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Destinations
/ South East Asia
/ Malaysia
The
outstanding characteristic of Malaysia's population today is its
highly varied ethnic mix, making it one of the prime examples of
a multiculturalism. The multiethnic character of Malaysia's population
has come into being over the course of the last 150 years. Broadly
speaking Malaysia's ethnic groups fall into two main categories:
those with culture affinities indigenous and to one another, who
are classified as bumiputera; and those whose cultural affinities
lie outside. Those from the outside include a vibrant and interesting
fusion of Chinese & Indian peoples, cultures and customs.
Malaysia
is a multicultural nation of friendly, warm hearted people. It has
population of 17.9 million people. Peninsular Malaysia has 14.6
million people while Sabah and Sarawak have 3.3 million people.
Although Islam is the national religion, the Malaysian Constitution
guarantees freedom of worship. Islam, Christianity, Hiduism, Buddhism,
Taoism and Sikhism are the main religions in Malaysia, and there
are many mosques, temples and churches throughout the country. Because
of its strategic position between the Indian Ocean and the South
China Sea, Malaysia has long been the meeting place for the traders
and travellers from west and east. Hence, its history is one of
continual interaction with foreign powers and influences.
Resorts
Malaysia
is over 800km long, has a mountainous centre with spectacular limestone
outcrops, a long neck and tapering tail. East Malaysia comprises
the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah. The total land area of the
country is approximately 329,000 sq km. The high rainfall has produced
a complex network of rivers.
In recent years, it is this wonderful environment that is driving
the Malaysian tourism industry. To the divers, it is the idyllic
pearl-like drops of coral islands in the South China Sea off Sabah
& Sarawak that are the great attractions.
How
to get there
Malaysia's major international airport is at Sepang, 50 km south
of Kuala Lumpur. Direct flights are available between Kuala Lumpur
& Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand & almost
all of Asia. Most tourists either fly into Sepang or arrive overland
from Thailand or Singapore. Penang has international flights. The
airports Kuching in Sarawak and Tawau in Sabah have flights to and
from Kalimantan (Indonesia).
With
the advent of services with Australian Airlines from Cairns in Australia
to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, this now makes it possible to combine
two of many divers "must do" list in one trip, the Great
Barrier Reef & Sipadan Island.
Climate
Malaysia has an equtorial climate with fairly uniform temperatures
throughout the year. Temperatures range from 32 C during the day
to 22 C at night. It can be slightly cooler in the hill country.
(Rainfall is common throughout the year, averaging 200-250cm a year.)
Lightweight or mixed-fibre clothing is normal with only medium-weight
woollens being required for visits to the cooler highland areas.
Malaysia
has striking climatic variation from east to west. The east gets
the full fury of the monsoon between November and February. The
west, sheltered by the Barisan Titwansa range, has most rainfall
between March and April. Borneo lies between one and eight degrees
north of the equator, so is hot and sticky all year round.
Cultural
Background
Malaysia
is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living
side by side. The Malays are the largest community. They are Muslims,
speak Bahasa and are largely responsible for the political fortunes
of the country. The Chinese comprise about a third of the population.
They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese,
and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account
for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from
southern India, they speak Tamil, Malayalam, and some Hindi, and
live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula.
There is also a sizeable Sikh community. Eurasians and indigenous
tribes make up the remaining population. Despite Bahasa Malaysia
being the official language, when members of these different communities
talk to each other, they generally speak English, which was recently
reinstated as the language of instruction in higher education.
The
main indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number 395,000.
They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and
Baram rivers. The Bidayuh (107,000) are concentrated on Sarawak's
Skrang River. The Orang Asli (80,000) live in small scattered groups
in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic agriculturalists,
many have been absorbed into modern Malaysia.
You
can go from a Malaysian kampung to a rubber plantation worked by
Indians to Penang's Chinese kongsi and feel you've travelled through
three nations. However, in cities like Kuala Lumpur, you'll find
everyone in a grand melange. In one house, a Chinese opera will
be playing on the radio; in another they're preparing for Muslim
prayers; in the next, the daughter of the household readies herself
for classical Indian dance lessons
Perhaps
the easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural
interaction of Malaysia is to look at the open door policy maintained
during religious festivals. Although Malaysia's different cultural
traditions are frequently maintained by seemingly self-contained
ethnic communities, all of Malaysia's communities open their doors
to members of other cultures during a religious festival--to tourists,
as well as neighbors. Such inclusiveness is more than just a way
to break down cultural barriers and foster understanding. It is
a positive celebration of Malaysia's tradition of tolerance.
Diving
Malaysia's
best diving is found off Borneo. The names of the islands are "must-do's",
at or very near the top of every seriously open-minded diver. The
diving at Sipadan, Kapalay and Layang Layang enarmour thoughts of
swirling schools of barracuda and jacks to divers the world over.
In fact, it has been said that's it's easier and quicker to point
out what you don't see at Sipadan rather than what do see when consulting
the fish guide book after a dive.
Sipadan
has 11 marked dive sites. All dives are wall dives. It is however
possible to dive shallow at the southern and eastern part of the
island. Sipadan is small, very small, so most dive sites are so
close that you enter at one site and exit at the next site... Following
is a brief description of some the sites:
Drop
Off - is considered to be the best beach dive site in the world.
Just 5-6 metres from the shore, the wall plunges a staggering 800
metres down and is rated as one of the top 5 Beach Dives in the
world. The wall is encrusted with different varieties of coral,
turtles abound and a multitude of lion fish & smaller reef dwelling
fish live on this wall. The entrance to TURTLE CAVERN is also found
about 22 metres down along this wall.
You are allowed to do all the beach dives you want, also all night
dives are at the drop off. At night you will see the huge (1½
to 2 meters) Bump Head Parrot Fish sleeping in the wall.
Turtle
Cavern - Sipadan is famous for its population of both Green Turtles
and the smaller Hawksbill Turtles. It was at one time speculated
that the cavern was their mausoleum and that they came to this site
to die. However, a more accurate representation, is that the turtles
became lost in the caverns at night and drowned. Sipadan's resort
operators insist that all divers to this system of interconnecting
caverns must be accompanied by a local dive master. Inside the cavern
you will see the skeletons of those previous entrants who failed
to find the exit and perished. Deeper penetration of the system
reveals the cavern as home to shoals of fish specifically adapted
to the low light environment of the further reaches.
Barracuda
Point - Great dive site with lots of variation. As the name suggests,
Barracuda Point is where a large concentration of Pelagic's converge.
Expect to see large shoals of Barracuda, Jacks, Grey and White Tip
Reef Sharks. The schools number in the high hundreds. Current is
super-strong. It is a fast moving, high voltage dive site. There
maybe no guarantees in diving, but there's every chance that you
can find yourself in the middle of a swirling vortex of chevron
barracuda on this, one of Sipadan's most treasured sites. You may
see small critters too. Even a Leafy Scorpion Fish, Nudibranches
and the Clown Trigger Fish.
This dive normally starts quite deep at 25 metres plus and ends
with a lot of time at 8 metres. Cruise along the wall dropping down
as far as you wish here and keep an eye out for a herd of bump head
parrotfish and turtles in every nook and cranny. Even without the
barracudas this is a most colourful and entertaining dive but just
as you think it, you may be engulfed in a tornado of barracudas
- more than the eye can possibly take in. A superb moment in an
outstanding dive. It is little wonder that visitors leave with so
many "Barracuda Point" entries in their log-books. You
should have one too.
These
are just a few of Sipadan's sites, but rest assured, the others,
Coral Gardens, White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch, South Point, Staghorn
Crest, Hanging Gardens, Lobster Lair, North Point and West Ridge
are equally stunning.
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