Penyengat Island

Pulau Penyengat is a small island six km. outside Tanjung Pinang, measuring just 2.500 by 750 meters. It can be reached in 15 minutes by one of frequent boats from Tanjung Pinang. In the 18th century Raja Haji (see history above) built an outpost here as part of the defense around Bintan. He controlled the area until he was eventually killed by the Dutch at Malacca in 1784. His remains are now buried here. The ruler of Johor, Sultan Mahmud, gave the island to his Bugis wife Raja Hamidah in 1804. Raja Hamidah's son then ruled the Riau islands from Penyengat, while his half-brother ruled in the Lingga island to the south. Raffles turned this division to his advantage in 1819, when the prince of Penyengat gave him the island of Singapore in return for a large sum of money and the protection of the British crown.
Under the protection and support of the British the area saw an "golden age", and the remains of this prosperous time can still be seen on the island. Some of the ruins have recently been restored, like the old ruler's palace and royal tombs. The old mosque, Mesjid Raya, is still in use. A cultural center is also newly built for performances of Malay music and dance. At the west end of the island there is an impressive stone fort, built by Raja Haji to fend off Dutch attacks.
The restored palace of Raja Ali is located in the center of the island. Raja Ali was a strict follower of Islam, things like gambling and cockfighting, the wearing of gold and silk for men and mixing of unmarried men and women were strictly forbidden. His yellow and green Royal Mosque can be seen from far away, completed in 1844 it became an important center for Muslim Malay learning in the 19th century. Pulau Penyengat actually became the cultural capital of the Malay world, and some 9.000 people inhabited the island, among them religious scholars from as far away as Mecca.
The importance of Penyengat ended when the last Sultan of the Riau-Lingga, Abdul Rahman Muazzan Shah, refused to sign a contract with the Dutch that terminated the rights and authority of the traditional king and officers of Riau. He was then informed by the Dutch that his palaces, buildings, land, etc. would be confiscated. To prevent this he ordered the people on Penyengat to destroy the Dutch possessions on the island, this is the reason why there is not much left on Penyengat that shows its former glory. Today there are about 2.500 people living on the island, about one third of them are descendants of the former royalty, most of the residents make their living of fishing, while some work on the main island.

bintan city

Iskandar Development Region - A Boost For Johor Tourism

Iskandar Development Region, ahead accepted as South Johor Development Region, is a collective accomplishment by the Johor Accompaniment of Malaysia and the Federal Government of Johor to addition the Johor State's all-embracing development. The Iskandar Development Arena aloft achievement is accepted to be on par with Shenzhen or Hong Kong of China.
It covers an breadth of 221,634 ha which is about 3 times the admeasurement of Singapore. It includes District of Johor Bahru, Mukim Jeram Batu, Mukim Sungai Karang, Mukim Serkat, Pulau Kukup and Mukim Ayer Masin.
It stretches from Johor Bahru to Senai/Kulai at the north, Port of Tanjung Pelepas at the west and Pasir Gudang at the east. It is disconnected into 5 zones i.e. (i) Johor Bahru burghal (ii) Nusajaya (iii) Western Development Corridor including Tanjung Pelepas and Gelang Patah (iv) Eastern Development Corridor including Johor Port, Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat and (v) Senai-Kulai.
The Comprehensive Development Plan for Iskandar Development Arena was fatigued by the Khazanah Nasional Bhd. It aims to transform the southern allotment of the accompaniment of Johor including some abjure areas into an all-embracing metropolis. This arena is set to become an important industrial, logistical and bartering centre with automated accessories ambidextrous with electronic, petrochemical, refinery and shipbuilding.
Based on the statistics, in 2005 the Iskandar Development Arena has a citizenry of 1.4 million. It is projected to accept a citizenry of 3 actor by the Year 2025. Gross Domestic Product for Year 2005 is RM20 billion. This amount will be pushed up to RM93.3 billion by Year 2025.
Iskandar Development Arena stretches forth the Strait of Johor accoutrement littoral land, swamp acreage and rivers. Best of these areas can be developed into day-tripper spots.
The absolute day-tripper spots in the Iskandar Development Arena are actual sites aural Johor Bahru city, Danga Bay, Kukup and Kukup Island, Tanjung Piai, ZON Ferry Terminal, Tanjung Langsat etc. Kukup Island is a RAMSAR armpit and it has the apple better arid mangrove. Assorted breed of flora and fauna curl on this island. Nature lovers will appear to this arena and acknowledge the character of this place.
Tanjung Piai is addition mangrove abreast to Kukup and is the southernmost tip of Asia continent. Long-tailed masque with white countenance can be begin on timberline acme here.
Visitors abandon and access at ZON Ferry Terminal by sea from Batam, Bintan and Tanjung Belungkor, Johor. The ZON Ferry Terminal has been alloyed into added apparatus to accomplish it a one stop day-tripper centre complete with a hotel, a arcade centre, a huge karaoke centre etc. It is a assignment chargeless breadth area appurtenances bought actuality are absolved from taxes.
Danga Bay is actuality developed by Ecovest Bhd. It is a alloyed development absolute of shops, condominiums, affair parks, berth etc. It has a changeable bazaar which follows the abstraction of changeable bazaar in Hong Kong.
There is an all-embracing airport, Senai All-embracing Airport at Senai. Senai is an automated breadth with assorted factories set up by all-embracing investors. Senai will be developed into an all-embracing burden hub beneath the Iskandar Development Region. The Senai All-embracing Airport besides confined the cargo, it will serve as the access point for visitors from all over the world.
With the arrival of advance from all over the apple into Iskandar Development Region, tourism industry will not be abandoned by the Johor Accompaniment government. Currently, there are middle-east investors proposing to advance affair parks at Nusajaya. A aggregation beneath Berjaya Group, Central Malaysian Properties Sdn Bhd has acquired the Waterfront Floatiing Burghal and has afflicted its name to Lido Boulevard. It will be a alloyed residential and bartering development. The appropriate affection of this development is that best of the structures will be complete aloft the sea and accurate by piles. This developemnt has afflicted altercation amid the locals as it occupies the seafront, in a way blocking and abasement the sea appearance admitting there are affluence of close acreage that can be acclimated for development.
Malaysia now is adverse an advancement billow of ammunition price, architecture actual amount and article price. Inevitably, the clip of developement of Iskandar Development Arena is now actuality hampered. Barring abrupt affairs in the future, as continued as the civic leaders sticks to their commitments, Iskandar Development Arena will be one of the acknowledged mega projects in Malaysia

A380 World's Biggest Plane Takes Off to Singapore

This March, the biking industry will be afflicted always as the A380 - the better commuter aeroplane anytime congenital - takes off from London, en avenue to Singapore. The massive airliner, bogus by Airbus, is a double-decker, four agent plane. Nicknamed the 'Super-jumbo', the alike allows for a berth with 50% added attic amplitude than the abutting better plane, the Boeing 747-400.
This will be the third A380 to accompany Singapore Airlines' fleet, which is already application the aircraft for its Singapore to Sydney route. The alike is causing abundant action in the biking industry due to its avant-garde engineering and fresh onboard facilities. The A380 produces 50% beneath berth babble than a 747 authoritative it the quietest aeroplane anytime built, and the added backbone of the assembly agency it can bear college berth air pressure. Both these appearance are accepted to abate the furnishings of biking fatigue on passengers. The A380 additionally delivers abundant ammunition bake reductions per bench mile acceptation it's a cleaner, greener another for continued booty travel.
Every airline that has purchased an A380 is asserting their character by designing different interiors. Singapore Airlines offers twelve fully-enclosed capital suites; these are clandestine cabins which accept been accounted "a chichi above first", on its A380, anniversary with one abounding and one accessory seat, full-sized bed, desk, claimed storage, and 58-cm (23-inch) LCD screen. Business chichi will action 60 seats which can be adapted into abounding collapsed beds.
However the allowances of the A380 aren't bound to the high chichi zones alone; the added berth allows for added amplitude (48cm compared to 43cm) of the 399 abridgement seats as well, additional there'll be 27cm LCD screens in anniversary bench aback and an AC ability accumulation accessible to best passengers.
The fresh alike would absolutely add an absorbing change amount for those travelling to Singapore, which continues to comedy a key role in all-embracing trade, and is a accepted day-tripper destination. The adorableness of Singapore as a anniversary destination is its bunched yet assorted nature, and exhilarant mix of burghal chichi and clear nature. It is generally said that arcade is a civic action in Singapore and with about two hundred malls and arcade zones all over the city, it's absolutely article that both locals and visitors akin absorb affluence of time doing.
However, admitting its acceptability as a pulsating and active city, there is affluence for the alfresco enthusiast and attributes lover, such as The Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom, and Underwater World, which appearance a ray pool, apricot beach exhibits and alike a different Fish Reflexology zone. Singapore is additionally alluringly amid for visitors to accomplish visits to Malaysia, or adjacent Bintan in Indonesia, a paradise island aloof 45 account by bear from Singapore which offers peaceful beaches in admirable settings; an ideal adverse to the bustle of Singapore central.
With the fresh A380 demography off from London soon, alike added travellers will be accepted to booty Singapore holidays; visiting this baby country offers a adorable alloy of East and West, an amaranthine apple of shopping, a abundant comestible arete additional alluring colonial history and outstanding accustomed beauty.
Elisha Burberry is an online, freelance announcer and agog traveller and baptize sports enthusiast. Originally from Scotland, she now resides in London.

Jewels in the South East (Golf Resorts in Asia)

According to Mark Twain, golf is but a acceptable airing spoiled. Indeed, golf has been the action of the aristocratic and the affluent for abounding decades. Today, this action is about enjoyed by anybody who would appetite to tee off eighteen holes for fun. In 2005, there are about 32,000 golf courses about the world, and about bisected of which is amid in US alone. Golf resorts in Asia took off about mid '80s in People's Republic of China, and from again on, the cardinal of countries with aerial chic able golfers connected to abound at a abiding pace, abnormally in East Asia. After which, the blow was golf history.
Golf is about played in a all-inclusive breadth of land, complete to fit golf play. This is additionally accepted as the golf course. A advance is comprised of a alternation of holes, anniversary consisting of a teeing area, the fairway, asperous and added hazards, and the blooming with the pin and cup. A accepted golf advance has eighteen holes, but abounding golf courses accept alone nine. Today, the appeal for affluence golf courses has increased, and this led to added development of affluence resorts that baby to golfers and highlights chip golf courses. In band with this, golf resorts in Asia is authoritative its way to become one of the best and approved out golf resorts, forth with all the added continents about the world.
We can say that golf resorts in Asia may be altered back it comes to the architecture of the golf course, but this holds accurate alone if assertive ecology or acclimate altitude apply. Moreover, golf advance designers such as Robert Trent Jones II accept been designing able and comfortable courses that every golfer insists in playing. To date, there are about 70 golf courses that are advised as the finest in the Asian continent, and 21 of which are apparent in the acreage bottomward beneath (Australia).
From Japan's Hokkaido Golf Club to Indonesia's Ria Bintan Golf Club, golf resorts in Asia absolutely accommodate apple chic affection back it comes to golf play. This goes duke in duke additionally with top chic chump service, amenities, and best abnormally acceptable aliment for the athirst golfers. These casework are intertwined to accomplish the golfer's break as peaceful as their game. Compared with the added golf courses in the world, these resorts in Asia absolutely boasts of apple-pie cut grass above the sunset, with the wind kissing anniversary golfer's face, not to acknowledgment the amazing architect that serve as the accomplishments for the course. But nevertheless, apple chic golf resorts in Asia or anywhere about the apple has their jewel to enjoy.

Why the Penny Should be Retired

Now all the currencies in the apple accept amount alone because everybody who uses them agrees they accept value. The RMB, for example, is not often accustomed in the United States because of aggressive counterfeiting and basic controls by the Chinese government. The USD, one of the best apish bill in the world, is accustomed by everybody after catechism because it is THE bill of barter and business in the apple (simply because the oil states accept agreed to barter oil in USD).
The SGD was not broadly accustomed in the aboriginal canicule of its use too. It was with abundant pride then, that I begin the SGD accustomed at the Leonardo da Vinci airport aback in 1991 (but not the MYR!) Today, admitting the Singapore government’s abnegation to internationalise the SGD, it charcoal a bill of best in countries like Indonesia (especially in islands like Batam and Bintan).
Now, one of the affidavit why affected bill is never begin in abate denominations comes from the actuality that there’s a assembly amount complex in authoritative the notes. The added adult the anti-counterfeiting technology used, the added big-ticket it is to aftermath the addendum - so counterfeiters about consistently affected the added big-ticket notes, so that it’s added account it.
So back the penny bread kept actuality broadcast and produced, admitting the actuality that no actor would anytime aftermath it, tells of how antic things can get sometimes. Singapore retired that bread abounding years ago. Imagine application a USD100 agenda that costs USD120 to aftermath and you’ll absolutely cramp at the argumentation behind.
But as usual, there’s absolutely no argumentation complex (or there is, depending on your point of view). The penny is actuality kept in assembly artlessly because it’s acknowledging one industry - the zine producers (the penny is fabricated of zinc). About 1/3 of the amount of bearing the bread comes from the amount of the metal. Any attempts by the government to retire the penny would be met with angry action and lobbying by this able industry.
I anticipate I apprehend some gasps from my American friends. Maybe it’s time you abutment your congressmen who are lobbying for the backward of the penny. Again conceivably some the debts can be paid off, and the apple can boost a blow of abatement (the apple will apparently collapse if the USD anytime collapses…which I alone anticipate it will one day)!
Michael Chan acclimated to be a teacher, afore he larboard to run a managed fund. Back his business failed, he alternate to teaching, and is currently a Department Head at the Shanghai Singapore International School.

Confessions of a Former Triathlete

As I am autograph this on February 23rd 2008, some of my accompany are aggressive it out on the arduous chase advance of the Ironman Langkawi, Malaysia. It is a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42 km run event. It is not an accessible affair to accomplish, and it takes audacity to alike annals for it.
I did, in fact, put my name on the participants' account and paid the aboriginal bird fee of US$150 (regular fee is US$500 for Malaysians). Yes, US$150 to ache myself for 17 hours!
However, I didn't about-face up at the starting line. Today I am actuality tucked abroad in my fresh home in Borneo affected to watch Ben 10 on Cartoon Network and accept to 'Winnie the Pooh Dance Revolution' played over and over afresh on Youtube.
Scarlett, my triathlon bike (yes, my bike has a name) is still unpacked from her box. My cycling jersey and tights accept apparent added acceptable days. And aftermost week, I assuredly hit the basin afterwards a six months hiatus, pond a beggarly 600m.
You can say, I've now retired from triathlon. Here's why:
When I absitively to do triathlons, I had article to prove. I was a wallflower, addition with low self-esteem. I capital to appearance that I don't accept to be loud, abhorrent and an absorption affliction for bodies to anticipate awful of me. It was all about me and my insecurities. Me, me, me ....
At aboriginal it was alone about proving to bodies that I can do triathlons. However, afterwards commutual my aboriginal Olympic ambit tri, my goals transfigured into article different. Article added advancing and ugly.
It was now about respect, and about ego.
"I can't let her exhausted me," I would say to my hubby. Or "Can you adjourn activity to the appointment for a few hours afterwards I complete my Saturday ride?"
I would go on and on about annihilation but swim, bike, run. To my colleagues, to my friends, to my family. Annihilation else.
It was axis into an obsession. And I was acceptable very, VERY selfish.
Oh, how they charge accept buck with me ... putting on a appearance of interest, back it fact, I apathetic them to death.
After commutual such a antic accident that not abounding bodies in Malaysia participate in, or accomplishing boxy rides that alone batty bodies would anytime do, article central me angry uglier.
It fabricated me into a arrogant person.
"Oh, attending at her," I would say to myself. "Could she complete a triathlon? Could she anytime survive cycling for 140 km beneath the hot sun? Could she run the backbreaking 20km Hartamas route?"
Or if addition were to piss me off, I would animate myself by thinking: "Chill babe, you are added acceptable off than him. Could he annoyance his apologetic ass off his bed afore aurora on Sunday to ride the arresting advance from hell??"
Triathlon, in part, is a action of egos for some.
I was anticipation bodies by their able-bodied worth. I was apathy that some bodies did abounding added abundant things that did not crave any concrete accomplishment but instead crave able brainy architecture and a authentic heart.
I was all set to alternation for the Ironman until article happened. Something, that sparked admonishing accretion in my head. I assuredly saw myself as how others were seeing me. And I saw how alarming some attraction can be.
So from again on, my bike stood acquisition dust in my abundance allowance for days. Canicule angry into weeks. And weeks angry into months.
There is one affair I didn't affliction from entering triathlons, is that I accept met abounding people, some of them angry out to be absolute acceptable friends.
Last January, bedmate asked me what our affairs would be in May.
"May? No plans," I had said.
"But what about Bintan triathlon?" he had asked, puzzled.
"Bintan? Forget it. Let's save our money for the Gawai holidays. We'll go to Sabah or something."
Hubby was a bit disappointed. "But .... why??"
"Why? Do you appetite me to be the bedeviled actuality that I was, talking about bathe bike run all the time. Annihilation else? Do you appetite me to be bad-tempered whenever I absent a training session? Do you appetite me to get affecting whenever I accomplishment my chase beneath my ambition time? Do you appetite me to get pissed back so-and-so exhausted me and I was fabricated fun because of it?"
"Well ... you don't accept to booty it seriously. Aloof do it for fun," he said.
"I aloof don't appetite to be bedeviled anymore."
"The botheration with you is that you cannot abstracted the allotment about accepting fun and actuality competitive."
"I know, and I don't anticipate I anytime will."
We larboard it at that.
And now abounding months later, I feel that I accept advance to the point that I don't charge to do things to prove myself to people. Aftermost year was all about me, me, me. My ego, my obsession, my insecurities, my charge for respect.
This year, I achievement for things to be different. It's activity to be about others.
But still, I should ameliorate and accumulate Scarlett. I'm starting to absence her. Cycling about the adjacency is not such a bad idea. I'll apparently do it. For fun.