Malaysia is a vibrant destination that retains many elements of its diverse culture while having cities as modern as elsewhere in Asia. The people of Malaysia are open to and interested in foreigners and are, as such, welcoming and friendly. They are justifiably proud of the wonderful range of dining delights in the country and are more than happy to share a meal with visitors.
Ethnic diversity is reflected in the languages spoken Visitors can sit in coffee shops and hear several languages or have discussions with locals who could lapse into three languages in the one sentence.
Malaysians live to eat, and the most frequent greeting in the country is: sudah makan (have you eaten?). If the person has, the conversation will be about what they had. If not, the suggestion will be that everyone should go and eat. In many cases, eating means snacking, and many Malaysians eat five small meals of breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and supper each day.
Borneo is considered a hotspot of global diversity and home to one of the largest varieties of plants in the world. Rainforests in East Malaysia are home to many unusual plants, such as Alocasia macrorrhiza, which, at 3 m long and 1.9 m wide, has the largest leaves in the world.
The Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is one of the smallest elephants on the planet and along with the Malayan and Sumatran Elephant are separate races of what may in the future be described as a Sunda Pygmy Elephant.
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| Rainforest Music Festival, Sarawak |
Outdoor music festivals lasting several days have now become annual events on the tourist calendar. The Rainforest World Music Festival, staged near Kuching in Sarawak, is one of the region’s most acclaimed and showcases local Indigenous music and the electrical sounds of internationally renowned artistes.
While two new towers have surpassed the Twin Towers in height, the latter still attracts most visitors. The other two towers are Merdeka 118 (679 m) and The Exchange 106 (454 m).
Deer Cave in Mulu National Park is the world’s largest cave passage and the Sarawak Chamber is the world’s largest chamber at 700 m long, 300 m wide and 70 m high. The nightly exodus of millions of bats from Deer Cave is one of Borneo’s great natural wonders.
Enchanting Malaysia presents all of the must-see sights of this hugely diverse country and supreme holiday destination. Divided into Peninsular Malaysia and the island states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo, each offers a wealth of unique attractions. For travellers interested in history and culture, the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, as well as other major cities, such as Putrajaya, Melaka and George Town, are fascinating to explore. Eco-tourists have an amazing choice of destinations from the Taman Negara National Park on Peninsular Malaysia to Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak and the Kinabatangan River in Sabah. Visitors to these natural places will be able to see Orang-utans, the Malayan Tiger, the Western Tarsier, Proboscis Monkeys and many other primates. Birdwatching in Malaysia is particularly rewarding with 656 species recorded in Peninsular Malaysia and 673 on Borneo. For the adventurous, there are challenging mountains to climb, such as Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, some of the world’s best diving around Sipadan Island and exciting jungle treks through primary forests.
But Malaysia is also perfect for relaxing, whether on the beaches of Langkawi, Cherating, Perhentian Island or Layang Layang and wherever you are, there will always be exciting food to try. From simple street food snacks to sophisticated five-star restaurants, the wonderful range of dishes is testimony to Malaysia’s multi-cultural make-up. This fully updated third edition introduces travellers through words and photographs to all of the wildlife and architectural wonders, thrilling adventures and cultural highlights.
David Bowden is a freelance journalist based in Malaysia, specializing in travel and the environment. Although he's Australian, he’s lived in Asia longer than he can remember and returns to his home country as a tourist. When not travelling the world, he enjoys relaxing with his equally adventurous wife Maria and daughter Zoe.
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