Asia Holiday and Travel - Malaysia: April 2008

Penang, Pearl of the orient!

Get your rocks off at Batu Ferringhi Beach, Penang

Pearl of the Orient cultured by colonial and Chinese heritage.

Penang's sprawling main centre, Georgetown, boasts impressive colonial architecture, temples, lively Chinese culture, great shopping and even better food. Steeped in history, with an appealing old-fashioned character that's fast disappearing, it attracts most of the island's tourists.

A circuit of Penang will take you through a landscape of jungle, farmland and fishing villages. The north coast beaches are easily accessible and the new national park is on the northwest headland. Don't miss charming Penang Hill or the Kek Lok Si Temple - the largest Buddhist shrine in the country.

Local key maker makes the most of a quiet moment, Georgetown

Penang's many old colonial buildings are characteristic of its 1786 British settlement

Forget cornflakes, laksa is the breakfast of choice for this Georgetown woman

Happy Buddha enjoys a good belly rub - Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang

Malacca, the historical city!

Chinese Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy

Savour the flavour of Malaysia's melting pot.

One of Malaysia's most sought after destinations, the small city-state of Melaka lures droves of visitors to its historic port city, where they are quickly steeped in an intoxicating multicultural world of heritage architecture and the alluring aromas of distinctive local cooking. It's sometimes said that this is where you'll glimpse the soul of the nation.

Jellyfish like lantern adorns a Chinatown alley

Colourful shutters facing out to the shopping mecca, Jonkers Street

Malaysia, great cultural diversity

City at dusk, with Petronas Twin Towers, all 88 stories of them, rising behind

High-rise ambitions in a colourful whirl of cultural diversity.

Kuala Lumpur is an Asian tiger that roars: in almost 150 years, it has grown from nothing to a modern, bustling city. Take in its high-flying triumphs from the viewing deck of one of the world's tallest buildings, then dive down to explore its more traditional culture in the back lanes of Chinatown.

It's a modern Asian city of gleaming skyscrapers, but it retains much of the local colour that has been wiped out in other Asian boom-cities such as Singapore. It has plenty of colonial buildings in its centre, a vibrant Chinatown with street vendors and night markets, and a bustling Little India.

Sizzling satays over hot coals in Jalan Alor

All the excitement of a big city Light Rail system

Your chance to see one Malaysian martial arts movie after another

Outdoor fast food under bobbing Chinese lanterns

View of the Masjid Jamek, or Friday Mosque

Blend of Moorish and Victorian: Sultan Abdul Samad building at night

Hindu shrine in Batu Caves, site of annual body-piercing festival

City went through unprecedented building boom in 1990s

View from skybridge of Petronas Twin Towers, world's tallest building

Malaysia, a flavoursome culture fusion

Sunway Lagoon, a huge theme park with the biggest surf wave pool in the world

A flavoursome culture fusion - from high-tech to no-tech.

Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in southeast Asia. It's buoyant and wealthy, and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.

Malaysia's love of Western-style industrialisation is abundantly clear in its big cities. Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st Century, though, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia.