Place to see In malaysia

Langkawi, Malaysia - The Bahamas of Asia

The Attraction: The Langkawi Island group has been compared to the Bahamas on a number of levels. Today it is sprinkled with resorts and covered with tourists, but historically (like the Bahamas) it was a pirates' nest. The thin strips of inviting beach -- some on completely unpopulated islands -- provide a refuge today for sunseekers and snorkelers. In the past the same islands provided harbors and jungle hide outs for the pirates...

The Setting: Just north of the Penang, Malaysia, in the azure waters of the Andaman Sea is a cluster of 104 small, idyllic islands: the Langkawi Islands. I spent a week on Langkawi Island (the chain's largest land mass) once. It was time well spent. A few moments stand out, but none more clearly than sitting at a nameless little Italian beachfront restaurant (complete with red and white checkered table clothes) drinking marguerites served in a carafe' while the sun sank into the Indian Ocean.

The Legends: Langkawi is also shrouded in legend. The most popular of these tells of a young woman who was executed after being wrongly accused of adultery. She is supposed to have cursed the island for seven generations, and the Malays of the island were attacked soon thereafter by the Thais. The island was severely plundered, according to the legend.

"Anna and the King": Parts of the movie "Anna and the King" were filmed on Langkawi and the 20th Century Fox movie set is among the island's newest attractions.

Activities: A huge variety of activities are available in Langkawi: snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, water skiing, wind surfing and more. There are a number of good beaches, including the black sand Pantai Pasir Hitam beach. Fishing is popular and chartered fishing boats are easy to contract with. And you can rent a car on the island and tour the interior to see the Malay villages and rubber plantations. Langkawi also has a number of beautiful bird species and some butterfly species that only exit on the island. The island also has a crocodile farm, a beautiful waterfall, and two underwater marine parks.

Tioman, Malaysia

Monkey Bay: This is a beautiful stretch of white sand beach near the village of Salang on the north end of the island.

The Marine Park: A designated coral sanctuary at Tanjung Mesoh, about 15 minutes from Tekek Jetty. This is a great place to swim and snorkel.

Tulai Island: This uninhabited island off Tioman's northwest coast is another great spot to snorkel or to dive.
Salang: A quiet village on the north tip of the island. there are a smattering of dive shops, restaurants, and bars in Salang. There are also a couple of resorts nearby.

Bali Hai in Malaysia's South China Sea :

If pictures of Tioman Island remind you of French Polynesia, there's a reason for that: the island was used in the filming of the movie "South Pacific." The Malaysian island of Tioman, in the South China Sea, is Bali Hai.

What do you want? Tioman boasts some of the most fabulous beaches in the world. The waters are filled with coral and marine life of every hue and shade. You can walk in near-virgin jungle, climb picturesque mountains, wade in glassy streams, and talk to friendly natives (though not many of them). And you can spend your sunsets walking on the white sand beaches...

Tioman is not a big island -- 23 mile long and seven miles wide. It is, however, the biggest of the 64 islands in its chain, just off the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. In the 1970's, Time magazine named Tioman one of the world’s 10 most beautiful islands.

The island is a diver's paradise. The water is clear to a depth of 100 feet. Gardens of coral ring much of the island and include lace-like sea fans, and the alyconarian soft corals, and multi-colored staghorn coral. Parrotfish and butterfly fish are common, and many of the fish have neon colorings.

The island's land areas are populated with natural attractions, as well. Tioman has five distinct ecological zones. Animal life includes monkeys, mousedeer, flying foxes and lots of reptiles and amphibians -- including the python (and 25 other species of snakes), the large monitor lizard (and over 30 other lizard species), and both land and sea turtles.

Accommodations on the island are not expensive. While you can spend a lot of money at one of the resorts, you can also get a hut on the beach (with a bathroom and ceiling fan) for about $7 US a night. Want more comfort? For $25 to $30 a night you can rent a small chalet with a television, fridge, hot water, bathroom, and air-conditioning.

Tioman is populated mostly with tourist resorts. The island can become very crowded during holiday period. Arriving without a reservation can mean that you sleep on the beach. That's not unpleasant, but be prepared for a crowd at times...

The boat trip from Mersing, Malaysia, takes about 90 minutes. From Singapore it is about four and a half hours (and Tioman is a favorite among the Singaporeans). Pelangi Air and Berjaya Air both fly to the island daily from Kuala Lumpur. Flights from Singapore also exist.