Here we are, just back from our 2008 summer holidays in Malaysia........ and before starting to describe our adventure it is only right to praise this wonderful country!!!!! We planned our whole trip over the web, proof that even in this country, as in others in Asia (Thailand, for example), as you will see from our travel notes, it is quite possible to save a lot of money and get quality services, both by booking directly with the accommodation over the Internet and locally. We nonetheless give a small thank-you to a tour operator that gave us inspiration and useful tips for our stay, namely Gorgonia Viaggi, which, given the hotel rates in KL, we chose only to book our hotel. All transactions went through the web (e-mail), with the utmost seriousness and competence; well, in short, for those nostalgic for travel agencies... given what you find around...
it might be the right solution!!!! Ready, set, go........ on 1 July 2008 at 15:45 we left with Emirates from Venice with final destination KL, that is, Kuala Lumpur. Why did we choose this airline? I don't like travelling for very many hours by plane, and the stopover in Dubai (arrival at 23:30) with three hours between arrival and the connection guaranteed me a bit of relief and allowed my wife to practise the sport most loved by women...... ladies, don't hold it against me...... shopping.!!!!! Yes, the Dubai duty free is quite cheap; you save 30 to 45% compared with our lovely country. The on-board service with Emirates is impeccable; the quality of the food and the availability of the cabin staff for the passengers are endless.
The fare paid per person for the round-trip flight was 850 euros including taxes, the ticket bought directly at the desk present at the airport, but as I said before the same transaction can be done over the web. Malaysia Airlines, the Malaysian flag carrier, from Rome with a non-stop flight quoted us 810 euros in April when we bought the tickets, and if we had had to add the cost of getting to the capital with our dear Alitalia or Airone carriers the price would have soared. We only saw Dubai at night and in the airport, but the feeling you get walking among the multitude of passengers in transit in this country is clear... the city is expanding, they are building everywhere, and the airport itself is getting a makeover, aiming to become one of the most important in the world.
At 03:00 in the morning we set off from the United Arab Emirates for Malaysia, and after a flight of about 7 hours we arrive at 14:30, perfectly on time, in this splendid country. Having collected our luggage we reach our hotel, the EAST WING RENAISSANCE, with the KLIA, a modern, fast little train that for a couple of euros takes us from the airport to the city at SENTRAL STATION, from where we continue by taxi at a cost of 4 euros for 2 people. The city, the busy roads, the climate... everything seems surreal to us and our eyes keep scanning the sky in search of the Petronas Towers, while the Chinese-born taxi driver welcomes us in an English that is clear and understandable. Arriving at our hotel, booked at only 29 euros per person per night, we confirm what we had seen and experienced in other accommodation in Asia....
the quality and luxury for the price paid in these 5-star hotels beat any competition. In 5 minutes on foot we reach the Petronas Towers, a marvellous example of architecture which, in a strongly Islamic country, makes you wonder how the State, majority owner of the Petronas oil chain, allowed itself to be carried away by this lavish Western style in building the symbol, or at least one of the symbols, of Kuala Lumpur. Inside is SURIA, a marvellous shopping centre well stocked with the best international and other shops, where you can eat and... start getting some shopping practice in Malaysia. In the city we saw other shopping centres; one in the 'golden triangle' area even has a roller coaster inside its 12 floors.....(Berjaya Times Square).
As a means of transport to get around the city we used both the elevated railway (cost about 60 cents each) and the taxi, with costs between 2 and 4 euros for 2 people depending on the traffic and the time (at night you pay more). After visiting the Chinese market (in fact it's full of Indian and Bangladeshi people and a few second-generation Malaysian Chinese) where imitations are everywhere (watches, bags, clothes etc.) we visited Little India and the Malaysian market (not suitable for those with stomach problems because of the strong smells). The evening before leaving we booked directly at the hotel our little dinner on the Menara tower (30 euros each), a marvellous restaurant, the Seri Angkasa, at over 300 metres high, from which you can admire the whole city by night while enjoying lots of delicious things offered in unlimited buffet style.
The food in Malaysia is varied; we ate noodles in all kinds, in particular the Laksa, and a strange, slightly spicy but good Malaysian dish, the Hainanese chicken rice, also recommended by our paper mentor: the Lonely Planet guide. On 4 July we set off for Malaysian Borneo, and more precisely towards the state of Sabah, with the final destination the island of Mabul, from which you reach Sipadan, my lifelong dream. Over the web we bought the tickets with Air Asia at a ridiculous price (round trip for two people Kuala Lumpur - Tawau 95 euros), a direct flight departing at 07:20 from the LCC terminal of Kuala Lumpur airport and arriving at 10:00 at Tawau, on the border with Indonesia.
Considering the time needed for check-in we preferred to take a taxi, or rather a limousine service, from our hotel to the LCC terminal (about an hour to cover 60 km); we spent 18 euros for two, expensive compared with the fares paid in Malaysian cities, but we loaded the suitcases into the car and avoided heavy transfers. The taxi driver is called William Wong and works with his cousin Mr. Low, very reliable and highly professional people, to whom I promised to give good publicity on my return to Italy; they have very clean prestige taxis that have nothing in common with the ordinary taxis in the city. From here we continued towards Mabul, making use of the services booked over the web with Borneo Divers, so a minibus for an hour and 20 minutes as far as Semporna and then 45 minutes by boat to reach Mabul. The show here starts from the sea....
and Mabul is the island most used as a starting point for excursions to Sipadan, perhaps the most famous island of Borneo, which forms the tip of a limestone pinnacle rising 600 metres from the seabed and attracts divers like me from all over the world.
Day 16 Jul 2008
In the evening we delight in counting the stars, we go for a little stroll in the small local villages located at the edges of the only two large facilities present in Mabul, the Borneo Diver Resort and the Smart one with its water village. The atmosphere is surreal, you realize the great distance from home but you don't miss it, the only thing for us Italians, I expected to see some certificates of the diving instructors hanging on the walls, in reality the diving center is spartan but safe and the guides are young and local, but capable. After 5 days we left this paradise to return to KL and from there we always went with Air Asia to Kota Barhu to reach our final destination …. The Perenthian Islands.
We chose to use the services of the Tuna Bay Island Resort and our trust was well placed, they have an excellent organization, a welcoming staff and the structure compared to the price is excellent. All transactions took place via the web from its site, from where Lee Khing Kit the General Manager accepts bookings. Payment is made on site via the web, you only provide the credit card details.
One week two people with breakfast (245 euros) including both the transfer from the airport to the port of Kuala Besut and the boat transfer from the port to the island of Pulau Perenthian Besar, all always for two people round trip, I won't add anything else… The island, or rather the two adjacent islands Kecil and Besar are beautiful and rich in animals considering that they are made up of jungle, some beaches vaguely recall the Seychelles, others the film Paradise (remember that you are in an Islamic country ….. ). Here you have a relaxing life, the cuisine is both local and international, you really eat well and everything, although I recommend the fish cooked on the barbecue and the legendary Tiger Bier served cold with frosted glasses.
The water temperature is 33 degrees, the climate is perfect, there is no muggy heat and humidity so even 40 degrees is very tolerable and not even comparable to the summer heat, at least the one in my area. It is a place suitable for the whole family, there are many children of various nationalities, there are no dangers and the facility is well organized for heating baby food or other things, the beach slopes slowly and progressively toward the blue of the sea in which it is impossible not to immerse yourself to admire all the fish and turtles. Of course it is not Sipadan, but the water has nothing to envy of the Maldives and the beaches are faboulous with very white sand. My favorite Tiga ruang at Turtle Beach where you can see in this period the little baby turtles guarded by very kind pseudo rangers.
During the starry nights of July the turtles come back up this beach and lay their eggs by digging holes. Also very beautiful is Long Beach on the island of Kecil, ideal for going there for dinner and then having a couple of jumps on the beach with loud music, Shark Point and Romantic beach from which you see a breathtaking sunset. I also ate at the PIR, a nice accommodation facility located in the north, but it is a bit more expensive. From here it is easy to spot the turtles in the water (swim toward the left part and the protection buoys for swimmers) they are beautiful and transmit tranquility both to adults and to the little ones who see them for the first time. For diving, unmissable for someone like me, I chose Universal Diver, a staff of capable and serious European people, well organized (dive cost with equipment included 18 euros).
During my stay in Malaysia I never had any physical ailment, something I instead experienced at my own expense in Egypt ….. I never saw the mosquitoes, but it is good to bring the usual spray from home…. On July 15, the dream ended …..we return home with the desire to go back to this splendid Malaysia with a thousand colors and with truly friendly people; initially I had doubts, being an Islamic country, of finding a certain blocking by the people toward the Western mentality and instead …. The union between religion and daily life is so well rooted that you don't perceive any discrimination, no exclusion among the multiple ethnicities and races present …. the true soul of this country.
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