Putrajaya is not an ordinary new city, because it has beautiful architecture. All the buildings here are modern but built based on Islamic or Middle Eastern architecture. The main areas in Putrajaya are divided into precincts where you can find government and business offices, as well as residential and recreational areas.
Putrajaya is an integrated concept of a smart park city as 38 percent of its area is dedicated to parks, a lake and a valley. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the tropical flora and fauna here. There are 12 parks in total, including Wetland Park, which has a huge manmade lake in the center. There is also an orchid park. A big mosque stands majestically beside the lake. Also worth a visit is the prime minister’s office, called Seri Perdana.
There is a city tour in Putrajaya that uses traditional boats as well as cruisers. We had the opportunity to go on Cruise Tasik, which took us round the lake past beautiful bridges and some of the government buildings in Putrajaya.
There are eight bridges on the lake. Each bridge is attractive in its own way as their designs resemble some of the famous bridges in the world, such as Khasju bridge in Iran, the Islamic Moorish bridge and the Pont Alexandre in Paris.
No trip to Malaysia seems complete without a visit to Genting Highlands, which is located on a hill like Puncak and Lembang in West Java. Genting Highlands is one of the world’s most popular destinations.
Located 2,000 meters above sea level on Mount Titiwangsa, Genting Highland is on the border of Pahang and Selangor states. It is a one-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur or can be reached by cable car, called Genting Skyway, which is the fastest in the world and the longest in Southeast Asia.
Genting Highlands was established in the early 1960s by Lim Goh Tong, a Chinese immigrant from Fujian, China, who was later naturalized. It is also referred to as Malaysia’s Las Vegas and is the only legal gambling resort in the country. It is operated by Resorts World Bhd, a subsidiary of the Genting Group. The resort also has a number of hotels, namely Hotel Genting, Hotel Highlands, Hotel Resort, Hotel Theme Park, Awana Genting and Hotel First World. Hotel First World has 6,118 rooms, making it the world’s second largest hotel.
Apart from gambling, the resort has many other facilities, such as theme park, golf course, malls, sky diving simulator, concert hall and so forth. In short, Genting Highlands offers a wide range of tourist attractions, playgrounds and recreational places for the family, both outdoor and indoor. (Burhan Abe)
The Jakarta Post, April 08, 2010
