- Discovery Overland Holidays

D is c o v e r M a la y s ia
Events & Festivals
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Royal Langkawi Int
ernational Regatta
13-18 Jan 2014
Venue: Langkawi
An event that has be
come the talk of So
utheast Asia, the Royal
Langkawi Internatio
nal
Regatta will see mo
re than 50 yachts com
peting in nine highly
-charged racing classe
s.
Do not miss all the dra
ma and excitement
on
the high seas!
Have a splashing
good time at Pesta
Air
Langkawi (Langkaw
i Water Fest) held sim
ultaneously on 17 –
18 January 2014 wit
h
Royal Langkawi
st Asia
South Ea
Tropfest
an 2014
24 – 25 J
hort film
largest s
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live audie t, and receives a
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single nig annually.
s
700 entrie
s in
the greatest name
Witness some of
tee off at
na
are
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lfin
go
Southeast Asia’s
nt.
rs 2014 tourname
the Sabah Maste
once again be
l
wil
t
en
ev
us
gio
This presti
e.
rbour Golf Cours
held at Sutera Ha
the
of
w
vie
ing
tak
ath
Indulge in the bre
golf
Sutera Harbour
27-hole at the
spirit of
the
in
g
kin
rta
pa
course while
e more at:
sportsmanship! - Se
R e w a r d in g J o u r n e y h a s a N a m e ...
JANUARY 2014
Part 2
nts/
tourism.com/eve
http://www.sabah
ers
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2014#sthash.z9aIX
ASEAN Tourism Fo
rum
16-23 Jan 2014
Venue: Kuching, Sa
rawak
Thaipusam Festival
17 Jan 2014
Venue: Nationwide
Adopting the theme
“AS
ING TOURISM TOGE EAN - ADVANCTHER,” the ASEAN
Tourism Forum 2014
will explore the sus
tainable developme
nt of tourism and loo
k
at how our tourism
initiatives and plans
can further support
this decades mantr
a
of “Tourism conserv
es, preserves and
protects.” The AS
EAN Tourism Forum
2014 in Sarawak,
Malaysia, will be
a
timely platform to thin
k and act on imple
menting innovative
and sustainable en
ergy initiatives that
Will ensure the prese
rvation of our natur
al environment for
future generations.
rates the birthday
Thaipusam commemo
his destruction of
and
an
rug
Mu
d
of Lor
rapadman. Every
Soo
on,
the evil dem
and devotees
tors
visi
year, thousands of
ess this spectacle
witn
to
nd
isla
the
ng
thro
a show of faith and
of epic proportions. In
s
du
Hin
de vot ion ,
(including quite a few
foreigners) in a trance
ma gn ific en t
car ry
are
that
kav adi s
pierced into their bodies or pots of milk as
offerings to Lord Murugan.
Chinese New Year
31 Jan 2014 – 01 Feb 2014
Venue: Nationwide
Chinese New Year is a time for celebration and merrymaking. Family reunion
feasts and open houses are a common
feature and children receive 'ang pows' or
little red money packets from the elders.
Don't miss the exciting lion and dragon
dance performances at shopping malls
and homes!
Chapter 2: Redang Island & Kota Bharu
Last article on the first 2 days of our East Coast Fam Trip,
we explored the Terengganu town, Adventurous Lake
Kenyir and the beauty of Tanjong Jara Resort.
Following on the third day, after we checked out from the
resort, we headed to Merang Jetty, a place where boarded
a boat that took us to the beautiful Redang Island in 45
minutes. On our arrival, we were transferred to The
Taaras Resort for our first inspection of all resorts on the
island. Without further delay we started off with a quick
buffet lunch at The Asean All Day Dining after a personalized check in at the lounge. Then, we proceeded to view
the rooms from ground to top of the hill, by buggies – it will
be exhausting if is by foot, as the land area of the resort is
huge! Anyway, the resort is simply a perfect hideout with a
touch of luxury and the very best services provided.
Rooms are all well-maintained and comfortable, even the
bathrooms!
Later, we continued our journey by a speedboat to Laguna
Redang Island Resort, and I would say, it has the most
happening stretch of beach on the island. Almost every
corner of the resort is crowded with divers, snorkeler and
lots of tourists having fun on the beach. We viewed a few
of the room categories and basically all their rooms are in
good condition and can accommodate up to 4 persons.
We took a walk around the resort, their big swimming pool,
some restaurants serving local or fusion cuisines, bars on
the beach and visited their recreational corner. Another
highlight of this resort is also the More More Tea Inn which
was built and used for movie shooting.
Kuala Lumpur Head Office
No. 66, Jalan Metro Pudu 2,
Fraser Business Park, Off Jalan Yew,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel
: (+6) 03 9222 8113
Fax
: (+6) 03 9222 8248
E-mail: info@discoveryoverland.com
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14
Sabah Masters 20
8 - 11 Jan 2014
Venue: Sabah
Visit Mala
ys
04 Jan 20 ia Year 2014 Gran
14
d launch
Venue: N
ationwide
Visit Mala
ys
year filled ia Year 2014 is se
w
t
grams he ith exciting activitie to be a
ra
s
fireworks lded by a dazzling and proto set th
display o
f
e
ablaze on
January 4 country’s skylines
an array o
th. Accom
f cultural m
p
the launch
usical perf anied by
ormances,
one of th of VMY 2014 prom
e
ises to be
ments in nation’s most cap
tivating m
celebratio
on of 1Ma
Asia!
laysia Tru
ly
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R e w a r d in g
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Laguna Redang Resort Beach@The Taaras Resort
Redang Beach Resort Redang Island Resort
The Aryani
Next, we were headed to Redang Beach Resort by foot,
since it is just next to Laguna Resort, about 2 minutes
away. Here, they were undergoing major renovation and
opening new block of rooms. Expected completion on April
2014, no official notice given by the resort, and they are
still accepting bookings. We viewed some of the new
rooms, both lead-in and higher category of Deluxe or Suite
rooms, swimming pool and other facilities are nicely done.
After that, we were transfered to the jetty and took a bigger boat to Redang Island Resort. Upon arrival, an obvious weakness point we found out is that they have no
beach attached to the resort. However, the resort is still
able to arrange activities like snorkeling, diving, sunset
cruise as well as fun fishing for their guests. As for the
rooms, they only consist of 2 categories, either Rainforest
Chalet or Seaview Chalet and the room name describes
the difference in features. Lastly, from Redang Island Resort, we took the inter-resort transfer back to The Taaras
Resort and enjoyed our evening by the beach with a glass
of cold ice beer. At night, we were also hosted a fancy
western dinner by the resort and had a nice chat with the
friendly people.
The next day, after breakfast, we were transferred to the
jetty for our boat departure. Once we arrived at Merang
Jetty, a van from Kota Bharu was waiting for us and was
originally suppose to bring us straight to town. However,
we decided to view another resort nearby the jetty, called
The Aryani Resort. It is more like an old royal building in
the resort, especially the Heritage Suite, was dismantled
and rebuilt with part of the original timber Palaces Complex of Royal households from the previous Century.
D IS C O V E R Y O V E R L A N D H O L ID A Y S
Product Updates
Recipe of the Month
It offers guests the unique experience of living in an ancient Malay Timber Palace. It also has a Central Courtyard, resembling
an ancient village square, holds the swimming pool with the three elevated pavilions built around it. These pavilions are used
by the traditional “Gamelan” musicians in the evenings for their daily performances. The Central Courtyard is the recreational
and traditional performances area popularly used by guests. In the evening, the Central Courtyard comes alive with the tantalizing music of the classical “Gamelan” Orchestra. It is a place to escape the business world and be immersed in a fantasy
world of past civilization.
After that, we drove 2 hours and 15 minutes to Kota Bharu to continue exploring the city from hotel to hotel and as much attractions as we could. On the way in, we also stopped by at Tok Aman Bali Resort for a quick inspection. It was indeed a huge
property, consisting of meeting rooms, convention hall, lookout point tower, kids’ playroom, Recreation Park, fitness center,
swimming pool, mini water slides, playground, jetty and 2 restaurants. Lots of activities can be done in the resort and hotel
rooms are spacious and stand with a private balcony.
Later, we proceeded to a Chinese temple with a big standing Buddha and the longest dragon surrounded around the temple,
acting like a fences of the temple. At the entrance of the temple, there is a big old tree with hundreds or thousands of wishes
thrown up and hanging on the tree. Chinese believe the higher you throw, it reaches nearer to the Gods and chances of granting their wishes are higher.As we were leaving the temple, on the way out, we spotted a very delicious local Malay rice stall.
They call it the “Nasi Kukus” in English simply means “Steam Rice”. Eaten with fried chicken, fried egg with chili, some vegetables, a slice of pineapple and most importantly, eat it with the traditional way, using your right hand and dipped it with
“Belacan” also known as “Shrimp paste”. The combination tastes much better than any other food in the world. Cheap, simple
and delicious!!
After the lunch, we were entering Kota Bharu town, as we were driving in, we found another
new hotel that surprised us; in fact it was the first premier hotel in town that has undergone
major transformation into a luxury 5 star hotel. The Hotel Perdana, located right in the heart
of the city, nicely and luxuriously done on the inside and they have added a new Executive
Wing next to the original Classic Wing. For dining, they have 5 restaurants and the highlight
would be the Eleven Restaurant which is located at the roof top, serving fusion and Mediterranean cuisine. Apart from the food, it is also the first and only roof top restaurant in KelanHotel Perdana tan, providing a 360 degree view of cityscape view. If you happen to be here, it is a must
visit spot in Kelantan.
In the late afternoon, we continue our journey to Tok Dalang to visit the making of
“Wayang Kulit”, also known as “Shadow Puppets”. They are cut-out figures which are
held between a source of light and a translucent screen or scrim. The cut-out shapes of
the puppets sometimes include translucent color or other types of detailing. Various effects can be achieved by moving both the puppets and the light source. A talented puppeteer can make the figures appear to walk, dance, fight, nod and laugh. Here, we witnessed how they make the puppet by using a hammer and a slice of thin plastic. Also, it
is an honored that we are allowed to visit the gallery of all famous works of puppet. They
are all with names in different character.
Ayam Percik Kelantan (Spicy Barbequed Chicken)
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 60 minutes
Serving: 10
Ayam Percik Kelantan (Spicy Barbequed Chicken)
Ingredients
5pcs chicken thigh
3 tablespoons ginger, blended
1/2 cup shallots, blended
1 tablespoon galangal, blended
1 cup thin coconut milk
3 cardamom
5 cloves
3 cups thick coconut milk
20ml tamarind juice
1 tablespoon chili paste
Salt & pepper to taste
A pinch of sugar
Glutinous rice flour
Method:
1. Put shallot, ginger and galangal in blender and grind until fine. Marinate chicken thighs in this paste for about half an hour.
2. Put marinated chicken thighs in a pot and pour thin coconut milk
over it. Add cardamom and cloves and cook over medium heat until
chicken is partly cook, about 15 minutes.
3. Take the chicken out of the pot, leaving the sauce in the pot. Place
the chicken on a baking tray and cook under oven grill(broiler) at
medium heat.
4. Discard cardamom and cloves and add tamarind juice, chili paste,
thick coconut milk and glutinous rice flour into the pot and stir. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and cook until it thickens. Stir continuously.
5. When the sauce thickens, pour some sauce over the chicken and
return to grill. Cook until the sauce begins to dry up a little. Then turn
the chicken over and some sauce over and cook again.
6. Repeat this process of coating the chicken with the sauce 4 times
until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Puppet making
Next, we headed for another hotel inspection; it was the Grand Riverview Hotel,
located next to the Kelantan River and walking distance to all business hub and
shopping centre. Rooms and the interior are quite tired looking but it is now undergoing massive renovation for 4 months and will be reopening in April 2014 with
a brand new look. Let’s wait till then to comment further. After this, we drove a
little bit into town and stopped at Renaissance Hotel Kota Bharu. We checked in,
left our luggage to the bellman and started exploring the hotel by ourselves. The
hotel is a bit old, but all rooms are well maintained and clean. The floor that we
are staying on has even gone through refurbishment, new carpets, fixtures and
TV. Overall it is still a good hotel with a very spacious room and huge bed. At
Puppet making
night, we went for Ayam Percik for our dinner, the sauce was so special, a little bit
sweet, sour and spicy and the fried chicken was perfectly done!
Grand Riverview Hotel
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Hotel Updates
Product Updates
Capri by Fraser
Opening : April 2014
Location : Bangsar South District
Rooms : 240 units
The Clans Hotel, Georgetown
Swiss-Garden, Malacca
Opening : 4th Quarter of 2014
Location : Melaka City Centre
Rooms : 306 units hotel room &
392 units serviced apartment
Opening
Location
Rooms
: 3rd Quarter2014
: The Khoo Kongsi, Georgetown
: 46 stylish rooms and suites
Renaissance Johor Bahru
Do you Know?
George Town (less commonly also
spelt Georgetown) is the capital of
the state of Penang in Malaysia.
Named after Britain's King George III,
George Town is located on the northeast corner of Penang Island. The
inner city has a population of 720,202
and the metropolitan area known
as George Town Conurbation which
consists of Penang Island, Seberang
Prai, Sungai Petani and Kulim has a
combined population of 2,251,042,
making it the second largest metropolitan area in Malaysia.[3]
Formerly a municipality and then a
city in its own right, since 1976
George Town has been part of
the Municipality of Penang Island,
though the area formerly governed by
the City Council of George Town is
still commonly referred to as a city. Its
Malay name is derived from the older
name of the town, Tanjung
Penaga ("Cape Penaigre").
The inner city of George Town is
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Opening
Location
Rooms
: 18 April 2013
: Johor Bahru
: 345 units
Swiss Garden Residence, Sg. Karang
Opening
Location
Rooms
Later, we moved on to Jahar Palace. It has been a museum of the regal customs of Kelantan since July 1992. The Sultan of Kelantan officiated the opening ceremony and it has been named after the Jahar tree that grows in the palace
grounds. However, the palace was built in 1887 during the reign of Sultan Muhammad II as a gift to Long Kundur, who
was Raja Bendahara and third in line to the throne. Hence, it was known as Raja Bendahara Palace.
After that, we drove in further and reached a place called Pasir Belanda Resort. It is located on the bank of a river in a
kampung (village), just 4 km outside the bustle of Kota Bharu city towards the well-known Pantai Cahaya Bulan beach.
It is a green and peaceful rural area, perfect for exploring on foot, or by bicycle or boat. Here the heart of the Malay culture can be found. As you roam around the kampung you will meet craftsmen and women painting batik, weaving decorative cloth known as songket, carving wood and making kites. You have every chance of seeing a fisherman throwing
his net to catch fish or a monkey picking coconuts for his owner. The resort is run by a Dutch couple; they can also arrange activities like cooking workshop, batik painting, cycling and boating. Some other facilities like playground, badminton field and swimming pool can also be found in the resort. In a nutshell, Pasir Belanda itself is a holiday destination where you can spend a 3 days 2 nights or 4 days 3 nights in the resort without any worries.
Later in the afternoon, we continued our journey to visit some other local workshop like Songket weaving and the Silver
Smith. The first stop is Songket weaving, there are total 4 traditional machines, each seated by an old Malay lady with
their fine skills to hook and pick a group of threads, and slip the gold and silver threads in it as the patterns. Songket is
a fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to
create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft
(latitudinal) threads. It is indeed a lot of hard works in completing a songket.
: 01 Oct 2014
: Kuantan
: 264 rooms
Legoland Malaysia Hotel
Opened
Location
Total Rooms
: 29th November 2013
: Nusajaya, Johor
: 249 units
Tanjung Rhu Resort
(renovation works in progress)
Duration : Rooms:
Immediate till end of 1st quarter 2014 for remaining 44 suites in
Western Wing.
Saffron Restaurant & Rhu Restaurant:
Immediate till 2nd Quarter 2014
Involves : Refitting the room interior with an improved layout,
new furniture and fittings, new wall and ceiling panels as well
as electrical and plumbing improvement.
Note
JANUARY 2014
The next day, we continued our journey to Kota Bharu town, started off with walking at the famous market in town, “The
Siti Khadijah Market”, which was opened since 1985 by the sultanate of Kelantan. It was first called “The Buluh Kubu
Market” and took the present name in 1997. The market is famous of its variety and colorful products, is more like a one
stop centre. They sell vegetables, fruits, meats, dried foodstuffs, souvenirs, local delicacies, kitchen utensils, traditional
cakes, cookies and many others.
: The works areas will be designated from time to time and
buffer zones will be incorporated to reduce impact on
guest rooms and facilities.
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Next, we went to visit the silversmith, a craftsman who craft objects from silver or gold. Silversmithing is the art of turning silver and gold sheet metal into hollowware (dishes, bowls, porringers, cups, candlesticks, vases, ewers, urns, etc.),
flatware (silverware), and other articles of household silver, church plate or sculpture. It also includes the making of jewelry. Here, they are 5 of them working at the back of house, crafting all kind of silvers. In front, it is a retail shop selling
all the end products by the ladies.
Before we were sent to the airport for departure flight, we also did an inspection at the newly opened Holiday Villa Kota
Bharu. It is located in the new commercial area of Wakaf Che Yeh, and it offers 108 rooms with modern and comfortable facilities. This 4 star hotel is only 20 minutes away from the airport, 10 minutes from Kota Bharu town and Kubang
Kerian Wakaf Che Yeh, known for its lively and bustling all night bazaar, is just a quick walking distance away. We took
a quick lunch before viewing the rooms and the facilities.
Then, we were transferred to the airport and took the late afternoon flight back to Kuala Lumpur. We were quite tired yet
it was a knowledgeable and enjoyable trip with my fun loving colleagues. We shared our experiences and jokes along
the way. So what are you waiting for? Plan your trip to the East Coast of Malaysia, a beautiful place rich in natural and
cultural heritage.
-THE ENDJANUARY 2014
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DOH in Action
DOH in Action
Kechara Soup Kitchen (KSK) is a non-religious community action
group that distributes food, basic medical aid and counselling to
the homeless and urban poor of Malaysia.
Inspired by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, the Spiritual Guide of
the Kechara organisation, KSK is non-religious, being mindful
and respectful of others’ beliefs. They do not discriminate in
terms of race, gender or culture and their motto is “Hunger
Knows No Barriers”.
Kechara Soup Kitchen (KSK) Penang was initiated by Patsy Gooi,
a long-time student of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche. Every Monday, volunteers go out to the streets to distribute vegetarian
food to the homeless and urban poor from 10.30pm to midnight.
From Tuesday to Friday, hot food packets are distributed at the
center from 6pm – 7pm.
This week, Discovery Overland Holidays (DOH) put together a 22member team and joined KSK Penang for the food distribution
on 16 and 17 December. The team consisted of Mr Erik Ewe, DOH
Managing Director, Mr Henry Wong, Executive Director, 10 staff
who travelled from Kuala Lumpur, 6 Penang Branch staff, and 4
family and friends of Mr Erik. We planned to give out “goodie
bags” as well as freshly prepared hot food to the homeless.
At each stop, we got down from the vehicle and took several goodie bags and food
packets with us as we went into alleys and covered walkways (or better known as
“kaki lima”) in front of old shops where the homeless seek refuge for a night’s rest.
As briefed by our team leader, we stood at a distance at first and called out “makan,
makan” (come get your food) in order not to startle them by going up to them unannounced, as most of them were asleep or were dozing off. Our team leader explained that some of the homeless are a little guarded about their surroundings, and
when they are startled, defence mechanism kicks in and they might turn hostile.
As we handed out goodie bags and food, we couldn’t help but notice the harsh state
in which they are living. A few were physically disabled and were in wheelchairs. Others slept on flattened cardboard boxes or tattered mats, with their meagre belongings scattered around them. Most of them wore a stoic expression, but never without saying “thank you” to the volunteers. At one of our stops, a lady desperately
explained to us that her husband had just stepped away for a while and could she
please have another packet of food for him, to which we obliged.
After making all our stops, all 3 teams converged at the final stop which is the Komtar Bus Terminal. We put all remaining goodie bags and food on a bench. There were
about 20 homeless here and they queued up to collect the food. Some were reluctant to come forward or are physically disabled, for whom we brought the food to.
By the time we finished the distribution at Komtar Bus Terminal, it was almost midnight. We bid goodbyes to all the KSK volunteers and called it a night.
Monday, 16 December 2013
The team headed to KSK Penang center at 8.30pm and met up with Madam Patsy and other
volunteers of KSK Penang wearing shirts bearing the words “Hunger Knows no Barriers”.
Under the direction of CSR Manager Mr Kingston Khoo, we quickly got to work and an
“assembly line” was quickly formed as we raced to put together goodie bags. The bags each
consisted of a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap and a comb (packed in a toiletry
pouch), fruit, towel, t-shirt, drinking water, cakes, cream crackers and Christmas hats. While
we waited for the packed food to arrive, Madam Patsy gave the team a briefing on how the
food distribution is carried out. Next, we split all the volunteers into 3 teams who are
headed to 3 different routes. Each team was led by an experienced KSK volunteer. The
packed fried bihun (vermicelli) arrived at 10pm.
After all goodie bags and food packets were loaded onto 3 vans and 3 MPVs, at exactly
10.30pm we headed out on each designated route. The places covered were:
Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling
Lebuh Campbell
Lebuh Cintra
Lebuh China
Lebuh Bishop
Lebuh Pantai
Lebuh Armenian
Lebuh Leith
Jalan Pinang
Jalan Perlis
Jalan Irving
Jalan Perak
Komtar Bus Terminal
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Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Today we were helping KSK Penang with the food distribution
at the center. We arrived at 5pm at the center to help pack the
food. Today’s vegetarian menu consisted of rice, potatoes
and... while some of us helped with the packing, others were
practicing Christmas carols with our resident guitarist Mr Kingston playing. 15 minutes before 6pm, a queue began to form
outside and the center opened its door to them at exactly
6pm. As they waited to collect the food packets, we sang
Christmas carols to entertain them. One enthusiastic lady even
joined us and cheered us on! We finished and cleaned up by
7.15pm.
The Journey Home - Wednesday 18 Dec 2013
As we embarked on the long journey home on Wednesday
morning, we reflected on the activities we participated in for
the past two days, and the people we met – the KSK Penang
volunteers, who are persistent in their work to help the less
privileged, and the people living on the streets. It was indeed
an eye opener and a humbling experience. Underneath the
ragged clothes and weathered faces were people who once
had dreams and ambitions, but were defeated by the harsh
realities of life. We should count our blessings that we have a
roof on top of our heads and sufficient food on the table for
our families, and lend a helping hand to those that are not as
fortunate as us.
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