Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
204
WOMEN TRAVELERS
As a woman who has trav eled solo to all
corners of M alaysia and back again, I can
honestly say I hav e never once felt thr eat-
ened. H owever, my trav el philosophy is
“When in Rome . . . .” Like Malay women,
I wear long skirts or pants, and shir ts that
cover the tops of my arms. I always carry a
scarf in my bag in case etiquette r equires I
cover my head. I find many doors open to
me when the locals feel I am r espectful of
their ways.
JEWISH TRAVELERS
Travelers with I sraeli passpor ts ar e not
permitted to enter M alaysia. If you are of
Jewish heritage and carr y a passpor t from
a country other than I srael, I r ecommend
you do wnplay y our heritage. M alaysian
politicians have been known to make anti-
Semitic comments in public, sentiments
that, unfor tunately, carr y o ver into some
sections of the general population.
9
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Sustainable tourism
is conscientious
Asia
(www .wildasia.net), established in
1998 as a grassr oots w eb initiativ e, pr o-
vides independent assessments of natural
sites, attractions, and Asian ecotourism
products.
Some of M alaysia's longest-established
and most r eputable ecotourism operators
include
Asian Ov erland S ervices
(head
office:
&
03/4252-9100;
fax 03/4257-
1133; www .asianoverland.com.my), with
offices in KL, Langkawi, P enang, K ota
Kinabalu, and Kuching. They also operate
one of the countr y's leading gr een hotels,
the
Frangipani Langkawi R esort and
Spa
(
&
04/952-0000;
fax 04/952-0001;
www.frangipanilangkawi.com). I n S abah,
Wilderness E xpeditions
(
&
089/219-
616;
fax 089/214-570; www .wildlife-
expeditions.com) offers tours to all the
state's leading natural ar eas. One of S ara-
wak's most r espected eco-touring compa-
nies is
Borneo A dventure
(
&
082/
245-175;
fax 082/422-626; www .bor-
neoadventure.com), with offices in K uch-
ing, M iri, and K
travel. I t means being car eful with the
environments y ou explor e and r especting
the communities y ou visit. Two o verlap-
ping components of sustainable trav el are
ecotourism
and
ethical tourism.
Malaysia naturally lends itself to ecot-
ourism, as many par ts of the countr y are
covered in primar y v egetation, although
logging and agricultural expansion hav
11
e
taken their toll. M alaysia's best natural
experiences are found in places like Taman
Negara, E ndau R ompin, par ts of Lang-
kawi, and S arawak and S abah on the
island of Borneo . S eek out natural eco
adventures in Kinabalu Park, Turtle Islands
Park, Danum V alley, Tabin W ildlife
Reserve, and the Lo wer Kinabatangan
River in Sabah. In Sarawak, similar experi-
ences can be had in national par ks like
Gunung M ulu, B ako, B atang Ai, and
Gunung Gading.
The new travel buzz word is
responsible
tourism,
which incorporates the principles
of ecotourism, natur e-based tourism, and
sustainable tourism. N ot all operators in
Malaysia “walk the talk,” so potential par-
ticipants in cer tain activities need to r ead
the finer detail or between the lines.
Wild
ota Kinabalu (in
neighboring S abah). They offer tours to
Bario, B intulu, M ulu, and v arious long-
houses.
