Selamat Tahun Baru

Which means Happy New Year in the Malay language. We recently returned from a hectic 8 day trip to Malaysia, and are now recovering from various bouts of illnesses, and slowly yet reluctantly adjusting to our regular schedules. Though we had left Qatar many times, these trips were mainly for visiting family members. This was our first ‘real’ vacation. One of the reasons we had moved here was to be able to travel extensively. Here get much more holidays and breaks and many of the destinations we want to visit are close by. Of course we can also now afford to travel more frequently as well.

Malaysia has something to offer for everyone, adults and children alike. Theme parks, world class shopping (both designer goods and ‘knock offs’), beach and mountain resorts, tea plantations, even casino’s. Add to this the lush tropical greenery, warm hospitability of its people and some of the best food in the world. In the short 50 years since it regained its independence (it was also once a British colony), it has evolved itself from mainly a palm and rubber growing former colony into a world class economy, rivaling that many developed nations. It is also considered one of the leading tourist destinations in Asia.

Though we had first thought of going to Penang and other cities, Kuala Lumpur and its vicinities had enough activities to keep us busy for the duration of our trip. We did however make a few day trips to nearby destinations, such as the Genting Highlands and Malacca. Now back home, we are recovering from our trip, at our own pace.