CAMERON HIGHLANDS - PAHANG

Cameron Highlands is a highland region located about 121 km east of Ipoh and about 214 km north of Kuala Lumpur, in Pahang, Malaysia. At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is the highest area on the mainland, enjoys a cool climate, with temperatures no higher than 25 °C and rarely falls below 12°C year-round.

Cameron Highlands is actually a district in the state of Pahang Darul Makmur although the road entrance is via Tapah and Simpang Pulai in the state of Perak Darul Ridzuan. Cameron Highlands district is bordered by Lipis district on the south-east, Kelantan on the north and Perak on the west. The size of the whole Cameron Highlands district is roughly two and a quarter times the size of Singapore.

Key Attractions
Apart from the cool weather, key attractions in Cameron Highlands include a butterfly farm, strawberry farms, rose gardens and vegetable gardens. There are also the Brinchang Hindu Temples and the Sam Poh Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Temple. Other features include Cactus Point, Cactus Valley and the BOH Tea Plantation. There is Market Square, the Cameron Highlands Time Tunnel Galeria (at nearby Kea Farm) and accommodation at the Kampung Taman Sedia Homestay, Tanah Rata and The Smokehouse Hotel.

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GENTING HIGHLANDS - PAHANG

Genting Highlands (Malay: Tanah Tinggi Genting; Chinese: 雲頂高原; simplified Chinese: 云顶高原) (maximum elevation about 1760m) is a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia and is home to the famous Genting Highlands Resort, otherwise known as Resorts World Genting which can be reached by car from Kuala Lumpur in one hour.

It is also accessible by the world's fastest and South East Asia's longest cable car called Genting Skyway (3.38km). In 2006, the resort had 18.4 million visitors. Resorts World Genting was founded by the late Lim Goh Tong (Tan Sri) in the late 1960s. Currently, this resort is being lead by Lim Goh Tong's son, Lim Kok Thay (Tan Sri) who is also the current president and CEO of Star Cruises. Resorts World Genting is the sister resort to the Resorts World Sentosa and Resorts World Manila.


Source : Wikipedia

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PAHANG

Pahang (Jawi: ڨهڠ) is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.

Its state capital is Kuantan, and the royal seat is at Pekan. Other important towns include Jerantut, Kuala Lipis, Temerloh and the hill resorts of Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Bukit Tinggi and Fraser's Hill.

The Arabic honorific of Pahang is Darul Makmur ("Abode of Tranquility").

The ethnic composition is roughly 1,000,000 Malay and Bumiputra, 233,000 Chinese, 68,500 Indians, 13,700 others, and 68,000 non-citizens.

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BATU CAVES - SELANGOR

Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, located in Gombak district, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.

The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia.

Batu Caves is also the centre of rock climbing development in Malaysia for the past 10 years. Batu Caves offers more than 160 climbing routes. The routes are scattered all around the side of Batu Caves, which is made up of limestone hills rising to 150 m. These climbing routes are easily accessed as most crags start from ground level.

Festivals
Icons carried in procession during Thaipusam at Batu Caves. Also seen in the background is the 42.7 m high golden statue of Lord Muruga.

Batu Caves serves as the focus of the Hindu community's yearly Thaipusam (Tamil: தைபூசம்) festival. It has become a pilgrimage site for not only Malaysian Hindus, but Hindus worldwide from countries such as India, Australia and Singapore.

A procession begins in the wee hours of the morning on Thaipusam from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur leading up to Batu Caves as a religious undertaking to Lord Muruga lasting eight hours. Devotees carry containers containing milk as offering to Lord Muruga either by hand or in huge decorated carriers on their shoulders called 'kavadi'.

The kavadi may be simple wooden arched semi-circular supports holding a carrier foisted with brass or clay pots of milk or huge, heavy ones which may rise up to two metres, built of bowed metal frames which hold long skewers, the sharpened end of which pierce the skin of the bearers torso. The kavadi is decorated with flowers and peacock feathers imported from India. Some kavadi may weigh as much as a hundred kilograms.

After a bath in the nearby Sungei Batu (Rocky River), the devotees wend their way to the Temple Cave and with remarkable endurance they climb the flights of stairs to the temple in the cave. Devotees use the wider centre staircase while worshippers and onlookers throng up and down those balustrades off on either side.

When the kavadi bearer arrives at the foot of the 272 step stairway leading up to the Temple Cave, the devotee has to make the arduous climb against gravity- against the press of the bustling masses.

Priests attend to the kavadi bearers. Consecrated ash is sprinkled over the hooks and skewers piercing the devotees flesh before they are removed. No blood is shed during the piercing and removal.

In 2007, the festival attracted more than 1.5 million pilgrims, making it one of the largest gatherings in history

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SHAH ALAM - SELANGOR

Shah Alam is most famous for its mosque, the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. It has been claimed to be the largest mosque in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Its most distinguishing feature is its large blue and white dome, which measures 170 feet in diameter and reaches 350 feet above ground level.

The mosque has four minarets erected at the corners, with each minaret 460 feet tall. The mosque was commissioned by the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz, when he declared Shah Alam as the new capital of Selangor on February 14, 1974. Construction of the mosque was completed on March 11, 1988. The mosque can accommodate up to 16,000 worshippers.

Decorative Islamic calligraphy dominates the edges surrounding the dome and main prayer hall, while the interior architecture exhibits ethnic Malay design elements. Sunlight filtering through the blue stained glass of the mosque renders a bluish ambience to its interior, evoking a sense of peace and serenity.

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SELANGOR - THE GOLDEN GATES

Selangor (Jawi script: سلاڠور; also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") (Chinese: 雪兰莪) is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west.

It completely surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, both of which were once under Selangor's sovereignty.


The state is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, of which the reigning Sultan (since 2001) is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. Since March 10, 2008, the Menteri Besar (chief executive of the state government) has been Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, of the People's Justice Party (PKR) portion of Pakatan Rakyat.

The current leader of the opposition in the Selangor State Assembly is Dato' Seri Dr. Mohamed Khir Toyo, who is part of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party within the Barisan Nasional coalition. He was also the 13th Menteri Besar of Selangor.

The state capital is Shah Alam, the first city in Selangor, and the royal capital is Klang. Another major urban centre is Petaling Jaya which was awarded city status on June 20, 2006. Selangor is one of only two Malaysian states with more than one city; the other is Sarawak.

Source : Wikipedia

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