My Stay at Shangrilas' Rasa Ria Resort and Spa

For 3 mornings I woke up looking at South China Sea! Who would want to get up from that luxurious lap, the ultra cozy room of the resort! I was at Shangrilas' Rasa Ria Resort, Kota Kinabalu. But then the delicious spread of breakfast tempted me to rush up. They have food catering to all tastes, palates and nationalities. It was not for the food alone but also to get a good seat for the view of

Mt. Kinabalu Botanical Garden

After casting several longing looks at Mount Kinabalu and its peak touching the skies we headed for a trek in Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden. The botanical garden is home to several species of flora and fauna. While it was easy to capture several varieties of flora, the different species of fauna eluded me completely. The frogs were croaking nonstop but inspite of all my efforts couldn’t really

Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

That is Borneo’s roof Mount Kinablu, standing majestically, in fact growing little by little at the rate of 5mm per year. Having a height of 4095m it is ranked 20th most prominent one in the world in terms of topographic prominence! This site also has the honor of being the first Unesco World Heritage site of Malaysia! The mountain is home to several carnivorous plants and beautiful orchids.

A

Sapi Island, Malaysia

Sapi Island or Sapi Pulau (Cow Island) as it is called in Malaysian language is a popular and attractive beach activities oriented island. Its almost white sand in the beach and crystal clear jade colored water stunned me. We went there on a Tuesday morning and found the beach teeming with tourists and locals, the population of beach lovers can be overwhelming on a Sunday I thought! It took us

My Orangutan Encounter

The rainforest of Borneo, Malaysia is home to Orangutans. Orangutans are large gentle creatures and you will be surprised to know 98% of their DNA matches with us humans. (Probably the other 2% is that of violent streak which is present in humans!!! You can read more about them here.) Poachers target these gentle animals, often killing the mother to catch the baby orangutans and later sell them

Fort Cornwallis, Penang

Fort Cornwallis is located very close to the hotel we stayed so didn’t wish to give it a miss. The Fort isn’t anything spectacular but if history and historical objects and equipment interest you then this fort is definitely worth the visit. It is the oldest fort of Penang existing from 1786. It was constructed for defensive purpose against pirates, Kedah forces and even the French during the

The Royale Bintang Hotel, Penang

During our tour of Penang, Malaysia we were put up in The Royale Bintang Hotel! I spent cool two nights there; it was warm, cosy experience. Tired after the flight from Bangalore, I found the ambiance of the room soothing and welcoming. I stepped into the decently attired room with soft colors, not too cluttered, yet with a place for every necessary item. The bathroom too was well stuffed with

Prem Joshua and His Band in Penang

I am not a regular attendee of musical nites but when an opportunity comes my way I am not the one to ignore it. The sound of dhak beats during pujas, or the tune of musicians playing nadaswaram in temples have soothed my tired nerves in same manner. If you find joy in everyday sounds of life (like the sound of laughter of your loved ones) you will agree that one doesn’t need any big depth of

HOHO Bus Tour in Penang

Tourism Malaysia fitted in a cool Penang HOHO bus tour into our itinerary. Thanks to them I could see the major landmarks of the beautiful city of Penang. I had taken a similar ride in an open deck double decker bus in Singapore long time back. It wasn’t too sunny and I aimed for the open deck seats, I got some excellent views from there and because of the moderate speed some great pics too.

Penang World Music Festival 2015

Musicians from 12 countries did the magic of uniting the world which no politician could have done in the 2 days, 11th and 12th of April 2015 in Penang Malaysia! I consider myself fortunate to witness this great event and record some music of these great musicians! Leading international musicians from India, Germany, Malaysia, Egypt, Brazil and more mesmerized the audience, had the audience on

Penang Street Food

I was put up in one of the best hotels in Penang during my FAM trip there, but my heart kept beating for Penang's street food! I had read: Lonely Planet picks Penang as top spot for foodies in 2014 and hoped to taste it some day. I didn’t dream I would get the opportunity so fast. I was invited to do media coverage (as a blogger), of Penang World Music Festival. I did that and used the

Sunset at Tanjung Aru Beach, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

At Tajung Aru beach of Kota Kinabalu I saw one of the most stunning sunsets of my life. The sky took on a golden yellow complexion, but soon changed to bright orange. Later it sobered down to pink till darkness conquered it completely.

Tajung Aru beach is one of the top 10 sunset view points of Kota Kinabalu. At a distance in the South China Sea you can see the Sulug and Manukan Island. It is