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2 Days of Freedom gave birth to the electronic music festival scene here in Malaysia. This festival is held annually around the western coast and boasts DJs like Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Cosmic Gate and many more.
The most important aspect of this festival is the Balearic vibe given by Tiesto during his set in Port Dickson Beach. After the festival ended, it gets the attention by the media and the press positively and negatively.
2 Days of Freedom will return again this year on May 29 & 30 with DJs like Above and Beyond, Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz spinning more tracks and more freedom!
This festival has attracted not just Malaysians, but Singaporeans, Indonesian and Australian ravers and partygoers looking for an awesome time. Definitely a must see if you're into progressive house, Trance and Hard Dance.
Going there from KL is only about an hour and 20 minutes, while if you're driving from Singapore it'll take around 2 hours 30 minutes.
A'Famosa Resort
Jalan Kemus, Simpang Empat,
78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia
www.freedom-09.net/
www.afamosa.com/
(+6) 03-2781 8888
Naturalism meets eco-tourism at its very best. If you want to learn about and truly see the beauty of the nature around you on this pretty little island, I highly recommend taking one of these trips.
The knowledge and passion of the guides - in particular the founder, Irshad Mobarak - turn an ordinary nature trail or fun boat ride into something that will make you appreciate where you are and reflect upon what role you have as part of nature in this world.
Trendy, yet still informally friendly, this city-centre bar-restaurant is contemporary KL at its best, all crisp, cutting-edge design, moody lighting and some rather fine food and drink.
There's a great view of the Petronas Towers too, in case you spend so much time in there that you forget where you are.
Ascott Kuala Lumpur, No. 9, Jalan Pinang, KL
+603 2161 7789
www.sevenatenine.com
This is a great way to take in a bird's eye view of the city and eat a lovely meal at the same time.
The restaurant at the top of the KL (Menara) Tower is a revolving one, so within an hour you'll have enjoyed a 360 degree view of the city while eating a whole array of tasty food at the fixed-price buffet.
It's also excellent value - although I'd advise you to stick to water and avoid the overpriced drinks.
Book yourself in for a sunset meal!
No. 2 Jalan Punchak, off Jalan P.Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2020 5444
www.menarakl.com.my
Sky Bar, Trader's Hotel, off Jln Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur:
This bar has incredible views and the best time to get here is around 6.30pm to watch the sunset and the fantastic views of Kuala Lumpur. It is expensive and when busy with all the wannabees and wannabeseens, service can be poor. But it is definitely worth a visit.
Hakka Republic Wine Bar, Level 2 Menara Hap Seng, 1-3 Jln P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur:
This Chinese styled bar has everything going for it. Great music, incredible wine and drinks list and innovative Western food all at a reasonable price. They have a popular set lunch and a great value Sunday Brunch. Good crowd that is focussed on food, drinks and having a good time.
No Black Tie, 17, Jalan Mesui, Off Jalan Nagasari, Off Jalan Raja Chulan, KL:
This quaint little bar that serves Japanese food is a pioneer of live jazz and music in Kuala Lumpur. Great atmosphere though slightly pretentious crowd. Call to find what's on and charges if any.
Sky Bar Tel 03 2332 9888
Hakka Republic Tel 03 2078 9908
No Black Tie Tel 03 2142 3737
This wonderful Chinese style bar is certainly one of the best in this lovely city. With great music, the best wine list in town and some incredible food at very reasonable prices it is quickly becoming the insider's choice in KL. Located just around the corner from the ShangriLa, it has 20 wines and champagnes by the glass and a menu you will not find anywhere else. This includes a great burger, steamed Wagyu beef (absolutely delicious), a scrumptious cod in miso and some great solid staples as desserts.
Level 2,Menara Hap Seng, 1-3 Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03 2078 9908
www.hakkarepublic.com
Monorail staion:Sultan Ismail
Uncle Tan's is a very basic camp located in the heart of the rainforest near Sandakan. It can be quite tough - squat toilets, lots and lots of mosquitos and mud, long walks through jungle - but the chance to see the wildlife is unbeatable. I saw a dominant male orangutan from about 5m away, plus a reticulated snake, tarantula, scorpion, lots of proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs, hornbills etc. Fantastic place with brilliant fun staff and a lovely communual atmosphere.
On the main road to Semporna, a few miles outside Sandakan (quite near airport) - any bus will drop you off if you tell them where you're going. Make sure you get cash out first though, as there are no ATMs for miles.
www.uncletan.com/
Sipadan and nearby Mabul offer some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world. I stayed at Uncle Chang's which is actually on Mabul, so you can dive in and snorkel straight off the front of the dining room.
The dorms are basic, but there's a fantastic open-sided dining room/common area with the sea lapping against the supports. The food is good and plentiful, and the price is really good value (50 ringgit per night, full board). Make sure you book in advance though, and tell them that you want to dive at Sipadan, as there are only limited spots on the trip each day and people had to wait a few days if they had just turned up.
You can fly to Tawau from Kuala Lumpur, then a fairly expensive taxi ride to Semporna. The mainland office is next to the large Dragon Hotel on the sea-front, and the boat leaves for Mabul every morning. www.sipadanbackpackers.com/
Roti cannai is a traditional dish and is a flat bread and a small bowl of curry. It is often seen as a poor person's dish but is really tasty and it is the one thing I remember from Malaysia and wish we had it here!
Uncle Tans run a 'jungle camp' with basic facilities and huts on the Kinabatangan river in Sabah. The camp represents a fantastic base from which to see an incredible amount of wildlife. As part of a very reasonably priced 3D/2N tour you also get to visit the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok.
Other 'tour' options are becoming available. The people working at Uncle Tans are super friendly, informative and great with children. Uncle Tans can be reached easily from Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan.
Sabah is in easy and inexpensive reach from Kuala Lumpur through Air Asia for example (airasia.com).
This has to be one of the highlights of many trips to southeast Asia, a real fantastic, family-friendly opportunity to see crocodiles, wild pigs, gibbons, lizards, proboscis monkeys and if you are lucky, elephants and orang utans.
A lot of lower-end accommodation options in Kuala Lumpur for backpackers and people/families on a budget are quite poor (bed bugs being a common complaint). For £20-24 you can get a double room at the Swiss Inn, located right in the heart of vibrant Chinatown, close to Central Market and importantly, light rail inter-city transport links. It represents a great value option and comes with an excellent buffet breakfast. Room has TV and tea making facilities etc. Book online for some decent deals. No extra cost for children though they do not provide an extra bed.
Raju's serves south Indian breakfasts in the mornings and banana leaf tiffins (the Malaysian BLT - a pile of rice and curry served, as everything is at Raju's, on a banana leaf) in the afternoon.
Now, it is not on the tourist beat, it is not within sight of the Twin Towers, it's not even technically in KL but it is one of the best restaurants in the world.
It is situated next door to La Salle school on Jalan Chantek which is off Jalan Gasing which is off the Federal Highway heading towards Shah Alam. This is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world though. It has a large outdoor dining area shaded by trees and with a charmingly bubbling storm drain running down one side. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.
It is situated in a stand of shops which includes a picture framers, a photo shop and a barber's in a suburban residential area, populated by rather well off Malaysians, with Indians rather more plentifully represented than is perhaps the average. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.
The reason it's the best restaurant in the world is because it serves, in the mornings, roti canai - which is the best breakfast in the world.
Basically a paratha-style flatbread of many calories, it is griddle fried freshly so that a crisp, friable crust forms on the dough, which is then punched and broken up before serving. Fairly boring, really. But then add some dal, some fish curry kuah (the gravy, not the actual fish) and perhaps a small piring (dish) of mutton curry, or a piece of fried tengiri, then add to this a teh tarikh (tea made with condensed milk which has been "tarikh'd", i.e. "pulled" through the air from one vessel to another to aerate and cool) and heaven, my friends, is a place on earth.
So. Be seated. There is no reservation, there is no plate captain, no "This way sir" - this is Malaysia old-style. There are many south Indian waiters in white shirts and blue trousers however. Call one over and ask for "roti canai" (pronounced "rotty chan-eye") and a teh tarikh. The dal, some carrot chutney and some coconut chutney are dumped unceremoniously in front of you along with a damp banana leaf. It is perfectly permissible to dry off the leaf with a tissue. I don't bother. And wait. A short time later (longer if at the weekend) and the roti, steaming, fragrant and - a sticking point for many - slightly smaller than average disc of bread is casually clapped onto your leaf. Serve yourself with dal, chutneys in small pools around the circumference. Some pour great ladlefuls of dal all over the roti, mash it into a mush and devour it sloppily in handfuls. A perfectly acceptable way to eat it in my opinion.
But we will choose the dainty option (though not the daintiest - forks and spoons are available, and widely used).
Tear off a small piece of roti, drag it through the dal (whilst arguing with your friends about whether or not the best nasi lemak is to be found in Ipoh or Penang) and pop it in your mouth. There is a faint cuminy, asafoetida tang to the dal, a faint sweetness (not too sweet, oh no) to the roti and a mouth feel (as Mr Blumenthal would have it) which is crunchy, soft, full-flavoured with mild spice (but not too mild, oh no) and completely satisfying. Tear off another piece. Pick up a perfectly tender piece of curried mutton - and although I never had a bad mutton curry when I lived in Malaysia, Raju's has to be the best - and once again, those curious contrasts are there. Crunchy/soft, spicy/bland, tangy/sweet. Take a sip of your scaldingly hot teh tarikh: it is foamy, sweet, strong and in combination with the roti and the curry as precisely perfect as any of the great pillars of Malaysian food when made perfectly. nasi lemak, laksa, prawn mee, char kway teow - roti canai. These are the five. Now you know one. Seek the rest.
Raju's Banana Leaf Restaurant, nearest LRT Taman Jaya, but it's quite a hike in the heat. Take a cab and ask for "Jalan Gasing, PJ" (pron. "gassing" pron. "peejay") then take the first left after the elevated LRT line. Raju's is at the end of the stand of shops on the right hand side of Jalan Chantek.
Stay at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion if you like quaintness and history, stay at the g Hotel if you prefer hip and contemporary lodging.
Also, tour the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, eat at the Gurney Drive food stalls and sample everything.
Don't try to take out illegal CDs or DVDs. Read The Star. Visit Kek Lok Si temple. Take the cable car, but arrive early: the lines are awful. Walk the canopy walk. Buy a Makansutra food guide. Indulge in a MacWaffle at Red Garden.
Trip report, with photos, at www.travelmusings.net
Trip report, with photos, at www.travelmusings.net
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion:
www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/
g Hotel: www.ghotel.com.my/
Makansutra: www.makansutra.com/index.php
Travelmusings: www.travelmusings.net
I loved staying at the Berjaya. Join Dev's night wilderness (twice a week) at the Berjaya. Indulge in 90-minute outdoor massages at The Berjaya ($65 USD). Ride the cable car. Take the island-hopping tour. Try durian (at your own risk). Watch out for the monkeys. Do not carry food, drink, etc. around them.
The Berjaya:
www.berjayaresorts.com/beachresort_langkawi.htm
This restuarant is truely unusual in location, it's right in the middle of the north Langkawi mangroves. You can drive to the carpark then take a short walk along the wooden walkway to arrive at the front of the restuarant, or you can arrive by boat at the rear as part of the mangrove tour for a terrific lunch. The tour includes the price of lunch.
The food is excellent and as you would expect cooked to order, piping hot. They have milder western style dishes and the most superb Thai food, poultry, seafood and lots of locally grown veg.
The service is great and the staff take a great deal of trouble to make sure that everything is to your satisfaction.
Perfect for families, my children of 13 and 10 still talk about it and we will go back again on our next visit to Langkawi without doubt.
Don't miss out, it is just to unusual to miss.
Kampung Belanga Pecah,Mukim Kisap,Daerah Langkawi, tel: 604 966 6699
www.ytlhotels.com.my/properties/barn_thai/index.html
The Mulu National Park houses some stunningly beautiful rainforest and the largest caves on the planet. The park is easily reached by plane from Kota Kinabalu or Miri; accommodation at Park HQ is excellent but fairly basic whereas the Royal Mulu Resort offers luxury.
There is a wide variety of forest walks, one of the longest canopy walks in the world, caving trips for 'normal' tourists or more adventurous ones (including into the largest underground chamber on earth), a spectacular bat flight, river trips and wildlife nightwalks. It's so fabulous it's a world heritage site.
www.mulupark.com/
more info about the caves at
www.mulucaves.org
Borneo is an island off mainland Malaysia. It is awesome. I climbed Mount Kinabalu (the biggest mountain in South East Asia) while there. I reached the summit at sunrise and got the best views of my life.
While there I also got to relax at some wonderful natural hot springs and visit the amazing orangutans. Sabah contains one of only three sanctuaries in the world, so I felt privileged to see them. In addition, the people are extremely friendly and everything is cheaper than on the mainland - a top spot!
South East Asia
An assault on the senses. Visually stunning vibrant street market, a photographers dream - fantastic produce market that starts on Saturday evening and runs until shortly after midday on Sunday.
There are fruits on sale you won't see anywhere else in the world - straight out of the rainforest...
off Jln Sator, Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo
Fantastic food at very reasonable prices.
No 5, Jln Hang Lekir, 75200, Melaka
Beautiful group of simple bungalows on a deserted beach. The food is amazing and the owners, Debbie and Hash, are incredibly welcoming and kind people.
Pulau Perhentian Besar
+60 194267 100
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