my opinion the star of the show, hands down. I’m not a big fan of urban and metropolitan attractions when traveling, but the Petronas Towers, with their impressive design and excellent location make it a marvel to look at, particularly at night. You can visit them for free ( a big bonus of the city, as  most attractions have no cost)  and entertain yourself purchasing goodies in the shopping mall at its base.

All in all the city has ranked high in my  likings, and I would certainly recommend spending at least a day visiting the caves and the Petronas if you don’t have time for more.

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