Unique Places in Malaysia

I am saying this is off the beaten path because you must drive across the Penang bridge to the mainland of Penang to reach it. Situated at Seberang Jaya on the mainland of Penang.
It has specially designed aviaries which houses some 200 species of birds from all over the world. The park is landscaped with beautifully designed gardens, plants and also a small man-made island. It covers an area of 2 hectare and is about 5 minutes drive from the Penang Bridge. We could have spent much more time there than we did but the taxi driver was waiting for us.

1 more image

I hate to tell to many people about this great little island off the shore of Kota Kinabalu.
It is a 30 min ferry ride and you will think you are in another world. As soon as you see the over the water bungalows you will fall in love with the place. The water is so clear that you don't have to get wet to see the fish. You walk around from place to place on the boardwalk built on stilts. There is a nice pool if you want to go swimming scan the sea urchins. A marine ecology research center is there for you to enjoy. You can go out in the canoes, swing in a hammock, sit at the bar, watch the monkeys, or do nothing at all..This was for sure a favorite place for me.

A short drive outside of Kuching is Bako National Park. Although small in size, Bako is loaded with flora and fauna unique to Malaysian Borneo. The park is home to the famed proboscus mokey that bears a scary resemblance to Jimmy Durante.

The park is only accessible by boat. During my visit, the tides were extremely low and we had to walk about two miles through the mud flats to reach the park. It was wonderfully quiet and trudging barefoot through tidal plain felt like walking on water.

After a short hike into the jungle, we stumbled upon a group of twenty proboscus monkeys having lunch in the mangrove swamp, passed by a family of macaque monkeys and saw a four foot long monitor lizzard saunter across the beach!

For adventurous seeker, you MUST try out the 4WD off road adventure trip. Not only you could feel how it was for a real 4WD but also you get to know a group of nice people. In fact, I was now crazy about it. Will not miss any opportunity to join. Just imagine your 4WD got stuck in the mud and you couldnt up to a 45 degrees slope ... imagine you up and down the sandpits .... where you can only see the sky when the car driving up and ground when it come down .... sound a bit like roller coaster huh .... should try it especially during raining season when the road are extremly wet and slipperly.... the car gotta move like a crab - horizontally !!!! bla bla bla .....

The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan, Sabah or the Bukit Merah Lake Town resort in Peninsular Malaysia (which has an Orang Utan Island, although the Orang Utan is not native to Peninsular Malaysia)

most of the travelers go to Thailand Cambodia and Vietnam. Less visited are Burma and Malaysia. Burma is an absolute jewel of a place to travel. easy to get there from Bangkok. keep Air Asia in mind as they fly to all the places you wish to go and they are not expensive and reliable.
Malaysia is truly a very diverse country and the tourism is increasing, it is more developed than the other countries mentioned, the food is absolutely wonderful, varied scenery, English speaking population and much to see and enjoy.
Most people who visit Cambodia and Vietnam go on a set route, very rarely they go off the tourist path.

1 more image

I stayed in Bario at Nacy Harris Homestay, did a little 2 day trek with a guide called Petrus, who took me to his home village, and talked to some government officials who where there to find out how people lived in isolated areas of Sarawak. Overall I found Bario to be a "state of mind" thing, an altogether pleasant experience. I still have a credit with Nancy so I might actually go back, well, that's only an excuse!

1 more image

If you are having a vacation in Malaysia for a longer period particularly in southern parts of West Malaysia like Melaka, Pahang and Johore states, take a several days trip down south, i.e. to beautiful Singapore! Singapore has tremendous numbers of lovely and wonderful tourist attractions.

Among the popular tourist attractions in Singapore are the colourful Chinatown, the Little India, Sri Mariamman Temple, Ann Siang Hill, Istana Negara, Peranakan Palace, Singapore Botanical Gardens, Singapore Zoological Gardens, Fort Canning Park, Raffles Hotel, Lau Pa Sat, cruise along Singapore River, Boat Quay, Merlion Statue and Arab Street just to name a few. Of course there are many old and lovely churches, mosques and temples that attract many foreign tourists.

The other popular resort in Singapore not to be missed by any foreign tourists is Sentosa Island. Among its attractions are Fort Siloso, Musical Fountain, Underwater World and Butterfly Park.