The first edition of our Newsletter in 2008 and I wish you a happy New Year. I know, a little late, but hey! Better late then never. This edition of the Pulau Pangkor newsletter is a bit earlier then you are used to receive. You can blame it on the coming festivals. Thaipusam is coming up, immediately followed by Chinese New Year. I will be in Penang to follow two full days of Thaipusam. Keep an eye on my blog because we are going to give you a much bigger report then last year.

The first Pulau Pangkor Newsletter is again fuller then I expected and I have more to tell you. However, I do not want to turn you off with a too long newsletter. So, here is what I have for your this time:

• Thaipusam tour 2008
• Swiss Garden or Lone Pine for Chinese New Year
• Advertisement: Timeshare
• Taxi and Transport Service to Pangkor and Malaysia wide
• New Stories about Pangkor
• Coral Bay, Daddy's Cafe
• Opening coffee shop Horizon Inn
• Advertise on Pulau Pangkor com
• Jessie's new tours in Yangshuo China
• Diving at Pulau Payar
• Kopi Tiam
• 123Greetings.com

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Thaipusam Tour 2008
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Thaipusam is probably the most spectacular festival in Malaysia. The biggest celebration always takes place in Kuala Lumpur at the Batu Caves. I am not a fan of huge masses of people so I choose last year Penang. I wanted to see more of the Thaipusam and here in Sitiawan, Lumut and Pangkor it was rather small.

So I went to Penang and it was quite an experience. Here's the report of last year.

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/thaipusam-penang.html

and the photo page

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/thaipusam.html

This year we have set up a small tour for the Thaipusam 2008. We? Mrs. Pearly and Mr. Chandra from http://www.my-island-penang.com have the knowledge and experience to explain the details of this festival.

Sure, you can go and enjoy the festival on your own. It will be an experience anyway. But what will you see? What will you understand? Last year I was there and although I enjoyed it, I didn't understand much of what I saw. This year it will be different. Mr. Chandra is an Indian and knows all the ins and outs of the Thaipusam, plus, he was born very nearby the temples central in the festival. You want to join? No problem! Read more here:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/thaipusam-tour.html

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Swiss Garden or Lone Pine for Chinese New Year?
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Where am I going to spend Chinese New Year? Have you asked your self this question? Chinese New Year is for the Chinese people the moment to spend time with their families. Some go back to their parents house, others choose to have a short holiday together. The main destination, if you ask me to enjoy Chinese New Year is Penang. With it's significant larger Chinese population, Penang is the place to be. Here you will enjoy Chinese New Year better and more intense then anywhere else.

Penang can also be a little troublesome to get a room. As many people travel during the Chinese New Year, many hotels tend to be full. Here at Pangkor, we already see that some hotels are full for these days. However, the Swiss Garden and Damai Laut has still rooms available. It's one of the best hotels and resorts around Pangkor island. See for yourself:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Swiss-Garden.html

But what about Penang? We have found a little hidden gem that few people know. I hear you thinking... but serious. How many hotels at Batu Ferringhi do you think travelers know? Many! True. The Lone Pine is one of those skipped by many. Don't ask me why. The Lone Pine is the oldest at Batu Ferringhi and has still that old time style. Peace, quietness and a clean beach, what else do you need after a hectic day in Georgetown celebration and enjoying the Chinese New Year!

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/batu-ferringhi.html

And for those who need to have glimpse of what Chinese New Year in Malaysia is, here's my story how I celebrated it in Kuala Kurau last year:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/chinese-new-year.html

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http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/timeshare.html

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Taxi and Transport Service to Pangkor and Malaysia wide
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It took us a long time but we finally found an excellent taxi service for visitors to Lumut and Pangkor. Taxi to and from Lumut only? No, our taxi service is Malaysia wide. We can offer you a complete service all over Malaysia. Even if this means you want a private mini bus from Singapore to Kota Bahru and then to Penang and Lumut. We have it available. Read more about our new taxi and transport service:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/taxi-in-Malaysia.html

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New Stories about Pangkor
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Erissa Yong-Wilson wrote about her experiences at Pangkor. She also gave us a few excellent pictures what, in her view, showed Pangkor at its fullest:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/traveling-to-pangkor.html

Thank you Erissa!

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Coral Bay, Daddy's Cafe
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Daddy's Cafe at Coral Bay is one of the little restaurants at Coral Bay. According to my friend Ivo, who traveled to Pangkor with his wife and 2 children, Daddy's Cafe was the best place to eat in the Teluk Nipah area. Ivo is a seasoned traveler who, after some years living in Holland with his wife and children choose to go back on the road. Altogether 6 months he is traveling in South America and South East Asia. Thus, his recommendations can not be overlooked.

Daddy's Cafe is to be found at Coral Bay (the next beach after Teluk Nipah), right at the beach.

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Opening coffee shop Horizon Inn
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Mr. Sing has opened a small coffee shop in Teluk Nipah. High government officials were present to open the shop officially. You can buy some typical Malaysian style coffee here but if you don't want (or you can't bring) to buy it you can still try it yourself in the Horizon Inn restaurant.

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/coffee-shop.html

Mr. Sing's Horizon Inn is a very nice place to stay. Check it out:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Horizon-Inn.html

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Advertise on Pulau Pangkor com
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Advertising can be expensive. Pulau Pangkor com gives you now the option to advertise on the Pulau Pangkor com website. You have different choice how to advertise. You can even advertise in the Pulau Pangkor com newsletter! We would like to do business with Pangkor, Lumut, Malaysia businesses or related to the travel business in general. Read more here:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/advertise.html

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Jessie's new tours in Yangshuo China
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Our Guide in Yangshuo has set up a set of very special tours in and around Yangshuo. As we know Jessie, we did tours with her, I know how Jessie works. Thus it was easy for use to recommend her tours. Apart of the tours and the friendship I have traveled intensively in the Yangshuo area. Jessie's tours offer an exclusive view of Yangshuo and the area around Longsheng with the rice terraces.

Have a good look at Jessie's tours:

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/yangshuo-tour.html

For my own bicycle journeys around Yangshuo, Longsheng and other areas, please have a look here:

http://www.bicycle-adventures.com/longsheng.html

If China is your next destination, Jessie is the guide you need to explore Yangshuo to its fullest.

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Diving at Pulau Payar
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Diving, ahhh... I love to go down under. Every diver knows what it is, you go under and arrive in a strange alien world. A place where being breath different, live different. If there is one place we humans do not belong, it's under water. Maybe that is part of the attraction for us divers. We love to go down, it doesn't matter how deep we go. What we want is to get a glimpse of the life in such a place.

Sure, jungle trekking brings you in a different and strange environment, but so do cities. Under water everything is different. Every time I go under water, it really knocks me out what I experience. Of course you want to see as much as possible and Pulau Payar, the only Marine park on the west coast is such a place. Plenty of fish, nudibranches, corals, it's a magnificent world. And not only for the experienced diver! Contrary, Pulau Payar is also an excellent place to pick up some skills and learn to become a seasoned diver. Here is a lot more about Pulau Payar, some photos (I wish I had more space to publish more) and a lot of info how to get there and much more.

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/diving-in-langkawi.html

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Kopi Tiam
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Kopi Tiam is something very special in Malaysia. As Nazlina writes on her Kopi Tiam page: "Kopi tiam is one of Malaysian ways of presenting food at a typical Chinese coffee shop. The words came from the Hokkien dialect, it means "coffee time". Now, when you spend your holiday in Penang for the Thaipusam or Chinese New Year, a typical kopi tiam place is an excellent moment to experience this Malaysian habit. Like in almost every place where you want to sit down for a moment, you can eat here too. Nazlina writes about kopi tiam, the coffee and the special dishes which are serves in kopi tiam coffee shops.

http://www.pickles-and-spices.com/kopi-tiam.html

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123Greetings.com
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