Posts filed under 'Latest News'
Hooray! It’s festive season again in Malaysia.
Coincidentally, as the timing of Hindu festival Deepavali and Muslim festival Hari Raya Aidilfitri are falling within days of difference in a week, Malaysia is celebrating a uniquely combined festive season called DeepaRaya. Yes, only seen in multiracial countries like Malaysia.
To the foreign visitors, Deepavali is on tomorrow 21st Oct 2006, while Hari Raya Aidilfitri is falling on the coming Tuesday 24th Oct 2006. Be sure to capture this unique moment with your digital imaging devices.
To residents of Malaysia traveling back hometown during this festive season, please (yes, please please please) drive carefully, have a safe and enjoyable journey. Lots of rest areas are available along the expressways and highways, utilize them as you’ve already paid for the facilities 
Happy Deepavali and Salam Aidilfitri.
October 20th, 2006
The 3rd MATTA Fair (also literally known as travel fair) of Melaka begins today, and will be carried out for 3 days, as follows:
Date: 13 Oct – 15 Oct, 2006
Venue: 1st floor, Mahkota Parade
Though the scale of MATTA Fair in Melaka is definitely much smaller comparing to the one held in PWTC Kuala Lumpur, but it is convenient for the residents in Melaka. Moreover, the main participants are local travel agencies that Melaka people are familiar with.
Have you got ready to plan for a vacation?
Based on my personal experience, MATTA Fair doesn’t really offer significantly cheaper inbound packages, since it is already fundamentally cheap to travel within Malaysia. However, if you’re planning for an outbound vacation, MATTA Fair is a good place for some great deals, especially when you’re traveling in group.
Nowadays, with the convenience of Internet tools like online air ticket and hotel room reservation systems, travel agents are less significant in playing the role of middleman. Instead, they have to offer add-on values or attractive prices in arrangement of guided tour, especially for overseas packages. It’s becoming a norm for young travelers to make online reservations on hotel and flight, and they only require travel agent services for touring and guides.
When I traveled to Siem Reap of Cambodia last month, we did all the necessary reservations of hotel rooms and returning flights via online facilities as well, and acquired a Cambodian travel agent for guided tour and local transportation. The globalization force of Internet has made it so easy for you and me to plan for the whole trip by using online resources.
For example, as shown on the right side of this article, you can easily make room booking on Equatorial Hotel Melaka at AmazingMelaka.com. All you need is an Internet connection and a credit card. Besides, wide range of comprehensive tourism resources, contents and maps are readily available at finger tip via Internet. The connected travelers nowadays know exactly which destination and route they are interested in, before inquiring packages from travel agent.
All these evolutions resulted from globalization doesn’t mean that travel agents are ceasing from their role; but, they have to adapt with the changes to stay at the cutting edge. Since it is a known trend that travelers are spending more time and efforts to study relevant information and acquire services via online facilities, the travel agents should also stay intact by establishing their Web presence, in order to be easily reachable by foreign tourists. I remember once that I actually seen a Google AdWords advertisement unit, advertised by a tuk tuk (motorcycle taxi) driver in Cambodia. Simply impressive.
Just a case study on a tourism participant in Melaka - Purple Flowers Handicrafts, who is specializing in producing modern wooden clogs, turning the old-age footwear into a fashion. Purple Flowers Handicrafts has established a small website early this year to showcase their clogs. Though it is just a simple catalog without any shopping cart or e-commerce facilities, but still, this unique handicrafts shop has managed to received and processed some overseas orders via email messaging and SWIFT payment. The business possibilities with Internet is unconstrained. Imagine if Purple Flowers Handicrafts has an e-commerce facilities similar to Alice Florist, the possibilities of getting new orders in 24 hours a day is so feasibly bold.
Off all the hotels in Melaka, I find that Equatorial Hotel is particularly initiative in participation of online booking facilities. A lot of hotel reservation portals are featuring Equatorial Hotel Melaka. No wonder the occupancy rate in Equatorial Hotel is relatively high all time throughout the year.
October 13th, 2006
The frustrating haze problem which has been troubling a number of major cities in Malaysia for the past couple of days, has shown a healthy sign of giving back a clear blue sky and sunny day to residents in Melaka town.
Yesterday, 6th Oct 2006, the Department of Environment has recorded Air Pollutant Index (API) of 100 in Melaka town at 5.00pm evening. At night, the visibility was unsatisfying as well. Even objects in distance of 200 meters were appearing foggy.
Today, since this morning, I’m glad that the visibility in Melaka town has tremendously improved, and the sun is once again gracefully shining on the town.
This shot was taken at the pedestrian bridge crossing Jalan Tun Razak, connecting Melaka Sentral to Tesco. As shown, the Melaka’s state mosque, Masjid Al-Azim, which is at least a kilometer away, was visibly seen. Besides, the Straits Meridian Hotel located a few kilometers away was also present in sight.
Haze is a Recurring Issue in Malaysia
Due to the unresolved open burning and forest fires in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Riau province and other parts of Indonesia, haze has became a serious recurring environmental issue in Malaysia. When the forest fires in Indonesia got uncontrolled, high concentrations of pollutant particles such as dust and smoke will be blown to neighboring counties, forming blanket of haze. Counties like Malaysia and Singapore are usually the most significant victim. During severe haze episode, affected towns and cities in Malaysia will appear brownish, and in some extreme cases, smoky smell is surrounding the atmosphere.
Yesterday, unhealthy air quality was recorded in a number of towns, especially in Sri Aman of Sarawak. The haze issue is usually occurring to Malaysia in year end, and will stay for a week in average. In August of 2005, there was even a time when the need for wearing mask is strongly advised in cities like Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. That was the first time I wear a mask in public places.
Undeniably, when tourists are traveling in Malaysia during the hazy episode, they will face an unpleasant experience. Though Malaysian government is trying very hard to control the air quality from worsening when the haze hit our atmosphere, but the root cause ought to be resolved in Indonesia as long term solution.
Let’s hope that today’s improved visibility in Melaka town will continue to get better on the following days.
October 7th, 2006
Malaysia will be celebrating the 49th birthday, or 49th National Day on 31 Aug 2006. 31st Aug of each year, is a significant day for Malaysians to remember the eventful journey we have gone through since the day we stepped into a free and independent nation on 31 Aug 1957.
In the history of Malaysia, Melaka is indeed one of the most historically remarkable states in Malaysia, not only that Melaka was the first state to be colonized by foreign power, Portuguese, in 1511, but also the fact that Melaka was Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (Malaysia’s first Prime Minister and Father of Independence) first stop in his nationwide tour in 1956 to gather support in his quest for the country’s independence.
Do you know where was the place Tunku made his first official public announcement on the success of securing independence for Malaya from the British Government? The answer is, Dataran Pahlawan (diagonally opposite the Porta de Santiago and Mahkota Parade) of Melaka, which is currently being transformed into a new commercial complex.
When the independence delegation returned back from London to Malaya, the team led by Tunku Abdul Rahman first touched down at the Melaka Batu Berendam Airport, the first airport in Malaysia, and headed to Dataran Pahlawan (about 16 km away) for the official historic announcement will full of supports from the massive number of participants.
Merdeka Everywhere
If you are a foreign tourist visiting Melaka or Malaysia in this August, the word “Merdeka” is surely frequently appearing to you everywhere. For your information, the word merdeka means independence in Malay language.
On 31 Aug 1957 at Dataran Merdeka, Tunku Abdul Rahman cried out “Merdeka” for a total of 7 times.
During this Merdeka season, the Malaysia flag is also flying everywhere in the public places. The sea of flags is easily one of the most photogenic scenes for photographers.
Further References
History of Malaysia:
AllMalaysia.info has also published a site themed Merdeka@49 dedicated to the celebration of this 49th Malaysia National Day. This site is featuring pool of comprehensive and interesting information for your further knowledge. Besides, a photography contest is also going on at AllMalaysia.info.
August 29th, 2006
In conjunction with the 49th celebration of Malaysia National Day (Merdeka Day), Jonker Walk Music Festival will be held in Melaka as follows:
Date: 1st and 2nd September 2006
Time: 8.00PM till late
Venue: Jonker Walk
During these 2 scheduled evenings, stages will be placed around Jonker Walk, and different streets will present different music, ranging from blues, rock & roll, acoustic, Malay, Chinese, Indian, cultural, to karaoke and more; painting the Melaka old town with musical cells.
The Geographer Café and My Rock & Roll Blues Café are co-sponsoring a number of bands to present the best in town (or perhaps in the country) blues and rock & roll performance at Jalan Hang Lekir, the lane where Geographer Café is located. The popular and recognized bands expected to turn up are Johnny Coma and The Boneshakers, Split Fire, Klang River Band, Krude, Live Bait, and Mossie & Friends.
This event is the first-of-its-kind in Melaka, and expected to be officiated by Chief Minister of Melaka. Be sure to free up your Merdeka weekend to make Melaka a happening place.
Thanks to Mark Ruffin, owner of My Rock & Roll Blues Café Melaka Raya, for the information updates.
July 22nd, 2006
Continues from the success on Spirit of KL, The Star and DiGi have collaboratively extend the search to Melaka. Spirit of Melaka, which will be held on 15 July 2006 in the historical city of Melaka, is now open for registration.
What is Spirit of Melaka?
You can view the Spirit of Melaka as a treasure hunt kind of activity, but the winning point is more than touring about the city and achieving goals.
Participants must stay alert all time to figure out the pointers and hints given along the way. Based on their findings and experience around Melaka through completing a series of routes and challenges provided, teams will need to put together a presentation based on their findings, observations and research, to be presented at the end of the Hunt. Yes, presentation is required.
Prizes
Very attractive prizes are awaiting. Though not mentioned in detailed, but RM6000 of cash, mobile phones and mobile reloads are up for grab.
Eligibility
Sixth formers/college/university students in team of four. Team members may comprise students from different institutions but at least one member has to be a DiGi user. The designated DiGi number will be used as point of contact before, during and after the search. Hints and pointers will be sent to the participants via DiGi services. Please note that, DiGi Prepaid number have to be registered with DiGi Rewards with a minimum balance of RM20. Besides, MMS and GPRS services must also be activated.
Registration
Entry fee is RM60 per team. Entry form is available at http://thestar.com.my/spiritofmelaka
Closing date: 30 June 2006
Quick, if you are eligible, grab the chance to participate. Too bad that I’ve graduated, or else I will surely form a team to join.
Get Familiar with Melaka Town
In order to win the search, one of the key is of course to get yourself familiar with the routes in Melaka town, especially the old historical town. Arm yourself with the map of Melaka Chinatown and tour around Melaka with Google Earth. Better still, if you have a Malaccan friend to join your team.
June 21st, 2006
When you are passing through the Leboh Ayer Keroh, the Jaya Jusco shopping centre will surely be caught in sight as a main landmark. Opposite Jaya Jusco, there was also a shopping complex known as Kotamas. In the initial stage of Kotamas lifespan when occupancy rate was high, it was quite a popular shopping destination. However, good day doesn’t stay long, and Kotamas eventually ended up as a popular stop for express buses coming into Melaka, instead of achieving its intended objective to attract shoppers and merchants.
Due to tough financial difficulties facing by the managing corporation, Kotamas has finally ended its operation in late 2005. Recently, Melaka Sentral Sdn Bhd, the State Government-owned company, has acquired ownership of the shopping complex. The State Government is currently renovating the building, and it will be re-born with a new life as Melaka Mall.
At the moment of this writing, the signage of Melaka Mall has already been fixed on the building. Anyone passing by Jaya Jusco or Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah city council will be able to spot the new signage of Melaka Mall, despite its on-going renovation work. At a quick glance, one can tell that the new Melaka Mall logo has a similar feel to that used for Melaka Sentral.
According to plan, Melaka Mall will be featuring a bowling alley, cinema, and even a hotel, in addition to shopping outlets. However, this should not be treated as the latest and updated information, as the plan might have been changed since its initial acquisition process.
More relevant information about Melaka Mall will be available and updated here at AmazingMelaka.com from time to time.
Updated on 22 Oct 2006
The renovation works are done, and now Melaka Mall is offering for shop lots rental.
GPS Coordinate: N2.23233 E102.28244
May 1st, 2006
Except the local residents, not many people know about the existence of Batu Berendam Airport in Melaka. Currently, the runway is too short for big aircraft. This airport has got its earth breaking ceremony on 1 Apr 2006, and will be completely upgraded in 30 months.
Batu Berendam Airport is occupying 141 acres of land. Under this expansion, the runway will be upgraded from 1,372M length and 37M width, to 2,045M length and 45M width. Besides, it can also allow Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircrafts to land.
New Facilities
The existing terminal complex will be completely removed, and reconstructed with a 7,000M-square new terminal equipped with international-standard amenities to cater the modern needs.
The old control tower will also be replaced with new construction, and complemented with various advanced aeronautic devices.
Both ends of the runway will be installed with proper facilities to guide night landing, and better assure the safety in bad weather conditions.
Chief Minister Hopes for Shorter Construction Time
Though the expansion is planned to be completed in 30 months, but the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Ali Rustam, hopes the plan to be developed in 18 months.
In comparison, the new LCC (Low Cost Carrier) Terminal in Sepang was completed in 9 months.
AirAsia Sees New Coverage
AirAsia, the most successful low cost carrier in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, is keen to fly to Indonesia from the Batu Berendam Airport, once the expansion is completed.
Tourism, education and economic development sectors will also be benefiting from the expansion, as airway public transport is getting far more accessible than before.
At present, The Malaysian Flying Academy (MFA) is occupying the major part of Batu Berendam Airport.
April 4th, 2006
Effective from 3 Apr 2006 (Monday), offices of the following departments in Melaka will be shifted from Wisma Persekutuan located at Jalan Hang Tuah, to Kompleks Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri located near to Seri Negeri Melaka Ayer Keroh.
- Malaysia Immigration Department (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia)
- National Registration Department (Jabatan Pendaftaran Malaysia)
- Registrar of Society (Jabatan Pendaftaran Pertubuhan Malaysia)
If you are in doubt of the location of Seri Negeri Melaka, you may refer to the Ayer Keroh map.
Thus, if you are applying or renewing your passport and identification card, please take note of the new location. Don’t waste a trip.
April 2nd, 2006
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