The Hindu Business Line : Showcasing Asia

The advertisement punch-line, `Malaysia, Truly Asia', probably captures in a nutshell the country that is a mesmerising collage of Asia's essence with a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous cultures and customs. The capital city, Kuala Lumpur, or "KL" as it is called, is the focal point of the new resurgent Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, which literally translates into `a muddy confluence' in Malay, derives its name from the confluence of two shallow rivers — the Klang and the Gombak. As the entry point for most visitors and the meeting point of the country's many attractions, KL is a grand gateway to the country.

While the city's past is captured in the British colonial buildings of the Dataran Merdeka, archaic mansions dot the landscape along Jalan Ampang (`jalan' means road in Malay) and the railway station replete with spires and minarets built in the early 19th century. The glimpses of the past, rather well preserved, are constantly interspersed with reminders of KL's present and future. The city's busy streets, its swank office buildings, and its cosmopolitan environs symbolise Malaysia's leap into the future. To some, this ambience is at the cost of the city's ancient cultural traditions, but that may not be the entire truth, as KL makes obvious the continuation of Malaysia's rich past in more ways than one.

Its many constituent cultures are also reflected in the remarkable natural treasures, which for the first-time visitor presents an opportunity to experience Malaysia in its entirety. The botanical and bird parks of the Lake Gardens showcase this reassuringly. In the bustling Central Market, there is a lot to explore and the National Museum offers a peek into the country's cultural history.

A commercial hub

KL is the second Asian venue to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the ultra-modern Sepang circuit. With a view to decongest the city, the Malaysian Government is gradually shifting out to nearby Putra Jaya, slated to seat the entire Government machinery by the next couple of years.

The reasons are obvious. Despite world-class infrastructure including a maze of flyovers, an efficient monorail system and a metro, traffic jams are common during peak hours. This move is also aimed at developing KL as purely a commercial and business hub.

Getting around

Batu Caves: Among the best-known tourist attractions are the massive Batu Caves, venue for Hindu festivals and pilgrimages, especially the annual body-piercing ritual during the `Thai Poosam' festival. The main cave, a vast open space known as the Temple Cave, is reached by a 272-step climb, beyond which is the main temple.

Genting Highlands: Fifty km from KL, this is a charming hill resort 2,000 metres above sea level, offering a cool break from humid KL. The nightlife here is vibrant with international dinner shows and discos, the highlight being Casino de Genting offering the usual international casino fare.

The resort also includes two theme parks. Tourists can choose to stay at one of the five big hotels, including the Genting Hotel, the Theme Park Hotel, the Resort Hotel, and the Awana Golf and Country Resort.

Malacca: Malaysia is divided into two distinct parts: Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak in North Borneo. A road trip towards the seaside city of Malacca, 150 km south of KL, proved quite an experience. Most Malay houses follow a time-tested principle of construction aimed to protect against heat and humidity. Their homes are built on stilts, with tiny holes in the walls and high-peaked roofs, which help circulate the breeze and cool the interiors.

Historically significant, it was a major port along the spice-route. Though the Portuguese influence is visible in the city's architecture, the streets bear a distinct Chinese influence. Mandarin is spoken in the open-air fruit, vegetable, and fish markets.

Thanks to a healthy tourist inflow, a number of resorts have come up in the area, with Afamosa Resort in Malacca and the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park in Selangor being popular among the Singaporean and Indian tourists.

A destination for Indian tourists

Malaysia is popular with Indian tourists as it an inexpensive destination, easy to reach and has a lot of Indian food, including vegetarian, on offer.

Besides package tours, airlines also have special offers. Air India, for instance, has tied up with Tourism Malaysia and Singapore Tourism for a Rs 18,999-package for a two-night stay in Singapore and two nights in Kuala Lumpur with airport transfers and transportation between Singapore and KL included. Air India also has separate packages for both Singapore and Malaysia as well.