Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
14
Peninsular Malaysia:
The East Coast
Over the past 200 y ears, while
the cities on the western coast of peninsu-
lar Malaysia preoccupied themselves with
waves of foreign domination, those on the
eastern coast dev eloped in r elative seclu-
sion. Today this par t of the countr y
remains tr ue to its M alay heritage, fr om
small fishing
kampungs
(villages) in the
south to the I slamic str ongholds of the
north. M ore r ecently it has dev eloped as
the nation's petroleum center.
The best attractions of the east coast ar e
its islands. Tioman, R edang, and P erhen-
tian attract snorkelers and divers with clear
waters, diverse marine life, and comfortable
accommodations. I n addition, shor t daily
flights from Kuala Lumpur (KL) make Tio-
man and R edang more accessible than the
more renowned (and r emote) dive sites of
Borneo. The shoreline along the east coast
of the peninsula is fringed with long
stretches of sandy beaches, home to doz ens
of resorts. Most accommodations ar e bud-
get chalets, but a fe w delux e r esorts stand
out from the rest, notably Cherating's Club
Med, T erengganu's T anjong Aru Resort,
and the Aryani.
With these fe w ex ceptions, tourism is
quite laid back. For many, the lack of tour-
ism infrastr ucture can sound ex citing—
“authentic” even—but really, although the
potential for natur e, adv enture, and cul-
tural tourism is her e, ther e's just not
enough creativity and inv estment for this
area to compete with other destinations in
the countr y. I n shor t, if y ou come her e,
come to r elax. I hav e, ho wever, found
some satisfying shopping, as many of
Malaysia's sur viving cottage industries ar e
located in this area.
Some notes before you plan your trip: If
you're looking for beach fun, the monsoon
season fr om mid-O ctober thr ough late
February can make the waters choppy , so
avoid the island resorts and take care by the
seaside. Also, try not to book during Singa-
pore's holiday seasons, par ticularly during
school holidays fr om mid-M ay thr ough
June and again in N ovember and D ecem-
ber, when r esorts become cr owded with
fun-loving families intent on a good time.
In the nor th, where the locals ar e very
conservative, it is r ecommended that visi-
tors dr ess modestly at public beaches,
although a fe w beach r esorts and islands
are relaxed about swimwear.
1
TIOMAN ISLAND
Tioman Island
(pronounced
Te e
-oh-mahn), a tiny island off the south of Malaysia's east
coast, is a popular destination on M alaysia's east coast, visited mostly b y nearby Singa-
poreans; backpackers, who hav e a multitude of cheap chalets to flop in; and scuba
enthusiasts, who have a range of coral gar dens to explore. The island is only 39km (24
miles) long and 12km (7
1
/
2
miles) wide, with sandy beaches that line sev eral small bays,
clear water with sea life and coral reefs, and jungle mountain-trekking trails with streams
