Travel & Holidays in later life
During recent decades, the Merdeka Day festival has grown into a month-long celebration nationwide that includes cultural dancers, athletes and Malaysians from all walks of life. It's great for tourist interest! Meanwhile, on the tourism front, the country has also vigorously targeted the international spectator sport market. The £44m motor racing track built at Sepang near Kuala Lumpur's new airport has been rated as the Eastern hemisphere's most spectacular circuit.
The grandstand holds 30,000 people, while another 100,000 enthusiasts can view most of the
circuit from natural raised banks. Formula One racing is scheduled as part of a 7-year
contract.
Likewise in 1998 Malaysia became the first Asian country to stage the Commonwealth Games. To prepare for the event, Kuala Lumpur spent £300m on stadiums and other sport facilities. All this may sound far removed from the usual tropical image of warm sandy beaches with a palm-tree fringe. But sport and tropical beaches can make a good holiday cocktail. Even when Malaysia was still a British colony, the sport theme was already well developed.
Managers of tin mines or rubber and tea plantations liked nothing better than to cool off
in the Highlands and play golf. Britain's colonial influence finally spread throughout this tropical land of
rain forests, palm-fringed beaches and clear warm seas.  On
the island's north coast, luxury resort hotels fringe the golden beaches of Tanjung Bunga,
Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang. Other beaches are less accessible, though a 46-mile road
around the island passes through lush green jungle with access to sandy coves.There are plantations of cloves, nutmegs and the high-smelling durian fruit. In Malay fishing villages, families live in wooden stilt houses, surrounded by vividly-coloured flowers and bushes, and shaded by coconut trees. En route you can see the production of varied handicrafts and batik textiles. In the southeast corner of Penang, the Snake Temple is home to scores of vipers which are sedated by clouds of incense. Penang is also a haven for birdlife, with the official checklist recording over 200 species. Garden-lovers are charmed by the Botanical Gardens, located on a bowl-shaped 75-acre site with its own waterfall. Numerous monkeys enliven the shady footpaths among the native tropical plants and trees. Another show place is a Butterfly Farm at Teluk Bahang, where around 120 gorgeous species are reared. The chief town and port of Georgetown, site of the original 18th-century trading post, is a blend of Malaysian, Indian and Chinese cultures. As a booming high-rise business centre, Georgetown teems with traffic. Penang's tallest skyscraper is the 59-storey Komtar building, offering fabulous views. With Chinese forming more than half of Pena  ng's population, the Chinatown
district is richly interesting, particularly around the waterfront clan piers. The local tourist industry promotes Events, Food, Watersport, Shopping - and golf, of course. On the culinary front, the mouth-watering variety of cuisine ranges from hot and spicy to sweet and tangy. Local restaurants serve gourmet-style dishes at reasonable cost.
"Books to read - click on cover pictures" or click on the links below Essential Malaysia by Christine Osborne - a pocket guide to the country, in the standard AA format. Penang Insight Pocket Guide - Buy this one if you're planning to concentrate your holiday on Penang Island, together with Langkawi, featuring a dozen itineraries and a pull-out map. Penang and Langkawi Insight Flexi Map (Insight Flexi Map S.) - A laminated collection of easily-used maps, with details of the main sightseeing highlights.
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You can get a meal in 5-star hotel for under £10; or a tasty 3-course meal
from a street hawker's stall for under £1. But alcoholic drinks are more expensive than
in Britain.