Pahang Darul Makmur

Interesting place in Pahang

Pahang is the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia that is endowed with a diverse range of attractions. Nearly two-thirds of the 35960 sq km state in enveloped in verdant rainforest, making it a magnificient enclave of lush greenery, exotic wildlife and nature’s wonders. Pahang’s long scenic coastline is a paradise of swaying palms and sandy beaches washed by the South China Sea. The state capital of Pahang is Kuantan. Kuantan is an interesting mix of modern buildings and charming cottage industries.

1)            Taman Negara/ National Park

Taman Negara is the first and the oldest official Protected Area in the country, originally named King George V National Park on 1083.  Taman Negara has been a focus of plant and animal evolution longer than any other forest in the world. This park straddles across three states. Over half of its total area including its headquarters at Kuala Tahan is in Pahang.

River  cruises and jungle trekking are the most popular activities at Taman Negara. At Taman Negara has the canopy walk that offers a fantastic close up view of activity in the rainforest canopy. Observation hides are another great way to observe wildlife. Other than that, simple huts that built high above the ground allow guests to stay overnight and to catch opportunities to observe animals in their natural habitat. Visitors also can visit the Orang Asli.

Visitors can access the park via Kuala Tahan or Sungai Relau, Merapoh in Pahang. Kuala Koh in Kelantan and Tanjung Mentong in Terengganu also are another entry points. Visitor need to get permission and license before enter this park.

2)            Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highland also known as Malaysia's premier hill resort. It is located on the Main Range of  Peninsular Malaysia. Cameron Highland is the largest of all Malaysian Hill resort because it is situated at 1,829 metres above sea level and has a temperature ranging from 16 degrees to 24 degrees Celsius. It has tea plantations, terraced flower farms, strawberry farms , vegetable garden and many more.

Cameron Highlands has combination of a series of little towns that include Ringlet , Tanah Rata, Brinchang, Tringkap, Kuala Terla, and Kampung Raja.  People around Cameron Highlands is the majority of whom are employed in agriculture and the leisure industry.

Visitor also can play golf at Cameron Highland. Golfers can tee off at the 18-hole golf course between Tanah Rata and Brinchang town. Fresh fruits and vegetables, potted plants, catti and souvenirs can be purchased at the markets in Kea Farm and Brinchang

  Cameron Highland is easy to access because it lies less than an hour off the main North-South Highway, and take only 3.5-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.

3)            Sungai Lembing Museum

A serene town tucked away about 40km northwest of Kuantan, Sungai Lembing offers a glimpse into Malaysia’s bygone days during the British and Japanese eras. At its heyday, Sungai Lembing had the largest subterranean coalmine in Southeast Asia. The charming heritage buildings here are reminiscent of its rich past.

                The Sungai Lembing Museum, formerly the residence of a British official, exhibits artifacts from the town’s glorious tin rich days include mining equipments, mineworker’s costumes, furniture and tableware. It fascinating diorama features miners at work.

It is located at route to Sungai Lembing from Kuantan is the Charas Cave, a limestone structure which houses a magnificent statue of reclining Buddha.

It opens daily from 9.00am to 5.00 pm. It closed during lunch on Fridays.

Terengganu Darul Iman

Interesting places in Terengganu

Terengganu is a state that situated at the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.  Terengganu is one of the Malaysian states that is endowed with a wealth of charming and refreshing natural landscapes. It has many beautiful beaches, exotic and interesting islands, refreshing waterfall and many more.

 Pulau Duyung or Mermaid Island

Pulau Duyung or Mermaid Island is a combination of Pulau Duyung Besar and Pulau Duyung Kecil. Pulau Duyung Besar is the most famous place in order to find and obtain the great master boat makers and traditional boat making. Since of that, Pulau Duyung is the international tourist destination since the annual monsoon cup is also done here.

For boat maker, Abdullah’s handcrafted yachts is the famous and it produce remarkable design of boat.  Many tourists and visitor like to visit Abdullah’s workshop aSungai Terengganu. All of his design is derived from his

imagination and all his handcraftsare not nailed but it is dovetailed and pegged.

Other than that, the annual monsoon cup is also another attraction of Pulau Duyung. The Monsoon Cup is the international sailing championship that involves many professional sailor from all around the world. This championship is the idea from Datuk Sri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi our fifth prime minister.

Pulau Duyung is also famous with its dried and salted fish, and fish crackers industries. It also easy to access  by  using the Sultan Mahmud Bridge, or for those who enjoy using sea transportation they take a boat from the Kuala Terengganu waterfront.

Pulau Redang/Redang Island

Pulau Redang is the largest of a group of nine protected island dotting in the South China Sea off the Terengganu coast. It is located 45km off the coast of Kuala Terengganu. Crystal clear waters and numerous dive sites for enthusiast are the special offers given by this island.  The water here are rich in marine life since it is sheltered within the Pulau Redang Marine Park. Many fish, anemones, brilliant hues of coral can be seen during the midday when sun ray penetrate the sea.

Two  historic shipwrecks which are The H.M.S. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. Repulse contain in the waters around the Pulau Redang that sank here at the start of World War II that significant with the setting  stage for the Japanese occupation of Malaya.  This paradise island is the perfect setting for snorkelling, swimming, scuba- diving, jungle trekking, boating and canoeing. However within a 3.2km radius of the island as Pulau Redang fishing is not allowed since it is gazetted as a marine park. The collection of corals and other aquatic life is also strictly prohibited and not allowed.

Masjid Kristal/ Crystal Mosque

Crystal Mosque is made from steel, glass and crystal, hence the name. This beautiful building sits over Terengganu River and welcomes over 1500 worshipers at a time. This mosque is very beautiful during the day with the sun shining over its glass that faceted exterior and give it the great and beautiful sparkling effect.

The foundation of the Crystal Mosque in the water provides a floating illusion because to its close proximity to the water that provides reflections to the glass walls, minarets and domes. Other than that, it also creates a prismatic and radiant exterior.  Sunset will be the best time to visit for a panoramic picture for photographer. This is because the sunset ray provide addition of lustrous color to the luminescent exterior that reflects charm of the vibrant heritage and the idyllic nature that surrounding The Crystal Mosque.

Visitor or tourist can go to the Crystal Mosque by bus, taxi or boat. However there will be a fee to enter this mosque. The admission fee is according to the age.

Adults: RM20

Senior Citizen: RM15

Children 7-12 years: RM15

Children below age6: free

Johor Darul Takzim

Johor

The main attraction is the Legoland. It is built with over 40 interactive rides,shows and attracions. One of the attraction here is the Miniland. More than 30 million lego bricks are used in the building of these monuments including the Petronas Twin Towers, The Merlion Statue as well as the Taj Mahal. Legoland is a fascinating place to visit for children and adults alike. In the park, the are Lego City, Land of Adventure, Imagination, and Lego Kingdom.

Endau-Romping is a beautiful national park in the southeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. It contains some of the oldest rain forests in the world. The name comes from the two rivers that run through the park; the Endau River and the Rompin River.  The park is not easily accessible by normal vehicles which makes it an attraction especially popular among adventure seekers. There are many wildlife species that live in the park, chances on spotting them are slim as they have ample space to roam around within the park boundaries.

The national park is known for having the largest remaining population of the highly endangered Sumatran rhinoceros. Other animals that live in the national park are the white-handed gibbon, Malaysian tiger, Asian elephant, wild boar, tapir, slow loris, deer, long-tail macaques and leopards. Among the many bird species that live in the park are the horn bills and kingfishers. 

Pulau Sibu is part of the Seribuat Archipelago down south and is made up of several islands namely Pulau Sibu Besar, Pulau Sibu Tengah, Pulau Sibu Kukus and Pulau Sibu Hujung. Pulau Sibu is one of the ‘ Jewels Island of Johor’. In here, we can snorkeling, swimming, scuba diving, jungle tracking and other sea related activities. 

Historical City of Malacca

Malacca

In Malacca, there a lot of places to visit. If you are planning for a 3 days 2 nights vacation, visiting Melaka should be perfect.  From UiTM Puncak Alam to Melaka, it only takes approximately 2 hours or less. The first place to visit should be the Dataran Pahlawan. In the Dataran Pahlawan, you can see the Taming Sari tower.  For only RM20.00 for adult and RM10.00 for kids,  you can see the whole Melaka. 

Dataran Pahlawan

Taming Sari Tower

A' Famosa

Apart from that, there is the popular A' Famosa. In the 16th century A’Famosa housed the entire Portuguese administration, including its hospitals, five churches, elongated stockades and four key towers. We can actually learn Malaysian history here. There is also Hang Jebat Mausoleum, St. Paul’s church and Maritime and Naval museum.

Maritim and Naval Museum

If you planned to have great dishes when visiting Melaka, you should try  Umbai Ikan bakar and if want to try the delicious ‘asam pedas’ you can go to the Hajah Mona or  Asam Pedas Claypot. These two restaurant do get highest votes for those who were already taste it.

One of the most interesting part in Melaka is the night view of Melaka along the river.  The Melaka River Cruise is 45min boat ride on Sungai Melaka with audio commentary.  You have options to try it on day or night. I recommended to ride the boat on the night. The ticket price for the MyKad holders is RM10 for adults and RM5 for children under 12.

On the second day, you can choose either to visit Melaka zoo or to go to the Melaka Wonderland Theme Park. In the zoo, there are various types of animals and the most cute should be the ponny, monkey and also the elephant. If you go on the feeding time, you will get the chance to feed them.

In Melaka Wonderland Theme Park, there are packages that been promoted. It either for kids, family and adventure. It is the coolest kind of summertime fun with laugh and share the joy with your friends and family, and escape from the hustle and bustle of life.

On the night, you can go to the Jonker Walk which is the  centre street of Chinatown. the street houses many shops selling antiques, textiles, handicrafts and souvenirs. It is similar to what you can find at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur. This Jonker Walk is so big and may takes one hour or more to travel the whole of it. You may see Chinese elderly that enjoy to sing old chinese song. And this will continue along the night.

After that, by RM25 or RM50 to travel along the Dataran Pahlawan, you can take the chance to travel the whole Melaka by the trishaw. It will such an amazing experience. The trishaw will be decorated with colorful accesories such as Hello Kitty, the pink love stick and flowers. Each of the trishaw will be decorated beautifully, and we will be entertain with the song along the way. 

On the third day, you can visit the Baba-Nonya Heritage Museum, Pulau Besar and Tanjung Bidara or also visiting the Gadek Hot Spring.  In the Gadek Hot Spring, we could rejuvenate our tired feet. In the large pools you can either soak yourself or for those who dare, you could even swim! This place is open 24 hours, but people come in droves after 9PM, that too on weekends.

Tanjung Bidara

Gadek Hot Spring