Travel experiences: Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

It’s been a while since I last went to Kuala Terengganu. 5 years to be exact. Although this is where I was raised, I have no more connections to this town anymore. My parents moved with me to Kuala Lumpur 3 years ago and I have no more relatives here. I’ve become a tourist in my own backyard.

Things have changed quite a bit here. The last time I was here, the state was being administered by the opposition party. There was a different Chief Minister in charge and because it was ruled by the opposition, federal government funding was lacking and the state government had to depend on internal sources to develop the stat. You could see the evidence of the lack of federal government funding. Deelopment had slowed down to a minimal.

But now, look a the rate the state is developping. The road into Kuala Terengganu itself is being upgraded from two lanes to four lanes. Traffic is building up all over the state. This once quiet town is now becoming a hustling and bustlig city. A bit of nostalgia hits me as I pass through the residential area which I grew up in. As I pass by the beaches, I remember myself when I was a small kid, swimming in the ocean with friends. Coming to Kuala Terengganu always brings back a lot of memories.

I’ve come to Kuala Terengganu on a business trip. It seems nowadays that’s the only reason I come here anymore. I’ve never been here on holiday. It’s my hometown. Although I haven’t been here often since I moved to Kuala Lumpur, I still regard it as my hometown.

This business trip, is a last minute thing. I only found out 3 days before making this trip. The moment I found out about it, I was ecstatic. I had two meetings with a day off in between. I could use the day off and go exploring, maybe visit some of my old haunts.

I started my day off with a trip to the wet market, the Pasar Besar Kedai Payang. This is still the main focal point of the city. I’m not here to buy any supplies, I just wanted to visit the first floor of the market. The frst floor of the market is made up of small stalls which accommodates a large number of small batik and songket retailers. There are a few bronze and handicraft stalls, but the majority of the stalls are occupied by the batik outlets.

Things haven’t changed here much. The first floor is still bustling with a lot of activities. Batik from Terengganu has always been of high quality and buyers from all over the country come ot this market to buy batik. Batik of many colours and designs decorate

Kampung Baru – Where You Can be Satisfied All the Way!

 

An enclave comprised mostly of the Malay Muslims in heart of Kuala Lumpur, Kampung Baru is among the oldest Malay settlements in the area since the early ages. In 1900 Kampung Baru was considered as Malay Agricultural Settlement under British administrators in consequence of which, it was developed into a higher economical standard and modern-city living turned it into a political symbol of Malay culture.

 

Kampung Baru, which is one of the most valuable land areas in Kuala Lumpur, is worth about 1.4 billion US dollars and various kinds of vendors and restaurant can be seen on both sides of the streets. People from various parts of the world get attracted to this commercial area in order to satisfy their diverse needs such as tasting variety of cuisines at fascinating restaurants or feeling the utmost of night life entertainment or acquiring excellent health care.

 

In this area, Malay wooden and brick houses can be seen everywhere accompanied by modern skyscrapers such as Petronas Towers, known as world’s second tallest structure. Kampung Baru is very famous for its “Bubur Lambuk” which means “rice porridge” in Malay and which is cooked at the local mosque and distributed for free During Ramadan. More over one can enjoy almost all kinds of traditional food items such as Tauhu Sumbat, Kuih Cara and Putih Naga etc.

 

Also in this land which is about 250 acres, racial clashes have took place between ethnic Malays and Chinese in 1969 and the rebellions began when Chinese opposition parties protested in the village during general elections in the year. Especially, people who belong to each different ethnic group in this area respect and protect their culture and traditions very strongly. In spite of the past the people in current Kampung Baru get along harmoniously while preserving their own ethnic Malay lifestyles.

 

For any tourist who seeks comfortable stay at an affordable price, there are a number of budget hotels in Kuala Lumpur which offer great comforts and convenient access to these landmarks.

Language tips for traveling in Malaysia – Part 1

Most Malaysians speak at least two languages, mainly Bahasa Melayu and their own mother tongue, predominately many dialects of Chinese and Tamil, a south Indian language. But in this multi-cultural tropical country, it would be no surprise to know that several speak all three and of course English.

Although English is spoken widely and remains the language of commerce, banking and international trade, the national language is, however, Bahasa Melayu. It is essential to know some useful yet simple phrases as you navigate away from ultra-modern cities of Kuala Lumpur, Penang to smaller outskirt towns and exotic paradise along its coastline. Locals are more than helpful and accommodating if you speak to them in Bahasa Melayu, no matter how poorly. Your efforts will be much appreciated.

As a fluent speaker of Bahasa Melayu, I have prepared a short list of common phrases and words which I believe will make your travelling easy.

Could you help me?

Bolehkah awak tolong saya?

I come from…

Saya datang dari…

I’m on holiday.

Saya sedang bercuti.

I have no small change.

Saya tidak ada duit kecil.

I want to make a phone call.

Saya mahu membuat panggilan telefon.

Can I have more…

Boleh tambah lagi…

Please show me the way to…

Tolong tunjukkan saya arah ke…

This food is delicious.

Makanan ini lazat.

How much is it?

Berapakah harganya?

Please give me a receipt.

Tolong beri saya resit.

Where is the toilet?

Di mana tandas?

Good morning

Selamat pagi

Good afternoon

Selamat tengahari

Good evening

Selamat petang

Good night

Selamat malam

Thank you

Terima kasih

Money changer

Pengurup wang

At restaurants, ordering of food is not much of a problem as most menus are illustrated. But just to have a feel of local terms used or maybe to impress a business associate, you can use these words below as a guide.

Eat

Makan

Drink

Minum

Rice

Nasi

Bread

Roti

Vegetables

Sayur

Fish

Ikan

Beef

Daging lembu

Chicken

Ayam

Prawn

Udang

Coffee

Kopi

Tea

Teh

Sugar

Gula

I would advise my foreign friends to carry a pocket sized calculator and use it to indicate amount that they are willing to pay at shopping malls. It saves you from unnecessary miscommunication and price haggling. This is one trick I use when travelling to places where language is a huge barrier.

One

Satu

Two

Dua

Three

Tiga

Four

Empat

Five

Lima

Six

Enam

Seven

Tujuh

Eight

Lapan

Nine

Sembilan

Ten

Sepuluh

One Hundred

Seratus

One Thousand

Seribu

There is so much more to the list but for the meantime, it should be able to see you through your holidays in Malaysia. You can also choose to get a handy phrase guide at your local bookstore or online.

Traveling to Singapore

I recently traveled through Singapore on my way to a week in Indonesia. This wasn’t unusual – Singapore is one of the major hubs for air travel in southeast Asia, along with Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. I had a few different flight options, and opted for one with a stop in Singapore so that I could have dinner and sightsee with my friend Margaret, who lives and works there. I also booked a hotel room through a web site she recommended, www.asiarooms.com. Traveling to Singapore is pretty easy for most people; here are a few things I learned before and after arrival, which may be helpful to first-time travelers from abroad.

Getting there:

Singapore’s airport is one of the best in the world and is served by a variety of regional and intercontinental carriers, including the excellent national flag carrier, Singapore Airlines. Actually getting there can be grueling, though, since it often involves a long flight. It’s a good seven or eight hours from Tokyo or Sydney, and at least a dozen hours from the biggest European hubs in Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London. I had the misfortune to wind up in an economy-class middle seat for the twelve and a half hours it took me to fly from Paris, and think upgrading would be an excellent idea if it’s at all possible! On this long of a flight, it’s important to stretch whenever you can, remain hydrated, and try to get some sleep to help adjust to the time difference – Singapore is 8 time zones away from either London or the west coast of the US.

Getting in:

For me, entry into Singapore was the easiest part. Like everyone else on my flight who was entering Singapore, I filled out an arrival form before my flight landed. But since Singapore is a free trade zone and has a reciprocal visa waiver program with the U.S., my U.S. passport got me into the country at no cost, with no line, and no problems. The same will probably be true for citizens of many other major trading countries, although I’m sure actual visas will be required for those from some other nations. The arrival form includes a detachable stub, which must be kept with one’s passport and turned in upon departure.

I am not a drug smuggler, and will just note for those who are that in Singapore, as in most of southeast Asia, the penalty for drug smuggling is a mandatory death sentence. Just a piece of trivia to keep in mind.

Money:

Singapore is a commercial hub, so it’s easy to change money at the airport. I had Scottish pounds sterling,

Must see attractions in Malaysia – Part 4

I visited Borneo and Kuala Lumpur last year and being a massive fan of animals, myself and my boyfriend visited all the animal related attractions. One of these was the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park. If you are travelling to Kuala Lumpur then this is one attraction you shouldn’t miss!

Where Is It?

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is situated in the Lake Gardens area of Kuala Lumpur which is close to the Orchid Gardens and the Tun Abdul Razek Memorial. The bird park is a little bit out of the main town in Kuala Lumpur as we did try to follow a map and find our way there on foot but after getting lost and asking a couple of locals which way we needed to go, they told us we would be better getting a taxi. So get a taxi we did and good job too because it was about a 15-20 minute journey to the Bird Park. The Lake Gardens area where the Bird Park is situated also have many other attractions such as The Deer Park, Orchid & Hibiscus Garden, Butterfly Park and some beautiful landscaped gardens so you can combine all the attractions and only pay the one taxi fare and make a day of it.

Opening Hours

The Bird Park is open all year except for any religious holidays. Opening hours are 9am 6.30pm every day including Sundays and Public holidays.

Admission Prices

Tourists pay higher admission fees than the locals do. Locals pay 12 ringets for an adult and 6 ringets for a child. Tourists will pay 22 ringets for an adult and 15 ringets for a child which is 3.30 for an adult and 2.60 for a child in English money. As you can see the prices were more than reasonable.

About The Bird Park

The KL Bird Park was opened in 1991 by the Queen of Malaysia, Tunku Bainun.

The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is the largest walk in aviary in the world. The bird park is set across 8 acres of land and is certainly very picturesque. Over 9000 species of birds currently live in the bird park and you can see them in natural surroundings as they are all free to fly where they want due to the fact that the bird park is built in the style of a massive aviary so basically the whole area of the bird park is covered by netting. Of the 5000 birds, around 90% are native birds and 10% are imported from other countries around the world.

While the birds are allowed to fly freely, the incompatible species are confined in smaller Avery and specially designed open areas within the park so they all still have adequate space.

The Bird Park is divided into five zones to prevent different species (that do not

Best Asian destinations for the US dollar – Part 3

To select just a few destinations in Asia is not easy. Many very different countries with a multitude of customs, traditions and several different religions makes for very interesting and enjoyable travel experiences at good prices.

I have visited many Asian countries and found something special and many really worthwhile experiences in them all. Value for your dollar, or Euro etc, varies, but in general, costs are lower than in the USA or Europe. Of course, it depends on what “value” means to you. A very low price for sub standard service or dirty and very basic living conditions is not what I look for.

Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur are worthwhile stop-over points with lots worth seeing at reasonable costs in all of them. It is not always advisable to look for the cheaper hotels since some of the top class hotels offer real luxury at very attractive prices. Kuala Lumpur is my favourite and also where I think the best value for your hard earned cash can be found. I have stayed a few times in the new Hilton, where two people can have an Executive room for about 145 dollars per night. This includes really luxurious and spacious accommodation, with buffet breakfast, daytime non-alcoholic refreshments, evening hot and cold buffet with small but very tasty examples of Asian food, deserts, fruits, cheeses and chocolates, accompanied with unlimited wines, beers and spirits of your choice. Using a cheaper hotel with inferior facilities and not including food and drink could prove over all more expensive. Although many restaurants offer good low priced food, alcohol can increase the bill considerably. The city is expanding and being improved rapidly but in a well planned and attractive way. Shopping possibilities and value could soon be the best in the world. It has, in my opinion, already left Singapore far behind.

There are bargains to be found in other areas of Malaysia and overall many very good fairly priced hotels. The “tax free” island of Langkawi is particularly good value for money.

Vietnam is a land where much can be seen and enjoyed for a very low outlay. Flights from Kuala Lumpar to Hanoi or Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) can be quite cheap and internal travel costs are very low. A 120 mile trip by train from Phan Thiet to Saigon cost me under 6 dollars in the “soft seat” class. Like everywhere else in Asia, get a few quotes before deciding on what to do. A private day tour to the Mekong Delta was first quoted at 85 dollars per person but

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