Overview
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. It is the second
largest state by population in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur started
off as a tin-mining town but today, it is a 21st century
metropolis which is populated by myriads of skyscrapers and is
the focus of many international trade and commerce. The one
place that should not be missed is Bukit Bintang. Located at
the heart of the Golden Triangle of majestic city of Kuala
Lumpur, Bukit Bintang district first started off along Jalan
Bukit Bintang but slowly expanded to its surrounding areas.
Today, it stretches from Jalan Raja Chulan to Jalan Pudu. Day
or night, rain or shine, Bukit Bintang is always full of
people from all walks of life. The myriads of al-fresco cafes,
posh restaurants, lavish bars, bustling hawker centres and
multilevel shopping centres such as the Kuala Lumpur Convention
Center (KLCC) and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur are the main
attractions that draw throngs and throngs of tourists and
locals to this area. Also within the vicinity of Bukit Bintang
are the Sungei Wang Plaza and Berjaya Times Square which are
famous malls in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. However, the largest
of them all is none but the Midvalley Megamall of Kuala Lumpur.
If you would like to get hold of some good bargains and great
street food, head over to Chinatown (Petaling Street).
Hundreds and thousands of stalls are set up here at the
Petaling Street. You can find almost anything here. Where
ever you walk, you will find good food. That's the uniqueness
of Petaling Street. Another internationally famous attraction
in Kuala Lumpur is the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park which is the
world's largest free flight aviary and the home of over 3000
birds from 200 species.
In Selangor, the top destinations are the Sunway Lagoon
Water Theme Park. There are various types of parks with
varying themes. The water park is very full during the
weekends so be sure to get there early to avoid disappointment.
Attached to the Sunway Lagoon Water Park is the Sunway
Pyramid Shopping Center as well as the Sunway Hotel where
you can consider staying while visiting this part of Malaysia.
Sunway Pyramid has thousands of shops in it varying from local
to international brands. Sunway Pyramid is also the only place
in Malaysia with an ice skating rink. If you are interested to
try ice skating, you should head on over to Sunway Pyramid
Shopping Mall. Other than the Sunway Lagoon Water Park, there
is also the i-City Shah Alam which has beautiful display of
colorful LED lights all over the place. They are beautifully
arranged and decorated over the trees for visitors to take
photos. These lights are only turned on at night, so be sure
to get there at night. Shopping can also be done in Selangor.
One of the famous shopping mall is The Curve (Damansara). The
Curve has quite a number of shops in it but its main attraction
is its flea market which is held every weekend. It also has
an extensive range of restaurants where you can dine at. The
Apartment is a restaurant that should not be missed. Its fish
dishes and cocktails are simply to die for. There is a bridge
connecting The Curve with Ikano Power Centre. Ikea, is
connected with the Ikano Power Center. Thus, you can do some
furniture shopping and then move to Ikano Power Center for
groceries.
Up north is the state of Penang. Penang is divided into the
Penang Island and Butterworth. There is not much at
Butterworth but it is totally the opposite on the Island
of Penang. One of the famous places to visit is the Batu
Feringghi Beach where tourists can enjoy some water sports
and some sun bathing. Tourists can choose to stay at the
Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion. The late Cheong Fatt Tze loved to
maintain mansions in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and
Chine other than this one in Penang. Though all his mansions
were lavishly built and decorated, the Blue mansion along
Leith Street is by far the most elaborate and lavish. The
Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion is a boutique hotel that can be booked
as accommodation and even for wedding reservations. Other than
the impressive architectures that you can see at the Cheong
Fatt Sze Mansion, you can also visit the Khoo Kongsi to view
its magnificent clan house which is located at the southwest
of Georgetown. In the Air Itam area of Penang, are the Kek
Lok Si Temple Air Itam and the Penang Hill. Right at the
entrance of the Kek Lok Si Temple is the famous asam laksa
shop. Do not forget to try it out. Kek Lok Si temple is made up
of many stalls and is a pagoda which is ascended in a spiral
manner. As you reach the top, you will be able to witness the
view of Penang. The Penang Hill is located in the center of
Georgetown. The only way to access the hill is via the
Penang Hill Railway which will bring you up 833meters to the
top of the hill. There are various flora and fauna at the
top of the hill. If your stomach starts to growl for food,
you should head on over to Gurney Drive. You can enjoy various
famous delicacies of Penang there. After filling up your
stomach, you can take a stroll along the seaside or at the
Gurney Mall which is just beside Gurney Drive.
Pahang is located in the center of Malaysia. Attractions
here are more nature-related especially the Taman Negara
which is a national park where you can explore and see
wild animals and unique floras. You can also rent a chalet
here and stay a few days to fully explore the park. Fraser's
Hill is also one of the many famous pristine forests found
in Malaysia. For some strawberries and fresh vegetables,
you should head on over to Cameron Highlands. There are
strawberry farms where you can choose and pluck your own
strawberries. At the night market, you can also buy back
fresh vegetable at a very low price. If you are in the mood
for some theme park rides, you should go to Genting Highlands.
After than on your way down, you can drop by and visit the
Bukit Tinggi resort as well. The Cherating beach in Kuantan
is a beautiful beach where you can plan a picnic and enjoy
some water sports. Pahang is also the place where the best
durians and ginger are grown. Thus, do not miss out on that.
At the south of Malaysia is the state of Johor. The state of
Johor is the nearest to Singapore and is famous for its beaches
and islands. Among the famous attractions in Johor are the
Desaru Beach, Kota Tinggi Water Falls. Famous islands in Johor
are the Sibu Island, Pulau Besar and Rawa Island. The Rawa
Island is an exclusive island which has not been visited by
many. Its pristine waters and scenery is one of the many things
to look forward to when you are there. Since Johor is just
surrounded by water, you will be able to feast on the freshest
seafood. The place to go is Mersing. Here you can eat
various types of seafood and you can also choose to stay
over at the hotels found here. If you want to have a look at
the more developed part of Johor, you can go to Danga Bay.
Many concerts are held here and on the weekends, there are
live performances for the public to watch. Since Danga Bay
is near the sea, you can enjoy some sea breeze while enjoying
the music from the performances on stage there.
There are just so many other attractions in each and every
state in Malaysia. In the north are the state of Kedah and
Perlis. In Kedah for instance, the most famous place is the
Langkawi Island. There you can visit the Oriental Village
Langkawi, the Lang Square Langkawi where you can take photos
of the beautiful scenery and the renowned landmark of Langkawi
which is the eagle and also learn and watch unique marine
creatures at the Pulau Payar Marine Park. Perlis is a small
state in the north with a decent amount of attractions which
include the snake and reptile farm, the Kota Kayang Museum
and the Gua Kelam (Dark Cave).
Moving downwards and just beside Kuala Lumpur is Negeri
Sembilan. This is a place where you should go for a short
trip if you are near Kuala Lumpur. Port Dickson is a famous
beach among tourists. Locals love to come here over the
weekend for a short getaway. Port Dickson is also a popular
place to organize team building camps as many of the resorts
here are equipped with many obstacle courses. There are two
towns in Negeri Sembilan and they are Seremban and Nilai.
Right beside Negeri Sembilan is the historical city of Malacca.
Malacca is rich is cultures from the occupation of the
Portuguese and British and the remains from the occupation
back then can still be seen at the Stadhuys, Maritime Museum
Malacca and A Famosa. The Baba Nyonya community has long
existed in Malacca since the Chinese traders came to Malacca
to trade spices and silk. Some of them got married to the
Malay women of Malacca and there you have it, the baba and
nyonya community. Their culture and heritage can be seen at
the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum which is along the Jonker
Street. Great food can be found at the Jonker Street. Good
baba nyonya food can be found at Nancy's Kitchen and at
Donald and Lily's. For Portuguese style dishes, they can be
found at the Portuguese Square Malacca. Here you can enjoy
seafood cooked in the Portuguese way. For seafood cooked the
Malay way, you can try eating at Muara Sungai Duyung. The
variety and freshness of the seafood is beyond compare.
The East Coast of Malaysia, especially Terengganu is most
renowned for its islands. Pulau Redang was visited by so many
tourists that now it has been made exclusive to avoid further
damages to the corals there. Pulau Perhentian is also a great
diving site for diving enthusiasts. For those to want a quiet
time at the beach and just relax for a few days should pick
Pulau Lang Tengah. Pulau Lang Tengah is a small island just
beside Pulau Redang and has only four hotels there. Much
lesser people visit Pulau Lang Tengah and it is most suitable
for tourists who just want some quiet time. You can also
snorkel and even opt for deep sea diving at Lang Tengah.
There is also a turtle bay where many turtles often drop by.
Other than islands, the Lake Kenyir is an artificial lake
which was formed from by the damming of the Kenyir River.
Though the lake is a manmade one, it has been successfully
made into an eco-tourism spot. Among the activities that can
be done here are fishing, jungle trekking, caving, kayaking
and canoeing. Beside Terengganu is the state of Kelantan. Top
attractions in Kelantan include the Gunung Stong State Park,
the Siti Khadijah Market, Irama Beach and the Handicraft
Village & Craft Museum.
Across the South China Sea is the Sabah and Sarawak state.
Many people visit Kota Kinabalu,Sabah because they want to
conquer Mount Kinabalu. The Mount Kinabalu is the 20th tallest
mountain in the world and is protected as Kinabalu National
Park which is a World Heritage Site. It is only in the Kinabalu
National Park that you can see the world's largest flower
which is the rafflesia. Though it may look pretty but it has
a rotten meat-stench to it which is quite a turn off for human
but attracts insects which the flower feeds on. One of the
world's best diving spots is found here in Sabah. That would be
the Sipadan Island. A diving trip to Sipadan Island will set
you back quite a bit as this is an exclusive diving spot. Other
than diving, you can also visit the Turtle Island Park and the
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. For food, you can try getting
some fruits and sea produce at the Filipino market in Kota
Kinabalu. There are also souvenirs sold there. Next to Sabah
is Sarawak. In Sarawak, you will see many statues of cats
in the city. This is because the capital of Sarawak is Kuching
which literally translates to cat in Bahasa Malaysia. The more
renowned tourist attractions are the Gunung Mulu National Park
and the long houses of the indigenous people of Sarawak. The
bigger towns in Sarawak are Sibu and Miri. One famous dish here
is the kolo noodles. Kolo noodles are basically egg noodle
which are boiled promptly and then served with crushed garlic
and shallot and a generous amount of minced pork or beef and
a splash of white vinegar and oil.
Transport
Flights are the easiest way to access Malaysia if you are from
other country. Our main airport would be the Kuala Lumpur
International Airport. Budget flights will arrive at the Low
Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). Getting around in Malaysia is
easy. If you are a local, you can either take a taxi or rent
a car. You can also take public transport too. However, if you
are a foreign tourist, renting a car may not be a good idea
as traffic is quite bad in Kuala Lumpur especially. It is best
to take a taxi, bus or the LRT. With myriads of restaurants
and hotels in Kuala Lumpur and other places in Malaysia, it
will not be difficult to find a place to put up for the night
or grab a meal. Malaysia is so multi-cultural that you need to
worry about the food. There are plenty to choose from.
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