Year 2009 is coming. We wish you a Happy New Year and we hope that 2009 is your lucky year. Plan your exciting holiday to Malaysia now.

JUST as only an interested handful know about the Orang Asli, very few people know about the Orang Asli Museum in Gombak, Selayang, Selangor.

The museum, fringed by Senoi (Temiar and Semai) and Proto Malay Orang Asli villages, is about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur.

The Orang Asli in the peninsula is divided into three main groups: the Negritos or Semang, the Senoi and the Proto Malays which are further divided into 18 subgroups who speak a very distinct language from the other.

The Negritos are found mainly in the north, the Proto Malays in the south and the Senois occupy the central region.

The Orang Asli Museum is a must-visit place for tourists with an interest in anthropology as it features a few hundred exhibits detailing the Orang Asli way of life. This includes farming, hunting, marriage rites, musical instruments, charms and carvings which all add up to a very riveting and informative experience of the people we have so little contact with.

Varied Subgroups

The two-storey museum, with a grand looking layered arched brown roof, features two large pickaxes to mark its entrance. The pickaxe is the symbol of the Orang Asli as it is the most important tool in their daily life. It is mainly used for cutting and farming.

The museum is divided into various sections, starting with a wall filled with myriad black and white portraits of the different subgroups of Proto Malay, Senoi and Negrito.

One shortcoming was apparent. The museum still shows the Orang Asli population at 92,529 (according to 1993 Census figures) instead of 113,541 (2000 Census which excludes those living in designated Orang Asli settlements).

One of the main surprises is to find out that the Orang Kanaq, a Proto Malay subgroup found only in Kota Tinggi, Johor, is now almost non-existent. There are only 64 of them (73 during the 2,000 Census).

The Jakun, also Proto Malay, are the largest subgroup with 21,484 people, found mainly in Johor and Pahang. The Proto Malay is quite a large group comprising Jakun, Semalai, Orang Seletar, Temuan, Orang Kuala and Orang Kanaq.

The Negritos are smaller in number and subgroups include the Bateq at Taman Negara in Pahang as well as Jahai, Kensiu, Kintak, Lanoh and Mendriq.

The Senois are the largest of the three main groups and they comprise Temiar, Semai, Semoq Beri, Che Wong, Jahut and the Mah Meri who are particularly noted for their skilled wood carvings, especially Harimau Berantai (a mythical tiger holding a chain with a ball in its mouth).

Wall Of Fame

From the introduction section, one enters a section displaying pictures of Senoi Praaq, an army unit comprising Senois, which was formed in 1957, the year of Independence.

Some pictures show their operations in the jungle against the communists. In 1968, the group joined Pasukan Polis Hutan (Forest Force) as Battalion 19 (based in Kem Kroh, Pengkalan Hulu, Perak) and Battalion 20 (Kem Bidor, Perak) as Pasukan Gerak Am (General Force). It now has 2,000 members.

So detailed are the exhibits that even the promotion of an Orang Asli, Long Pandak, to the post of inspector in the Royal Malaysian Police, is featured.

Prominent Orang Asli featured include senators like Datuk Long Jidin and Osman Bongsu. This gives us another facet of the Orang Asli’s achievements and contributions to society.

Unique Mah Meri

The Mah Meri (meaning jungle people) is found mainly in the southern part of Selangor, especially Pulau Carey. A large section of the museum is dedicated to exhibiting their carvings. Besides Harimau Berantai, carved masks or moyang bojos and patong moyang belangkas are also exhibited.

The Mah Meri believe in a Creator God who shows little interest in human affairs. They believe that only the spirits of their ancestors can help them, so they carve figures of their ancestors for offering them prayers.

Their carvings are made from the roots of Pulai trees and a hardwood called Nyiris Batu.

Also featured is the Mah Meri wedding ritual which resembles that of Muslim and Hindu weddings.

Temiar Longhouse

The natives of Sarawak live in longhouses. Do you know the Temiar used to live in longhouses too? The only difference is that their longhouses were shorter than that in Sarawak.

For instance, unlike the Iban longhouse which can hold up to 50 doors (each door represents a family), the Temiar longhouse had between five and 10 doors as depicted in the model in the museum.

There are also exhibits of Negritos wooden sheds lined up in a semi circle.

Interesting Exhibits

Bamboo and mengkuang are the two most common forest products used by the Orang Asli to make everyday tools such as blowpipes, fish and animal traps and musical instruments like seruling hidung (nose flutes) and seruling belapis as well as bangles, combs and bags.

One section shows examples of bark clothing and how they are made.

In the music section, interesting exhibits include nose flutes of the Semais and Negritos as well as the Temiars’ jaw harp, which has been described as the hallmark of the Orang Asli as it can be used to produce sounds of birds and insects. Then there are gamelan, semarang drum, tambur, buluh centong and gendang.

There are also models of river transports such as perahu kulit kayu (bark boat), rakit buluh (bamboo raft) along with a plethora of ingenious rattan traps for catching crabs, prawns, fish, birds and even mice. One giant black bubu (rattan fish trap) measures at least 1½m. A compartment shows bamboo spikes used in a trap.

The museum provides an amazing spectrum of exhibits of how Orang Asli make and set animal traps. Many of these work on the principle of maiming the animals.

Herbs, Charms & Black Magic

Never offend an Orang Asli unnecessarily because they have all sorts of ways to get back at you. One way is the use of black magic. The Orang Asli believe that even Orang Halus (spirits), when offended, are capable of casting spells that would result in pain.

On the first floor, there are needles, shaving blades, glass fragments and wood chips that Orang Asli bomohs have removed from the bodies of patients. Many of these are said to be the results of black magic. In a glass

compartment is a log labelled pokok paku gajah, said to be used in black magic.

There also charms for children. For instance, a shell is used to get a child to stop drooling saliva and buah kulim tied to a child’s sleeping place to frighten away spirits.

Those interested in herbs can also learn a thing or two at the museum. Orang Asli use herbs such as buah sumba, kijai, duri rotan, ubi jaga and bunga pakma for various ailments.

One interesting section showcases in detail the birth process and items used by pregnant women, such as herbs, incense and items like batu tunku and akar wangi for post-natal treatment.

FOUR of 22 awards went to Malaysia at the recent Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata) Gold Awards 2008. The coveted awards were presented during the Pata Travel Mart 2008 in Hyderabad, India last month.

Tourism Malaysia won two awards: Marketing Media Awards – Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media for Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and Marketing Media Awards – CD Rom for Travel Manual Interactive CD.

The VMY 2007 TV commercial featured the Prime Minister welcoming the world to join in the country’s One Golden Celebration while instilling Malaysian warmth, hospitality and pride against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.

The CD serves as a comprehensive guide for the travel trade to design holiday packages as it contains detailed information on holiday regions.

Another Marketing Media Award went to Sarawak Convention Bureau for its promotional travel video titled Recharge In A New World.

Taylor’s College’s School of Hotel Management’s Empowering Youths For A Brighter Future programme bagged the Education and Training Award.

In addition to the 22 Gold Awards, Pata presented four Grand Awards for “best of show” entries. The categories were Environment, Education and Training, Heritage and Culture and Marketing Campaign.

The Grand Awards were won by Indonesia, Maldives, India and Singapore, respectively.

Pata, the region’s leading travel trade association based in Bangkok, Thailand, helps members develop and increase business opportunities through a wide array of activities done through the Pata brand.

Hi everyone,

Today I’m not going to write anything about tourism in Malaysia..Yeap! Nothing. Instead, I like to hear from you.

I like to hear your opinion about what I had done before. Did I gave you the solution to your problem? Did you got information you need? Did the information here valuable? Or you have any suggestion?

Can I know what else you want to know that can benefit you and others about tourism in Malaysia? Maybe you’re looking for other information or any SERVICES in Malaysia or before come to Malaysia?

It’s doesn’t mean that I have no more idea to write. Actually, I have so many ideas in my head right now. But I’m just worried if what I had wrote before cannot give you the solution to your problem.

So, your response and feedback can help me to  upgrade/enhance my writing skill for your benefits.

Thanks

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FORGET luxury chocolates and imported snacks. From now on, the trend will be to serve locally produced tidbits in hotel rooms and at social events. Malaysian products like kerepek, chips and nuts will be some of the local delicacies offered to visitors.

“What we need is more attractive packaging to make them more competitive and saleable. Our local hotels and resorts should start offering local snacks in their gift baskets or in the rooms. They can do away with chocolates and imported fruit which cost so much more,” said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

“I get really irritated when I step into a hotel room and find chocolates and imported fruits. What is wrong with having local snacks? Is it a status symbol to serve foreign items?”

She said that many Malaysians get excited when they see food outlets abroad selling Malaysian-made instant noodles and dodol but we are reluctant to put locally-made snacks on our shelves here.

“We can sell Malaysia through food, like what Malaysia Kitchen is doing overseas. The Tourism Ministry will soon be working with the Agriculture and Agro Based Industry Ministry to promote more Malaysian-made snacks locally and abroad.”

The Ministry is also looking at enhancing the highly successful nine-year-old Malaysia Truly Asia campaign that is used worldwide.

Azalina said some rethinking has to be done on the campaign to see how it can work better.

“Malaysia is truly Asia because of its multi-racial and multi-cultural makeup. But look around — countries in this region, like Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, are very similar to us in many ways.

“In fact, many countries in the world are so cosmopolitan and they have so many different races and religions living under one roof. What we should do is to start looking at other things like our forests, flora and fauna,” she said.

According to Azalina, Malaysia should give tourists more options - other than its unique racial makeup and diverse cultures.

“Yes, our biggest selling point is our people and our culture. But we can give more like eco-tourism and nature which are hard to find in other countries,” she said.

“We have to make tourists excited by giving them many options. This is where we have to start thinking out of the box, have killer instincts and be very, very creative. Let’s not dictate terms to them by telling tourists what they should see and do when they are here.”

She does not want industry players to go out and sell Malaysia and then return home to sit on their laurels.

Tourism, she said, is about serving people and not just going jalan-jalan on foreign trips to promote Malaysia at fairs, expos and other events.

The perennial problem of under-performing service industry also came under fire from Azalina who is keen to tackle the problem.

While our neighbours — Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia — are bending over backwards for tourists, Malaysians do not see the importance of being nice to our tourists.

“What is the point of asking them to visit Malaysia when we cannot be nice to them. Tourists are like guests in our house,” she said.

“When we have guests, we clean our houses and are on our best behaviour. Likewise, with tourists, we should never forget our manners and smiles.”

INCREASED tourism activities during Visit Malaysia Year has helped Malaysia maintain a position in the top five in online accommodation website.

Bookings for 2007 were boosted by Tourism Malaysia’s success in increasing visitor arrivals as well as our local team’s success in increasing the number of Malaysian properties available on our site.

The frequent promotions by low-cost airlines, rising consumer confidence in booking online and increased intra-Asia travel, have assisted the growth in online accommodation bookings all over Asia, so maintaining a place amongst tough competition was no small feat.

Thailand moved up two spots from last year to take the top position for 2007. In second and third place are Singapore and Hong Kong respectively. Malaysia is fourth, followed by China.

As for the top Malaysian destinations in 2007, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca held the top three positions for a consecutive year, with quality properties maintaining high occupancy levels all year round.

Langkawi showed the biggest improvement, moving up four spots from last year to fourth place. Other changes on the list were Pahang and Terengganu which both moved up a spot from their 2006 position and Negeri Sembilan which made it to the list for the first time.

Top Malaysian destinations 2007

1. Kuala Lumpur
2. Penang
3. Malacca
4. Langkawi
5. Pahang
6. Sabah
7. Sarawak
8. Johor
9. Terengganu
10. Negri Sembilan

Spa treatments help us de-stress. Customers should also do their part to contribute to this relaxing ambience

SPENDING time in a spa is the dream of many, especially if you are stressed out from your job or a weary mum who is perpetually running after her children.

The spa is definitely the place to unwind and de-stress. In recent years, many spas have opened here, some affordable and some very exclusive.

But no matter where you have decided to de-stress and spend a couple of hours in to have your feet and body massaged, or a facial done, there are some spa etiquettes to follow.

1. Time your arrival for at least 15 to 20 minutes before your scheduled appointment as this will allow you to check-in, change and relax before you go in for your session.

It wouldn’t be fair on the next client if you take up time that has been set aside for them, which is what happens when you are late. If the day’s booking is heavy, some spas may not extend your time slot.

2. Leave your mobile phone in the locker and please put it in “silent” mode. You shouldn’t engage in phone conversations during treatment or when you are in meditation areas.

3. Leave your jewellery and valuables at home or in the locker provided.

4. Don’t bring your domestic or work problems to the spa. You wouldn’t want to spend time telling your problems to the therapist.

5. Try to shower before you head for the spa. Should you feel you need to bathe again when you are there, do so. It’s not nice to be sweaty and smelly during the treatment.

6. Don’t be afraid to tell your therapist if the pressure applied for the facial or massage is too heavy or too light. After all, they are there to look into your needs and make it possible for you to relax.

7. Never feel pressured to buy products recommended by your facial consultant or therapist. You are not obliged to buy.

8. Leave your children at home. Children can get very restless if they have to sit and wait for their mothers to finish their treatment and restless children can be a nuisance to others. If you can’t leave them at home, bring along someone to take care of them. Also, check with the spa management if this is permissible.

9. Finally, if your therapist has done a good job, be generous with your tip. Some people would give a tip of RM5 or RM10 directly to the therapists after the treatment.

THE Lonely Planet travel guidebook has picked Malaysia as one of the world’s top seven destinations for Year 2008, with many of its hottest tourist attractions on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.

According to the international publisher, these tourist magnets include wildlife parks like Taman Negara, Lake Kenyir (South-East Asia’s largest man-made lake), elephant sanctuaries in Kuala Gandah as well as turtle sanctuaries. The latest to come on stream in 1999 was the Ma’ Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre in Kemaman.

According to the Lonely Planet website: “Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in South-East Asia. It’s buoyant and wealthy and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.

“Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st Century, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia.

“The jungle at Taman Negara is so dense that you could pass within metres of an animal and never know it. The probability of spotting wildlife increases the further you trek from the heavily-trafficked park headquarters…

“The greatest reward of a visit to Taman Negara has to be present in one of the world’s most pristine extant primary rainforests. The jungle here is claimed to be the oldest in the world. None of the Ice Ages had any effect here and Taman Negara has eluded volcanic activity and other geological upheavals.”

Malaysia joins six other countries as “best choice” for a holiday. Then there’s Armenia (famed for its medieval monasteries, mountain peaks, sighting of the ultra rare Caucasian leopard), Bhutan (the last surviving great Himalayan kingdom with towering monasteries, intact Tibetan culture and pristine Himalayan environment) and Eritrea in East Africa (for its surreal landscape and pristine reefs).

Other countries are Montenegro in Serbia (famed for its sultry coastline and Adriatic deep blue waters), Mozambique (for its stunning beaches located over a 2,500km coastline, rugged bush interior and pulsating Afro-Latino vibe) and Papua New Guinea (for its people who are living much the same way they have had for thousands of years, uncrowded surfs, live volcanoes and wildlife).

Lonely Planet publishes over 650 titles in 118 countries with annual sales of more than six million guidebooks.

Today is Sunday (local time). You know that. It’s holiday. Everybody just stay at home. So do I. And..I do not plan to write anything. I just want to relax. But, I need to hear from you something.

Now, it is your turn to write for me. Before this, you just read..read and read. Now I want you to write..write and write.

Can you share with us what is your dream honeymoon especially in Langkawi Or your lately holiday at everywhere in Malaysia Or about your bad holiday..good holiday or funny holiday…everything! Your EXPERIENCE. Ok!

Don’t shy…share it with others. I love to hear from you.

I have to go now. My blanket is shouting at me “Hey Nasri! Hurry up! I’m waiting you for so long.”

Don’t forget to write. Byee…zzzzzzz…….