Cuti Malaysia Night Travel Fair 2011

With the school holidays coming up, time to look for a vacation, so how about the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Night Travel Fair at i-City Shah Alam?

Tourism Malaysia has many interesting travel destinations, from the pristine Malaysian beaches, lush rainforests (good for eco-tourism, yes?), refreshing hill resorts (such as Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Fraser's Hill), relaxing parks and gardens (I like that Japanese Garden at Bukit Tinggi Resort) to bustling metropolis (well actually, I would like to get away from all the mad traffic jam, but for those who has not seen the big city would like to see the frenetic hustle and bustle city life!) and heritage sites (good if you are an avid old building aficionado, there are indeed many Unesco building sites perhaps follow the Ipoh Heritage Walk?), inspiring art and gastronomic delights (aye, aye as we all know Malaysians just love to eat!).

Here's your chance to discover the magic of Malaysia tourism and travel, marvel at her wonders and cherish some wonderful memories as you go exploring good old Malaysia, ya? Go grab the best deals for your favourite travel destinations at this fun filled event in i-City Shah Alam packed with exciting activities, travel bargains, contests and giveaways!

Event: Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Night Travel Fair
Date: 28th to 30th October 2011
Venue: i-City Shah Alam, Selangor
Time: 5pm to 12am
Infoline: 1300-88-5050
Website: www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my

See you there!

Related other travel fairs:
MITM Travel Fair 2011 Tourism Malaysia
MATTA Fair 2011 Packages for Malaysia and Overseas travel

[update on the travel fair]

Tourism Malaysia Targets Sales Of RM500,000 At Night Travel Fair
October 29, 2011 00:02 AM

SHAH ALAM, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia aims to sell about RM500,000 worth of travel packages at the Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia Night Travel Fair 2011 which starts today until Sunday.

The national tourism promotion agency also expects over 60,000 visitors at the night fair located in i-City, here.

In a statement, Tourism Malaysia said the event involves 66 travel agencies including operators of tourism products, homestays and local hotels which will offer over 2,500 domestic tour packages.

Aside from sales and exhibitions, other activities will take place throughout the programme including tourism quiz, lucky draw and a mini concert featuring artistes Lefthanded, XPDC and others under pay-television service provider Astro.

The Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia Night Travel Fair will also highlight programmes organised by the Tourism Ministry such as the 1Malaysia Bersih & Indah campaign, 1Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival and Fabulous Food 1Malaysia.

The three-day event, which begins from 5pm to midnight, was officiated by Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit on behalf of Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, here Friday night.

-- BERNAMA

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Kolam Artform and Deepavali

Whenever Deepavali comes around the corner, you can see many PJ and KL shopping malls and offices with decoration of Kolam on the floor. If you wondered what it all meant, the article below would give you some insights about the tradition of Kolam and what it symbolizes.

Kolam an artform to symbolise happiness
By Vijenthi Nair
Photos By Low Lay Phon
24/October/2011

KOLAM is much more than just an aesthetic art and symbolises happiness and prosperity, according to Indian beliefs.

The dotted kolam that is made from rice flour is drawn at the entrance of the house to feed insects and birds.

It represents man’s concern for all living creatures.

The kolam and the bright red border enclosing it, is also believed to prevent evil spirits from entering the house.

White beauty: Maruthamuthu with
his white flour work of art.

Kolam artist Mohan Maruthamuthu said Ranggoli (coloured) kolam was the evolved version of the dotted kolam.

However, in recent times the Ranggoli kolam have seen an evolution with many shopping malls and corporations drawing the artform in their premises.

Over the years, people added colours to the dotted kolam to make it more attractive.

“All of my work so far are for Ranggoli Kolam.

“The bright colours fused with creative designs is more appealing to many and also involves a lot more work compared with the original one. Usually dyed crushed rice are used to create beautiful Indian designs and symbols.

Colourful: The Ranggoli Kolam
at the entrance of K&N Kenanga
Holdings building.

“However, the beauty of the white flour is in a class of its own. Kolam should be drawn at the entrance so it would not be missed by visitors. In India, kolam is drawn every day by the women in the morning to invite ants to feed on it, thus receiving its blessings in return.

Mohan said kolam design was up to one’s creativity although there were now many kolam guide books to help beginners, especially with the dotted kolam.

“The parallel dots need to be calculated and arranged in order to get the straight and curves right. For dotted kolam, all the dots are drawn first, followed by the curved lines around the dots connecting each other. The thumb and forefingers are used to control the flow of flour.

“It is easy once you get the feel and flow of it. There is no end to the design as you can add on as you like or just run a finger through the lines to get an added effect,” he said.

Mohan feels that tradition can evolve but must not deviate from its main purpose.

“The tradition should be kept alive. The youths expressing their support for the football teams through kolam adds no value or meaning to it. It is best to keep it traditional and create innovative designs to further enhance the age-old art,” he added. -- Star Metro

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Cheong Fatt Tze Building aka The Blue Mansion in Penang

Here's an interesting place to visit, the Cheong Fatt Tze Building aka The Blue Mansion in Penang. Look for it when you next visit Georgetown Penang and see what it is all about!

Cheong Fatt Tze building is one of two in Asia featured on Lonely Planet list
By Andrea Filmer and Fong Kee Soon
Saturday October 22, 2011

George Town: The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (aka the Blue Mansion) here has been named one of the world's top 10 greatest mansions and grand houses by popular travel guide Lonely Planet.

The grand dwelling, often dubbed the Blue Mansion due to its vivid colour, is one of only two buildings in Asia to make the list.

The other is the Marble Palace mansion in Kolkata, India.

Others that made the list include the Villa d'Este in Italy, England's Castle Howard that provided the backdrop for the television and cinema adaptation of Brideshead Revisted, famed 16th-century Chateau de Chambord in France and the Catherine Palace in Russia.

The United States was the only country with two venues making the list Fallingwater in the woods of Pennsylvania and Beauport House in Massachusetts while Australia and Ireland rounded up the grandest homes list with Werribee Mansion in Melbourne and the 13th-century Powerscourt Estate in the Wicklow Mountains respectively.

True blue: The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang.
The historical structure was also featured as
the title picture for the Lonely Planet list.

The Lonely Planet list was reprinted last Sunday by the Fox News website, which chose the Blue Mansion as its story's main picture.

This latest accreditation follows several other prestigious awards already given to the mansion, including a Unesco “Most Excellent” Heritage Conservation Award in 2000, an Asean Tourism Association Excellence Award for Best Asean Cultural Preservation Effort in 2004 and the Malaysian National Architectural Award For Conservation in 1995.

The mansion was built in the late 19th- century by Cheong Fatt Tze, a self-made wealthy Chinese merchant.

Loh-Lim Lin Lee, who bought and restored the dwelling with husband Laurence Loh in the late 1980s to 1990s, said the mansion received some 2,000 visitors every month. -- The Star Nation

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1Malaysia People’s Menu

The cost of food and the price of meals has gone up tremendously recently. The government is finding ways to help lessen the citizen's everyday burden and came up with the 1Malaysia People’s Menu. You could give these meals a try, from the looks of it, it sure looked delicious!

Cheap options: Ariff Abdul Rahman and his wife Baheerah Mydin
showing their 1Malaysia People's Menu dishes. The prices
for the respective dishes are (from left) RM3, RM2 and RM4.

People’s Menu a hit
By Simren Kaur
Photo by Chin CHeng Yeang
Saturday October 22, 2011

RESTAURANT owners in Penang have given the thumbs up to the 1Malaysia People’s Menu, with 61 operators taking part thus far and more signing up every day.

Restaurant owners said they have received good response from the people to this menu.

Nasi Kandar Ariff owner Ariff Abdul Rahman, who runs his shop in Air Itam, said he received overwhelming response from his customers since he started the 1Malaysia People’s Menu.

“I have about 20 customers every day who come just to enjoy the special rates this menu offers,” he said.

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Terry Fox Run KL 2011

Terry Fox Run KL 2011 will be held on 13th November 2011.

This is 31st Anniversary of The Terry Fox Run. It is a milestone unimaginable without the support of so many people. There is so much to be done yet we must always celebrate our victories - of which there have been many.

Date: 13 Nov 2011, 09:00AM
Location: Padang Merbok, Jalan Parlimen, Kuala Lumpur
Distance: 3.6 km

This is a non-competitive family run event.

Information

Terry Fox knew personally, the importance of the need for cancer research. At the age of 18, he was told that his right leg had to be amputated above the knee as a result of bone cancer.

During this crucial period, Terry saw the intese pain and despair of other cancer victims and was deeply moved. In order to raise funds for cancer research, he decided to run across Canada asking for donations. This became "The Marathon of Hope".

Terry Fox died before he could complete his crusade, but his legacy is carried in the hearts of all wo participate or donated to the Terry Fox Run each year around the world.

How the Marathon of Hope began:

Since it began in 1983, the Terry Fox Run has become the largest, single-day, fund-raising event for cancer research. Here in KL, the organizers aim to continue the quest to keep Terry's dream alive.

This year with the support of sponsors and participants, we hope to raise both funds and awareness for cancer research here in Kuala Lumpur. The beneficiary in previous years and this year as well is the Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF).

You too, can take up the quest so that Terry's dream of finding a cure for cancer can become a reality.

For further inquiries and volunteers, contact:
Mr. Yoon / Ms. Katrina Low / Mr. Peter Kang / Mr. Wong Siak Chung
Carif, 2nd Floor OPC,
Sime Darby Medical Centre.
Tel: 03-56391874
Email: organizer@terryfoxrunkl.org

Registration Details

Registration starts : 01 Oct 2011 to 04 Nov 2011

Entry info & cost:

Registration fee:
Normal T-Shirt : RM30
T-Shirt with embroidery - RM35

Purchase of T-shirt can also be done at:
1 Utama Shopping Complex
Community Corner @Oval
29th & 30th October
10am to 10pm

Bangsar Village 1
Nearby Information Counter
29th & 30th October
5th & 6th November
10am to 10pm

To register, contact:
Mr. Yoon / Ms. Katrina Low / Mr. Peter Kang / Mr. Wong Siak Chung
Carif, 2nd Floor OPC,
Sime Darby Medical Centre.
Tel: 03-56391874
Email: organizer@terryfoxrunkl.org

Rules and Regulations:
All participants must run on the designated route.
For wheelchair bound, and physically challenged participants, please note that there are slopes along the run route.

Parking:
Limited parking is available on site, and public transport is recommended.

Notice:
The organisers, their agents, representatives, successors and assigns, are not liable for any injuries suffered, damage and loss of properties by participants at this events.

Terry Fox Run KL 2011, 13th November 2011
Padang Merbok, Jalan Parlimen, Kuala Lumpur

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Gunung Mulu National Park - Best caves tourism destination

If you like caving, head on to Gunung Mulu National Park as they are considered one of the best caves to go spelunking. While you are there, don't forget to explore other areas of the national park and climb up and view the breath taking 'Pinnacles' and of course enjoy the nature of the tropical rainforest of Sarawak.

Don't forget to try the world's longest canopy walk at the National Park too, ya?

Best caving destination
Saturday October 8, 2011

Dubbed the “most spectacular caves on earth” by international cave experts, Gunung Mulu National Park is unsurprisingly picked as the best caving destination by speleologist and freelance journalist Liz Price.

Kuala Lumpur-based Price has been caving in South-East Asia for more than 20 years.

One of the spectacular caves at Mulu National Park that draws visitors from all over the world.

With one of the longest networks of caves in the world, the Unesco World Heritage site is bestowed with a long list of superlatives. It houses the world’s largest underground chamber – apparently, you can squeeze in 40 Boeing 747 airplanes in the Sarawak Chamber.

The world’s biggest cave passage, the Deer Cave can fit cathedrals the size of Saint Paul’s in London and is where you can watch millions of bats swarming out at dusk. Then there’s Clearwater Cave, the longest cave in South-East Asia.

“Many caves have spectacular formations and are home to a wide variety of cave fauna,” says Price.

The adventurous can opt for adventure caving where you crawl, climb, scramble or squeeze through narrow cave passages while marvelling at the spectacular formations and creatures. -- The Star

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Unique stromatolites in Deer Cave will encourage research
By Zora Chang
Tuesday July 26, 2011

The discovery of a unique type of freshwater stromatolite in Deer Cave at the Gunung Mulu National Park will open doors for research on the mineral deposits and exploration in other caves.

Researcher Prof Joyce Lundberg from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, said the stromatolites found near the northeastern entrance of the cave were the only sample of their kind in the world.

“It will also be a tourist attraction for Deer Cave, which is already famous for its huge passages and vast bat population,” she said at a public talk entitled “Freshwater Stromatolites in Deer Cave, Sarawak — A Unique Geobiological Cave Formation” here recently.

World’s first: Lundberg showing a piece of stromatolite during the talk at the Sarawak Museum.

The talk also featured Prof Donald A. McFarlane of Claremont Colleges in Claremont.

Lundberg said since these type of stromatolites were being studied for the first time in the world, there was no one who could say whether the mineral deposits had any medicinal value or if weather patterns had a hand in forming them.

Stromatolites are laminated, usually mounded sedimentary fossils formed by layers of cyanobacteria, calcium carbonate and trapped sediment.

They are present as horizontal shelves arranged in a series on a steep rock face that is vertically under a guano-laden shelf.

The rock face undergoes active dissolution from acidic guano drainage water and from aggressive rainwater from an overhead discharge.

It is corroded by the running water except for the parts protected by the stromatolites, creating a form-like tiny pillars or hoodoos.

The stromatolites grow upwards in annual laminae but are, at the same time, destroyed from underneath by biological corrosion and laterally by mechanical breakage.

A dynamic equilibrium is established between upward accretion of the fresh surface and destruction at the base such that the base of the stromatolite moves over time.

Therefore, over time they climb up the wall. -- The Star

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Mulu walkway is longest ever at 480m
Monday July 25, 2005

MULU: The Mulu National Park has opened the world’s longest canopy skywalk, a 480m walkway suspended 20m above the forest floor.

Experts advised and helped the local communities design and build the structure.

The canopy skywalk is part of the Gunung Mulu world heritage area opened by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud yesterday.

Other facilities there include a plants-for-life trail, an 8km non-slip plank walk, radio communication systems, interpretive signage, renovated facilities at Camp 5, new public toilets and upgraded facilities for future on-site research.

Also built were new bridges, new park lighting and sensor-activated lighting in the four caves – the Clearwater, Wind, Deer and Lung Caves.

The Deer Cave boasts the world’s largest cave passage while the 107km Clearwater Cave is the longest in South-East Asia.

Mulu also has the world’s largest natural chamber – Sarawak Chamber – which can accommodate 40 Boeing 747 aircraft with room to spare.

The Mulu National Park has seen a significant increase in tourist numbers after it was made a Unesco world heritage site five years ago.

State national parks and nature reserves controller Datuk Cheong Ek Choon said the new facilities at Mulu Caves were fine examples of the private sector and government working together to promote eco-tourism and biodiversity conservation.

He said it was made possible through the joint efforts of Borsarmulu Park Management and Sarawak Forestry.

Cheong, also Sarawak Forestry managing director, commended the state's commitment to conserve more areas as national parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, and its contribution to raise the profile of the Mulu National Park on the world stage. -- The Star

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Petaling Jaya Museum

PJ Museum reopens
By Vijenthi Nair
Tuesday October 4, 2011

THE Petaling Jaya Museum has been reopened with more information, displays and facilities.

The improved facilities include research, reference, briefing rooms and WiFi services.

Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said the township was established more than 50 years ago and it was about time to treasure its history for the new generation.

Refurbished: The museum at Taman Jaya with WiFi services.

"The museum first opened its doors in November 2007 functioning as a repository to collect and showcase items with historical value.

However, it was closed in December last year for renovations to improve the facilities.

"We are continuously looking for ways to upgrade the museum and attract more visitors.

About RM800,000 has been spent to upgrade the museum and we are willing to buy items of historical value from the public.

"Those donating the items will have their names displayed under the item.

"We also encourage the public to become members to enjoy 30% discount on merchandise and priority to take part in our activities.

"Upcoming activities include Malay poetry recitals," he said.

Healthy activities: Mohamad Roslan (in batik) showing the
bicycles that can be rented in Taman Jaya.

He added that many trees around the museum and park were tagged with names for visitors to learn and identify different flora species.

The museum located in Taman Jaya has six galleries, displaying the history of the birth of Petaling Jaya and its administration from the olden days till now, hall of fame in memory of its previous leaders, the people and its development.

The museum is open from 9am to 5pm every day except on Fridays and public holidays. Admission is free. For more information call 03-7954 8122 or visit muziumpj.mbpj.gov.my.

MBPJ has also extended its services in the park by allocating three electric bicycles for rent for RM5 each for 30 minutes. Users have to pay a deposit of RM50.

The service, which started two months ago, is becoming popular. For more details, contact call 03-7958 2372. - StarMetro

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MITM Travel Fair

Malaysian International Travel Mart Travel Fair 2011 targets 60,000 visitors

THE MITM Travel Fair is back again this year after a successful fair last year.

The MITM 2011 Travel Fair, the 10th edition to be organised by the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA), will be held from Oct 28 to 30 at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre (MVEC).

This year’s fair, which has exhibitors ranging from tour operators, travel agents, national tourism organisations, state tourism organisations and airlines, will feature over 60 exhibitors with 300 exhibition booths occupying all three exhibition halls at the MVEC.

MITM 2011 Travel Fair organising chairman Jackson Thian said they were expecting more than 60,000 visitors to the Kuala Lumpur exhibition.

“I believe the fair will provide a great opportunity for travellers to explore the best bargains and value-for-money tour packages and other travel-related products and services.

“The travel and tourism industry is one of the major contributors to Malaysia’s economy.

“MCTA will continue to support the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Malaysia to promote Malaysia to foreign and local travellers,” Thian said during the fair’s soft launch at Overtime Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur recently.

There will also be RM200,000 worth of lucky draw prizes for visitors and buyers during the exhibition.

For the first time this year, MCTA Perak and Negri Sembilan chapters will be holding their fairs on the same dates in Ipoh and Seremban respectively.

The fairs will be held at the Glamour Square in Bercham, Ipoh and Terminal 2, Seremban.

“Last year we held the fair in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. This year we have included Seremban,” said Thian.

“Next year, we plan to expand and add two more venues in Penang and Ipoh,” he said. -- Jastin Ahmad Tarmizi / Star News

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