The BN government and Security Companies

Unfortunately, the current BN (Barisan Government) Federal Government is not governing Malaysia with blatant abuses of power including using the PDRM (Polis di Raya Malaysia or Royal Malaysia Police) as witnessed by selective harassment and persecution of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat MP (Member of Parliament) and ADUN (Ahli Dewan Undang Negara or Member of the State Assembly) while blatantly ignoring police reports lodged against the people associated with the ruling coalition. Worst, police personnel are wrongly deployed with a large majority in administrative work, used as a tool of the ruling political while neglecting real and especially serious crime like snatch thieves, robbery, house break-ins, etc.

The Malaysian public has never been as fearful and most have turned to private security companies to protect them their families and homes. I have surveyed the houses in my city and found many signboard stuck on the facade of houses proclaiming "Secured by ADT" (or something to that effect) which I suspect is the provided by ADT home security

The public is so fearful and disgusted with the widespread corruption and the now judiciary and police of ill repute that many are migrating to the United States of America, with most preferring to go to California and Florida because of similar weather.

Apparently there are also ADT in Florida as well as ADT in California.

While previously whenever people asked me if I would abandon Malaysia and emigrate elsewhere, my answer had always been no, this is my home for life. However, because of worsening of the political situation, my response now is, looks like I need to consider it seriously.

However, there are mitigating factors. While previously, there are very few Malays
who would oppose the current discredited BN Government and voice out their protests and opinions, now they are many. So perhaps I will still stay.

But for those who are already in California and Florida, it would be great if they would leave their comments and voice out their opinions of ADT in FL and ADT in CA.

Malaysian loves Hawaii island. Hope to tour islands one day

This Malaysian loves Hawaiian islands

Hawaii is a Polynesian archipelago comprising hundreds of small islands with 8 main islands and is a state of United States of America. Just like Malaysia, Hawaii has a tropical climate. The difference, and sometimes it may snow in the highest peaks of the Hawaiian island, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and sometimes Maui's Haleakala.

Photo of Napali Coast Kauai Hawaii is property of Jeff Kubina

Hawaii Main Islands

Hawaii Main Island or just Main Island

This is the largest island and is well known for its volcanoes of which Kīlauea is the most active volcano. I have never seen one. Wonder if I would feel secure enough to climb to its peak to see a real life volcano. One of my dreams , would be to own a Big Island real estate.

Oahu, nicknamed "The gathering place"

(probably because it has the highest population among the Hawaiian islands) is the third largest of the islands. Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is located on this island. The Asian population is the highest among the US states and Honolulu has a Chinatown. Being Asian, I would love to own also Oahu real estate

Kauai, the "Garden Island"

Kauai is the forth biggest of the Hawaiian island with many nice sceanic waterfalls. Th Kauai must be a real beautiful for more than 70 Hollywood movies and television shows had been shot on location on this island. They include the musical "South Pacific", Disney's "Lilo and Stitch", "Jurassic Park", "Six Days Seven Nights", "King Kong", "Donovan's Reef" and "Blue Hawaii". Sounds like Paradise. Want a piece of paradise? Get some Kauai real estate for a piece of Paradise.

Niihau, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe

These are the other islands of Hawaii. More real estate? No, enough. That would almost complete my Dream driven Life^TM or Objective Driven Life^TM or whatever.

I like Germany: Superior Technology, Sweet Reminiscence, German Language

http://guide-to-malaysia.blogspot.com/2008/06/malaysian-likes-germany-reasons.html (delete)

http://guide-to-malaysia.blogspot.com/2008/06/malaysian-germany-technology.html

Why this Malaysian likes Germany

This Malaysian (me) likes Germany. Why? Reasons:

German Technology is superior

Germany's technology is way above other countries. When I was teaching Wood Technology, we used a book published by Springer Verlag (Verlag is German for publishing house) as text. 30 over years ago, this Malaysian own and drove around a Volkswagen, a very hardy and reliable German car. When I visited Germany, I was impressed with the punctuality of the public transport. Malaysian has a lot to learn in this aspect (punctuality). German buses and trains arrive on time. Malaysian buses and trains follow Malaysian (rubber - elastic) time, if you know what I mean.

Sweet Reminiscence

My classmate went to Germany 30 over years ago to work. I started learning the German language, also some 30 years ago. That helped a lot when I became a post-graduate student in the Flemish (a dialect of Dutch language) speaking part of Belgium. I love sauerkraut and the frankfurter. My niece is married to a German and now living in Frankfurt. I visited Germany a few times when I was studying in Belgium, and then again en route to and from Geneva International Invention exhibition. Berlin was out of the way and is one city I could not visit. I would love to visit Germany again, especially Berlin.

Accommodation in Germany

When I last visit Frankfurt on the way back from Geneva, we stayed in a very nice German hotel. The Internet was not as well established as now and we had to depend on my niece to book accommodation in advance of our arrival. Now it is very easy to book online any Berlin Hotels

Switzerland and Austria

Switzerland

While I have visited Switzerland thrice, I really love Switzerland, especially in winter time up in the skiing resorts. We stayed in Grindelwald and it was just lovely. Again, my family had to go through the chore of hunting for suitable accommodation on arrival, not a pleasant experience and a waste of tourist time. Next time I will probably book online at websites like Switzerland Hotels

Austria

One country I missed during my sojourn in Europe is Austria. Austria, like Germany and Switzerland, is German speaking. I would like to see what Austria has to offer. For accommodation, I would probably try Austria Hotels

Malaysians, German automobiles, autobahn

German automobiles

Malaysians always have a fascination with Germany and thing German. For one, Malaysians often associate German products with quality and reliability, especially German automobiles. Mercedes and BMW cars are status symbols in Malaysia and they cost a bomb. Many rich Malaysian businessmen use Mercedes and BMW cars to impress their clients.

German Autobahn and speed limits

German high-speed roads are referred to as autobahn or Bundesstraßen (federal road) which are maintained by the federal government. Although Bundesstraßen have recommended speed of 130 kilometer per hour, Germany is one of the very few countries in the world which do not impose speed limits except for dangerous or congested stretches. Sometimes, I am just amazed at Malaysians who buy German cars capable of driving at very high speed, but with the speed limit of a maximum 110 kilometer per hour, what is the use of owning such high speed cars in Malaysia?

Thus, if any Malaysians want to really put their high speed cars to the test, they will have to drive them on the German Bundesstraßen. Hopefully, they know what they are doing. But German autobahns overall safety record of generally better than other European motorways, so the Germans must know what they are doing.

Highly systematic German ways of labeling roads

When I was in Germany, I was made aware of the punctuality and the German systematic ways of doing things. This even extends to their autobahn or Bundesstraßen. They have a systematic ways of naming them. Bundesstraßen are labeled with a B (Wikipedia says it is A, not B) followed by numbers. For east-west oriented roads, the numbers are odd numbers while north-south roads are even numbers. It should be a pleasure to drive on these German Bundesstraßen but wonder if I would be able to handle its high speeds. There are also roads maintained by the states and these are called Landesstraße for country road and Staatsstraße for state road. They are labeled beginning with the alphabet L, S or St.

Driving To and around Berlin

Berlin is surrounded by the Berliner Ring (A10) and to get to Berlin's inner city, you will have to use various access roads. AQ115 will take you to the Western Berlin, A113 goes to South-east Berlin. Northern Berlin is divided into Pankow/Weissensee area and to get there, take A114. The other part of Northern Berlin is Reinickendorf and access to this part is via A111. While it is claimed that driving around Berlin is comfortable and easy because of Berlin's excellent infrastructure, motorists will have to note that from 1 January 2008, Berlin's inner city had been zoned as an "environmental zone" and cars in such "environmental zone" need to meet certain emission standards. In fact, to drive in such "environmental zone" your car must display a sticker with information about the emission standard of your car and these stickers can only be obtained from authorized garages.

If you had been driving from Kaiserslautern through East Germany to Berlin in 1964, this might have been what met your eyes:

Photo of "Road to Berlin" is property of Al

I think the gate you see in the distance is the famous Berlin's Brandenburg Gate

Photo of Brandenburg Gate is property of Rob & Lisa Meehan

Accommodation in Berlin

If you need accommodation in Berlin, perhaps one of the online accommodation booking website you can try is Berlin Hotels where I have seen hotel accommodation going for as low as 12 Euro.

Driving in and around Cologne (Koln)

Cologne had the honor of being the first German city to be entirely encircled by a highway belt with well constructed highways and byways. Some says driving in Cologne is a breeze but others say it can be a nightmare, especially for Malaysians as many are one way streets not properly marked and one drive on the right side of the road instead of the left as in Malaysia. This can get you into some sticky situations if you are not alert. Getting a city map would be a great suggestion and be seriously considered.

Landmarks in Cologne (Koln)

The most famous landmark in Cologne is the Cologne Cathedral whose main entrance you can see in the photo below:

Photo of Cologne Cathedral is property of Jeff Barnes

Accommodation in Cologne (Koln)

For accommodation in Cologne, you can try Köln Hotels where hotel accommodations can be obtained from as low as 17 Euro to as high as 216 Euro (may change by the day).

Driving in and around Frankfurt

Actually, Frankfurt is better known as an important aviation hub rather than a diving paradise. If you want to drive in Frankfurt, be prepared for lots of traffic, especially at certain times of the day near Frankfurt, and a shortage of expensive parking space. While no speed limits were mentioned above, there are speed limits in and near Frankfurt. But Frankfurt is one of the most modern of all German cities

Landmarks in Frankfurt

Frankfurt is situated on the River Main, and is in the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area. The best known of its landmark is of course the Frankfurt am Main International Airport or Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen in German. It is the largest airport in terms of passenger traffic in Germany, the third largest in Europe and the eighth largest worldwide. It serves as an important hub for international flights from around the world. The few times I flew to Europe including Geneva, Switzerland, I transited in Frankfurt. However, if you are driving in Frankfurt, you are not likely to drive to or from the Frankfurt airport unless as a point of arrival and departure.

The best thing that can be said about Frankfurt is its modern skyline:

Photo of Frankfurt modern skyline is property of Rupert Ganzer

Online booking of accommodation in Frankfurt

Compared with the bad old days when you have to waste precious time to hunt for accommodation on arrival, with the Internet, you can easily book your accommodation via websites like Frankfurt Hotels.

Driving in and around Munich

Munich or München in German, is the capital of Bavaria and Germany's third largest city after Berlin and Hamburg. Bearing in mind that most autobahns do not have a speed limit, try to get a fast car as otherwise you will be looking at the rear view mirror all the time as Mercedes, BMW and Audi zoomed ahead of you. It is nice to spend some time driving around Munich, but Bavaria has plenty of spectacular mountains, the quaint villages, the pretty lakes and among the most famous castles in Germany. So spend some time driving around Bavaria outside of Munich.

But if you want to see a curiosity, make it a point to visit the unusual Adidas Bridge:

Photo of is property of Adidas Bridge Munich is property of Arturo de Albornoz

Have you ever seen a bridge like this in Malaysia? Don't know about you, but I have not, and if you just have to see it with your own eyes, you will have to get a ticket to fly to Germany.

Accommodation in Munich

After my traveling experience in Europe in the 1970's where no one even had the dimmest idea of this great invention, the Internet, my advice to you is if you want to see that Adidas Bridge in Munich, book your accommodation online before your arrival date via online accommodation booking websites like Munich Hotels if you don't want to go through the time wasting bad experience of hunting for suitable accommodation on arrival that I experienced when I was traveling in Europe.

ITEX’08 (The 19th International Invention Innovation & Technology Exhibition 2008)

ITEX’08 (The 19th International Invention Innovation & Technology Exhibition 2008) organized by MINDS (The Malaysian Invention and Design Society) will be held from 9 to 11 May 2008 at the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Center). There will be a full-day seminar on Intellectual Property and Innovation on 10 May 2008. For map and directions to get to KLCC, refer to bottom of post.

ITEX (International Invention Innovation and Technology Exhibition) will be a great platform for innovative individuals, universities, research institutions, companies and corporations, even schools, to showcase whatever inventions, technologies and innovative products that they may want to introduce to the Malaysian public.

From what I know of ITEX, if you want to exhibit your inventions, technologies or products, you will have to rent booth space, the rental of which will depend or area (or I vaguely remember that the area of one booth is fixed, and if you want more space, you will have to rent more than one). I am not sure if this year, the MINDS-Henry Goh Environmental Innovation Award is still on, but if it is, and you won, you will probably get a free booth space based on my experience in 1988 (I won the MINDS-Henry Goh Environmental Innovation Award for 1988, the very first one I think, and got a free booth in Sunway Pyramid to exhibits items which helpd me win that award).

The notice from MINDS did not mention if visitors need to pay entrance, but again from experience, entrance for the public is free.

If you want more details, contact

Aida HM Ali

Secretariat of ITEX 2008

Malaysian Invention and Design Society ( MINDS)
C-3A-10, Block C, Damansara Intan,
No.1, Jalan SS20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Website: www.minds.org.my
Email: tso [at} minds {dot} org {dot} my
(replace [at} with @ and {dot} with . and get rid of the space)
Tel: (603)7118 2062/2064
Fax: (603)7118 2063

Map to KLCC Kuala Lumpur Convention Center

Below is the map to KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Center). Click on map if you want to see an enlarged version:



My suggestion is to take public transport instead of driving there. You will save lots of parking charges, avoid frustration of hunting for the place and crawling through traffic jams and perhaps wasting hours searching for your vehicle if you somehow forgot where you parked your vehicle. If you take the Putra LRT, get someone to send you to the station, or perhaps drive to one of the LRT station with lots of parking space, take the LRT to KLCC, get off there. There will be an underground tunnel to take you to the KLCC shopping mall next to the Petronas Twin Tower and then there will along tunnel plus escalators to eventually take you to the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Center). Go early as it may take you some time to find the place.

Malaysia United Arab Emirates relations

Malaysia and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) have close relations. Malaysia is a multi-racial and multi-religious country but with a majority Muslim population and has Islam as its official religion as provided for in its Constitution. Almost all Muslims in Malaysia are of the Sunni sect. The Shiite Muslim in Malaysia I think will find it hard to practice their faith in Malaysia as it is officially frowned upon. Nearly all citizens of UAE are Muslims with approximately 85 percent of them Sunni. There are close business relationships between the two countries also, especially in the Islamic banking sector and Halal food. It has been reported that Middle East countries investors including Abu Dhabi state investment agency Mubadala Development and Dubai-based property developer Saraya Holdings are putting in huge investments into the Iskandar development zone in Johore. Actually, one of the most successful free economic zone operators, Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) was supposed to manage the PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone), but because of differences with its Malaysian counterparts, have pulled out.

Tourism between Malaysia and UAE (United Arab Emirates)

Many residents of the Middle East countries including UAE now visits Malaysia during the hot months, especially the 7/11 Twin Tower tragedy, and Malaysia is going all the way out to make their stay in Malaysia comfortable. Malaysians too have every reason to visit UAE which have various attractions that Malaysians would be interested in visiting. Muslims from Malaysians will be very comfortable there as they will have absolutely no problems getting Halal food plus there would be many mosques for them to perform their religious obligations.

If you are visiting UAE on a tight budget, you can get Cheap Hotels in United Arab Emirates.

Dubai Emirates and Dubai City

Dubai Emirates is one of the Emirates of UAE with the biggest population. It has made a name for itself for its innovative real estate projects as well as its highly successful Jebel Ali free zone. Dubai City is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and is also home to Dubai International Airport, a major hub rated the 27th busiest airport in the world in 2007. The 3 times I traveled to Europe (London, Geneva and Brussels) I had to stop over in the Dubai International Airport. Dubai will eventually have the tallest man-made structure in the world, Burj Dubai.

Photo of Burj Dubai is property of Pete the painter

Burj Dubai will dwarf our Malaysian Petronas Twin Tower and many skyscrapers when it is completed in September 2009. Then there is this very interesting building, Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) constructed on an artificial island and is a hotel in Dubai, UAE.

Photo of dhow sail boat is property of Pete the painter

The hotel claims for itself a 7 star rating, but others rated it as 5 stars. It was designed by British architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC (Private Limited Corporation). Its architecture is inspired by the sail the sail of a dhow, a traditional Arab sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails. A lateen is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast. See photo of dhow below:

Photo of dhow sail boat is property of Hobbs Luton

Great way to book accommodation online is via Cheap Hotels in Dubai.

Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi City

In terms of land area, the Emirates of Abu Dhabi is the largest of United Arab Emirates, representing a very significant 86% of its land area. It is also the richest. Its capital is Abu Dhabi City is practically a city of expatriates with expatriates representing about 80% of its residents.

Attractions that you may be interested in visiting may be the Heritage Village of Abu Dhabi which is a living museum where you can see the lifestyle and traditions of Bedouin features, take photos of tents, courtyard houses and see an ancient irrigation system plus visit workshops where craftsmen ply their trades.

Another tourist draw is the Al Hosn Palace which is also referred to as the White Fort. It is the oldest building in Abu Dhabi is the Al Hosn Palace and was built in 1793 serving as the official residence of the former ruling family. In 1983, extensive renovations were done and now it houses the Cultural Foundation which is a museum exhibiting traditional artifacts and historical photographs. What made Al Hosn Palace is the beautiful tile work over its main gate.

If you need accommodation for your visit, a convenient way to book your accommodation online is Cheap Hotels in Abu Dhabi

Malaysia and Mexico

Malaysian and Mexican Cuisine

The cuisine of Malaysia and Mexico are not that similar, but both use chili extensively, and while Malaysia has capati, Mexico has taco, a traditional Mexican food which has some slight similarity to capati. Taco is a rolled and folded maize tortilla filled with an edible substance. Capatti (some spell it as chapatti) is made from a dough of atta flour (from whole grain durum wheat, a premium and the hardest of all wheat), water and salt.

Malaysia and Mexico climate

Malaysia has a tropical climate throughout the country, Mexico has temperate and tropical climatic zones, divided by the Tropic of Cancer

Malaysian and Mexican bioverdiversity

Malaysia, with its large tracts of tropical rainforest, houses fauna and flora of great diversity, although if deforestation continue at its present rate, that will be threatened. Mexico is also has great biodiversity, with more than 200,000 different species of living things, with Mexico estimated to contain of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity.

Mexican restaurant in Malaysia

I can only find two Mexican restaurants in Malaysia, the Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant at 14, Jalan USJ10/1E, Subang UEP, Selangor and the El Taco's Mexican Cafe in Puchong. Other than that, if you want to sample Mexican food, the best will be to travel to Mexico for a first hand authentic experience.

Cost of living and vacation expenses in Mexico

Cost of living and vacation expenses in Mexico can vary considerably in Mexico. It depend on whether you want to go to a bustling, highly populated and therefore expensive locations in Mexico, or you go to a less congested, more isolated location in Mexico. Cabo San Lucas is a small city in the Baja California peninsula at its southern tip. However, Cabo San Lucas is getting to be a high-end holiday destination. If you plan to visit Mexico, you may want to consider Cabo San Lucas vacation rental which offers various types of Cabo San lucas accommodations including the attractive Cabo San Lucas villas for a more comfortable and spacious stay.

Photo of Lands End, End Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is property of Shawn Ford

Malaysian escaping from Malaysia soon

Pretty soon, some Malaysians will be deserting Malaysia for other countries with various motives. The reason is Chinese New Year is just around the corner, in fact, the first day of Chines New Year starts on 7th Febuary 2008. All will have different motives among which are:

Relax, just go for vacation

Many, including non-Chinese (Malaysia is a multi-racial country) just want to get away and relax, enjoy a vacation away from Malaysia. For some, it is one of the few chances to have a vacation oversea as public holidays for Chinese New Year is not only for 2 days (more if they fall on a weekend), plus many companies choose to close for more than 2 days, a week is not unusual. Others, of course, have their own business or professional practices and have a complete choice of how long they want to stay away.

Escape giving ang pows (red packages)

The Chinese tradition is that married Chinese have to give ang pows (red packages), small envelopes containing money, to their unmarried, especially children, counterparts during Chinese New Year. Plus some utilities workers like the dump truck workers, take this opportunity to go house to house to collect ang pows for services rendered throughout the year, and many are intimidated to give for fear that their rubbish will be left behind as retribution for being stingy. So some Chinese take this opportunity to escape their obligations by taking vacation oversea, a perfect excuse for not giving out ang pows.

Booking your vacations and travel tickets

In this modern days of Internet and 24 hours broadband access, bricks and mortar travel agencies, places we normally go to to book our vacation and purchase our travel tickets pre-Internet, is a bit obsolete now. I for one, and I believe many others too, for both convenience as well as environmental considerations, prefer Travel technology, especially those with booking engine. I also have come across a new phrase travel distribution, but I regret not being able to understand exactly what his means. Perhaps I will update this post when I find out.

Malaysian family in Italy

Me and my family in Italy

I, my late wife and my eldest daughter, then only a year plus old, traveled from Belgium to Italy by train via Switzerland in the 70s. Switzerland is my favorite country in Europe and Italy is second on the list. What did I like about Italy? The Italian food of course.

Italian food and Malaysian food: Similarities and differences

Photo of Big Calzone is property of Beatrice Murch

Look at that Big Calzone!!! Shy to put our Malaysian tiny curry puff beside it for comparison. There are other similarities as well. There is the spaghetti which is similar to our noodles (Hokkien mee, Magee mee Mamak style, mee yoke or prawn mee, mee java, mee goreng, mee soup, fish ball mee....). Well, at least we Malaysian beat them at the variety of mee as compared with the very standard Italian spaghetti even if our curry puff cannot beat their Big Calzone. And I love the Lasagne.

Photo of Lasagne is property of Jessica

Reminds me of our kueh tiew or chee cheong fun. Only difference, lasagne is alternating layer of white "pastry" or what to me is "chee cheong fun" and fillings which is then baked. Very delicious. I think better than our chee cheong fun.

Rome, capital city of Italy

If I remembered correctly, our first disembarkation point was Rome, capital city of Italy. Of course we like the normal tourists, went gaping at the Colloseum (a far cry from our own version, the "Malaysian Colloseum". Plus visited the Vatican City, the Christian Catacombs of Rome and a few other places, but what I like are not all those ancient monuments, but eating stuff like pizza, calzone and lasagne fresh from the oven in the roadside "stalls".

We did not join a packaged tour, and were on our own. That means we had to waste precious tourist time hunting for accommodation which for us on a limited budget had to be Italian pensions. With modern technology, you will be well advised to use online accommodation websites like Roma Hotel

Florence, capital city of Tuscany

Can't remember how we got around, but visited Florence we did, and probably via train as I vaguely remember using the Europass. For ladies, you will be highly tempted by famous Italian fashion houses like Gucci, Prada, Roberto Cavalli and Chanel in Florence. Can't remember what we visited, but definitely remember, and vividly too, taking photographs or ourselves against the background of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the Italian town of Pisa which also happened to be in the same province of Tuscany.

For accommodation booking, try Firenze Hotel.

Milan, large city in Lombardy

The visit was 30 years ago, so don't blame me for mixing up Milan with Florence as both are famous for of design and fashion. Milan is located in the plains of Lombardy and is one of the largest cities in Italy. Can't remember much about Milan. But if I am to visit Milan again, I will not ignore my now favorite way of getting accommodation, that is, book online at websites like Milano Hotel.

Venice, capital of region Veneto

30 years cannot take away my memory of Venice, the city of canals and unfortunately, also the sinking city. Want to visit Venice? Don't wait too long. One fine day, it may be submerged. What are my memories of Venice? The canals, the condola, the bridges, Piazza San Marco or in English, St Mark's Square, taking photos of pigeons resting on outstretched arms, etc.

Photo of St. Mark's Square is propery of Kieran Lynam

These are good memories. What are the bad memories? Wasting expensive tourist time hunting for suitable accommodation on arrival. My suggestion: use the highly convenient Internet and book your accommodation online at websites like Venezia Hotel and spend more time with the friendly pigeons.

Malaysian restaurants in New Jersey and New York

New Jersey and New York

New Jersey and New York are both states of the United States of America, and to me, they are rather like our Selangor and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur are two different "states" of Malaysia (inverted commas because I don't know what else to call the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur because the Federal Territory consists of three different region, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, all three scattered around the country and not a single continuous region. However, Kuala Lumpur city and Petaling Jaya city is practically a single metropolitan area together with other towns like Subang Jaya and other towns in the Klang Valley. Similarly, I believe Jersey City and New York City is practically a single metropolitan area with many New York corporations having their offices in Jersey City where rents and property prices are lower, and yet near enough to New York City.

Malaysia Airlines have direct non-stop flights to Newark International Airport (EWR), just only 15 miles from Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and Jersey City is just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan in New York City.

New York City, New York

New York City is the largest city in the United States and one of the world's major centers of commerce and finance. The headquarters of the United Nations is located in New York City. New York City is divided into five boroughs (county) - The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. The Statue of Liberty, an icon of New York City with its upraised hand greeted millions of immigrants to America as they land at Ellis Island. Wall Street located in Lower Manhattan is well known globally as the global financial center with the influential New York Stock Exchange located in Wall Street. New York City has numerous skyscrapers including the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Twin Towers destroyed in the September 11, 2001. Malaysia still have its Petronas Twin Towers, fortunately.

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the second-largest city of New Jersey behind Newark and is the seat of Hudson County. Jersey City is located on the west bank of the Hudson River across from Lower Manhattan, New York City, and in fact is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is an important commercial and industrial area plus a port of entry of the United States of America. Jersey City have very good railway connections to the rest of the United States and I would say it is an important transportation hub. You can get one of the best view of New York City skyline at the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. The icon of New York City, and in my mind, the icon of the United States of America too, the Statue of Liberty can be easily reached from the Liberty State Park in Jersey City where parking is available, and from which you can board a Circle Line ferry to go to both the Statue of Liberty as well as Ellis Island, the historical landing points of many of the ancestor immigrants of the current citizens of the United States of Americans.

Photo of the Statue of Liberty is property of David Sim

Malaysian restaurants in Jersey City and New York

Malaysians I think are very fond of its own cuisine, so many Malaysians seek Malaysian restaurants when in a foreign place. Well, if you happened to be in Jersey City (and New York, they are practically one and the same), have no worry, for there is no shortage of Malaysian restaurants there. Among them are:

New Malaysia Restaurant Inc
48 Bowery
New York, NY 10013
(212) 964-0284

Malaysia Village Inc
19 Eldridge St # 15
New York, NY 10002
(212) 962-5555

New Malaysia & Indonesia
18 Doyers St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 267-0088

New Malaysia Restaurant
48 Bowery
New York, NY, 10013
(212) 964-0284

Proton Saga Malaysian Restaurant
11 Allen St Frnt
New York, NY, 10002
(212) 625-1163

Jaya Malaysian Restaurant
90 Baxter St
New York, NY, 10013
(212) 219-3331

Satay Malaysian Cuisine
99 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ, 07030
(201) 386-8688

Sentosa Malaysian Restaurant
3 Allen Street
New York, NY, 10002
(212) 925-8018

Malay Sentosa Malaysian Restaurant
Lower East Side
New York, NY, 10002
(212) 925-8018

118 Bagus Malaysia
1 Doyers St
New York, NY, 10013
(212) 962-5553

Nyonya Malaysia Cuisine
5323 8th Ave
Brooklyn, NY, 11220
(718) 633-0808

Nyonya
194 Grand Street
New York, NY, 10013
(212) 334-3669

AND MANY MORE. So Malaysians, if you cannot do without Malaysian food, have no fear of not getting any if you travel to Jersey City or New York City.

Malaysians in Germany

Malaysians are no strangers to Germany. My secondary school mate ended up working in Germany in a Chinese restaurant. My son-in-law's father had his training on printing machines in Germany. I myself have been to Germany 3 times. Twice in the 70's when as a student in Belgium, Germany's eastern neighbor, I and a group of Malaysians took a bus tour to Cologne and to Phantasialand in Brühl. I went again with a few friends in a car to Frankfurt, also in the 70s, traveling from Belgium. The third time was in 1999 when I went to the Geneva International Invention exhibition. On the way back, I stopped over in Frankfurt to visit my niece now married to a German there.

According to the German Embassy in Malaysia, there are now about 800 young Malaysians studying at German universities, many of them receiving scholarships from the Malaysian Government, and the numbers are still increasing. In Malaysia itself, there is the German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) in Kuala Lumpur has been providing high-tech training in the modern and advanced fields of production technology and industrial electronics since its was started in 1992.

Things I missed in Germany

I have enjoyed the sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and bratwurst (German sausage). Sauerkraut is rather like the kim chee of Korea. There have been reports that kim chee is good for bird flue, which if true, may also be true for sauerkraut. There is of course the free flowing beer especially during Oktoberfest which is a festival lasting 17 to 18 days in the month of October. This however, may not appeal to Malaysians professing the Muslim religion, but there are lots to do, see and eat during the Oktoberfest.

While the capital city of Germany is Berlin, most visitors arriving by air will probably land in the Frankfurt Airport. an important hub for international flights from around the world. That was where I stopped over on the way back to Malaysia from Geneva, Switzerland. My architect brother-in-law is sure to love the German Architecture Museum (Deutsches Architektur Museum) at Schaumainkai 43, Frankfurt 60596.

I missed visiting Berlin and peeping at what remained of the Berlin Wall which divided East and West Berlin for 28 years, from August 13, 1961 until it was dismantled in 1989. Only a few short sections and watchtowers are now left. If I don't hurry, I wonder if I will get to see any of it as taking part of the wall as a souvenir. One can even sell them on eBay. I understand that there is still a 1316 metre long East Side Gallery left, located along Mühlenstrasse between Warschauer Strasse and the Hauptbahnhof and that had been decorated with 106 paintings. It seems other smaller sections of the Berlin Wall can be found at the Bernauer Strasse, Invaliedenfriedhof, the Reichstag, Nieder-kirchner Strasse, Bornholmer Strasse and Zimmerstrasse.

And of course the famous Black Forest in southwestern Germany which I did not get a chance to visit. Didn't get the chance to taste the Black Forest ham, the Black Forest gateau (Black Forest Cake), the Flammkuchen made with ham, cheese, and cream, or the Pfannkuchen, a crêpe or crêpe-like pastry.

Looking forward to the day when Air Asia X starts to fly to Germany and I can afford the airfare to visit Germany again. If that ever happened, I will not do like before, that is, hunt for accommodation only on arrival. That is a big hassle and a waste of precious tourist time. I would rather book online at websites like Germany Hotels.

To get to see (and hopefully bring back a brick of) the Berlin Wall, I will need to go through Berlin Hotels if I can handle the German website with my limited grasp of the German language, or flee to Berlin Hotels, the English version of that online hotel booking website.

Now Austria is just next door, and it would be a sheer waste not to hop over to Austria and its capital city, Vienna, after flying half way round the globe. This would interest my daughter greatly as she trained to sing with Malaysia's Opeaafest Children's Choir under Kam Sun-Yoke. She would love to see the world famous Vienna Boys' Choir in action.

I can't expect my family to sleep in the railway station, so it will have to be the Wien Hotels for accommodation.

Malaysian students in Paris

I was a married student in Ghent, Belgium, in the 70's. And Paris is just a day trip from Ghent. How can one resist. Paris! Romance capital of the world! Our informal Malaysian students organization organized (well, what are organization for) exactly that, a group day trip to Paris. I and my family jumped at the chance and joined the group tour (bus). The interesting thing I saw is our Malaysian version of the controversial Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre, the Grande Arche de la Défense of Paris. See photo below (second last). Don't it remind you or our very own controversial Matrade which took umpteen years to built plus at huge cost overrun, with a "hole" in the middle of the building (plus a hole in our public fund)?

Paris Attractions

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower by Steven van Wel

There, that is the icon of Paris, Romance capital of the world, the Eiffel Tower. A real imposing iron structure as seen from the ground. One of the most recognizable structures in the world. That was one of the places we visited. Plus went up in a lift. What a spectacular view of Paris from the top! If you get to Paris, don't ever miss this.

Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées

Arc de Triomphe by Stephen Carlile

Of course we did not miss the Arc de Triomphe, a photo of which you can see above with the Eiffel Tower in the background on the left. The Arc de Triomphe is at the eastern end of the famous Champs-Élysées or what the French call the "Avenue des Champs-Élysées". The Champs-Élysées a very prestigious and broadest avenue in Paris, also much visited by tourists. It has many cinemas, cafés, and luxury specialty shops, one of the most famous streets in the world and the most expensive strip of real estate in the world in Europe, and the second most expensive in the world after New York City's Fifth Avenue.

Louvre and the Louvre Pyramid

Louvre Pyramid by Stephen Carlile

The Louvre which the French calls "Musée du Louvre" is a famous art galleries and museum. It houses antiquities, sculptures and art pieces from all over the world, among them of which are Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Decorative Arts, Paintings and Prints and Drawings. Among its collections are world famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

The center of the Louvre and its main entrance is now the Louvre Pyramid, a very attractive glass structure designed by the world famous Chinese architect, I.M. Pei. You can see a photo of it above. This is one we missed as it wasn't built yet when we visited Paris.

Grande Arche de la Défense

Grande Arche de la Défense by Christophe Grébert

The Grande Arche de la Défense building was ordered to be built by the French president Mitterand who wanted a modern version of the ancient Arc de Triomphe. A lift to the top of the Grande Arche de la Défense from where you have a beautiful view of Paris city center 4 kilometre away. The sides of the building houses the offices.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge by Stephen Carlile

Our last stop, the world famous Moulin Rouge, a cabaret famous for its high kicking dancers. It is situated in the red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy near Montmartre. Our package included a ticket to witness the famous high kicking dancers. I was told Frank Sinatra and Zsa-Zsa Gabor performed here, but unfortunately, not when we were there.

With just a one day visit, there is much of Paris we missed. I would like to go back, but this time definitely not a one day visit. This will of course mean getting accommodation which with the environmentally friendly Internet, I will book ahead of arrival at online accommodation booking websites like Paris Hôtels. This is a French online accommodation website. With 2 over years in trilingual Belgium, I have managed to picked up a bit of French, so I think I may abe able to manage the French version of that website especially now with the help of language translator sites like Alta Vista Babel Fish and Google Translate, but it will be a bit bothersome. I learned Dutch when I was in the Dutch part of Belgium, and Dutch have much communality with the German language, so using this German language version of the online accommodation website, Paris Hotels, should not be too much of a problem. And the Spanish version I am guessing is París Hoteles. If I guess correct, that means I am sexa-lingual (six languages - Mandarin (that don't include the dialects), English, Bahasa Malaysia, Dutch, French, Spanish!!!!!!) Not bad eh? (eh, forgot to add German). But being a citizen of a former colony of that former empire on which the sun never set, I guess I would prefer to use Paris Hotels which, needless to say, is the English version of the online Paris accommodation website.

Malaysian Extended Family Gathering in Australia

My sister and her family migrated to Australia because they were worried about the education of their children quite some time ago. They have been back to Malaysia quite frequently for various occasions or sometimes just to see old friends and relatives. My sister broached the idea of having an extended family gathering. I just wonder if having such a gathering in Australia is feasible. Now if it were to materialise, we obviously cannot all squeeze into her home in Australia. We will have to stack our self one on top of the other to sleep. Neither is staying in hotels an option. What is left is serviced apartments which is usually a cheaper alternative to hotels plus usually include cooking facilities so or families can cook our own meals rather eating out. I believe most will also have special places for barbecue.

Serviced Apartments in Melbourne

Where should this mainly Malaysian Extended Family Gathering in Australia takes place if it ever materialises? The best place I can think of is Melbourne, where my sister and her family have settled down. I found Melbourne Accomodation has partnership agreements with various hotels and apartments for group bookings services which I would assume will provide for discounts. An example is Park Squire Motor Inn And Serviced Apartments. Their serviced apartments contain a fully equipped kitchen which is what I am looking for. However, some don't like the unpredictable weather plus perhaps my sister in Melbourne plus her family may look forward to a vacation away from Melbourne for a change. So let us look at other alternatives.

Serviced apartments in Perth

While Perth, capital city of Western Australia, may be the city furthest from any city, it is an Australian city that is nearest to our home country, so the airfare is expected to the the lowest except my sister and her family will have to travel from Melbourne. Perth receives moderate though highly seasonal rainfall. The climate in Perth is not cold in winter, unlike Melbourne, which may be what may of our extended family may like. Its climate has been described as a typical Mediterranean climate. Let us see what is available from Perth Accommodation. I found Seashells Serviced Apartments located at the Scarborough Beach overlooking the emerald clear Indian Ocean. The kids would love that. There are many cities in Australia. Let us look at other alternatives:

Serviced apartments in Brisbane

At Brisbane Accommodation, I found Summit Central Apartment Hotel which has baby sitting service, barbecue area, children's playground plus outdoor swimming pool. Perfect for an extended family gathering. Not only that, the Summit's website says that its location is easily accessible to all the famous sights and attractions of Brisbane, only 500 metres to the City Hall, and Albert and Victoria Parks where all of us can go for refreshing morning walks. Also, Brisbane has a humid subtropical climate not much different from Malaysia. Plus I now have a very good online Australian friend in Sunshine Coast whose sons lives in Brisbane. It will be nice to meet him in person. Brisbane should be a good choice, but.....

Serviced apartments in Adelaide

Some members of our extended family are crazy over culture and festivals, and Adelaide, the capital city of of South Australia is nicknamed the City of Festivals because many festivals like the world famous Adelaide Festival of Arts, Fringe Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, Adelaide Festival of Ideas, Adelaide Writers' Week, the Feast Festival, and the WOMADelaide, which is Australia's premier world music event, are held there. There is a suitable serviced apartment available from Adelaide Accommodation, the Quest Mansions Serviced Apartments which is classified a 3 to 5 star accommodation. Quest Mansions Serviced Apartments is located conveniently near the City area, which should please the ladies whom I am sure would like to go for some shopping. Adelaide too has a Mediterranean climate which should be mild enough to our extended family members from Malaysia used to warm climate.

Now, the question is, which city? Got lots of consultation, compromises and hopefully no heated arguments when it comes to decision time.

Malaysian married couple's honeymoon in Greece

My Daughter and Son-in-Law's honeymoon in Greece

One of my son-in-law (eldest daughter) works for Digi, with Telenor the major shareholder, a big mobile phone operator. He had the good fortune of winning a contest for the best suggestion to improve the company. For that honor, he got a full expense paid trip to Oslo to attend a conference with all the other prize winners from all over the world. In addition to that, he got an all expense paid trip to anywhere in the world for two. He reserved that for his then planned wedding and the honeymoon. For the destination for the honeymoon, like the obedient husband-to-be, he let my daughter choose. She chose Greece. I told her she must like history to choose as there are lots of relics of ancient historic sites like those you see below:

Athens: Photo courtesy of Blogger Employee

Athens: Photo courtesy of Blogger Employee

Greece Attractions

Well, she stuck to her decision and had their honeymoon in historic Greece. However, Greece is not only ancient relics of historical buildings. There is also the amazing deep Corinth Canal:

Corinth Canal: Photo courtesy of Calvin

You can go for a helicopter ride over Athens, the capital city. There are also lots of lovely beaches and hundreds of islands and one of the more popular one is Myconos. See photo below:

Athens: Photo courtesy of Blogger Employee

To get to Mykonos, you will probably have to take a ferry ride using ferry services like Greece ferries. Now with the environmentally friendly Internet, you can even book your tickets online at Greece ferry tickets. You can embark or disembark at various Major Ports for Greek Ferries which includes Mykonos.

Malaysia and Hawaii

Malaysia and Hawaii: Similarities

Malaysia and Hawaii shares quite a lot of similarities. Both have tropical climate and both have luxuriant tropical forest with diverse fauna and flora. Both have beautiful beaches plus bountiful sunshine, although I have to admit Hawaii may some beaches more famous than Malaysian beaches. Both have great scuba diving sites. Both are multi-racial. Ethnic Chinese form almost 5% of Hawaii's population while the percentage of Chinese in Malaysia is higher, but dropping fast.

Malaysia and Hawaii: Differences

Malaysia has only one official language - Bahasa Malaysia while Hawaii has two - English and Hawaiian. Hawaii has volcanoes (in fact Hawaii is formed out of volcanoes) while Malaysia has none. Malaysia has an official religion - Islam, while Hawaii do not have any official religion but with a large percentage of Christians. West Malaysia is a peninsula while Hawaii consists of a chain of many islands. You get hump back whales visiting Hawaii every December I think. I don't think I remember ever reading anything about any of those docile giants of the sea paying Malaysia a visit.

Why some Malaysians may want to visit or migrate to Hawaii

I don't know about other Malaysians, but I am one Malaysian who would want to visit, perhaps even migrate to Hawaii given the chance. I am curious as to what an active volcano looks like. I will like to compare our beaches and Hawaii's beaches. I understand they can have pretty big waves over there. I would like to engage in a bit of whale watching. I may even indulge in a bit of celebrities staling for I understand buy Hawaiian properties. The Internet billionaire Bill Gates held million dollars wedding in Hawaii. Oprah Winfrey bought two properties in Hawaii, one of them a huge one - 1,000 acres on Maui located high on the slopes of Haleakala with a house surrounded by cool upland pastures and an enviable view of the island’s beaches and agricultural fields. Celebrities are attracted to Wailea on Maui Island like ants (or bees) to honey where many buy single-family and condominium complexes offer gated entryways for enhanced security and privacy. Wailea also has many famous resorts like Grand Wailea Resort & Spa, Wailea Beach Marriott and Four Seasons Maui where celebrities congregate and where perhaps we can engage in some celebrities gaping.

Also, there have been various happenings in Malaysia can cause some Malaysians go somewhere like Hawaii for a change. There were the BERSIH rally for clean and fair election, the Malaysia Bar organized Long March for Justice, and the recent HINDRAF gathering to hand in memorandum to Queen Elizabeth for help in appointing Queen Counsel to represent them in their class action suit where tear gases and water cannons with chemical-laced chemicals were used liberally on the defenseless participants, the pressure to turn Malaysia from a secular state to Malaysia, an Islamic state and a few others unsettling events and developments. The all-year-round warm weather of Hawaii, much similar to Malaysia's, is a major draw.

Game for a change? Well, maybe we can try Hawaii Realtor. Maui is the second largest Hawaiian Islands which now have a rapid population growth because many people, having visited Maui, decide to move or retire to the island. For help in locating suitable real estates, Maui homes for sale. This Hawaii Real Estate website even have a blog real estate news where you can be updated on the happenings in the Hawaiian real estate industry and perhaps even leave a comment and interact with the blog author. Ah, blogs, my favorite. Maybe I can even continue blogging from there.

Malaysia and Florida: Similarities and differences

Similarities between Malaysia and Florida, USA

Malaysia and Florida shares many similarities. Malaysia has a year round warm equatorial (tropical) climate while Florida has a humid subtropical climate for the most part and similar tropical climate in southern Florid. Both have wet and dry seasons. Both have frequent thunderstorm, but Florida has been nicknamed the lightning capital of the United States. Malaysia is practically free from earth quakes except for occasional tremors originating from neighboring Indonesia while earth quakes in Florida are very rare. Malaysia has a number of National Reserves, but in this case I think beat Malaysia by the larger numbers of National Park Reserves.

The population of Malaysia is approximately 27 million while that of Florida is not far behind at 18 million. Both are multi-racial, the race and culture of Malaysia is probably more diverse.

Differences between Malaysia and Florida

Malaysia don't experience any snow (unless you include the snow houses and the "snow" car washes) but Florida do have occasional snowfall. Malaysia is blessed with hardly any major natural calamities, but Florida is subjected to not infrequent hurricanes that can cause havoc. The official language is Bahasa Malaysia (based on the Malay language) but English is widely spoken. I don't know if Florida has an official language, but 77% Florida residents speak only English at home as a first language, and I guess official documents and correspondences is probably English. Malaysia is majority Muslim while Florida is mostly Protestant Christian with a small Roman Catholic community.

Florida has Disneyland theme park as well as many other theme parks. Malaysia did try to get a Disneyland theme park in the Iskandar Development Region but I believed it was a failed attempt.

See for yourself

If you want to really finds out about the similarities and differences between Malaysia and Florida, it is best to go see for yourself. Not only are there many theme parks in Florida, it has also the famous Miami Beach plus many other attractions. The best way to see Florida is by driving around, that means a car. And unless you have relatives or friends who are willing to let you use theirs, that mean car rental which you can get at Car Rental in Florida which the website says offers the lowest rates online for Florida Car Rentals. I was told by them that if you rent through them, you don't need to pay until you arrive in Florida. That is real reassuring as obviously one wouldn't want to pay first, then end up with no car on arrival. You also can receive a confirmation without credit card payment at the time of booking. They will only need to know the type of credit card you have. Apparently, you can cancel anytime without incurring penalty charges and Florida Car Rental booking form seems to confirm them.

If Disneyland and other theme parks attract you, the theme park capital is Orlando and you can actually arrange to pick up your rental car at Orlando itself. Many other Florida cities are also included, including Miami. You can find thrifty rates at Discount Rates on Car Rentals in Florida

Time to visit Australia

I have close connections to Australia. My sister and family migrated to Melbourne after the May 13 racial riots and are still there. I have 2 nieces and a nephew studying in Sydney. I have a former colleague who migrated to Perth. I have a supportive fellow blogger in Queensland. My sister and family have come back to Malaysia to visit us numerous times. I am a bit ashamed to admit I have yet to reciprocate. My brother-in-law (father of my nieces and nephew in Sydney) has been pestering me to accompany him to visit Australia. I am pretty sure they will be going to witness their children's graduation from the Universities. Maybe it is about time to visit Australia.

Perhaps my first stop should be Sydney. My brother-in-law have been telling me how great is this Hillsong Church in Sydney and why I should pay that church a visit. Perhaps I will even synchronies the visit with one of their children's graduation. Then pop over to Melbourne to pay a long delayed visit to my sister. Not looking forward to Melbourne's infamous weather though.

I will need suitable accommodation if the visit really materialized. I now have the convenience of Internet unlike the days when I was traveling around Europe 30 years ago. Now I have the convenience of booking in advance my accommodation via sites like hotels in Sydney. I am now a humble pensioner and will have to go cheapskate (meaning cheap hotels). Perhaps I should try sites like cheap hotels. May get a good deal there.

It is always good to get some information about the places you intend to visit and Sydney looks like a pretty reliable site to get the information I seek.

Since retiring, I am tied to the computer and the Internet, and loath to travel. Let's see if this visit will ever come to pass.

Malaysia and Australia Relations

Australia is the nearest "western" country to Malaysia and it seems the earliest significant connection date back to the 19th century when Malays were a part of the pearling industry off the northern coast of Australia. In fact, William Light, the son of Francis Light who acquired Penang in 1786, was the one who planned Adelaide city in 1837, and the two cities have become sister city to commemorate that early relationship. Australia’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and the eleventh-largest partner overall is Malaysia, with total trade in 2006 of $11.61 billion. Sir William McKell, a former Governor-General of Australia, helped draft the Malaysian Constitution.

Because of its proximity and because Malaysia still have a large population of people who speak English, Australia is a popular destination for students seeking matriculation as well as tertiary education. In fact, both my daughters got their degree from Australian universities. One of my son-in-law too got his law degree from an Australian university, and by sheer coincidence studied in the same faculty as one of the daughters of my sister who migrated there. I have 2 nieces and a nephew currently studying in Sydney. Many Malaysians have also migrated to Australia, especially in the 70's. My sister and her family migrated there during that period. A colleague of mine migrated to Perth with his family. Practically all those we know have some kind of connections with Australia. During the Malaya Emergency and the Second World War , Australian troops fought alongside the Malaysian military and police and contributed to the protection of Malaysia when Indonesia declared Confrontation against the formation of Malaysia between 1963 to 1966. In fact, a reader of my blog contacted me saying he served in Malaysia during the emergency (and also enquired about possible changes in the weather in Malaysia. He also asked if I have noticed the weather changing, saying it is freezing in Queensland. I replied that when I was young, I had to sleep under a blanket, but now I sleep topless minus the fan. And it was supposed to be dry season then, but we are getting daily afternoon showers.

In view of this proximity and the relationship, it is no surprise to see many direct flights between the Malaysian and the Australian cities, and Malaysians traveling to Australia, a sizable number are families going there to witness the graduation ceremony of their children. 157,100 Malaysians visited Australia for the year to 30 June 2007, while 277,125 Australians visited Malaysia in 2006,

The nearest Australian city is Perth and that is where that colleague migrated to. Perth's attractions include King's Park from where you can get a spectacular view of Perth skyline, Perth Zoo, Burswood Casino (shouldn't count this as an attraction), the world's oldest mint - Perth Mint which is still operating from its original premises, Adventure World, AQWA (Aquarium of Western Australia), Pioneer Village (35 minutes from Perth), many museums, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. If I am ever going to visit Perth, I am not going to do what I did while traveling around Europe in the 70's when there was no such thing as the Internet. I will likely book my accommodation ahead of arrival and online via sites like Perth Hotels.

Sydney is where my nieces and nephew are currently studying and is also an interesting city to visit. There is the Opera House with its unique shell roofs which I understand took much expenses to construct, plus the Sydney Harbor Bridge (fondly called the coat hanger). You can climb the bridge to 134 meters above Sydney Harbor and get a spectacular view of Sydney skyline. I can't squat in my nieces and nephew cramped apartment, so looks like I will have to depend on Sydney Accommodation.

Adelaide, the city sister of our very own Pearl of the Orient (Penang), is the capital city of South Australia. Adelaide is often referred as a city of culture as it host many festivals like the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Fringe Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, Adelaide Festival of Ideas, Adelaide Writers' Week, etc. Adelaide Festival Centre, a multi-purpose art centre, is Adelaide's answer to Sydney's Opera House, and reputed to have superior acoustic plus being constructed at much lower cost. I have no relatives or colleagues in Adelaide, so I will need to seek accommodation via Adelaide Hotels.

Photo by B. Riley (some rights reserved)

A very interested place to visit is Ayers Rock (Uluru), a large monolithic sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory. It is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is not an easy place to visit for the nearest large town is Alice Spring, is 335 km away. But you can also fly directly to the Ayers Rock/Yulara airport from some of the major cities in Australia. All of the hotels, cabins, and campgrounds are run by a single company which has a single website at www.ayersrockresort.com.au.

At Ayers Rock Hotels, I can see only 2 hotels listed (that may change when you visit that site as things are not static). Then there is the weather. I understand it is pretty hot there. If you plan to visit Ayers Rock, June is good time to visit. The Dry season has begun but everything is still green while the daytime temperatures are warm but not hot though nights can be quite cold.

Malaysia's "Buckingham Palace"

United Kingdom may have their Buckingham Palace, the Palace Guards and the Queen. This is our Malaysia's equivalent. We too have our equivalent of Buckingham Palace - the Istana. Here is a photo of its main entrance:



You see the 2 pairs of Palace guards on both sides of the gate? So we too have our Palace Guards, and on rock-still horses too, just like those at the real Buckingham Palace in London. Here is a close up of one of the Palace Guard on horseback:



Not only that, we too have our "Marble Arc", our answer to that marble clad arc in London. It is used to demarcate the boundary between the Selangor State and one of the 3 Federal territories - Kuala Lumpur. I almost got a photo of that Malaysia's "Marble Arc", but at the point where I parked, the "Marble Arc" was partially hidden by a large electronic signboard. I hope to get a photo from the other side another day. Anyway, the construction of our "Marble Arc" was controversial and too long a story to tell here.

However, if you want to see the genuine Buckingham Palace, the Palace Guards and the Marble Arc, you will have to go to London. And if you do that, of course you will need to book your accommodation, and ahead of your arrival there plus do it online. When I visited London 30 years ago, I never had that convenience, and now that your have Internet, you will be well advised to book your accommodation well ahead of your arrival. You can do that at London hotels and accommodation.

If you travel that far, you might as well visit other nearby cities like Dublin. Dublin is the largest city in Ireland and the capital of the Republic of Ireland. In a European-wide survey by the BBC in 2003, Dublin was voted the best capital city in Europe to live in. Again, you can conveniently book your accommodation online at Dublin Hotels.

When I was in Europe 30 years ago, one of the city I visited was Rome. It has lots of historical places plus the smallest country in the world, Vatican City, is right in the midst of Rome. However what I enjoy most is something that would be familiar to Malaysians - eat at sidewalks on the street. I enjoyed seeing my pizza coming fresh out of the oven at a roadside pizza stall. Not only that, they have something like our familiar curry puffs - calzone, also referred to as a stuffed or folded pizza. It is just like a giant curry puff. And of course they have the spaghetti, a long, thin form of pasta. It is just like our noodles. Like to taste the real giant curry puff and Italian noodles. Go to Rome. And of course book your accommodation ahead of arrival at Rome Hotels. Don't be like me urgently seek accommodation only on arrival. You risk sleeping in the railway station or something if they are all fully booked, out of your price range or out of the way.