What would the eldest from the local temples of the hindus, or [...]]]> Watching the video of the beach party in Bali, remind me of that in USA or Europe. The only different is, in some scene, you can see the brownish skin of the native Indonesian, dancing to the tune of the visiting tourist.

What would the eldest from the local temples of the hindus, or even the parents of these young indonesian has to say about their children. I am sure there is always the limit to the culture of joy and dances.

Bali is a land of contrast. At one corner, you can be in a surrounding of the wild bikini party, a situation not guided by norm of the civilized society. These group is following the instinct, enjoying themselves with drinks and dances. Just a few meters away, you can witness another group still holding fast to the old tradition that had survived for thousands of years. They know that, this is a really trying times, the young is no longer following the traditions.

I went to Bali a couple of times, and I did enjoy the culture and the scenic beauty. The padi fields planted on the step slope of the hills and mountains. It did look like a frame of paintings hang on the wall.

These are the attractions of Bali, the waves of the open sea, a paradise in the making for the surfers, the sun, attracts the bathers from all over the world.

The Malay wedding ceremony had changed tremendously in the last 50 year. Now, the wedding are at best the mix with Malay wedding the the western counterpart.

The above wedding is chosen simply because it was held at the natural traditional setting of the Malays, I mean the kampong or village setting. The [...]]]>

The Malay wedding ceremony had changed tremendously in the last 50 year. Now, the wedding are at best the mix with Malay wedding the the western counterpart.

The above wedding is chosen simply because it was held at the natural traditional setting of the Malays, I mean the kampong or village setting. The vows was held in line with the tradition in a mosque. This is normally conducted a day or 2 before the reception.

The traditional wedding is at the brides house. It is the man who ask the permission to wed from the bride’s father. However, it is common to have the second reception at the man’s house.

The original wedding activities are:

1. The “berinai ceremony” – where the man and woman with have the hand decorated by henna leaves.

2. The ijab kabul or wedding vows, which are handle by the local imam,

3. The reception or public display of the brides and groom.

It is slightly different from the Christian wedding where the vow is the main attraction. In the Malay wedding the vows are privaye affairs attended by close relatives.

The Legong Dance of Bali is unique, and nothing like it in the surrounding regions of Malaysia, Thailand or India. The whole parts of the dancers body dance to the music from the Gemalan.

These dance is not available even with the Indonesia in other islands. The dances are very closely related to [...]]]>

The Legong Dance of Bali is unique, and nothing like it in the surrounding regions of Malaysia, Thailand or India. The whole parts of the dancers body dance to the music from the Gemalan.

These dance is not available even with the Indonesia in other islands. The dances are very closely related to the religious beliefs of the people. In fact the majority of them are about the the stories in their secret books.

The last time I went to Bali, I cannot help but to take note of the changes. Even the simple peoples of Bali had caught up with the practices of capitalism. I attended one of the dances in the open air at sunset. It was ran on commercial basis, when the number of visitors was low, it was cancelled.

The above dance is Legong. The girls performing this has to be young, they were trained from small, probably as young as 5 years old. In the old day of the kings and palaces, these girls were hoping to be noticed by members of the courts. Now, situation has changed, they are hoping to attract the attention of the visiting tourist and selected as life partners.

It did not stop me from realizing that there are some common thread between the dances in the region. I know for a fact that the Malaysian dances do have similarity to that of the Thai. [...]]]> I have selected a beautiful dances from Thailand. It is unfortunate that I cannot understand Thai language.

It did not stop me from realizing that there are some common thread between the dances in the region. I know for a fact that the Malaysian dances do have similarity to that of the Thai. Probably the long Thai or Siamese intervention on the Malay states had left its marks.

The Sultan of Brunei is probably the last 2 Sultan in whole wide world. The other is the Sultan of Oman, who happen to less well known compared to Brunei. The word sultan is an Arabic word, making reference to power of force. It never was not used to be a title or [...]]]>

The Sultan of Brunei is probably the last 2 Sultan in whole wide world. The other is the Sultan of Oman, who happen to less well known compared to Brunei. The word sultan is an Arabic word, making reference to power of force. It never was not used to be a title or making reference to the rule, until it was used by the Turk to mean the regional rulers under the caliphs.

The muslims were practicing a religious state system. During prophets time, the prophet was the religious leader and the state’s leader. The same was practiced by the first 4 caliph after the death of the prophet. The selection of the caliphs were made by the council of the elders.The system change to monarchy under the 5 caliph. When the Turk muslims were ruling, the regional leaders were called sultans and they were directly under the caliph.

In the Malay world, the title sultan were used for the leaders of the Malay states, and Brunei was one of them. Before the British came, Brunei was a relatively large country controlling half of Borneo and the south part of Philippine. There were about a dozen of the Malay Sultans in south east asia, a the majority of the state was small.

The state of Brunei is a small country, it power was stripped off by the powerful British. He is probably the last of the sultan to have the power to rule.

We took the Seremban Highway toward Johor Bharu and came off the highway at Simpang Renggam, the follow [...]]]> Two weeks ago, my family and I made the trip to visit the tip of the continent of Asia known locally as tanjung piai in Johor. The journey took four hours by car from Kuala Lumpur.

We took the Seremban Highway toward Johor Bharu and came off the highway at Simpang Renggam, the follow the sign towards Pontian. Passing the Pontian town, then we moved towards Kukup and lookout for the sign for Tanjung Piai.

I include some pictures of the visit…

The whole area are swamp. The walkways are made like bridges above pit soil. The vegetable appear to be almost single variety of mangrove, those there are many types of them. Mangrove trees are threatened due to illegal cutting, highly priced for its special property and used as piling material for building construction. The trees are normally straight, making is easier. It can last about 100 year in the ground.

The tree is also used for charcoal production, where there are baked for more than 24 hours and slowly set to cool. Charcoal is use to replace the gas for home cooking and barbeque.

mangrove tree of tanjung piai. The swamp becomes the in-between the sea and land, protection the land agains the furious waves. A good locations for incubation of fishes. The trees are value for its timber

the roots of mangrove tree. The roots are special, it can be 6 feet high above the ground, designed to provide stability on the soft soil

Monkey of Tanjung Piai. They are used to visitors. So far no incident of attack or snapping of valuable, just be cautious

swamp crab. There are not too many animal seen during the low tide. When the tide is high, the whole area is covered by sea water. The crabs will hide in the holes if you try to be too close

Globe to show location of tanjung piai. It is more south than singapore, the southern most tip of the asia continent

This is more than a saving guide. It looks like a survival guides for travellers. It is designed for backpackers or travelers and we will provide you with a highly practical tips  on how to save and avoid unnecessary expenses everyday on your holiday trip to south east asia.

Check it out!

Malaysia is a blessed country. Annually, many visitors visit the country for various reasons and purposes. Some are attracted to the natural diversity and beautiful spots. The diving spots are among the world’s best. The islands gains recognition as a of the  beautiful island in the world visitors map. Beside that, [...]]]>

hotel in malaysia

Malaysia is a blessed country. Annually, many visitors visit the country for various reasons and purposes. Some are attracted to the natural diversity and beautiful spots. The diving spots are among the world’s best. The islands gains recognition as a of the  beautiful island in the world visitors map. Beside that, the country is proud to be a healthy blend of different culture and language.

It depend what your interest is. There are many choice of supert holiday villas with swimming pools in the coastal regions of the Malaysia. It is suitable for beach seekers and sea fans. You can also find holiday holiday apartments in some of the largest cities that operate like a holiday resorts.

The name itself Malaysia suggests that the country is a small of greater Asia. Truly Asia is not wrong in any aspect when us to Malaysia. The diversity of culture and the various tourist destinations make the Malaysia unique travel experience. It is a country full of tropical islands, stations of hill in the small nobility and Cameron Highlands, tropical rainforests, pristine beaches of pure and pas to forget the city of Kuala Lumpur.

One of the state that still retain its original Malay culture is Kelantan. It had a long history of struggle with the northern Sianese state. The records of Kelantan dating to 8000 to 3000 BC and it was ruled by different countries and until 1941, when it was taken by  Japanese rule. In 1953, Kelantan became part of the Malaysia. Kelantan is well connected by road and rail. There are flights, linked to Kelantan in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Tourist attractions in Kelantan are Kota Bahru, which is its capital. It is a lively town famous for its culture and crafts. Jalan Mahmud has a cultural centre, which is the living heritage of Kelantan. The Royal Museum is called Istana Batu and was built during the reign of Sultan Ismail. He has a variety of furniture, silverware and the bedroom on the screen. The war in Kelantan Museum dates back to 1912 and has many Japanese memories and documents on the display. The best time to visit Kelantan is from February to may. July Festival attracts many tourists.

The seaside city of Malacca is 147 km from Kuala Lumpur. Here, culture is a mixture of Portuguese and Chinese. History says that Malacca was a strategic point of midway which provided the link between China and the India. It has thus developed into a hub of international trade. The best time to visit the Malaysia is January and February. Malacca is well connected by road and rail. The airport is located 9.5 kilometers north to Batu Berendam.

Penang is a small beautiful island State of Malaysia. It is a very popular holiday destination with tourists attracted by its golden beaches, the delicious cuisine and warm seas. There are many places to visit in Penang, namely, city of Georgetown, the clock tower, first Cornwallis, Kromtan Tower, Wat Chayamangakaram Temple, Kek Lok Si, Temple snake, Temple of Sri Mariamman, Penang Hill, Khoo Kongri and Penang Bridge. There are a few Penang luxury holiday villa just next to the sea.

Sarawak’s largest state of Malaysia is the land of the legendary white elephants. It is also home of the hornbills and orangutan and Hornbill. Sarawak has a rich ecosystem is found nowhere else in the world and it attracts many tourists to see this ecosystem. There are many national parks are very popular with tourists. Many tourists visit Musuem, Sunday on the open market, Kuching, Skrang River Safaru, pepper Plantations, cultural Village, fishing Village of Santuborg and the famous caves.

The Malaysia is a beautiful country to visit on your holidays and guarantees you a warm welcome and friendly of its people. It has a few accommodation of fabulous rental owners holiday house. It is said that some of the best villas for holidays in the world are in Malaysia.

The Malaysia is a beautiful country to visit on your holidays and guarantees you a warm welcome and friendly of its people. It has a few housing fabulous vacation rentals available for booking on the internet. It is said that some of the best vacation villa in the world are in Malaysia.

Indonesia is a large country, the fifth largest to be exact. It is a nice country to live in. It is still behind in many ways, so the cost of living is still among the lowest. You would be probably surprise what your money can do in Indonesia. There are so [...]]]>

bali sunset

Indonesia is a large country, the fifth largest to be exact. It is a nice country to live in. It is still behind in many ways, so the cost of living is still among the lowest. You would be probably surprise what your money can do in Indonesia. There are so many tourist in Bali and other islands, when asked, some of them will say.. it is cheaper to spend the holiday in Bali rather than spending it at home in Australia.

There are many expatriates attached to international companies, and they tend to rent small houses whose price can be comparatively much cheaper than the cheapest area in USA. Some may estimate that the cost is only about 15% of what you have to pay in your home town in Europe or Australia. The other main advantage is, the cost of living is really cheap. To add to it, the large countries consists of so many islands, readily available for visitors like you.

kacak dance

Being an expatriate in Indonesia, you will apreciate the purchasing power that you hold. Your earning is about 20 times of the average workers in the country. This mean you can pursue the hobby or interest. When you consider the working hours is not as high as in the United States, you will discover why people can do more in their free time. The same wage for Indonesia will allow expatriate lifestyle was not possible home – how many people can afford flying to Bali and other islands for a few days, just relax?

Of course, you may face some problems. There are challenges you have to face, such as you have to get use to the culture. The people are warm and friendly, but their norm may not be the same as you. Indonesia are very obliging groups of people and they rarely say not to a foreigner, but there are always the limit of what they can tolerate.

Living in Indonesia is still in attractive proposition. You can enjoy natural beauty or witness the unique culture unfold in front of your eyes.