Our tour in the attractive Malaysia, from the capital to the most important cities

Diary of trip to Malaysia .... done by ourself!

 

KUALA LUMPUR

Finally after 17 hours of the Malaysian capital as transfers. Just the sight of the Petronas Tower raises us from the fatigue. We stay at Swisss in at strategic locations in Chinatown. The neighborhood is lively with many other stalls That Occupy Streets, Sidewalks and alleys, so walking is difficult. Curious about everything. Voices, colors, scents, a little 'less unpleasant than the smell of durian That invades the streets, it is even banned in hotels and shops take a long time That stinks. Pleasant though it is less crowded just north of Chinatown, Little India. It's hot and the humidity is very high, choking, and do everything a little 'slow. Since we are in the weekend, tickets to climb the towers still end up discussed earlier than usual so we go to the Menara KL at a height of 276 meters. to enjoy a breathtaking view over the city. Travel by taxi into town is not as cheap as the rest of Asia since the taxi drivers refuse to use the meter, plus the traffic is crazy, better to take the subway. There are many pasar Malan (night market) and Kampung Baru Among the many to have stalls of Various kinds, dining Areas That expose the food in an orderly and accurate and are very Inviting for a dinner of fish. Chinatown Night Market is held instead at the famous Jalan Petaling. Crowded and not fun to lose. Central Market is Also interesting to spend some 'time browsing the stalls in perfect order, and without so much confusion with the air conditioning is not to be refrigerated. In Addition, a whole floor of the building is dedicated to the kitchen across the world. The Golden Triangle is the area's main shopping mall with up to 100 stores. A real tour de force, we have robbed the Timberland store, Had sales of crazy. The Lake Gardens are a great alternative instead of the chaos of the city. Given the size we have only to visit the Chosen Bird Park Which is well worth a little 'time to see birds of extraordinary beauty.

The area around Kuala Lumpur:

Kuala Selengor. You get out here to watch the spectacle of fireflies. Starting from the Firefly Park by boat along the battery is Selengor Sungai (River) in the dark and in complete silence. These insects, in the Malay language kelip kelip, In Their Thousands gather around the trees "berembang" and Them With Their synchronized turn into glittering Christmas trees. It 'an unusual spectacle, Completely natural and of extreme beauty, which effectively pays for Almost 2 hours by taxi from Kuala Lumpur.

Batu Caves: a huge golden statue of the God Muruga, many monkeys and 276 steps of effort to get to the Temple Cave.

SABAH BORNEO

Air Asia air transfer. Overnight in Sepilok Jungle Resort executive room with balcony, clean and comfortable. Very pleasant terrace for fine dining and leisure.

Highly recommended! How nice That Were These 4 days immersed in a wonderful green with flowering plants, Stretches of palm oil, fruits, rest and relaxation. A short walk from the Resort is the Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre, one of the Reserves in the world for 4 These animals. The center is hosting hundred. From a platform you can watch the morning meal for 10 or 15. But this is only a supplement to HIM Gives Their diet the rest of the forest. They descend from the trees slowly inching closer and you see Them That It Seems so close to the documentary on TV. They make a lot of tenderness and I want is a tremendous pick them up and cuddle them. We Have Been lucky to see 7 or 8. (The guide is wrong Edt, I know you can watch two meals with the ticket examination but only on the examination day, I know if you like us to attend the 15 meal ticket is not valid for 10 of the meal the next day.) Another beautiful experience even though it is expensive to visit the Monkey Sanctuary Proboscic Labuk Bay. This reserve of monkeys Nasice is private. They too are fed from separate platforms, Because every family has ITS own and never mix Territory With Each Other. I am very clumsy and funny big nose to snout With That. The show is incredible. From inside the forest is slowly approaching Almost with diffidence to arrive on time to the distribution of food, Almost had a watch on your wrist. If I have a seventy, the other 300 live in the wild. Also participate on in the meal and the usual hangers-Hornillo macaques. The hospitality of the staff and the quiet of the scarcity of tourists leave a pleasant memory. 2 days to Sungai Kinabatangan Even Were interesting. The river navigation in the afternoon and early in the morning, waking up at 5. We Could I enjoy a beautiful sunset, we saw elephants and then drinks eagles, monkeys, crocodiles, baby, bird .... But the absolute best part was seeing an orang-utan eating the fruits Collected Directly from Dov 'was sitting, then fall, leaving the shells. Nature! The night walk in the forest we met. With so much anti-leech socks, boots, flashlight and a guide of the place you go looking for it all. The darkness is deep and sounds a lot, as well as insects That we see. Spiders of all kinds and colors, scorpions, Locusts, frogs, small leaves of giant, colorful birds That sleep on the branches, owls .... In short hour fun in the middle of Borneo.

Dinner and overnight at Bilit Adventure Lodge

Melaka

Overnight Hotel Orkid very comfortable and clean. Daily in the morning.

Shame we only spent half a day in this picturesque town packed with tourists. Easy to explore on foot, but very funny turn in the rickshaw, which effectively are a great attraction Already In Itself. Unbelievably decorated with fake flowers, holy pictures, posters, stereo speakers, the evening Become Almost arenas for the many colored lights. Town Square with the Town Hall and Christ Church, a wonderful red color, is always very crowded. The rickshaws have been waiting for the arrival of Organized tours. Chinatown is always fascinating. The neighborhood is invaded by stalls in the evening and the smells of food cooked on the Sidewalks That We still have not Had the spirit of sound and light show assaggiare.Lo Which Was boycotted wanted to attend a dinner at Pizza Hut Because We Were fasted for 15 hours.

TAMAN NEGARA

Overnight Chalet Resort Woodland nice clean and comfortable.

The Taman Negara is the largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia. You can reach the village of Kuala Tahan by bus or boat. The trip lasts 3 hours on the river and enjoy a beautiful view of the end, though now .... The park entrance is located on the shore opposite the village and boat taxis to take you across the river, with just a nod and .... a ringit. You can do a lot of hiking, we made the most semplici.Con a short walk you get to the Canopy Walkway, suspended walkways views on all the brochures of Malaysia. Supported by gigantic trees, as well as give you a thrill, a chance to see the jungle from another perspective and we must say it was exciting. On the way to Bukit raggiungrere Teresik, a hill where you can admire a beautiful panorama of the forest, we met about thirty hogs. Very unusual situation, the two of us alone in the jungle with these animal spaventatisi have started to run trying to avoid us, we wanted a camera! A Lubok Simponi can swim in the river and relax on a small spit of sand. We then walked into the forest for hours entranced by nature, with a tremendous heat and taking the leech, which I must say they really do suck.

Very interesting is the visit to the village of the aborigines. Skeptical about going because I thought fake, but proved to be very real. The features of the population are completely different from those of the Malays. The children are naked and barefoot, topless women, the simple houses towels over their heads. They feed on rice, fruit and capture monkeys with blowguns made of bamboo, they drink the river water has been boiled, not bad considering that it is a brown .... Care only with the herbs, everything is offered by the forest, in short, a simple life and almost impossible in the eyes of a Westerner.

In the evening you can make two trips. That jungle walk takes a little more than 1 hour and "armed" with torches you go in search of insects and animals. We had close encounters with at least 12 cm spiders, grasshoppers of all kinds and colors, sticks, dragon, all completely camouflaged and staggering size. Luckily, the guides who accompany you have experienced eyes otherwise you will not find anything. Then you stop at Bumbuna Tahan, an observation hut and expects the arrival of some animal of which you will only see your eyes and listening to the great orchestra of the jungle. The other excursion you do with the jeep through the palm plantations in the hope of encountering animals. Birds, snakes, insects, frogs, but the best thing was to see a monkey, which we do not know the name, too slow in his movements to open and close your eyes, this vision has given us a lot of tenderness. We also saw the Fishing cat like a tiger cub from the incredible beauty. What luck!

On the banks of the river are the restaurant and some barges kiosks where you can drink a beer while chatting with other passengers, but too bad that this part is very dirty. If you want somewhere you can go to more refined Seri Mutiara Restaurant. The pizza is good, chocolate cake and cream caramel also a dream. In short, the Taman Negara is a must for a trip to Malaysia.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS

Century Pines Resort Perak Overnight luxury employees supported the reception, you probably are not welcome backpackers. Daily in the morning.

Location and hilly area of ??production of tea, the Cameron offer relaxation and a break to cool off, because the temperature never rises above 21 C °. Should definitely take a trip organized in half a day for 20 RM, allows you to visit many things, including the Sam Poh Temple, a company of honey, a crop of strawberries, do not miss the smoothie is delicious, the Rose Garden, the market for sale with the strangest carnivorous plants and Sungai Palas Tea Estate. Guided tours explain the process for the production of tea. And then finally you can sip a steaming cup of this wonderful drink on a terrace overhanging the lush plantations. Too bad you do everything a little ride. With a taxi, we visited the Boh Tea Estate. The terrace is less interesting but it goes back up a hill walking in the plantations and the peak offers a beautiful view. The town of Tanah Rata is not much, apart from browsing in the shops there is nothing else to do. Roselane Coffee offers a great menu, the staff is very kind and required as you will cook.

Georgetown

Overnight Hotel Penang Malysia. Central, not particularly cordial reception.

Busy city but still pleasant, is divided between the colonial Fort Cornwallis, the Victoria Memorial Clock Tower and other buildings more imposing, Chinatown and Little India lively and colorful. The Komtar is a large and busy shopping center that holds the record for having the Pizza Hut slower and dirt in all of Asia. It 'very comfortable getting on a rickshaw and take a tour of the city. It lasts one hour between temples, streets, buildings .... With lots of brochures and explanations provided by the rickshaw men who have organized themselves properly. Do not worry even if it rains you'll be covered for good. The tour of 'the island we walked in motion. Interesting, though sleepy fishing villages. In addition to the famous beach of Penang, there are bays for great pictures. The Kek Lok Si Temple is a huge Buddhist complex. Lively and evocative it is worth spending a little 'time. Rather unusual is the Snake Temple. The snakes can be seen on the trees are left so close to the tourist that is natural to ask if they are fake. But no, even a little 'stunned they are alive. In one day you can go around the island.

Pulau Langkawi

Overnight Malibest Resort nice and clean.

Pulau Langkawi is visited by more then free zone in Malaysia. The town of Kuah is full of shopping centers and the port seems more like an airport with all its duty free. We have chosen to stop at Pantai Cenang the best equipped for backpackers. There is a beautiful beach, with palm trees and large, the sea with giant waves and ... ... lots of rain! The restaurants on the beach in the evening do, weather permitting, barbecues and local tourist offer the cheapest beer in Malaysia. With a scooter around the island is nice the roads are free of traffic and stop at the edges to feed the monkeys, ranbutan are much appreciated. The landscape ranges from beautiful beaches to the green paddy fields with water buffalo. A must a photo immense eagle, symbol of the island. We could not do the massage at the Indian Ayurvedic massage, because the owner was absent, but in return we consulates eating a tomato and basil bruschetta wonderful, a godsend after 20 days of Indian food and Chinese. THANKS to the internet point guy who helped us find accommodations to the islands Perenthian!

Tip: If you're heading to the islands from here Perenthian should go first and then the Penang Pulau Langkawi, since the new airline Flyfire it connects directly to Kota Bharu.

PERENTHIAN

Pernottamento, Arwana. Lussuoso, bello, pulito, molto gentile il personale.

Il Resort è situato sull’isola di Besar, nella baia di Teluk Dalan. La sua ampia spiaggia orlata di palme è la più isolata e lontana. Qui il mare si ritira verso le cinque del pomeriggio, lasciando scoperto il reef, di conseguenza si va in piscina. Sono isole da sogno con spiagge bianche, palme, acqua cristallina dove fare snorkelling a pochi metri dalla riva. Tartarughe, squaletti, razze, pesci palla, coralli gialli, verdi, viola e molto altro ti terranno in acqua per ore. Noleggiando una canoa ci si può fermare in una delle tante baie senza doverla condividere con nessun’altro. Con una barca andate alla Laguna Blu un vero paradiso. L’isola più piccola, Kecil è molto più caotica e ha alloggi più spartani. Long Beach anche se affollata è molto bella. Per spostarsi da una spiaggia all’altra ci sono i taxi boat, le tariffe partono dagli 8 RM. Tutte le mattine alle 10.00 e il pomeriggio alle 14.30 si può partecipare ad un escursione per andare nei punti migliori a fare snorkelling. Che decidiate per un’isola o l’altra rimpiangerete il momento di partire.

Se ne avete la possibilità prenotate in anticipo, noi siamo quelli del….”niente vincoli” ma abbiamo faticato a trovare posto.

Consiglio: se arrivate a Kuala Besut in taxi, assicuratevi che vi porti all’imbarco e non in un’agenzia, rischiereste di perdere un sacco di tempo, pagare per un motoscafo veloce e prendere invece un peschereccio che imbarca acqua.

Ritornando dalle Perenthian il nostro programma era di arrivare a Cherating con un bus e ripartire per Singapore il giorno dopo. Ma arrivati a Kuala Terengganu con un taxi, tutti gli autobus per Kuantan erano pieni. Quindi abbiamo comprato 2 biglietti per Kemaman e raggiunto poi Cherating in taxi. Il paese da subito l’impressione di essere stato dimenticato da Dio, non ci piace molto. Dopo aver preso un bungalow sulla spiaggia, al Ranting Beach Resort, veramente caro per quello che è, andiamo al Travelpost, unico posto di rivendita biglietti. Bus pieni per i 2 giorni successivi, disponibili solo le corse notturne con arrivo a Singapore in piena notte. Quindi lasciamo subito la camera per andare con un taxi alla stazione di Kuantan, per cercare i preziosi biglietti per Singapore. Niente tutto pieno. Prendiamo anche in considerazione di andare subito a Kuala Lumpur niente tutto esaurito. Rassegnati e stanchi cerchiamo un hotel e prenotiamo un taxi che il giorno dopo ci porti a Singapore. Che avventura …. e che spesa!!! PS. Abbiamo riscontrato che molti altri turisti hanno dovuto usare i taxi anzi che i mezzi pubblici in questa parte della Malesia.

SINGAPORE

Pernottamento Keong Saik Hotel. Pulito e accogliente,la standard room piacevolmente microscopica.


Come superi il ponte che divide la città malese Johor Bahru con l’isola di Singapore subito si nota la differenza. Niente traffico, ordine, pulizia, treni puntuali e metro impeccabili. La criminalità non esiste, sembra quasi una città surreale e a detta di molti noiosa. A noi è piaciuta!!! Qui c’è il regno dello shopping. Orchard Road è la via più famosa con vetrine dei migliori stilisti, alberghi a 5 stelle e grandi centri commerciali. Mettete scarpe comode e sfogatevi, ma solo se avete una carta di credito d’oro!!!

Chinatown, come sempre è invasa dalle bancarelle, ma sembrano più ordinate ed molto meno affollata. Nel negozio Mei Guo Ginseng in Smith Street abbiamo fatto scorta di the per i prossimi 10 anni. Visitatelo se andate pazzi per questa bevanda.

Little India è molto animata e avendo parecchi ostelli è piena di turisti e di conseguenza, ci sono parecchi internet point e graziosi locali stile occidentale dove mangiare. Ma se volete cenare in un luogo davvero carino andate al Boat Quay che si movimenta dall’aperitivo in poi.

Ci sono molte cose da fare e molto da visitare, dai musei ai monumenti, ai giardini botanici, dipende da quanta energia avete, l’afa si fa sentire. Una bella corsa sui bus turistici Hyppo Tours, quelli famosi aperti sopra, da una visione della città senza fare fatica. Singapore è anche famosa per i suoi innumerevoli divieti, qui le multe sono salate, quindi niente carta o chewing gum per terra, non raccogliete fiori, tirate sempre l’acqua nei bagni pubblici, non sputate…. insomma comportatevi bene!!!

Ah… una cosa che non ci era mai capitata in tutti i nostri viaggi. Quando compilate la carta turistica per entrare a Singapore dovrete dichiarare a che religione appartenete.!!!???


E’ stato un viaggio piacevole e soprattutto sicuro, la pacifica convivenza tra occidentali, induisti e buddisti con questo popolo nella maggioranza musulmano, fa dei malesi un’ eccezione. Tolleranti e sempre sorridenti, hanno modi gentili e una grande ospitalità. Questo miscuglio di etnie però ha fatto perdere un po’ della loro cultura. E’ difficile capire cosa ci sia di vero malese a partire dal cibo, dalla musica e dall’artigianato cosa che ricordi bene quando lasci qualsiasi altro paese e poi un malese che aspetto ha….?! Noi siamo contenti di esserci stati.

Diario di Emanuela e Roberto www.turistinonpercaso.it