Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Glamourous camping adventure awaits

Glamourous camping adventure awaits

LOVE the idea of camping but not really a fan of roughing it out in the jungle?

Or are you looking for a quick romantic escape to Nature far away from technology?

Then look no further than Penang’s upcoming new attraction — a “glamping” resort.

Glamping, or “glamorous camping”, is the first of its kind concept to be introduced in the country.

Taking its name from the surroundings, the resort to be called Boulder Valley Glamping Resort by Amazing Discovery, is set to be built on a 8.9ha valley in Teluk Bahang.

The eco-resort would be designed to maintain the environmental characteristics of the site, including the biological and geological settings of the place.

The structure of the resort would be built on stilts to minimise disturbances to the natural habitat, vegetation, waterways and ground.

The project by Treasure Orchard Bhd is expected to be completed within two years and cost about RM7 million.

Project executive director Lee Woon Poo said the project would be undertaken with an environment-sensitive design approach, combining unique experiences for guests.

“Our main objective is to create an authentic eco-resort that maintains the environmental characteristics of the site, including the biological and geological factors of the place.

“Guests can enjoy unique experiences and basic amenities, a 1km buggy truck, tree-top restaurants, 100m long suspended bridge, bird-watching decks and tailored services,” she said.


The resort will be built among the natural setting of the valley with minimal impact on the flora and fauna.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

George Town Festival returns

George Town Festival returns

GEORGE Town Festival (GTF) 2014 is back for its sixth run, with a more dazzling array of international and local performances, exhibitions and creative events.

From Aug 1 to 31, GTF 2014 will host a packed month of free exhibitions, street celebrations, dance and drama performances.

The performances housed in quirky venues, includes world-class ticketed events from Europe, Korea, India, Japan and Singapore, for as little as RM20.

The festival launches its month of events on Aug 1, with a show-stopping, festival-bespoke spectacle, Circus circus with Japanese dance sensation, Wrecking Crew Orchestra, performing alongside acrobatics acts from Finland, Thailand, and China.

The unprecedented contemporary circus is among the many highlights of the festival which includes world-famous choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkoui’s cutting edge duet, Play, which will see him taking the stage with queen of Indian Kuchipudi dance, Shantala Shivalingappa.

The spellbinding meeting of East and West, modern and traditional is followed by the virtuoso solo dance performances by a British dance star, Aakash Odedra, whose explosive repertoire of modern choreography is sure to blaze a dazzling solo path.

Not to forget Indian Impresario, Roysten Abel, who brings the Asian premiere of his astounding multi-sensory show, The Kitchen, a powerful theatrical work melding music, drama and cooking in one monumental performances.

The festival’s closing day street celebration, V & A Project, will also feature award-winning Sydney-based dance troupe, Shaun Parker & Company, performing a free, open-air performance of trolleys, in which ballet, flashmob and parkour meet in an adrenaline-filled dance.

Also a must-see is the showcase of Penang’s diverse culture reflected in a lineup which includes programmes focusing on Malay-Javanese dance, Kuda Kepang; Jawi-Peranakan boria, Eurasian food and music as well as a series of exhibition and concerts staged in Penang’s classic kopitiam.

For details, call 04-2616308 or visit www.georgetownfestival.com.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Have bicycle will travel on Penang island

Have bicycle will travel on Penang island

CYCLING is fast becoming a favourite mode of touring the state capital of Penang.

Tourists, domestic and foreign, as well as local residents have taken up cycling to visit the many tourist attractions around town.

The craze for cycling has also spurred the setting up of many bicycle-for-rent outlets.

Rental rates are also affordable. Depending on the type of bicycle, it is usually between RM10 and RM30 per three or four hours.

The bicycles come in various types like the tandem bike, classic bicycle, city bicycle and mountain bike.

The tandems come with two seats, while the classic types are those considered as vintage two-wheelers and the city types are the regular bicycles.

One enterprising bicycle-for-rent operator is H.A. Malik Al-Habsy.

The 19-year-old started with a modest fleet of five city bicycles three years ago.

Today, Malik has 29 bicycles of various types to suit the needs of his clients.

“I got the idea of starting the bicycle rental service after I found many tourists flocking to the numerous street art spots in town.

“Then, most visitors would walk to these places.

“With a little bit of publicity, many tourists came to rent my bicycles to get around town,” he said.

Malik said tandem bikes were popular, especially among couples.

He has big plans to expand his fleet of bicycles to cater to rising demand from tourists.

Another bicycle-for-rent operator, Khairudin Mustafa, 65, said mountain bikes were popular with clients at his outlet in Lebuh Acheh.

He said these bicycles used for sport are considered more powerful than the regular bicycles, and were much sought-after by foreign tourists.

“Besides visiting the various tourist spots here, these tourists would often cycle all the way to Batu Ferringhi.

“Sometimes, they would leave the bicycles there. That’s why I charge them slightly higher,” he said.

Khairudin, a pensioner, said business had been good, especially on weekends when there were fewer motorists on the road.

Tourist Ada Ingenerf said she preferred cycling to getting around on foot while touring the many tourist spots here.

“I use this mode of transport back home and I am glad that there are many bicycle-rental shops here.

“Cycling is a convenient way to get around. It’s cheap and healthy too,” said the 25-year-old German lass.

Another bicycle enthusiast, Nor Zulaikha Abu Hassan, 19, said she and her friends from Perak enjoyed their urban tour on the non-motorised two-wheelers.

“It is enjoyable and fun getting around town on bicycles.

“However, I wish there were more bicycle lanes for cyclists here,” she said.


Teenagers enjoying the sights and sounds on Lebuh Armenian in the heritage enclave of George Town.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

No smoking at heritage site

No smoking at heritage site

FROM Aug 1, the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site here will be gazetted as a smoke-free zone.

State Environment, Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said a working paper on the matter would be sent to the Health Ministry before the end of the month.

Phee, who is also Cigarette Smoke-Free Penang (Penbar) chairman, said if all goes according to plan, the no-smoking zone for George Town Unesco World Heritage Site would be enforced from Aug 1.

He said after it is gazetted, the various authorities, including the State Health Department, would conduct campaigns to create greater awareness on the smoke-free zone for the heritage site.

“Penbar has also formed a task force comprising the various authorities, including the police, state Islamic Religious Department and Health Department, to carry out enforcement work,” he said yesterday.

Phee also said Penbar would introduce new signages for smoke-free zones soon.

The signages would include the amount for compounds, fines and jail term besides the no-smoking reminder.

Offenders face the maximum compound of RM5,000. They could also be liable to a maximum fine of RM10,000 or two years’ jail.

The latest setting up of a smoke-free zone in the heritage site will bring to seven the total number of no-smoking areas in the state capital.

The other areas are Botanical Garden, Youth Park, Air Itam dam, Mengkuang and Teluk Bahang dams and Ampang Jajar Municipal Park.

They were gazetted as smoke-free zones on Oct 2, 2012.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Nasi Kandar Beratur is worth the queue

Nasi Kandar Beratur is worth the queue

Is Nasi Kandar Beratur, also known as Restoran Nasi Kandar Liyaqat Ali, worth the queue?

The long line of people in front of the stall would suggest that the answer is "yes".

Although wedged in the alley between Masjid Kapitan Keling and a shop, the stall is not hard to find.

A queue of customers waiting for it to open at 10pm is a common sight.

Nasi Kandar Beratur, which moved into its present premises in 1943, has long been renowned for halal Indian-Muslim food.

Its recipes have remained unchanged through the years.

For supper, the stall offers a mouth-watering array of dishes such as fish head, salted egg, deep-fried chicken, squid, fish roe, mutton, eggs, large prawns, fish, eggs in various styles and vegetables.

One popular item is the spicy beef curry, where the meat is slow cooked in a black sauce. Milder dishes are the fish curry, mutton curry and prawn curry. The mutton curry is rich and creamy while the prawn curry is light and fragrant.

The stall's version of chicken curry has the chicken marinated in spices and lightly fried before it is cooked in curry. Many like its spicy kick and aroma.

For vegetables, go for the blanched ladies' fingers, cabbage stir-fried in turmeric and brinjal cooked with chilli.

A plate of nasi kandar is traditionally served drenched with a combination of kuah, or gravy. All the flavours and aromas blended together certainly work to whet the appetite.

Be sure to get a glass of air sirap ros, or rose syrup. The ice-cold rose-flavoured drink is a good complement to the nasi kandar.

The food is enjoyed by locals and visitors to the state, all of whom are willing to stand in a long queue for the food.

The stall is open from 10pm to 9am daily.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Visitors undaunted by RM3 levy

Visitors undaunted by RM3 levy

A NEWLY-introduced levy on hotel rooms in Penang aimed at improving the state's collection from the tourism industry has drawn a mixed reaction from domestic and foreign tourists.

Many hotel guests checking out were unaware of the levy, which become effective on June 1, on their hotel stays.

"There is a levy? I just booked four rooms from a booking website. The front office staff at the hotel reception did not tell me anything about it," said a hotel guest who wanted to be known only as Chong.

Chong, who arrived at the hotel in Gurney Drive from Puchong, Selangor, together with 12 family members, said she did not notice the sign put up by the hotel.

"I think RM3 levy a night is okay. However, since I booked four rooms, it is going to be a bit expensive for three nights," she said.

Mariam Abdullah Abbas, 28, said she was aware of the levy, but felt that the middle-income groups would most feel the pinch.

"It is costly to go for a vacation overseas but now travelling locally is expensive too," said the legal adviser from Ipoh.

For David Mclaurin, 36, the amount was small and he did not mind paying it for a good cause.

"RM3 is not much, it is a small price for us to pay," said the Australian. The levy is imposed on some 200 rated hotels in the state by the Penang Island Municipal Council, as announced in the state budget earlier this year.

One to three-star hotel rooms, including budget hotels, guest houses, hostels and dormitories are charged RM2 per room per night, while those rated four star and above are charged RM3 per room per night.

The council sent out circulars earlier this year warning that hotels that did not obey the rule risk having their operating licences revoked under Section 107(1) of the Local Government Act 1976.

Under the act, a local authority in the granting of any licence may set a fee for any trade, occupation or premises in respect of which the licence is granted.

Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter chairman Dr Mary Ann Harris said the levy collection had gone on smoothly for its member hotels.

"There has been no issue so far. Most websites, especially those under MAH and individual hotels, have put up a notice to inform about the levy and included it in the price list," she said.

Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa communication director Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman said there had been no complaints on the levy.

"It is business as usual and there have been no complaints from guests," he said.

With Visit Malaysia Year 2014 in full swing, travel agents, tourist guides and hotels had expressed concern that the levy might discourage visitors.

The levy, originally suggested to be from RM1 to RM5, was supposed to have started in March, as announced in the State Legislative Assembly in November last year. It was postponed to this month due to objections from hotels. Currently, Penang has 72 star-rated hotels and 100 non-rated lodgings with about 14,700 rooms.


Star-rated hotels in Penang have put up notices to inform guests of the levy imposed.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~