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Malaysia Travel Guide

SEDAA – MONGOLIA MEETS ORIENTAL AT RWMF 2019

KUCHING: Sedaa means “voice” in Persian and connects traditional Mongolian music with the Orient which makes an extraordinary and fascinating sound, the group consists with master singers Naranbaatar Purevdorj, Nasanjargal Ganbold and Ganzorig Davaakhuu together with Omid Bahadori, a Persian multi-instrumentalist and composer also living in Germany.

Sedaa created a genuinely exotic connection that transcends borders and cultures. Their music prises you away on a journey into the wide landscape of nature moreover natural sounds produced by traditional instruments and age- old vocal techniques of their nomadic ancestors where one person can produce several tones at the same time.

The base of their modern composition is formed by natural sounds which are produced with traditional instruments and the use of old age song technologies of their nomadic ancestors with which a person produces several tones at the same time.  Ancestral overtone singing was used to reproduce the natural sounds of flowing rivers, winds, echoes of the mountains, rumble of thunder and many other natural occurrences inspired by the Mongolian landscape.

Vibrating undertone vocals and the amazing harmonic singing khömii (throat singing) with the company of the melancholy sounds of the horse head violin morin khuur and the pearly sounds of the 120 strings dulcimer (known as yochin) melt into the pulsating oriental drum rhythms to one mystical sound. Other instruments in Sedaa’s repertoire include the ikh khuur (double bass), bischgur (Mongolian oboe), dombra (a two string plugged instrument), guitar, cajón (a box-shaped percussion instrument and the rahmentrommel (frame drum).

Sedaa have been playing together and touring in hundreds of concerts all over Europe, and have produced four albums, Mongolian Meets Oriental (2010), Letter From Mongolia (2011), New Ways (2012), and East West (2018). In their later works there is a shift where they skilfully expand traditional sounds with danceable rhythms.

The virtuosity of these musicians has allowed them to evolve into a seasoned and confident quartet, honing their virtuosity in the various instrumental and vocal traditions. This is perfect crossover music mixed in a natural way.

The Rainforest in the city (RITC) takes place from July 2 – 11 at Kuching Amphitheatre from 8.00pm till 11.00pm daily, hosted by Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak, in collaboration with Sarawak Tourism Board.  It is Free and open for public.

The Rainforest World Music Festival takes place from July 12-14 at the Sarawak Cultural Village and is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, endorsed by Tourism Malaysia and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Youth Sports Sarawak.

RWMF2019 SEDAA

For further information on tickets, festival activities and logistics, please log on to https://rwmf.net/

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Malaysia Travel Guide

LA CHIVA GANTIVA AND ANA ALCAIDE IN RWMF 2019

KUCHING: There is no doubt that Latin and music from the Spanish-speaking world is far outpacing many other genres on the world music stage. There has always been a Latin group thrown in the mix at the Rainforest World Music Festival and at the 22nd edition this year there will be two bands – La Chiva Gantiva from Colombia who will provide an insight into their roots with their sensual, upbeat, danceable and contagious music and Ana Alcaide from Spain who fuses traditional sounds from around Europe and the Mediterranean with the cultural mix of her hometown, Toledo, Spain.

La Chiva Gantiva plays music without borders. Genre bending and adventurous, they’ll make you dance with abandonment with their original combination of rock, funk, hip hop and punk with Colombian rhythms, while preserving a jam mentality and multicultural origins.

Known for their live antics and frontman Rafael Espinel’s empathy towards the audience, La Chiva Gantiva are a treat to see live but also an amazing trip around the world when any of their three studio records play at a Colombian party, at a Belgian bar, or at a Mexican radio station.

At the end of the other musical spectrum is Ana Alcaide, a singer, composer and instrumentalist from Toledo, Spain. Her prime instrument is the nyckelharpa which she came across while studying in Sweden.

Rooted in ancient traditions yet resolutely modern, her compositions deftly blend musical styles from different cultures. From the inspirational backdrop of the city of Toledo, Ana writes and produces her songs, creates new arrangements and adapts the nyckelharpa to ancient melodies that originated in medieval Spain and have travelled throughout the Mediterranean region. But her personal and artistic evolution leads her to conquer new creative fields in the recent years.

In 2016, her fifth album Leyenda reached Top 10 in the WMCE (World Music Charts Europe) as well as on the Transglobal World Music Charts. Leyenda was also on the top of some of the International radios around Australia, Canada, UK, USA and Europe. The album has received reviews from professional critics around the world including Songlines Magazine which awarded Leyenda a 5 Star Review, Top of the World.

Alcaide has presented her music in some of the most important festivals, theatres and venues around Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Canada, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Switzerland, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Uruguay, and has performed in more than 500 concerts in 4 continents.

Since 2016 she is the Artistic Director of the ‘Toledo World Music Festival’.

The Rainforest World Music Festival takes place on July 12-14 at the Sarawak Cultural Village and is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, endorsed by Tourism Malaysia and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Youth Sports Sarawak.

LA CHIVA GANTIVA

ANA ALCAIDE - Photo by Ander Olaizola

For further information on tickets, festival activities and logistics, please log on to https://rwmf.net/

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Malaysia Travel Guide

Sarawak Sees Breezing Start at ITB Berlin

Sarawak Sees Breezing Start at ITB Berlin

Berlin, Germany; Wed: TheInternationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin opened its doors at Messe Berlin yesterday to more than 10,000 exhibitors from 185 countries.

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) participated in this world’s largest travel show with an 18-member strong delegation headed by the Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah together with three Kuching-based travel partners.

The first day of the fair’s opening saw the packed programme for the Minister and his Assistant, Datuk Lee Kim Shin with trade business partners taking turns for the schedule meeting sessions and media interviews by Berlin based FVW Medien travel trade magazine, Reise Aktuell, Vienna based international travel magazine and the Radio xy UG station.

During these meetings, a variety of topics were covered including talks on airline connectivity, promoting current events and creating new events in Sarawak, as well as, promising an encoring interest from ITB Berlin in the future.

STB’s first day business engagements showed promising outcome with leading Amsterdam based De Jong Tours and Switzerland Asien Direkt GmbH showed  renewed interest in Sarawak.

Tomorrow’s line-up of programme for Datuk Karim includes the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on joint marketing programme in Germany between STB and Tischler Reisen GmbH and also the launching of the marketing campaign for the State’s new tourism destination, Sibu and Central Sarawak.

ITB Berlin is expecting more than 160,000 visitors attending the five-day fair   which is reputed to be the world’s biggest and leading travel trade show.

Picture shows FVW Median’s editor, Christine Engelhardt (left) interviewing Datuk Karim Rahman Hamzah. Seen from right, the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture Youth and Sports, Hii Chang Kee, STB Chief Executive Officer, Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor and Datuk Lee Kim Shin.

 

Updated: 6 March 2019

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Tourism Malaysia

Motorsport month in Malaysia

By Lloyd Green

 

  • F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix
  • Shell Malaysia MotoGP

 

Buckle up and start your engines for motorsport heaven this October. With the F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix and Shell Malaysia MotoGP both held at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) this month, we’ve provided a non-stop guide of what to expect at both events.

The grid coming out of the first corner at Sepang — f1destinations.com

The grid coming out of the first corner at Sepang — f1destinations.com

With an exciting cluster of events throughout the race week, including a demo run, auto carnival, fan engagement programmes with the drivers and a spectacular post-race concert, the newly redefined F1 Malaysia GP is not to be missed.

Since its entry to the F1 race calendar in 1999, the Malaysian GP has evolved into the most anticipated races of the year. Moving from it’s traditional home of March to October to form a unique Southeast Asia F1 double-header with the Singapore GP in mid-September, the Malaysian GP now holds a key role in deciding the championship.

Families looking forward to soaking up the thrills at SIC can enjoy an improved family friendly activity at the circuit with the ever popular X-track returning on popular demand, showcasing motorsports themed thrills such as drifting, rallying, go-karting, ATV rides and more, for fans of all ages.

2015 Malaysia GP winner Sebastian Vettel — www.formula1.com

2015 Malaysia GP winner Sebastian Vettel — www.formula1.com

Track:

  • The Sepang Circuit is infamous for its unpredictable weather ranging from burning hot days to full-blown tropical rainstorms which result in tough races and edge of your seat moments.
  • The track design is unique and challenging as it has seven clear straights and many narrow turns making it one of the most technical circuits on the calendar. The relatively wider track also affords drivers overtaking opportunities that are rarely seen elsewhere.

Schedule:

  • Friday, 30th Sept — Free Practice
  • Saturday, 1st Oct — Qualifying
  • Sunday, 2nd Oct — F1 Malaysia GP After-Race Concert with Usher

Race:

  • The dominance by Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team has continued in 2016 with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominating standings.
  • A win for either driver in Malaysia could prove vital heading into the last five races.
  • Defending Malaysian GP champion, Germany’s Sebastian Vettel will be hoping to spoil the party again.

Usher returns to Malaysia for the first time since 2010

Usher returns to Malaysia for the first time since 2010

Entertainment:

  • Multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Usher will be performing at the After-Race Concert.
  • Past performers to grace the After-Race stage at Sepang include Jamiroquai and Lenny Kravitz.
  • Raceday activities also include classic car convoy, supercar convoy and airshow.

Tickets:

  • There are various ticket packages for the F1 Malaysia GP on offer. Click Here
  • You can buy a transportation add-on that will take you to and from SIC to KL Sentral.

Great vantage point from Sepang’s iconic stands

Great vantage point from Sepang’s iconic stands

Shell Malaysia MotoGP

Held just four weeks later is the Shell Malaysia MotoGP. Fans can expect an even bigger and better event in 2016, with off-track entertainment, fan engagement with riders and other exciting activities. Tickets are selling through the roof with local interest firmly on young gun Khairul Idham Pawi who has won trice in his rookie season in the Moto3 championship. Also flying the Malaysian flag will be Adam Norrodin (Moto3) and Hafizh Syahrin (Moto2).

 Track:

  • With four slow corners following two long straights and ten medium to high-speed corners. Particularly favourable to overtaking manoeuvres and plenty of open throttle.
  • Has one of the longest laps in MotoGP and is made all the more gruelling for riders by intense heat and humidity.

Schedule:

  • Friday, 28th Oct — Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP Free Practice
  • Saturday, 29th Oct— Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP Qualifying

Sunday, 30th Oct — Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP

All eyes will by on Malaysia’s Khairul Idham Pawi — http://i-moto.com.my/

All eyes will by on Malaysia’s Khairul Idham Pawi — http://i-moto.com.my/

Tickets:

  • There are various ticket packages for the F1 Malaysia GP on offer. Click Here
  • You can buy a transportation add-on that will take you to and from SIC to KL Sentral.

Getting to Sepang International Circuit is relatively easy. It’s located about 15km from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA and KLIA2) and about 50km south from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre. SIC has a hotel, shopping centre and golf course. There will also be shuttle buses operating from KL Sentral to Sepang on both Sept 30 to Oct 1 and Oct 28 to Oct 30.

For more information on both events go to www.sepangcircuit.com

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Travel to Melaka

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Tourists looking for love join in Malacca’s Chap Goh Meh celebration
22 FEBRUARY 2016 @ 9:56 PM
BY MICHELE NG

MALACCA: Love was in the air at the Quayside at the Malacca River as tourists mingled with locals to celebrate Chap Goh Meh.



A group of women in particular, were keen participants in the tossing of the oranges ritual, synonymous with the celebration often dubbed the ‘Chinese Valentine’s Day.’

Susanna and Carla Saradeth from Germany who were on the boat expressed their excitement at being part of the celebration for the first time.

“A friend of mine told me the meaning behind the orange tossing and said I would do it while I am here.

“At that time, I laughed it off but I never thought I would actually do it”, Susanna said with a giggle when met today.

Carla also jokingly said that they might get lucky in love after this.

Both Susanna and Carla liked the warmth that they received by the locals throughout the event.

“We were just walking by when we were invited to join and suddenly we were a part of everything.

“It was really cool and the dances and costumes were nice,” Carla said.

Those in attendance were also serenaded by a performance from the ‘Body and Soul’ band while being entertained by the catchy lagu joget by ‘The Serani Teng Teng’.

Present was state Transport and Project Rehabilitation executive committee chairman Datuk Lim Ban Hong, who officiated the event.

Chap Goh Meh is the 15th and last day of the Chinese New Year celebration.

Some of the women tossing oranges into the Malacca River at Quayside during the Chap Goh Meh celebration. Pix by HAIRUNISAH LOKMAN.