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Tourism Malaysia

50 Shades of green

BACK TO BASICS

We’ve had a pretty busy schedule exploring Sarawak, attending the highly anticipated annual #RWMF and hunting on a kitty trail in Kuching. Next, we wanted to do what we initially came to Borneo for, immerse ourselves in the beauty of the Bornean Jungle. What better way to do that than to actually get in bed with the wild?

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When was the last time you camped? Lambir Hills, Sarawak

We decided to pitch our tent in another enchanting forest of Sarawak, Lambir Hills National Park. Like the other national parks here, Lambir has one of the most complex ecosystems in the world, providing a cozy home for more than 237 species of tropical birds, flying squirrels, gibbons, monkey and other exotic Bornean creatures.

Spending a night or two there means we got to trek some 12 trekking trails in the park; which lead us to some amazing sights, magnificent waterfalls and bathing pools scattered throughout the Bornean rainforest. But we’ve got to say, the sound of the jungle comes to life at night as we slept under the stars!

If it sounds tiring to you, it really isn’t. It was a very relaxing trip and really sets different chilled pace from the rat-race city life. Remember when we told you about our Wanderlust Fever? This experience probably helped cure 30% of it on its own.

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Just what the doctor ordered! Lambir Hills, Sarawak

But really, you have to watch our video series to try to catch a feel of our nights at Lambir.

BASIC CAMPING GEAR FOR DUMMIES

Let’s be real, assuming most of you reading this was born in the 90s, camping is probably a rare activity we do every now and then. Truth be told, we were a bit out of touch with the gear we were supposed to bring. Us urbanites could’ve been more prepared for our camping trip.

We’ve compiled a list, of 10 things you need to have in your camping bag when you go camping in the Rainforest, just so you don’t repeat the same mistakes we did.

A torch light/ A head torch

These are useful especially if you wish to go caving in the area. But in general, you’re in the jungle, it’s mostly going to be almost pitch-black at night under the stars, so these are also handy when you want to do late night toilet runs. don’t forget to bring extra bulbs and batteries.

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Blacker than black! Niah Caves

A small backpack

For your hiking trips, you’re not going to be needing to carry all your camping gear on the trail, so a small backpack that would fit all your important personal items, trekking essentials and snacks of course, is recommended.

A water bottle

You’d be surprise how many people (including us) forgets to bring a water bottle when going camping. Especially useful when you go on long hiking trails. We’d recommend a size for a bottle, but that really depends on how much weight you’re willing to carry.

Zip Lock bags

You’re in the tropical rainforest, so expect it to rain unexpectedly at times. Ziplock bags are your technology’s best friend in the jungle, especially on boat trips.

Solar charger/Powerbank
It’s important to have at least one fully charged spare phone on standby for your camping trip. In the jungle, accidents happen and you wouldn’t want your phone to run out of battery. Also, we know most us rely on our smartphone to catch pictures, enough said.

*Sidenote: When in the jungle, we recommend to forget all your social media and live off the grid for a few days.

Drybag

To keep your clothes dry (most importantly, your socks and underwear)

Salves, creams and powder

We have to admit, we were foolish not to bring adequate insect repellent on our trip and had to franticly search for one there. Trust us, you’re going to need them a lot, there’s a gajillion mosquitoes there. We also recommend taking along some prickly heat powder. This cooling powder can help with the sweat and heat rashes.

Sunscreen

The tropical sun isn’t too forgiving on the skin. Returning home with a bad sunburn is the last thing we’d want to happen, so we’d recommend applying sunscreen at all times.

Essentials kit

Pack a basic first aid kit, some matches or a lighter, and perhaps heat packs if it’s going to get cold at night.

Small knife/Army knife

This last essential always comes in handy wherever you are, let alone in the middle of the Bornean Jungle.

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!

Follow our adventure on our social media platforms: 

Instagram: @MyTourismChannel or #tamingborneo

Catch up with the latest episodes over on My Tourism Channel or by clicking on the thumbnails below:

Sarawak: EP10

Sarawak: EP10

Sarawak: EP11

Sarawak: EP11

Sarawak: EP12

Sarawak: EP12

Categories
Wonderful Malaysia

Sending email while traveling

You might be reading this post from some exotic location, or simply in a cafe around the corner from where you live. We travel a lot, and often to remote areas where we are happy to be able to connect to a free WIFI signal to check up on our emails and other stuff that has happened those days.

We often get emails during our travels and sometimes it is quite important to be able to reply instantly. Though you can of course always use a web based mail program like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, some want to be able to send emails from their personal mail accounts instead.

Let’s say you have a company website, or a blog, or a webshop. In those cases you want to be able to send out emails from the corresponding email addresses. In our case we want to send out a reply via [email protected] instead of via our personal gmail or hotmail accounts. Your own ISP does not allow you to send out emails when you are not connected to their network. When you are traveling you connect to many networks and often those networks do not support sending email via their smtp server.

Luckily there are a few companies that offer an SMTP server to use ‘on the go’. This means that where ever you are, you can always connect to their smtp server, and send out emails on your own behalf without having to resort to free mail services.

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The company we had heard of the most is SMTP2GO.com. We started with their $5 plan ourselves after reading numerous positive reviews and after reading their website thoroughly. Their service works like a charm. There hasn’t been a place yet where I wasn’t able to send out my emails. Nowadays, I am even using it at home, as I am on the road quite often and here the service comes in handy too. They offer a 2 minute setup guide, which makes is very easy to implement their smtp details into your email programs. You can use it on your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop, as long as you are able to connect to the internet provided at the place you are at during your travels.

If you are traveling a lot and are looking for a dedicated mail server, do check out SMTP2GO. They even have a free plan where you can send 20 emails per day; a great way to get to know this wonderful service.

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Tourism Malaysia

Travel apps the way to go

TripAdvisor, now the world’s second most downloaded travel
app after Google Earth, plans to push more
free mobile resources
to travellers.

Already, 31 million people have downloaded its suite of TripAdvisor, City Guides and SeatGuru apps on their smartphone or other mobile devices, to help them plot journeys on a little screen.

TripAdvisor founder and chief executive Stephen Kaufer says: “We think mobile has the opportunity to revolutionise the way folks interact with information at the destination.�

Its City Guides, for instance, may be used offline at the destination without incurring roaming fees. Each guide presents itineraries curated by experts, maps, reviews of attractions, a “Point Me There� feature that guides travellers to places using the GPS in the phone, and a journal that can be shared with Facebook friends.

“From our perspective, that’s just the beginning. I would love to ask my phone a ton more questions about what I should do, buy tickets on the phone, make reservations for dinner or use it to meet friends who are also in the same city or who live there,� he says.

TripAdvisor is not wholly there yet, but is banking on mobile and social-media technologies to open up horizons.

After all, travellers, enamoured with mobile devices, have voted with their fingertips. Last year, mobile and tablet each accounted for 10-15% of total sessions on TripAdvisor. The number of unique visitors using mobile devices has doubled from 2011.

“There is plenty of opportunity for some really innovative growth in that category,� Kaufer predicts.

TripAdvisor founder Stephen Kaufer himself explores the world using the travel website he built. He is a prolific reviewer, too. He recently spent a week in Istanbul and Cappadocia, and distils tips from that Turkey trip and other adventures. He travels about once a month.

Here’s his modus operandi:

Hotel: Check its ranking, then hit a filter button, such as family or business to narrow down the choice. For decent-sized cities, any hotel on the first page of results will appeal. Decide on the price range.

Attractions: Skim reviews. Seek something new.

Queries: Use the travel forum. A response from someone with local knowledge usually pops up within 24 hours.

He debunks the idea that TripAdvisor quashes spontaneous travel, saying it pointed him to a new experience: hot-air ballooning.

“Cappadocia has underground cities 10 storeys deep. I thought that was fascinating.�

Ballooning was not on his to-do list there, but the reviews were all spectacular, so he tried it for the first time.

“It was very early in the morning and incredibly beautiful. If not for TripAdvisor, I wouldn’t have known about it. I thought I was there to explore history.�

Kaufer publishes reviews often under a pseudonym. “TripAdvisor offers badges for how often you review. I am one of the top reviewers,� he says.

It is fine for a property owner to ask a guest to post reviews on TripAdvisor, he thinks. “But if you give a discount or a free bottle of wine, that’s clearly violating our rules. It’s fine to ask but not to reward.�

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

The Newly Opened 50th Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Outlet at KSL Complex in Johor Bahru.

The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf Cafe (N1.48544 E103.76290) had started a new outlet in the KSL Shopping Mall Johor Bahru now! Located next to the main entrance to the mall. The cafe started business on last Saturday 27th April 2013, and it was crowded.

About Coffee Bean
Herbert B. Hyman started The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf ® in 1963 with a dedication to excellence and quality, and his efforts made him the founding father of gourmet coffee in California. The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf ® has since grown into one of the largest privately- owned, family-run coffee and tea companies in the world.

The endurance and popularity of The Bean, as it is affectionately referred to by devotees, can be attributed to the high standards that were established from the beginning. From trend-setting drinks like the World Famous Ice Blended®, to the employees who become a part of the communities they work in, The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf ® has discovered the formula for a successful coffee and tea company.

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The deco is almost same as other outlets and it has a indoor aircon and alfresco area.

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Another cosy area located inside the cafe, it’s a good place for those who want more privacy…and I saw there was a power supply socket underneath the chairs, it’ll really convenience for those who want to relax surfing in the cafe…

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Besides food, coffee and tea, they do sell variety of cakes, scones, puffs, pies and others…

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The Cheese cake was Really nice! Not too sweet…

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There are many types of tea bags selling at the front counter for those customers who like to make their own tea and enjoy at home…
I was attracted by the coffee machines that display in the cafe…
After patiently explained by the Marketing Manager – Ms Nikki Low, I understand that we can buy that machine with the capsules and enjoy the exactly same taste and aroma of coffee at home! Great!

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It has variety colour for individual preference, and I like the one in black…how about you? 🙂
These coffee machines are totally different from the coffee maker we used to see in the market decade ago…well, technology is so advance nowadays!
In conjunction with their 50th Anniversary, their current promotion is RM50 off every machine purchased plus 50 capsules free. Hurry while stock lasts!

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Most of the time when I visit Coffee Bean Cafe, I only took the coffee…but today I tried their breakfast set. It was a good!

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I took the toasted bread with half-boiled eggs – ‘Food for thought’ and my friend ordered the sausages and scrambled eggs – ‘Brek ‘O’ Day’. Both sets served with Coffee or Tea, and we had free refill until 11am.

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Both breakfast were nice and we enjoy the atmosphere of the Coffee Bean Cafe. We can’t control the temptation of the Cheese cake which display in the cake chiller, so end up each of us took one piece of their signature Cheese cake. Oh! It was Delicious!

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The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf celebrate their 50th anniversary this year and this is also their 50th outlets in Malaysia. What a coincidence! The management is giving 50% off for The Original Mocha / Vanila Ice Blended on the 29th April, 27th May and 24th June this year for all the outlets within Malaysia. Grab it and don’t miss it!

Beside this special offer, they also offer the Limited Edition 50th Anniversary TCB Card for their regular customers. It works like a prepaid card and you can collect extra points on the food and beverages every time you visit Coffee Bean Cafe. The card is apply to all customer and all outlets in Malaysia.

Still not enough? To celebrate the opening of their 50th outlet at KSL, they have distributed the Buy 1 get 1 free vouchers for their Ice Blended Mocha / Vanila until 27th May. If you don’t have the vouches, you can just show the counter about the offer from their Facebook in your smartphone and they will giving the same privilege to everyone, said Ms Nikki.

Ms Nikki said The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf also provide catering services to office and home! You can order the delicious pastries and colorful cupcakes from them too! Please check out their Party Packs here.

All the price of the foods and drinks are stated in their official website : The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf.

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Beware the pickpockets

At many tourist spots in Paris like theLourve, tourists are at risk of beingpickpocketed.At many tourist spots in Paris like the
Lourve, tourists are at risk of being
pickpocketed.

The City of Love now has a dubious reputation of ‘loving hands’ that rip off tourists.              

TOURISTS in Paris are reminded to be on guard against increasingly brazen and aggressive pickpockets after staff at the Louvre walked out in April to protest against violent working conditions.

Saying they’re fed up with dealing with gangs of thugs and being spat at, insulted, threatened and even struck, 200 workers at one of the most famous museums in the world – the Louvre receives about 10 million visits a year – staged a walkout, disappointing a long line of tourists.

The museum reopened the next day with increased police presence, but tourists visiting crowded places should remain vigilant. In the centre of Paris, thieves often work in groups of up to 30, and usually include children from eastern Europe.

It’s the latest event to tarnish the city’s reputation in the eyes of the world. In March, a group of Chinese tourists were targeted by a gang of pickpockets, an attack that made headlines around the world.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in France offers visitors a host of tips and suggestions on how to avoid being the victim of a predatory pickpockets – tips which can also be applied to travel around the world.

Here are a few highlights:

Keep only what is essential in your wallet. For example, one credit card, one piece of ID, and no more than ?50 (RM260). Make copies of your passport, and other ID cards.

Women are advised to carry bags with a zipper enclosure, and to carry it tightly under their arm, slightly in front of them. Swing your backpack around so that it’s slightly in front of you. Men can protect themselves by placing a rubber band around their wallet and putting it in their front pocket, something that will make it difficult for thieves to extract the wallet smoothly.

Be extra vigilant around major tourist sites like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Champs-Élysées. Metros are also major target areas. If you are pickpocketed, start yelling for police immediately. The embassy advises against chasing down the perpetrators, as the wallet has most likely already been handed off to someone else within the group.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral is another sitewhere tourists are advised to be on the alert for pickpockets and other pettycriminals.The Notre-Dame Cathedral is another site
where tourists are advised to be on the alert for pickpockets and other petty
criminals.

If there are no security guards or police around, you should go to the local police station (commissariat) and file a complaint.

Know what you’re up against:

The most popular tactic on the metro is the crush-and-grab; You will be swarmed by several people, and in the chaos, as you’re being pushed, you will be pickpocketed.

Another tip: try to avoid sitting or standing right by the doors. Because another trick they use is to grab the purse or smartphone, just as the train doors open and dash away. Wherever you end up in the train, try to minimise access to your pockets and purses.

The age-old distraction method involves the pretext of asking for directions, or attempts to sell you trinkets. During the distraction, someone will try to pick your pockets.

Another rather unpleasant technique: Someone will throw or spill something on you like water or ice cream. You will be approached by people who feign to help you, and in the chaos, you will be pickpocketed.

ATM scams: If the machine eats your card, go into the bank immediately as it’s likely the machine’s been tampered with. Use only ATMs from major banks. Refrain from talking to anyone during the transaction, as it’s likely part of an attempt to scam you.

As always, cover the keypad as you enter your pin code. – AFP RelaxNews