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Kuala Lumpur Attractions

Even with tourism wanning in the current global economic slowdown, visitors are still finding their way to Kuala Lumpur. One of the more popular destinations in Malaysia, this capital city offers the charm of the traditional side-by-side with the comforts and technology of modern urban life. Whether visiting the city for business or pleasure, travelers will want to take time to enjoy some of the city’s finer attractions.

Most locals refer to the city as “KL” and many tourists have adopted the practice as well. Kuala Lumpur is a haven for vacationers seeking terrific food, fabulous shopping and a slower pace of life than is found in western cities of a similar size. KL is known for its bargains, with markets and shopping malls alike offering great deals. There are also opportunities for enjoying the finer side of life, such as the luxury hotels Kuala Lumpur and the growing number of gourmet restaurants offering world-class cuisine in a fine dining atmosphere.

Kuala Lumpur is home to a number of spiritual and religious sites. The multi-cultural heritage of the people here have created a city filled with mosques, temples, and churches of various faiths. Many visitor seek out the Masjid Negara, the Thean Hou Temple, the Masjid Jamek, and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple.

The city values its history. IN addition to the National Museum and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is home to the House of Parliament and Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). The official residence of the King of Malaysia, the Istana Negara, is also in Kuala Lumpur. Other museums include the Islamic Arts Museum and the National Science Centre as well as the Muzium Negara.

More modern attractions in KL include the Putra World Trade Centre and the Kuala Lumpur Tower. The city also boasts the tallest twin towers in the world: the Petronas Twin Towers. Animal lovers will want to visit the Zoo Negara and the Aquaria KLCC.

One of the more interesting places to visit is just outside KL. The Batu Cave offer recreation, wildlife, and spiritual insights. Each year the Thaipusam procession ends at the Batu Caves, drawing thousands upon thousands of spectators to this Hindu shrine. The caves also have over 160 different rock climbing routes and are home to a number of rare species of animals and plantlife.

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Thailand Airports Slash Landing Fees

The Ministry of Tourism and Sport in Thailand recently announced that six of Thailand’s airports will lower their landing fees effective March 1st. The new, significantly lower fees should help boast the stalled tourist trade through the busy summer season.

The failing global economy has resulted in decreased tourism throughout the world. This has hurt popular destinations such as Phuket and Bangkok. The six airports affected operate under Airports of Thailand and include Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai’s airports. Fees at Phuket and three other airports will drop between fifty and ninety percent while Bangkok’s two airports will lower landing fees by twenty percent.

The Director of the Phuket International Airport was excited by the announcement. The island saw air traffic fall over sixteen percent in January 2009. It is hoped that the airlines will pass on their savings to passengers, resulting in lower fares to Phuket and other tourist hot spots. Much of the island’s economy, such as Phuket best hotels, restaurants, and other tourist-dependent businesses have been struggling.

The lower fees will be in affect through the end of September.

Tags: Phuket, Phuket airport, Phuket best hotels, Phuket International Airport, Thailand airports

Singapore Preparing for and Preventing Disaster

The disaster and devastation caused by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December of 2004 has prompted study that hopes to accomplish a couple different things. The study comes after the countries affected by the tsunami, discovered too late, that they were not prepared to cope with a disaster of such proportions. This study is being conducted by the NEA and they are spending well over 1.5 million dollars in an attempt to find ways to take more action and to be more prepared should something of this magnitude happen again. They want to make sure that they can more accurately assess the need to be so much more prepared should something like this happen again along the straits or in the South China Sea, thus affecting the highly populated island of Singapore. The nations economy would be devastated as well as world business, the luxury Singapore business hotels, and the tourism industry. Not to mentions the population of islands local inhabitants. The study also intends to find ways to better predict the tsunamis and perhaps ways to lessen the destruction by slowing them down.

There are two aspects of the seismological activity that may influence the occurrence of tsunamis surrounding Singapore. There are many landslides on the floor of the South China Sea. This is combined with the fact that fault lines in the earth surrounding the island may shift and cause very violent earthquakes of the highest magnitude. However, due to Singapore being surrounded by relatively shallow water, these shifts and this activity may have little to no impact on the island. As there would not be enough water to create a huge tidal wave effect from the earthquake. However an earthquake of the magnitude that is capable with this active of a fault line is a different kind of disaster in and of itself.

While the island still remains fairly save from the risk of damage from a tsunami, protection of people along the coast living right on the beaches is still a concern. The shallow waters provide a different kind of hope for the shallow waters will slow the tidal wave and lessen its energy, meaning that the people my have up to ten hours to prepare or evacuate. The study continues to discover and understand these drastic acts of nature, with the hopes of course that lessons learned will not ever need to be put into action.

Tags: disaster, Singapore, tsunami

2009 Frigid Festival

This year’s Frigid Festival kicks off on Wednesday, February 25th and promises to be a great success. The festival, which debuted in New York in 2007, is heralded as a “celebration of independent theater tailored to support the artist.” It will feature over 150 performances by thirty independent theater companies. The performances will take place over twelve days, ending on Sunday, March 8, 2009.

Frigid seeks to support theater that lives on the fringe of the mainstream while re-defining what a theater festival can and should be. As a part of that mission, festival producers have waived their right to receive royalties on future performances and the artists receive 100% of the box office from their festival shows.

The first Frigid, held in 2007, attracted nearly 250 artists and over 2,500 audience members. Local media triumphed the event, with nytheatre.com naming the event one of its “People of the Year” for 2007. Last year the event had three times as many sold-out shows and a 20% increase in attendence.

The festival includes panels and other events as well as performances. This year there will be a “Shows After Dark” schedule of free late night events, including parties, a live talk show, and a storytelling performance. New York restaurants and bars in the area expect to see an increased business as theater goers and artists invade the neighborhood.

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The Bangalore Experience

The capital of Karnataka, India is the beautiful city of Bangalore (officially Bengaluru). The city is part of the rapidly expanding software and IT industry in India. Some refer to it as India’s own “Silicon Valley.” Other nicknames for Bangalore include the “Garden City of India” and the “Pub Capital of India.” All of this makes Bangalore an interesting place to visit.

Parks, gardens, and other green space are a prime attraction in this increasingly modern city. There are also a number of lakes and animal sanctuaries. Outside the city the Bangalore Rural District provides even more natural beauty, including a few waterfalls.

Bangalore itself is proud of its modern conveniences. Steel office towers, western-style shopping malls, and modern entertainment venues seem to be everywhere. There are also a number of five star hotels in Bangalore that offer all the technological amenenties of modern life.

In addition to the tech present and future, Bangalore is proud of its rich cultural heritage. It has long been a center of arts and culture for Karnataka and the surrounding areas. Classical Indian music, dance, and theater are preserved and celebrated here. The city holds several cultural and arts festivals throughout the year as part of this tradition.

There are plenty of historic sites and architectural wonders to explore in Bangalore. In addition to these, visitors will find plenty of opportunities to simply enjoy themselves. The food in Bangalore is amazing, with local dishes readily available as well as an increasing number of international restaurants catering to the young IT professionals that are flocking to the city. Likewise many of the bars and pubs in the city offer live music and Bangalore is one of the premiere locations in India for rock concerts.

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. However, the name “Hong Kong” wasn’t documented until 1842. The First Opium War resulted in Hong Kong coming under British rule at that time. After a century and a half of British control, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1998. Although there was much concern about this turnover in the decades preceding the event, Hong Kong has maintained most of its independence and captialistic institutions. It remains a financial and commercial center for Asia and a liaison between the People’s Republic an the western world.

The city itself is surrounded by beautiful countryside including islands, mountains, rivers, and beaches. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region includes Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, Lantau Island, and the New Territories. as well as over 250 other islands. The city is a wonderful blend of easten traditions with modern business and technology. Its many skyscrapers give it one of the more stunning skylines in the world.

Like any modern city, it is filled with retail stores, great restaurants, 5 star hotels Hong Kong, as well as bars, discos, and nightclubs. The food in Hong Kong is wonderful and shoppers can easily fill hours hunting for that perfect bargain in the many shops and markets throughout the city. There are even western-style shopping malls offering designer labels and climate-controlled environments. There’s no sales tax here and prices are generally lower than more developed nations.

Attractions in Hong Kong range from the traditional street bazaar tot he Avenue of the Stars which is Hong Kong’s answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Victoria Peak offers terrific views of the region and the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas is only a short distance outside the city. There are countless temples and museums offering glimpses into the spiritual life, architecture, and heritage of this unique part of the world. And for those seeking family entertainment, there are a number of amusement parks, including the recently opened Hong Kong Disneyland.

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The City of Mumbai

For some, the easiest way to picture Mumbai is to think of New York, but add all the culture, language, and spirituality of India, and increase the population to seventeen million. Add in the hot climate and exotic and ancient history of the area to create a fairly accurate picture of this global megacity that used to be known as Bombay.

With a history of habitation going back to 250 B.C., Mumbai was originally a cluster of islands and, as much of India, has been ruled by a succession of conquerors and empires until Indian independence was declared in 1947. This rich history provides a stunning array of landmarks, architecture, and cultural practices that make a visit to the city a true walk through time.

Those interested in the business and financial importance of Mumbai may want to tour the Reserve Bank of India, the National Stock Exchange, or Bollywood. Famous historic landmarks include the Elephanta Caves and the Gateway of India. There are also ancient rock-cut temples as well as mosques, palaces, and more modern temples scattered throughout the area. Museums in Mumbai document the history, cultural, and art of the city and the country up through the current era.

In spite of its image as a crowded concrete jungle, Mumbai actually has a number of beautiful parks and gardens. Borivali National Park and Sanjay Gandhi National Park are located in Mumbai as are the “Hanging Gardens” and the Veermata Jijabai Udyan(Mumbai’s zoo).

As with any major world city, Mumbai is home to terrific shopping and a dizzing selection of food. Bazaars and traditional markets abound as do modern shopping malls. Local and regional cuisines of India are available from street vendors all the way to fine dining establishments. And, as with any major city, those wanting to vary their diet of Indian dishes can find cuisines from across the globe. Accomodations in the city vary from 5 star Mumbai hotels to small inns and budget hotels.

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Bangkok’s Attractions

Legendary Bangkok is one of those exotic world capitals that everyone hopes to visit someday. Office workers sit in their cubicles and dream of staying in one of the finest hotels in Bangkok, enjoying the mouth-watering local Thai foods, and perhaps visiting some of the more risque nightspots. Those lucky enough to actually make it to Bangkok find that the city has so much more to offer.

In addition to the exciting nightclubs and bars, luxury hotels and fine restaurants, Bangkok is famous for its shopping. From traditional markets to the Central World Plaza, shoppers in Bangkok will find prices much lower than in western countries — especiall for locally-produced goods such as clothing and textiles. And bargaining over prices is expected in the streets, shops, and even the city’s many malls.

Visitors will also want to take time to soak in the atmosphere of the city. Bangkok has a slightly slower pace than many global cities and offers a unique blend of Chinese, Indian, and western traditions and styles. The architecture of Bangkok reflects this multicultural and multi-era heritage. Traditional mosques and temples abound, but so do the modern skyscrapers that give the city a distinctly beautiful skyline. Bangkok has over one thousand skyscrapers.

Bangkok has its share of museums and historic landmarks. As the capital of Thailand, it houses both the National Museum and the National Gallery Museum as well as other venues showcasing Thai history, art, and science. There are several palaces, including the Grand Palace that serves as the official residence of the Thai Royal Family (used only for official ceremonies, the King actually lives in a private palace elsewhere in the city).

For those looking for an even slower pace, Bangkok has preserved a number of green areas throughout the city. Public parks and gardens such as Lumphini Park offer places for recreation and relaxation as well as opportunies to view native vegetation and small animals. The city also has a large zoo, a world-famous snake farm, a large aquarium and even a crocodile farm for those wanting to see Thailand’s wildlife and marine life.

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