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Lonely Planet Malaysia Singapore & Brunei (Country Guide), 11th edition 2010 PDF

638 Pages·2010·12.13 MB·English
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Preview Lonely Planet Malaysia Singapore & Brunei (Country Guide), 11th edition 2010

© Lonely Planet 13 Contents 4 Entertainment 121 On the Road Shopping 122 Getting There & Away 124 Getting Around 126 Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Highlights 5 129 Selangor North of Kuala Lumpur 131 Destination Malaysia, South of Kuala Lumpur 136 17 Singapore & Brunei Klang Valley 137 Kuala Selangor 140 Getting Started 20 Perak 143 SOUTHERN PERAK 144 24 Teluk Intan 146 Itineraries Kompleks Sejarah Pasir Salak 147 30 Tapah 147 History Lumut 147 Pulau Pangkor 148 Ipoh 153 46 The Culture Around Ipoh 158 Cameron Highlands 159 NORTHERN PERAK 167 60 Food & Drink Kuala Kangsar 167 Royal Belum State Park 169 Taiping 169 74 Environment Bukit Larut 172 Kuala Sepetang 173 83 Outdoor Activities 175 Penang SEBERANG PERAI 177 Malaysia 89 Butterworth 177 PENANG 178 90 Kuala Lumpur Georgetown 179 Around the Island 198 History 91 Climate 91 207 Orientation 91 Kedah & Perlis Information 91 KEDAH 209 Sights 95 Sungai Petani 210 Activities 104 Lembah Bujang 210 Walking Tours 105 Gunung Jerai 210 Courses 108 Alor Setar 211 Kuala Lumpur for Children 108 Kuala Kedah 214 Tours 109 Pulau Langkawi 215 Festivals & Events 109 Bukit Kayu Hitam 226 Sleeping 109 PERLIS 226 Eating 113 Kangar 227 Drinking 119 Kuala Perlis 227 14 CONTENTS Padang Besar 227 Around Kuantan 287 Sandakan 370 Taman Negara Perlis 228 Tasik Chini 288 Sepilok 375 Cherating 289 Sandakan Archipelago 378 Negeri Sembilan 229 CENTRAL PAHANG 292 Sungai Kinabatangan 379 Jerantut 292 Lahad Datu 383 Seremban 231 Taman Negara 294 Danum Valley Seremban to Kuala Pilah 233 Kuala Lipis 302 Conservation Area 384 Port Dickson 234 Kenong Rimba State Park 303 Tabin Wildlife Reserve 386 Temerloh 303 Semporna 386 Melaka 237 Around Temerloh 303 Semporna Archipelago 388 Tawau 391 MELAKA CITY 239 305 Tawau Hills Park 394 Terengganu Orientation 241 Maliau Basin Conservation Information 242 Kuala Terengganu 307 Area 394 SOUTHWESTERN SABAH 396 Sights 242 Around Kuala Terengganu 311 The Interior 396 Activities 245 Tasik Kenyir 312 Beaufort Division 398 Tours 246 South of Kuala Festivals & Events 246 Terengganu 313 Beaufort 398 Sleeping 246 North of Kuala Pulau Tiga National Park 399 Terengganu 316 Pulau Labuan 400 Eating 249 Pulau Perhentian 319 Drinking 251 404 Entertainment 251 325 Sarawak Kelantan Shopping 251 KUCHING 409 Getting There & Away 252 Kota Bharu 327 Orientation 411 Getting Around 253 Around Kota Bharu 334 Information 412 AROUND MELAKA CITY 253 Gunung Stong State Park 336 Sights 412 Ayer Keroh 253 Gua Musang 336 Walking Tour 414 Pulau Besar 253 Courses 415 Alor Gajah 254 Sabah 338 Tours 415 Tanjung Bidara 254 Festivals & Events 416 KOTA KINABALU 341 Sleeping 416 Johor 255 Orientation 343 Eating 418 Information 343 Drinking & Entertainment 419 Johor Bahru 257 Sights 344 Shopping 420 Around Johor Bahru 263 Tours 347 Getting There & Away 420 Johor Bahru to Melaka 263 Sleeping 347 Getting Around 421 Mersing 264 Eating 349 SOUTHERN SARAWAK 423 Seribuat Archipelago 266 Drinking & Entertainment 351 Bako National Park 423 Endau-Rompin National Shopping 352 Santubong Peninsula Park 269 Getting There & Away 352 (Damai) 425 Getting Around 353 Kuching Wetlands National 272 Park 427 Pahang AROUND KOTA KINABALU 354 Kubah National Park 427 PULAU TIOMAN 274 Tunku Abdul Rahman Matang Wildlife Centre 427 Orientation 274 National P ark 354 Semenggoh Wildlife Information 274 NORTHWESTERN SABAH 357 Rehabilitation Centre 428 Sights & Activities 275 Mt Kinabalu & Kinabalu Bidayuh Longhouses 428 Sleeping, Eating & National Park 357 Bau 428 Drinking 277 Around Mt Kinabalu 365 Gunung Gading National Park 429 Getting There & Away 282 Tuaran 367 Sematan 429 Getting Around 282 Kota Belud 367 THE COAST 283 Kudat 368 TPaanrkju ng Datu National 432 Endau 283 Around Kudat 368 Talang-Satang National Pekan 283 Offshore Islands 369 Park 432 Kuantan 285 EASTERN SABAH 370 Serian 433 CONTENTS 15 Sri Aman Division 433 GETTING AROUND 484 Top End 535 Betong Division 434 Air 484 EATING 536 CENTRAL SARAWAK 434 Bicycle 485 Colonial District 536 Batang Rejang 435 Boat 485 CBD & the Quays 539 Central Coast 443 Bus 485 Chinatown 540 NORTHERN SARAWAK 445 Car & Motorcycle 485 East Coast 541 Miri 445 Hitching 487 Holland Village & Bukit Niah National Park 450 Local Transport 487 Timah 543 Marudi & Batang Baram 452 Tours 488 Kampong Glam 543 Gunung Mulu National Train 488 Little India 544 Park 452 Orchard Road 544 Bario & the Kelabit Sentosa & Around 547 Highlands 458 Singapore 491 DRINKING 547 Limbang Division 464 History 493 Colonial District 547 Orientation 493 The Quays 548 466 Malaysia Directory SIGHTS 494 Chinatown & the CBD 549 Colonial District 494 Little India 549 Accommodation 466 The Quays 497 Orchard Road 549 Activities 468 The CBD 498 Holland Village 550 Business Hours 468 Chinatown 498 Sentosa Island 550 Children 468 Little India 500 ENTERTAINMENT 550 Climate 468 Kampong Glam 500 Comedy & Magic 550 Courses 469 Orchard Road 501 Chinese Opera 550 Customs Regulations 469 Eastern Singapore 502 Cinema 550 Dangers & Annoyances 469 Northern & Central Clubs 551 Discount Cards 470 Singapore 504 Live Music 552 Embassies & Consulates 470 Southern & Western Spectator Sports 552 Festivals & Events 470 Singapore 507 Theatre & Dance 552 Food 472 Sentosa Island 509 SHOPPING 553 Gay & Lesbian Travellers 472 Southern Islands 511 GST 554 Holidays 473 ACTIVITIES 512 Art, Crafts & Antiques 554 Insurance 474 Adventure Sport 512 Cameras & Electronic Internet Access 474 Cycling 512 Equipment 555 Legal Matters 474 Golf 512 Chinese Medicine 555 Maps 474 Gyms 512 Fashion 555 Money 474 Pool & Snooker 512 Music 556 Photography 475 Rock Climbing 512 Shopping Malls & Post 475 Spas & Massage 513 Department Stores 556 Telephone 475 Swimming 513 DIRECTORY 559 Time 476 Tenpin Bowling 513 Accommodation 559 Toilets 476 Water Sports 513 Bookshops 559 Tourist Information 476 Yoga 513 Business Hours 559 Travellers with Disabilities 477 COURSES 513 Climate 559 Visas 477 Cooking 513 Customs 559 Volunteering 478 Dancing 529 Dangers & Annoyances 560 Women Travellers 478 Pewtersmithing 529 Discount Cards 560 Work 479 TOURS 529 Embassies & Consulates 560 Food Tours 529 Emergency 560 Malaysia Transport 480 Harbour Cruises 529 Gay & Lesbian Travellers 560 River Cruises 530 Holidays 560 GETTING THERE & AWAY 480 Special Interest Tours 530 Insurance 560 Entering Malaysia 480 FESTIVALS & EVENTS 530 Internet Access 561 Air 480 SLEEPING 530 Internet Resources 561 Land 483 Budget 531 Laundry 561 Sea 483 Midrange 533 Legal Matters 561 16 CONTENTS Maps 561 AROUND BANDAR Visas 592 Medical Services 561 SERI B EGAWAN 585 Women Travellers 592 Money 562 Jerudong 585 TRANSPORT 592 Post 562 Muara 586 Getting There & Away 592 Telephone & Fax 562 TUTONG & BELAIT Getting Around 594 Time 563 DISTRICTS 587 Tipping 563 Tutong 587 Toilets 563 Tasek Merimbun 588 Health 595 Tourist Information 563 Jalan Labi 588 Travellers with Disabilities 563 Seria 588 Visas 563 Kuala Belait 589 Language 606 Volunteering 564 TEMBURONG DISTRICT 589 Women Travellers 564 Bangar 589 Work 564 Batang Duri 589 613 Glossary TRANSPORT 564 Peradayan Forest Reserve 589 Getting There & Away 564 Ulu Temburong National Getting Around 567 Park 590 615 DIRECTORY 590 The Authors Brunei 571 Accommodation 590 Business Hours 590 History 573 617 National Parks & Reserves 574 Climate 590 Behind the Scenes BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 574 Customs Regulations 591 Orientation 575 Embassies & Consulates 591 620 Information 575 Holidays 591 Index Sights 577 Legal Matters 591 Walking Tour 579 Maps 591 Tours 581 Money 591 GreenDex 634 Sleeping 581 Photography 592 Eating 582 Post 592 Getting There & Away 583 Telephone 592 Map Legend 636 Getting Around 583 Tourist Information 592 Regional Map Contents Kedah & Perlis (p208) Kelantan Penang (p326) (p176) Terengganu (Ppe1r4a5k) (p306) (Bpr5u7n3e)i (Spa3b3a9h) Pahang Selangor (p130) (p273) Kuala Lumpur Negeri Sembilan (p230) (pp92-3) Melaka Johor Sarawak (p238) (p256) (p406) Singapore (pp514-15) © Lonely Planet lonelyplanet.com © Lonely Planet. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’ © Lonely Planet lonelyplanet.com © Lonely Planet. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’ © Lonely Planet 17 Destination Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Entwined by history and shared multi-ethnic populations, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei are Southeast Asia’s terrific trio. Want beautiful beaches and idyllic islands? Crave delicious culinary sensations? Search- ing for an Indiana Jones–style adventure in steamy jungles or the region’s hottest contemporary art, design and fashion creations? From must-see modern architecture to a fascinating range of indigenous peoples, these three countries tick all the boxes on the tropical destination wish list. Commence your journey in either Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur (KL) or the island state of Singapore and you’ll immediately be impressed by how the preserved cultures of the Malay, Chinese and Indian com- munities connect with a drive to be as innovative and modern as other world metropolises. Trawl street markets, chow down at fabulous hawker stalls, deck yourself out in designer threads from the fanciest shopping malls, and dip into museums highlighting practically every aspect of local life – it’s all waiting in these buzzing cities that keep an eye on their past while boldly striding into the future. Contrasting with the dynamism of urban life is the laid-back charm of the region’s rural and coastal escapes. Efficient and reliable transport networks mean it’s no drama to access pretty much anywhere – from the deepest recesses of jungle to the peaks of the highest mountains and the depths of coral-reef-packed oceans, much of this protected in national parks. Recent world e conomic woes have slashed the previously robust growth rates of this trio of warm, lush and naturally blessed countries, denting local confidence in the process. As far as visitors are concerned this translates into locals who are even more welcoming than ever, and bargain prices, particularly for accommodation, food and transport. Malaysia FAST FACTS: The repercussions of the March 2008 election – in which the United Malaysia Malays National Organisation (U MNO) and its coalition partners in Population: 27.73 million Barisan Nasional (BN) saw their parliamentary dominance slashed to GDP per person: less than the customary two-thirds majority – continue to ripple through US$15,300 Malaysian political life. P akatan Rakyat (PR), the opposition P eople’s Life expectancy: 73.3 Alliance, led by the back-from-the-wilderness Anwar I brahim (see p 43) , years not only bagged 82 of the parliament’s 222 seats but also took control of five out of Malaysia’s 13 states including the key economic bases of Inflation: 5.8% Selangor and Penang. PR’s victory was widely seen as the result of voters’ Unemployment: 3.3% disgust at the excesses of Malaysia’s ‘money politics’ where bribes are Malaysians who can be paid to secure political clout and public-sector contracts. awarded the highest BN’s fall guy was mild-mannered but ineffectual prime minister Ab- honorary rank of Tun: 35 dullah Badawi, who resigned in April 2009 in favour of his urbane deputy Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak (typically referred to as Najib Razak). Son of Abdul Razak, Malaysia’s second PM after independence, and nephew of Abdul’s successor Hussein Onn, Najib has been groomed for this role ever since he first entered national politics at the age of 23 in 1976. 18 DESTINATION •• Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei lonelyplanet.com However, the change of guard may be too late to resurrect the fortunes of UMNO, a party seen as corrupt and out of touch with the people ac- cording to a survey by the independent Merdeka Center (www.merdeka .org), a point of view publicly agreed with by former PM Dr Mahathir. It hasn’t helped that Najib’s standing has been undermined not only by his tangential involvement with a high-profile murder case (p 44 ), but also by the political shenanigans in Perak where he was the architect of BN’s power grab to recapture control of the state parliament (p 146 ). So far, to his credit, Najib has resisted playing on tensions between Malaysia’s majority Malays and its ethnic-Chinese and Indian minori- ties. Similar strains also lie beneath the PR’s loose alliance of the multi- racial Anwar-led Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), secular Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the staunchly Islamic Parti Islam se- Malaysia (PAS). Najib’s 1Malaysia policy revolves around mutual respect and trust among Malaysia’s different races – how far such respect and trust will extend as BN loses its grip on power after 50 years in the country’s driving seat remains to be seen. Singapore The People’s Action Party (PAP) continues to hold on to power by all means, as it has done since L ee Kuan Yew first led it to victory in 1959. Lee may have retired as prime minister in 1990, but he still keeps a watch- ful eye on government in his role as the island state’s ‘Minister Mentor’. FAST FACTS: His eldest son Lee Hsien Loong has been in the top job since 2004. Singapore The 2009 worldwide economic downturn hit Singapore fairly hard. GDP Population: 4.86 million shrunk by 12.5% in the last quarter of 2008 and growth for 2009 was forecast GDP per person: at -2%. The government dug deep into their S$175 billion reserves and took US$35,000 out S$4.9 billion as part of a S$20 billion economic stimulus package. Meanwhile the nanny state continues to loosen its paternalistic grip, Life expectancy: 79 years actively promoting Singapore as an arts hub, allowing two casinos (oops, Inflation: 6.5% ‘integrated resorts’) to operate, and relaxing liquor licensing laws and Unemployment: 2.5% those relating to public gatherings. This last measure allowed some 2500 pink-clad citizens to gather on 16 May 2009 at Speakers Corner to form Fine for littering: S$1000 a pink dot (www.pinkdot.sg) in support of gay rights. There has been no relaxation, though, of Singapore’s zero tolerance of drugs – one of the few areas where Singapore and Malaysia see eye to eye. A series of ongoing territorial battles have raged between the two since 1965, when Singapore was unceremoniously kicked out of its short-lived union with Malaysia. Negotiations on a replacement for the ageing and congested causeway linking the island with Johor Bahru fal- tered over Singapore’s preconditions that Malaysia provide it with sand for reclamation projects and that Singaporean military jets have access to Malaysian airspace. Squabbles also continue over payment for water (Singapore gets 40% of its water from Malaysia but plans to make itself self-sufficient by 2061, when the current agreement runs out) and Malaysian Railway land-hold- ings in Singapore. The sovereignty of Pedra Branca, a tiny outcrop in the South China Sea, is also disputed. The Hague ruled in favour of Singapore in 2008 but Malaysia has promised to keep digging for historical docu- ments in order to challenge the decision. Brunei While relations between Malaysia and Singapore are likely to remain touchy for the foreseeable future, those between Malaysia and Brunei are far more cordial. The two countries may have minor disputes over lonelyplanet.com DESTINATION •• Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei 19 the rights to possible offshore gas and oil exploration sites and over the land border around Limbang, but they share Islam as a common faith and further goodwill was forged in August 2005 when Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, aged 58, took 26-year-old former TV journalist Azrinaz Mazhar FAST FACTS: Hakim, a Malaysian, as his third wife. Love must have been in the air in Brunei Brunei because in 2004 the 30-year-old Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Bil- Population: 390,000 lah Bolkiah married a 17-year-old half-Swiss commoner, Sarah Salleh. GDP per person: Change is gradually creeping into the world’s longest-running absolute US$51,000 monarchy. The legislative council has been restored for the first time in Life expectancy: 76 years 20 years and an opposition political party has been allowed to form. Mil- lions of dollars were spent to erect a building known as the parliament – Inflation: 0.4% however, voting still does not exist. The emphasis on Muslim culture has Unemployment: 4% relaxed slightly, with the Education Minister losing his job in 2005 for Daily oil production: pushing unpopular and obscure Islamic studies. The government is also 193,000 barrels trying to move beyond the oil- and gas-rich nation’s habitual economic reliance on hydrocarbons.

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