Martha Stewart finds Malaysia

World famous Petronas Twin Towers
Photo : Oxymanus

Saturday January 23, 2010
Martha Stewart finds Malaysia
BY LIM AI LEE : Star Newspaper

Several popular American TV hosts are planning to capture the colours of Malaysia. The programmes will be aired to viewers in the United States and other parts of the world.

A VISIT to her chiropractor in midtown Manhattan led popular television personality Martha Stewart to discover a new colourful destination to feature in her show.

While waiting for her appointment, Stewart, aka America’s Domestic Goddess, decided to drop by at the Tourism Malaysia office next door.

The tycoon cook, author and magazine publisher has been back a few times since, each time leaving with more brochures on Malaysian attractions.

Obviously impressed, the New York-based entrepreneur has decided to make a trip to Kuala Lumpur and Sabah this May. And she will be bringing along her crew to film scenes of Malaysian life.

Tourism Malaysia vice-president/director for Eastern USA, Caribbean, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay Salahuddin Mohd Ariffin said Stewart has confirmed she would attend the launch of Colours of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on May 22 and the Pesta Ka’amatan (harvest festival) in Sabah.

Both events will be featured in her daytime programme which will also showcase Malaysian cuisine, handicraft and culture to her fans in the United States and many other countries.

Stewart’s syndicated talk show, the Martha Stewart Show, is broadcast throughout the world and includes several segments related to cooking, interior design, gardening, crafts, and other domestic arts topics.

Salahuddin said Malaysia had also attracted the attention of another TV personality – Samantha Brown of Travel Channel who will fly to Malaysia in March in search of adventure.

Brown is known for her Travel Channel shows such as Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Great Weekends, and Passport to China.

And soon, Brown will be introducing her viewers to Malaysia as she takes a train ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.

“Both programmes will not only reach out to an American audience but also viewers all over the world and will provide good exposure for Malaysia,” said Salahuddin.

He added that there were also plans by Project Explorer, an online global travel series targeted at students, to produce a documentary on Malaysia.

The film crew is expected to visit the country in April.

Designed for family and classroom, ProjectExplorer.org provides American students with access to people and places through virtual field trips showcasing destinations around the world.

Malaysia has also attracted the interest of DeafNation, an organisation representing millions of deaf Americans, which has an online video series – Around the World Tour – to introduce holiday destinations to the deaf community.

Salahuddin said Americans are an important tourism market for Malaysia – they are the second most important long haul tourists after the British. In 2008, 223,241 Americans visited Malaysia, contributing RM658mil in tourism revenue.

And even as the US went into acute recession last year, there was a slight increase in tourists from the the country – a total 228,571 Americans visited Malaysia, staying an average 9.29 days each.

While the New York Times has placed Kuala Lumpur as one of 31 places to visit in 2010, readers of Global Traveler magazine voted Malaysia as the second Best International Destination after Spain. Italy came in third, Thailand fourth and Fiji, fifth.

Global Traveler caters to luxury business travellers and 25,000 readers had participated in the survey.

The readers also voted Malaysia Airlines as the best airline in South-east Asia, while KLIA came in sixth in the world’s best airport category.

Grand past but uncertain future for Malaysia's Carcosa - An Excerpt

Photo by : Oxymanus

Grand past but uncertain future for Malaysia's Carcosa
By Romen Bose (AFP) – 7 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR — The future is uncertain for Malaysia's Carcosa Seri Negara, the 111-year old grande dame of colonial Malaya. Once home to the country's former British rulers and now an exclusive hotel, it is up for redevelopment.

The centre of colonial social life in the early 20th century the hotel -- which is an amalgamation of two stately bungalows, the Carcosa and the Seri Negara -- will close its doors on December 31.

Its many admirers are concerned over the fate of the national landmark, which in its heyday was a symbol of colonial power and a location where the nation's history was made.

"We were told by the government it is giving a tender to a company that is interested in redeveloping this site so we don't know what its going to be," says hotel manager Caroline Filtzinger.

Run by the GHM group of luxury hotels since 2004, the management was informed of the government's decision in October by the Economic Planning Unit, which handles the property.

Despite enquiries made by AFP to officials in several departments within the EPU, no one was able to shed light on plans for the Carcosa.

Filtzinger admits the place is in need of a facelift but patrons keep coming back regardless, for functions and the trademark sumptuous afternoon tea on the veranda.

"It's also the premier wedding location in the country and everybody wants to get married in this historic location, on the lawns, it is really sad to see it closing down."

She says the hotel's main business has been hosting events rather than filling its 13 guestrooms -- elegant but somewhat faded suites ranging in price from 1,100-3,500 ringgit (325-1,030 dollars) a night.

Carcosa Seri Negara occupies 40 acres (16.19 hectares) with the land around the Carcosa plunging straight into the jungle before opening onto the Lake Gardens parklands below.

Construction of the Carcosa began in 1896 by the first Resident-General, or chief British adviser to the then Federated Malay States, Sir Frank Swettenham, who named his new home after a fictional city.

The total cost including the building of numerous winding roads and outbuildings came to 67,300 Straits dollars -- worth about 13.9 million dollars in today's money.

Completed in 1898, the half-timbered house was built in High Victorian style, with ornamental designs incorporating a Elizabethan gable and an ornamental "medieval parapet" adorning several of its sides.

Inside, the entrance hall is large and airy, opening up to the roof with timber buttresses giving it a church-like feel, the larger windows sporting Anglo-Saxon cross lattices, topped off with lancet arches from the Regency period.

After Swettenham, Carcosa was occupied by the country's top British civil servants and in 1913 the government built the King's House on the property, as a guesthouse for the Governor of the Straits Settlements who resided in Singapore.

During the second world war, the Japanese military used the two buildings as an officer's mess, and upon liberation it was taken over by the British military.

By 1946, Carcosa reverted to its original use and was the scene where on January 21, 1948, representatives of the Malay Sultans and the British government created the Federation of Malaya, giving the country limited autonomy.

The Communist insurgency that began in June that year saw the grounds encircled by barbed wire but by 1956, with the communist threat on the wane and a push towards independence, the building's future was in question.

However, on September 12, 1956, Malaya's Chief Minister and Malaysia's first premier Tunku Abdul Rahman presented the deeds of Carcosa to the British government as a gift.

On the lawns of the King's House on August 5, 1957, just before independence was declared, the Malay Sultans along with Malaya's last colonial administrator Sir Donald MacGillivray signed into creation the new nation.

King's House was later returned to Malaysia and renamed "Seri Negara" or "Beautiful Country."

Carcosa however was occupied by a succession of British high commissioners, and an invitation for dinner or to a tea party in the grounds was the height of social ambition.

Malaysian veteran educationist Rasammah Bhupalan remembers elegant evenings in the early 1960s when Viscount Anthony Head and his wife Dorothea resided there.

"There were many functions at the Carcosa, formal and informal and you would feel at once in awe of the stately events held in what was also a home," she said.

"Lady Head loved birds and I remember having tea with her at the Carcosa and these large number of birds chirping and keeping us company."

However, the pleasant days at the Carcosa ended as relations between Malaysia and Britain soured once Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister in 1981.

Shahrir Abdul Samad, a cabinet minister at the height of the anti-British fervour that infected trade and diplomacy, said the idea of handing over the Carcosa was conceived at this point.

"The British high commissioner came to see me to ask what would be the way forward to resolve the worsening situation," he told AFP.

"I told him that as he had been complaining about the costs of managing Carcosa for so long, why not consider returning it to Malaysia as a gesture of goodwill."

"In May 1984, Mahathir announced the British were returning Carcosa but it was done in a gradual manner sometime in early 1987."

Shahrir said the cabinet then decided to convert the buildings into a hotel for visiting dignitaries, and the first official guest was Queen Elizabeth II who was attending a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

While plans for the hotel and the two buildings are still unclear, many hope the buildings will be preserved.

"We should not get rid of Carcosa or demolish those historic buildings as it is a part of our history," said Shahrir, who left the cabinet earlier this year. "It is still very much an important part of the Malaysian story."

Kuala Lumpur

Photo : Oxymanus



History

1857
87 tin miners, mostly Chinese, came to the area where the rivers Klang and Gombak converge. (see photograph above)The miners were prospecting for tin and found here a rich source of the metal.It is said that around 70% of the settlers succumbed to the malaria plague in the first months, one of the common epidemics in those days.

1862
K.L was a growing village. The place was named Kuala Lumpur which in Malay means “muddy estuary” The village grew rapidly and like all new mining settlements around the world it was an era turbulent times. This first period was filled with conflicts and gang wars between local Chinese gangs and sometimes Malay gangs about mining rights and control of drinking water.The Chinese grew more influential with the control of several vice activities that include brothels,gambling booths and opium trade within the settlement.

1869
The legendary Chinese Yap Ah Loy , also known as Yap Tet Loy or Yap Mao Lan became Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur and succeeded in just a few years to establish law and order in the town and became a sort of Mayor of K.L. until his death in 1885.

1880
Kuala Lumpur became a modern town when the British representative Frank Swettenham developed the first city plan and rich miners built colonial houses within its hub. One of the reasons that the town could expand was that the price of tin raised dramatically and the boom times made many prosperous towkays out of these settlers whose descendants lasted even to this generation.

1887
Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the state of Selangor one year after the railway to the harbour city Klang was established.(The first railway network was opened at Port Weld in Perak state to the town of Ipoh - another "tin" boom town.

1896
The Federated Malay States(FMS)is formed by uniting the Sultans of four states under one umbrella and KL was chosen as the capital of FMS because of its central position. The city became a classic centre of British colonialism.

1946
Kuala Lumpur was the capital in the “Federation of Malaya”

1957
Malaysia achieved independence on August 31 after 151 years of British colonial rule, Kuala Lumpur was designated the capital of the independent Federation of Malaya.(or Perseketuan Tanah Melayu)

1963
Kuala Lumpur became the federal capital of Malaysia in 1963, that also incorporates the states of Sabah,Sarawak on the island of Borneo as well as Singapore in the southern tip of Peninsula.

1974
Kuala Lumpur formally detached from its mother state of Selangor and became an autonomy city (Wilayah Persekutuan or Federal Territory) with its own administration.
A Mayor was elected as part of this establishment to oversee the overall public services system within the territory.

1999
The federal administrative capital moved to Putrajaya on June 4.

2007
Kuala Lumpur celebrates its 50th year as the capital of Malaysia and Malaysia its 50th year of independence.


Kuala Lumpur is a sister city to Ankara (Turkey)Esfahan (Iran), Malacca(Malaysia), Los Angeles ( USA),Osaka(Japan),Beijing (China), Casablanca(Morocco),Dubai (UAE) Shiraz(Iran),Delhi(India),Auckland(New Zealand),New York (USA),Karachi(Pakistan),London(UK),Sydney(Australia), Los Mochis (Mexico),San Francisco ( USA)

Mayors’ term of office: three years, renewable
Election: appointed
Responsibilities: economy, environment, health, planning, roads, transport, waste, water & sewerage

Come To Kuala Lumpur !

ALL PHOTOS : OXYMANUS

Text Excerpt - FORBES TRAVEL.COM

The Draw

• Tomorrowland today: towering sky-rises, multimedia supercorridors and a sleek new international airport

• A vibrant postcolonial mélange of Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures

• The gateway to several hot resorts in the South China Sea, including Four Seasons and the Datai on Langkawi Island

The Scene

Kuala Lumpur has arrived. This lively, eclectic city has managed to avoid the squalor of Bangkok and the sterility of Singapore to become a destination in its own right. Despite the occasional spasm of architectural insecurity (taller buildings! bigger malls!), KL hangs on fiercely to its local color -- multiculturalism was practically invented here. Ethnic Indians, Chinese and Malays, all proudly Malaysian, populate a thriving metropolis that still boasts plenty of colonial charm in addition to scads of hip pan-Asian culture. And from the downtown splendor of the Mandarin Oriental to the stately grandeur of the Carcosa Seri Negara, there's no dearth of unique lodging opportunities.

To Be Seen

• Petronas Towers. The sky bridge on the 42nd floor offers a jaw-dropping panorama of the Kelang Valley.

• Chinatown. Originally constructed as a laborer settlement, Chinatown is now a mandatory stop for its fantastic night market. Dig into the stall food along Petaling Street, but we can't vouch for the $10 Rolexes.

• Merdeka Square. The moorish Sultan Abdul Samad Building and the downright baronial Royal Selangor Club line this huge verdant expanse, which also features the world's tallest flagpole ("merdeka" is Malay for "independence").

For The VIP

• Drinks at the Selangor Club Long Bar. The Selangor Club is the city's unofficial shrine to its British colonial past. Lord Mountbatten played polo on its grounds as a young army officer, and returned 20 years later as Supreme Allied Commander.

• Dinner at Senses. Head chef Cheong Liew pretty much invented Asian fusion while at the Grange Restaurant in Adelaide, and now the prodigal son of Malaysian cuisine has returned to the KL Hilton.

• Butler Service at the Ritz. All the rooms at the Ritz come with your own personal Jeeves. Ask for some tips on nearby Bintang Walk, KL's luxury retail district.

Overrated

Suria KLCC. At the base of the Petronas Towers you'll find this very large, very antiseptic shopping mall. For a bustling arcade with real character, try Sungei Wang.

Underrated

Cameron Highlands. About 70 miles north of KL, set high in the mountains amidst several tea plantations, Cameron Highlands offers cool climes and several stately English guesthouses.

Don't Miss

Batu Caves. These spectacular limestone caves just outside the city are sacred cathedrals for Malaysia's Hindu population. Home to the annual Thaipusam Festival (of skin-piercing notoriety), the caves are also rife with long-tailed macaque monkeys.

When To Go

Monsoon season lasts from November through March. Fortunately, the thundershowers are finite affairs -- they turn off abruptly after a couple of hours. Temperatures hover in the mid-80s year-round, but so does the humidity.

A DAY IN KUALA LUMPUR

TOURISTS AT KLCC



FOREIGN WORKERS IN KL'S CHINATOWN




TIBETAN MONKS AT JALAN PUDU

Photo credit : Oxymanus

Ramadan In Kuala Lumpur

All photos by : Oxymanus

Like almost as always, in most places in urban KL, the holy month of Ramadan calls for a time of religious festivities and joyful mood of iftar and the blessed fasting ritual for all Muslims young and old. All over the city, colourful bazaars sprung up and busy throngs of patrons can be seen mingling in their energized spirits of determination to fulfil one of the pillars of Islam revered by universal Muslims