LET'S CATCH THE RAINBOW

Let's catch the 272 rainbows coloured steps to the Cave's Chambers. Just imagine photoshoot opportunities during sunrise. How cool will that be! We assure you the rainbow delight will never stop to amaze you. It is an Instagram bucket-list-worthy destination to both religious and non-religious visitors. This infamous attraction is no other than the Batu Caves located outside of KL in the state of Selangor.

Batu Caves, in Malay it means the limestone cave. It is said to be around 400 million years old comprising of caves with its interior walls stretching almost to the sky, with birds flying high above and wild monkeys running up its rock-faced walls. In the past, indigenous people used the cave as transit shelters and Chinese settler's excavated guano to fertilise their vegetable patches, however, now it's famous for its Hindu shrines, rock climbing and caving.

Batu Caves attracts more than a million visitors yearly. The main attractions being the statue of Hindu deity Lord Murugan, the Rainbow stairs and the annual Thaipusam festival.

Lord Murugan stands at 42.7m high said to be the third tallest statue of a Hindu deity in the world. It stands guard at the foot of the rainbow stairs.

The rainbow stairs are one of the most photoshoot attraction at Batu Caves. These stairs initially were just wooden steps later replaced by concrete steps and in 2018 were painted in gorgeous rainbow colours. These stairs will take one into the Temple caves. Be aware that many monkeys walking on the steps too and you may be lucky to spot the macaques. Make sure to hold on loose objects as the cheeky monkeys can get into mischief with the visitors.

Annually, the Thaipusam Festival celebration takes place inside the Batu Caves attracting people far and wide to witness the procession. The event that sees extreme body piercings with needles, hooks and spears, and a procession where devotees in trance carry along a kavadi or physical burden as an offer to their god before they climb the rainbow painted steps to the temples inside the cave to receive blessings.
This year Thaipusam Festival celebrations inside the Batu Caves will not take place as usual on the 28th January 2021 due to COVID19.

Let's all dream now and travel later as Malaysia awaits you to be a part of this experience in near future.

Website: www.theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au

A MALAYSIAN STATE WELL-KNOWN FOR ITS ISLANDS AND WILDLIFE PARKS, SABAH PROVIDES AMPLE WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES IN THE OUTDOORS

Kinabatangan River (source: Tourism Malaysia)

For all nature and wildlife enthusiasts, a journey around the attractions of Malaysian Borneo, where Sabah is found, will be an unforgettable experience – ranging from coral reef dives, trekking Mount Kinabalu, or exploring the jungles of the state, which is occupied by around 55 per cent forest.

Among the most extraordinary jungle experiences on offer in Malaysia is a boat trip up Sabah’s longest river, the 560-kilometre Kinabatangan, which begins in the Crocker Range in Southwest Sabah and ends at the Sulu Sea southeast of Sandakan.

From the Kinabatangan’s headwaters to its vast river mouth, the river passes through a diverse range of habitats – dipterocarp forest, seasonally flooded riparian forest, oxbow lakes, nipah, and mangroves – each offering opportunities to see some of the region’s wildlife.

Cruising down the river, travellers have the chance to spot proboscis monkeys, orangutan, gibbons, Bornean pygmy elephants, tarsiers, slow loris, macaque monkeys, crocodiles, freshwater sharks, Irrawaddy dolphins, and hornbills, among a variety of other birds.

Trading an above-water adventure for one below, travellers can step across to Pulau Sipadan, a jewel of an island off the north eastern coast of Borneo, to enjoy world-class diving.

Lying five degrees north of the equator in the Sulawesi Sea (Celebes Sea), Sipadan is home to more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species, and is well known for its large numbers of green and hawksbill turtles, which gather there to mate and nest.

According to Sabah Tourism, it is not unusual for a diver to see more than 20 turtles on each dive, with a total of 12 dive sites in Sipadan, the most popular of which include Turtle Cavern, Barracuda Point, South Point, and Hanging Gardens.

Another island worth hopping to just 10 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu is Gaya Island, which forms part of the five-island Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park.

Gaya, which spans an area of 15 square kilometres and derives its name from the Bajau word ‘Gayo’ (meaning ‘big’), is the largest island in the park and is covered with dense virgin, tropical forest.

Explorers, take note: the island has 20 kilometres of hiking trails and three five-star resorts, including Gayana Marine Resort, which is home to the Marine Ecology Research Centre; the neighbouring Gaya Island Resort (by YTL Hotel Group); and the Bunga Raya Island Resort on the north-east of the island.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (source: Tourism Malaysia)

The coral reefs along the entire coast of Gaya island are also said to be in excellent condition, making it a surprisingly good diving destination, considering its proximity to Kota Kinabalu city.

And for a chance to give back to Bornean conservation efforts, travellers should take the time to visit the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, the only centre of its type dedicated to providing care and rehabilitation to rescued sun bears.

The mission of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sabah is to promote sun bear conservation in Borneo through animal welfare, conservation, rehabilitation, education and research, giving captured sun bears a better home and restoring their right to live in the wild.

Sun bears are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Redlist. Travellers can contribute to the conservation of this species by visiting the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, with all proceeds going toward their survival.

Open since 2014, the facility also offers visitors the chance to see rescued ex-pet sun bears on their road to rehabilitation, as well as local plants and animals, including orangutans, macaques, squirrels, and diverse tropical tree species.

To discover more about Malaysia and all it has to offer, click here.

TOURISM MALAYSIA 

Website: https://www.tourism.gov.my/

Website: www.theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au

‘MALAYSIA TRULY ASIA’ IS MALAYSIA’S TOURISM BRAND, AND IT COULDN’T BE MORE FITTING FOR THIS NATION.

Nasi Kerabu (source: Tourism Malaysia)

Even though international travel from Australia will remain off the cards for most of us until at least 2021, there are still plenty of reasons to ensure your knowledge of the world’s tourism offerings remains tip-top.

Case in point: the stunning nation of Malaysia. Here’s a rundown of what makes this Southeast Asian nation unique, and what gives it its point of difference.

Practically located in the middle of Southeast Asia, Malaysia has been a long time strategic and natural meeting point with a modern multicultural population of some 31.53 million people.

Malaysia is a country with fascinating people, a broad range of attractions, and a vast array of cuisines inherited from its three major cultures: the Malays, Chinese and Indians. Standout dishes – and foods that cannot be missed on a trip to the nation – include Malaysia’s national dish, Nasi Lemak.

Other yummy eats you’ll find in the streets of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur include Nasi Kerabu, a local rice-based dish with a twist – traditionally, the rice in Nasi Kerabu is naturally dyed blue and cooked together with petals of the butterfly pea flower. The dish is served with salted eggs, fried fish or chicken, sambal, fermented fish paste, coconut, stuffed green chillies, or fish crackers.

Along with the ethnic traditions of the Kadazan-Dusun, Iban and many more in Sabah and Sarawak, modern Malaysia is formed of a delightful multicultural fabric – a potpourri enriched further with the influence of the British, Portuguese, Dutch and Thais, which can be felt through the nation’s cities.

Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, is undoubtedly one of Asia’s most exciting and lively cities. Among its towering skyscrapers are remnants of Kuala Lumpur’s rich past in the form of pre-war structures, providing an interesting contrast of two different eras.

Malaysia’s other destinations such as Melaka, Penang, Langkawi, Terengganu, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu – which we’ll be exploring in future coverage across Travel Weekly – each have their own unique charms, with some of the destinations recipients of UNESCO awards.

These include the World Heritage City of George Town, World Heritage City of Melaka, World Heritage Site of Kinabalu Park, World Heritage Site of Gunung Mulu National Park, and Langkawi’s UNESCO Global Geopark.

Malaysia’s lush and well-preserved natural landscape is perfect for a wide range of eco-adventures, with rainforests such as Taman Negara – one of the world’s oldest tropical rainforests – being home to some of the world’s rarest animals, and rich biodiversity.

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Malaysia is home to an estimated 15,000 species of vascular plants, 306 species of mammals, 742 species of birds, 242 species of amphibians, 567 species of reptiles, more than 449 species of freshwater fish, over 500 species of marine fish, and more than 150,000 species of invertebrates.

But before you decide to send someone to Malaysia, you ought to know how the country will ensure travellers stay safe in the health and hygiene prioritised era beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

To restore confidence in travelling, assuring the public that Malaysia is now safe to travel, various actions and initiatives including implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been set-up by authorities, with the latest updates disseminated through Tourism Malaysia’s official website and social media platforms.

The application of certification programs is also one of the initiatives taken by industry players to ensure the safety and hygiene of their premises. Among such initiatives is the Malaysian Association of Hotels’ (MAH) recently launched hygiene and safety label, called ‘Clean and Safe Malaysia’.

The safety label provides a certification program designed specifically for hotels and resorts in compliance with both local regulatory requirements and international standards.

Langkawi Geopark (source: Tourism Malaysia)

Tourism Malaysia, on the other hand, plays a part as an intermediary to ensure these initiatives by the industry players are conveyed to the public, both locally and internationally.

Furthermore, Malaysia’s airports are also keeping safety front-and-centre.

To discover more about Malaysia and all it has to offer, click here.

Website: www.theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au

Website: https://www.malaysia.travel/
Website: https://www.tourism.gov.my/