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Anyone who has ever been lucky enough have stayed at the Golden Sands resort on Penang Island in Malaysia will recognise the characteristic shape of the balconies in the background. An excellent place to escape to over the festive season, particularly when many tourists have actually believed that the infamous "smog" is a permanent phenomenon, and have stayed away in their droves. |
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Batu Feringgi Beach consists of two or three miles of sand, fortunately fringed by occasional trees since the equatorial sun and the warm sea combine to give temperatures over 30 degrees C by day. Good inexpensive cuisine is available along the beach and for the fit and brave there is parascending, together with other seaside pursuits. |
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As usual, it does not take much walking to escape from the crowds. By night the sky is unfamiliar, with Orion directly overhead and bright stars, such as Canopus and Achernar, which never rise in the UK, rising well above the southern horizon. The Southern Cross and Alpha and Beta Centauri are better seen in the spring. The lack of pollution by artificial light is helpful. |
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At the end of the beach there are some islands and the jungle comes right down to the coast. At low tide it is easy to explore, and large crabs settle on the rocks, while inquisitive monkeys occasionally put in an appearance, descending from the forest - fortunately they appear to be relatively used to their human cousins and they seem to be peaceful. |
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The journey seems less tedious than it did 10 years ago, and there is now a cybercafe at Singapore airport which is helpful when it comes to staying awake. In addition, going on line from so far away changes the experience of the world wide web from a concept into a reality. You really can stay in touch wherever you happen to be. This may of course have its disadvantages! |
The following links may be helpful to anyone who is interested in Malaysia, or intending to make a visit.
The Penang site also provides a wealth of on-line information about Malaysia, including travel and weather, and there are links to many other Malaysian sites.
Jaring provides an excellent portal to the Malaysian Internet.
My Web Site is under continuous development and you will be updated regularly!
Last Revised
: 8th April 1999
