Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Lets go, Borneo!

THE CURIOUS CASE OF WANDERLUST FEVER

Looking back now, waiting to board our plane back home, we still can’t believe that we actually did it!

The journey has been unbelievable to us, after months of planning and restless anticipation, we finally got to pack our travel gear, cameras a really really good powerbank (we’re millennials after all) and headed off for an adventure of a lifetime in Borneo!

For a month, we travelled across the South China Sea, to the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah; to experience the best they have to offer. We sought out the best experiences, to learn new interesting cultures eat tantalizing local cuisines. But, our main purpose was to really immerse ourselves in the adventure that awaited us.

Like you probably are now, we were tired and bored of our 9-5 working lives. Day in and day out of the office, which one of us hasn’t felt like living zombies before? We needed a break from the rat-race, away from the overbearing ambiance of the city. Living in metropolis had exhausted our senses.  A short respite from the never ending sights of cold glass skyscrapers and the screeching sounds of the passing traffic was all that we needed.

Crashing waves, chirping birds, cool sea breezes and warm sandy beaches; what do they all have in common?

Answer: They are all constant in our lunchbreak fantasies. If you won’t admit it, we will!

Bitten by the travel bug, we were your definite stereotypical Wanderlusters.

At first, we were skeptical of curing our wanderlust fever in Sabah and Sarawak. Even as local Malaysians, the two states were still a mystery to us as everything we’ve ever known about them were from school textbooks or local papers. But after reading great reviews online and hearing personal experiences from family members alike, we decided not to skip this one out.

Now that we’ve experienced it, we can say they are truly the hidden gems of Malaysian tourism.

INTO THE WILDS OF BORNEO

IMAGINE THIS.

You are now standing in the middle a 130-million-year old tropical rainforest, while your cityscape fades to the recesses of your mind, let it stay there. It is truly a breathtaking sight; you are surrounded by towering ancient trees while rays of sunlight warm your face through the rustling greens of the canopies. Said to not only have one of the most biodiverse rainforests, it is also one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet. There is so much to be discovered here in Borneo!

Sunset straight out of a dream! Miri, Sarawak

Sunset straight out of a dream! Miri, Sarawak

On our journey, we’ve passed through the enchanting forests of Bako National Park, had a little dance battle in the center of a drum circle at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak, swam in the clear waters of Semporna and trekked the Mountain View in Kinabalu Park, Sabah. Being the beach bums we are, we also hung out at some of the most pristine secluded beaches in Malaysia. That’s just us touching the surface of the water.

All things fresh and rare at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

All things fresh and rare at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

No picture in the world can do justice to Mount Kinabalu, Sabah

No picture in the world can do justice to Mount Kinabalu, Sabah

We saw rare Proboscis Monkeys in the lush greeneries of Danum Valley, and not to mention majestic Hornbills taking flight right in front of our eyes! We even saw the legendary Orangutan at the Matang Wildlife Centre and visited endangered Sunbears at The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. It’s literally the wildest we’ve ever been!

One thing we’ve learned from the trip is that the world has so much more to offer; if you show your interest in it. If there is anything we hope to accomplish with our Taming Borneo series, it is to encourage others to follow in our footsteps, and explore the world beyond the comfort of your front door.

Take action. Plan your trip, and cure that wanderlust fever!

If you have more questions regarding our Taming Borneo adventure, please do leave a comment in the comment section below, or start a discussion; tell us your personal Taming Borneo experience!

Also do follow along our adventure on our social media platforms:

Instagram: @MyTourismChannel or #tamingborneo         

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

A festival like no other

SINGING IN THE RAIN..FOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

Let’s just say that there was absolutely no way we were going into our Taming Borneo adventure and miss the highly anticipated Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF). If you’re a music enthusiast there’s no doubt you’ve heard about it. But if you haven’t, trust us, you’re going to want to read the rest of this entry, seriously.

Truth be told, we really didn’t know what to expect. Okay, we kinda did, but only from second hand experiences; reading travel blogs or hearing stories from our friends.

The only 3 things we were sure of were;

  • It’s an annual 3-day music festival, hosted by the Sarawak Tourism Board, at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching.
  • It brings international acts together with local indigenous acts to celebrate the diversity of music in the heart of the Bornean jungle.
  • It’s a totally awesome festival you have to go to #YOLO

To sum it up in a nutshell, RWMF, gives you a perfect blend of cultural and contemporary musical performances, chilled festival vibes, good local food, an all-around great crowd and ambiance to party away the weekend. But we’ll delve further into the details below.

Putting the full extent of our experience into words is just not possible, you’ll have to watch our video series to find out how lit this festival really is!

THE DEETS OF THE BEATS

The RWMF is usually held annually in the mid months of June, July or August (this year August) in the Sarawak Cultural Village, at the base of Mount Santubong, Kuching, Sarawak.

At its’ inception, RWMF was established in 1998 and drew a crowd of only 300 people. But now, it draws an annual crowd of about 20,000 a year, making RWMF a front runner in local and international music calendars!

The festival usually features approximately 20 local and international bands over the course of the weekend. The performances range from traditional, world fusion and contemporary music. Invited performers are specially curated by organizers to give audiences the musical ambiance in accordance to the creative direction of the festival.

RWMF has a format of afternoon workshops; promoting engagement between performers and attendees, while the main concerts are held at night, under the star speckled sky of the Bornean Rainforest.

Go crazy, no one will judge you!

Go crazy, no one will judge you!

Lastly, fun fact, if you’re an environmentalist, the RWMF also has a record for raising environmental awareness with its recycling initiatives, tree planting campaigns, and providing shuttle buses for festival goers to reduce carbon emission in the air. #winning

TRACES OF THE TRANCE

The festival runs on a world class level of operation, operating on tight scheduling and strict regulations, it still manages to hold energetic performances and engaging afternoon workshops. It was really easy for us to warm up to the energy of the music and the crowd.

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The afternoon workshops have got to be the highlight of our experience. We participated in a drum circle and enjoyed a workshop called “The Breath of Life” showcasing delicate sounds of wind instruments in music. When the festival promises a “smashing weekend in the Bornean rainforest”, they deliver.

Besides the eargasmic performances, we had the pleasure to explore the village with vendors scattered around selling local dishes, art and traditional handicrafts. Of course, being the foodies we are, we treated ourselves to a variety of food and beverages sold at the festival grounds.

You won’t believe who we met at the Sapeh booth!

You won’t believe who we met at the Sapeh booth!

Overall, the festival definitely lives up to the hype and definitely sets the bar high for other festivals around!

A night to remember

A night to remember

THE OTHER FESTIVALS AROUND

If your schedule prohibits you from attending RWMF, don’t worry there are plenty of other great events that travellers look out for throughout the year in Sarawak. Here’s a few we find interesting:

The Borneo International Kite Festival

Borneo International Kite Festival is held in the town of Bintulu.  The huge windy open space of the Old Bintulu Airport that faces the South China Sea provides ideal conditions for consistent flight of a vast selection of colourful kites. The sky would be colourfully lit as thousands of colourful kites are flown at the festival, with the latest number being 2,500 diamond kites. The festival also holds a record in the Malaysia Book of Records for forming the longest arch kite tunnel of 500 metres.

You can expect 400 kiters from 25 countries participating in this festival with cultural and artiste performances being held in the evening.

Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta

This event is participated by nearly 70 countries around the world with over 50 million participants in Asia alone, particularly from China and Southeast Asia.  It was also adopted as part of the ASEAN Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China.

The Dragon Boat Race continues to be an important event in the tourism calendar of countries involved in dragon boat races around the world.  The event in Sarawak attracts global participation and promotes local tourism, thereby increasing tourist arrivals.

Borneo Jazz

Another highly anticipated music festival, the Borneo Jazz Festival is one of the longest running Jazz festivals in the region. There will be two nights of four performances each by regionally and internationally recognised jazz musicians.


If you have more questions regarding our Taming Borneo adventure, please do leave a comment in the comment section below, or start a discussion; tell us your personal Taming Borneo experience!

Also do follow along our adventure on our social media platforms:

Instagram: @MyTourismChannel or #tamingborneo  

Catch up on the latest episodes by clicking on the thumbnails below:

Sarawak : EP1

Sarawak : EP1

Episode

Sarawak : EP2

Episode 3

Sarawak : EP3

Sarawak : EP4

Sarawak : EP4

Sarawak : EP5

Sarawak : EP5

Sarawak : EP6

Sarawak : EP6

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

LETS GO, BORNEO!

 

THE CURIOUS CASE OF WANDERLUST FEVER

Looking back now, waiting to board our plane back home, we still can’t believe that we actually did it!

The journey has been unbelievable to us, after months of planning and restless anticipation, we finally got to pack our travel gear, cameras a really really good powerbank (we’re millennials after all) and headed off for an adventure of a lifetime in Borneo!

For a month, we travelled across the South China Sea, to the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah; to experience the best they have to offer. We sought out the best experiences, to learn new interesting cultures eat tantalizing local cuisines. But, our main purpose was to really immerse ourselves in the adventure that awaited us.

Like you probably are now, we were tired and bored of our 9-5 working lives. Day in and day out of the office, which one of us hasn’t felt like living zombies before? We needed a break from the rat-race, away from the overbearing ambiance of the city. Living in metropolis had exhausted our senses.  A short respite from the never ending sights of cold glass skyscrapers and the screeching sounds of the passing traffic was all that we needed.

Crashing waves, chirping birds, cool sea breezes and warm sandy beaches; what do they all have in common?

Answer: They are all constants in our lunchbreak fantasies. If you won’t admit it, we will!

Bitten by the travel bug, we were your definite stereotypical Wanderlusters.

At first, we were skeptical of curing our wanderlust fever in Sabah and Sarawak. Even as local Malaysians, the two states were still a mystery to us as everything we’ve ever known about them were from school textbooks or local papers. But after reading great reviews online and hearing personal experiences from family members alike, we decided not to skip this one out.

Now that we’ve experienced it, we can say they are truly the hidden gems of Malaysian tourism.

INTO THE WILDS OF BORNEO

IMAGINE THIS.

You are now standing in the middle a 130-million-year old tropical rainforest, while your cityscape fades to the recesses of your mind, let it stay there. It is truly a breathtaking sight; you are surrounded by towering ancient trees while rays of sunlight warm your face through the rustling greens of the canopies. Said to not only have one of the most biodiverse rainforests, it is also one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet. There is so much to be discovered here in Borneo!

Sunset straight out of a dream! Miri, Sarawak

Sunset straight out of a dream! Miri, Sarawak

On our journey, we’ve passed through the enchanting forests of Bako National Park, had a little dance battle in the center of a drum circle at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak, swam in the clear waters of Semporna and trekked the Mountain View in Kinabalu Park, Sabah. Being the beach bums we are, we also hung out at some of the most pristine secluded beaches in Malaysia. That’s just us touching the surface of the water.

All things fresh and rare at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

All things fresh and rare at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

 

No picture in the world can do justice to Mount Kinabalu, Sabah

No picture in the world can do justice to Mount Kinabalu, Sabah

We saw rare Proboscis Monkeys in the lush greeneries of Danum Valley, and not to mention majestic Hornbills taking flight right in front of our eyes! We even saw the legendary Orangutan at the Matang Wildlife Centre and visited endangered Sunbears at The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. It’s literally the wildest we’ve ever been!

One thing we’ve learned from the trip is that the world has so much more to offer; if you show your interest in it. If there is anything we hope to accomplish with our Taming Borneo series, it is to encourage others to follow in our footsteps, and explore the world beyond the comfort of your front door.

Take action. Plan your trip, and cure that wanderlust fever!

If you have more questions regarding our Taming Borneo adventure, please do leave a comment in the comment section below, or start a discussion; tell us your personal Taming Borneo experience!

Also do follow along our adventure on our social media platforms:

Instagram: @MyTourismChannel or #tamingborneo         

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Flying on the Cessna C208B Grand Caravan from Senai airport to Tioman Island

We reached the Senai International Airport before dawn, because need to group with others before our departure…

The arrangement was perfect by the Tunamaya staffs, the check-in process for taking the private chartered flight from Senai airport to Tioman airport was smooth. Once the baggage check, we walked through the private lane way to the plane.

It was my first time flying on this Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, the plane had change and refurbished into a luxury seats and facility. We can rotate the seat for 180 degrees which convenience for discussion among the passengers.

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Mineral waters, tibits and snacks were ready for us in the plane. All of us happily wearing the orchid garland presented by the airport. The inaugural flight from Senai to Tioman, we ready to take off!

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The weather of that day was good and the take-off was comfort.
This was my first time enjoying chatting with my friend and browse through the social media app in the plane…
Let me show you the breathtaking view along the way…

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The background was the mystery Linggiu dam…it was also the where the Srivijaya Empire started more than thousand years ago…as the legend said.

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Beautiful green lake in the middle of the jungle…

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I wondered this might be some kind of plantations…(photos above)

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About 30 minutes later (around 8.35am), we were approaching Mersing town…

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The plane took around 15 minutes to cross the ocean, noticed from the GPS device in the cockpit…

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After the plane flew through the clouds, the island appeared from the windows…the first scene was the ‘legendary twin peaks’ of Tioman Island. Yes, it is the landmark of Tioman.

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Followed by the lush canopy of greenery and the blue water…

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It took around 45 minutes from Senai to Tioman island.
Once we touched down in Tioman island, the Tunamaya’s staff was at the airport to help us ferry our luggage to the Tekek jetty.

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It was a pleasant flight and different experience compare with the commercial flight, we enjoyed very much!

The weather in Tioman island was hot and humid, as we walked to the jetty, our luggage already stand-by before us…

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Our journey to Tunamaya Beach and Spa Resort continue on the next post…

Related post :-
3 days 2 nights exclusive trip to Tunamaya Beach and Spa Resort in Tioman Island

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

3 Nation Charity Ride 2011

November 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm

The 3 Nation Charity Ride was founded in 1994 when a group of superbikers from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand went on a road trip together around Thailand. They noticed that the group generated a lot of interest wherever they went and decided to take advantage of this situation and put it to good use. The interest that the group generate can be used to create awareness or help the under-privileged. So, it was in this spirit that the 3 Nation Charity Ride was founded. The four teams that make up this event are the Super Biker Club Malaysia, Penang Motor Sports Club, Team 27 Singapore and Team Hanuman Thailand. Each year, each teams take turns to be the host of the event and chooses the charity organisations that will benefit from the event.

This year, this event will be held in Malacca for the first time in Malaysia from the 18th till 20th November 2011 and will see a few local charities in Malacca and OrphanCARE as their beneficiaries this time. The local charities include Persatuan Kebajikan Insan Istimewa Melaka, Rumah Anak-anak Yatim Darul Ai Tam, Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna Charity and Welfare Association and Yayasan Toh Puan Zurina. The organisers hope to raise about RM100, 000 for this year’s panel of charities to be distributed equally.

3 Nation Charity Ride 2011

Among the activities that will be held this year during the event include a street carnival along the entire street of Jalan PM9, which will feature food hawker stalls, live music and great entertainment. There will also be a Charity Gala Dinner to be held at Mahkota Hotel Malacca on the 19th November 2011. For the first time ever, the organisers are utilising on technology and social media to help spread the word. Bikers who are interested in purchasing the tickets can now log on to AirAsia RedTix online ticketing to purchase them.

This event is priced at RM150 and will include the Charity dinner invitation on 19th November, two Official 3NCR T-shirts, charity contributions and other gift collaterals. Registration forms are now available online at 3 Nation Charity Ride website. Interested parties are required to submit the completed form and payment to the appointed Registration Motorcycle Clubs or pay online. For more information, log on to http://redtix.airasia.com/Events/3NationCharityRide/

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