Tag: Jason Gerald John

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA BEACH FESTIVAL 2011

24 November 2011 | Last updated at 01:17AM

100,000 expected at Tanjung Bidara’s beach festival
By Jason Gerald John | 0 comments
MALACCA: Some 100,000 people, both locals and tourists, are expected at the Melaka Beach Festival 2011, which would be held at the Tanjung Bidara beach from Dec 9 to 11.
tanjung bidara

The scenic Tanjung Bidara beach will host modern water-sport activities and also traditional games next month.

The festival’s organising committee chairman, Datuk Abdul Karim Sulaiman, who is also the Tanjung Bidara assemblyman, said the event would involve both modern water-sport activities and also traditional games.

Among the activities which would be held during the three-day beach festival are sailing competitions, pillow fights, climbing the slippery pole, tug-of-war, beach volleyball and soccer, duck catching competition and mountain bike racing.

“Besides these activities, we would also be organising a beach run, fishing competition, kite flying competition, karaoke competition and also the Big Bike Charity Wash,” he said recently.

Karim said the event, which is organised by the State Tourism Promotion Board and the Alor Gajah Municipal Council, would also see a career opportunity and exhibition by the Armed Forces.

“Pos Malaysia Bhd will host a photography exhibition and a sepak takraw competition at the event.

“This event would be a huge hit among visitors to the state as it is one of the year-end programmes which had been included in the 2011 Melaka Tourism Calendar.

“I hope people from all walks of life from in and out of the country would join us for the three days of fun, games and family outing, especially during the school holidays.

“I am sure there would be something for all family members and visitors to participate in and it would surely be a memorable experience,” he said.

Read more: 100,000 expected at Tanjung Bidara’s beach festival – Central – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/100-000-expected-at-tanjung-bidara-s-beach-festival-1.10102#ixzz1eaajkhmv

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA AIR MAIDEN FLIGHT ON 11.11AM ON 11.11.11

A milestone for humble airfield
2011/11/10

After celebrating 500 years of Portuguese culture recently, Malacca is looking to create excitement on a new front tomorrow, at 11.11am, to be precise. JASON GERALD JOHN reports

11.11AM on 11-11 is the scheduled time and date of departure for Melaka Air’s maiden flight to Medan. The flight will depart for Medan via Penang from Melaka International Airport (MIA) where a RM131 million runway extension was completed last year.

Aligning numbers is just one component of a sound business strategy.

Around 70,000 foreigners seek medical treatment in Malacca annually, and the state economic planners are all for flying them into the state directly without having to go through Kuala Lumpur International Airport or the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang, Selangor.

And the number is just 0.1 per cent of the seven million middle-class population in Sumatra, Indonesia.

“With the new Melaka International Airport, we hope more patients from Sumatra will come here,” said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

The airport was formerly known as Batu Berendam Airport.

Emphasising the Sumatra angle, four of the seven Melaka Air des – tinations are on the Indonesian island — Medan, Pekan Baru, Padang and Palembang.

The others are Penang and Kota Baru in Malaysia, and Hat Yai in Thailand.

Melaka Air is a joint-venture between Kuala Lumpur-based NN Flyers and the state-owned Melaka Foundation, with a paid-up capital of RM20 million.

The sole airline using the airport until now was Wings Air, which had been operating three weekly flights from Pekan Baru to Malacca since last year.

The airport handled 21,687 passengers last year. According to Wings Air representative Ridho Kosasih, around 80 per cent of the passengers travelling on his airline that year were Indonesians seeking medical treatment in the historical city.

Melaka Air will be using AT R – 7 2 turboprops, which are loaned from FireFly at a cost of US$190,000 (RM570,000).

Malacca, which is listed as a United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage City, saw the arrival of 10.4 million tourists last year. This figure is expected to jump to 11 million by year-end.

Tunku’s historic arrival THE airport in Malacca is wellknown for receiving histor ic flights.

Fifty-five years ago, on Feb 20, 1956, the Merdeka Mission led by Tunku Abdul Rahman landed at Batu Berendam Airport (now renamed Melaka International Airport).

They had just arrived from London via Singapore, and a teeming crowd had gathered at Banda Hilir to listen to Tunku’s historic announcement.

Tunku, travelling from the airport in a Morris Minor, later announced that the Merdeka Agreement had been signed on Feb 8, 1956, and that the country would achieve independence on Aug 31, 1957, to shouts of Merdeka from the crowd.

Read more: A milestone for humble airfield http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Amilestoneforhumbleairfield/Article#ixzz1dGqCZl00

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Cuisine in Melaka

PORTUGUESE SETTLEMENT CELEBRATES 500 YEARS OF HERITAGE

Visitors take delight in Portuguese music, food

2011/10/31
By Jason Gerald John and Adrian David
news@nst.com.my

Musicians from the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca enchanting the crowd at the celebration of the 500-year anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese in Malacca recently. — NST picture by Rasul Azli Samad

MALACCA: Visitors to the celebration of the 500-year anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese in Malacca were captivated by the rich culture and tradition preserved by the community.
The four-day celebration, which ended last Saturday at the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir, was a huge success, said organising committee chairman Michael Singho.

Catia Barbara Dias Candeias, 29, one of the 15 visitors who flew in from Portugal, said Malacca did not feel like it was very far from home.

“The culture here in Malacca and back home is very much similar.

“We have the importance and the speciality of music in our blood. I’m very happy that this culture has not been forgotten here for the past 500 years.”

Finnish student Hedvig Moetzfeldt, 22, said the rich cultural diversity in Malacca was unique as all the different races were living in a vibrant community.

“When I came to Malacca, I met a few other backpackers and I was told about this 500-year celebration in the Portuguese Settlement.

“I had a very good time here and I very much enjoyed the music, food and wonderful hospitality.”

Besides foreign tourists, the celebration also attracted a number of locals outside Malacca.

Shamala Devi, 24, a student at Limkokwing University, also enjoyed the food while civil servant Azlina Mulup, 43, from Terengganu, spent most of her time shopping at various stalls in the settlement.

“The handicrafts are just awesome and I bought beads and other accessories to match a wide collection of my dresses,” Azlina said.

Musician Jerry Singho, 51, said music was a big passion for the Portuguese community and it had always been a part of the community’s culture not only in Malacca, but also around the world.

“I hope that the younger generation will carry on this passion in their hearts and keep it treasured. This celebration of 500 years is very special indeed.

“It took us just over a month to practice the songs that had been played.

“I’m glad that everyone enjoyed this event as there’s a smile plastered on everyone’s face here.”

For senior settlement resident Augusta Pereira, 80, watching the community evolve in her lifetime had brought her great pride.

“I am very happy to have witnessed this celebration.

” The Portuguese culture is very unique and beautiful, and it is definitely felt by those who came for this wonderful event.

“I have 14 grandchildren and I hope that they, too, will carry on this tradition,” she said.