| Malaysia |  |
| December 31, 2002 to January 08, 2003 |
Malaysia is divided into two different worlds. West - or Peninsular - Malaysia is the industrial, political and economic heartland of the country and our destination, while East Malaysia is a territory of forests and rivers, mountains and caves, tribes and abundant wildlife.
The Peninsula, which is sandwiched between Singapore to the south and Thailand to the north, states support to the great bulk of the country's population. And, just as Malaysia itself is a country of two halves, so too the Peninsula can be broadly divided into a vibrant western side and a rural east separated by the Peninsula's jungled spine. Due to the rainy season on the eastern side of the Peninsula, we stuck solely to the western side.
During our week-long stay in Malaysia, we visited laid-back Melaka during New Year's Eve, the capital Kuala Lumpur and Georgetown, on the island of Penang.
Check out the Online Diary entries on Malaysia from December and January.
| Melaka |  |
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Melaka (or Malacca) is a city with a glorious past hidden behind each façade of the centuries-old buildings reflecting its Dutch and Portuguese parentage. |
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| Kuala Lumpur | |
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Malaysia's capital is a colonial creation that owes its existence to the rich tin deposits found in the area in the 1850s. Since then, KL has grown from a trading post and tin-mining shanty town into a colonial capital. It is now a modern, cosmopolitan business hub and centre of government, where old and new are juxtaposed. Chinatown, the Victorian, Moorish and Moghul-style buildings stand in marked contrast to the impressive skyscrapers, including the world's tallest building, the 421m high Petronas Twin Towers. |
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| Georgetown, Penang | |
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Penang, "The Pearl of the Orient" lies off the north-western coast of the Peninsular. Georgetown, at the north-eastern tip of the island is the seat of the administration and is also the commercial hub of the state. It combines the east and the west as seen in its fascinating collection of fine buildings, each bearing the stamp of different foreign influences in its colorful history. |
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