The holidays are almost over. After Christmas and New Years Day, here in Malaysia we got the Chinese New Year which is always a prime holiday period. And of course this weekend we have Thaipusam. But after the Thaipusam all will come back to more normal speed.

Yes, it was quite hectic the last weeks. I was running on and off to Penang. But when it gets more quiet here in Malaysia the season for my other website, www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com, will start very soon. Later in February I will visit Yangshuo, a little town in south China, 800 km north west of Hong Kong, again, for a week or two.

The last weeks I have been busy with working on a few new maps and a new logo. Later more about these. And we got a request from Eileen Chiang, a Research Assistant for WildAsia.net. See the article later in the newsletter.

So, what do we have this time in the Pulau Pangkor Newsletter?

• What's new at Pulau Pangkor.com? Maps and logo
• Teluk Bahang, Pinang National Park
• Thaipusam, Indian Festival
• Wild Asia's Valentine Gift of Life
• Nature Escapes Kuala Lumpur
• Swiss-Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut
• Value  Exchange, link with other websites
• Penang property - Georgetown
• Tioman - getaway for the whole family
• 123Greetings.com

Happy reading!
Peter van der Lans
Sitiawan

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What's new at Pulau Pangkor.com?
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First of all, the new logo is since the 4th February online. You may already seen it. I think it's pretty nice, but what do YOU think? Tell us! http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/contact-us.html

There are several new maps on the Pangkor website now available. I hope you find them useful:

The map of Pangkor island is completely revisited:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Pangkor-maps.html

A map of Perak:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/map-of-perak.html

Lumut. People keep asking if they need a taxi or bus from the Lumut bus station to the jetty. With the new Lumut map that is now clearer. I though you might find a larger Lumut map useful, a map of the surrounding of Lumut. See the map below the Lumut map:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/lumut-map.html

Perhentian, Redang and Tioman islands now have there own map too:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/east-coast-malaysia.html

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Teluk Bahang, Penang
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Teluk Bahang in Penang is much lesser known then other nature parks in Malaysia. Penang is more known for the Batu Ferringhi Beach, culture and shopping. However, Teluk Bahang has the Pinang National Park. The Pejabat Taman Negara Pulau Pinang, as it's official name is, is located in the north west corner of Penang and mostly ignored by tourists. Locals do find the park, but they mostly use it for a weekend picnic at Pantai kerachut.

It's really a shame the park doesn't get the attention it deserves as the plant and animal life in the park is remarkable. And the the Pantai Kerachut beach is a small but very relevant turtle breeding station. Turtle eggs are collected and hatched. When ready the young turtles are released at sunset (as at daytime the sunlight is too bright for the young turtles to get the right direction). Information is given in Malay by local guides.

Teluk Bahang's National Park is a great day out. Get a boat at the park entrance to Pantai Berachut and hike back. You will love it.

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/teluk-bahang.html

We added a map of the park:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/pinang-national-park.html

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Thaipusam
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Thaipusam is one of the most important festivals for the Hindu Indian population in Malaysia. It's a magnificent festival that once more shows how colourful the Indian history and religion is. You don't have to be a believer to understand the power of the festival. Things happen here I can't explain but they still exist. And the community feeling is fantastic. In Kuala Lumpur the festival will be focused around the Batu Caves but I will be in Penang for already my third visit. Yes, I enjoyed it very much.

What is Thaipusam? See the page below for an extensive overview:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Indian-festival-Pangkor.html

I visited Penang during the Thaipusam in 2007 and 2008, have a look what it looked like.

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

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/thaipusam-2008-photos.html

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Wild Asia's Valentine Gift of Life
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Chocolates, teddy bears and roses have become passé gifts for Valentine's Day. This year, why not try something different and expand your love to include Mother Nature. Wild Asia in collaboration with DHP SDN. BHD is giving out a book of compiled love poems by Blue Mountain Arts when you purchase a tree from Wild Asia's "Plant a Tree" (http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=product&productID=1341) campaign.

The book, entitled "This Valentine's Day, I Promise You All My Love" is worth RM60 (around US$15)and printed on recycled paper. This promotion runs from January till March 2009. Please visit www.wildasia.net for more information.

Go beyond your love for your family and friends and work towards greening our world!

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Nature Escapes Kuala Lumpur
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Nature and jungle in Kuala Lumpur? Few people think of Kuala Lumpur, a metropolis, of jungle unless you think of an urban jungle. Still, within 15 to 30 minutes from the metroplis you can find raw and unspoiled jungle with tropical rainforest as dense as you can imagine. I do not pretend to be an expert of the jungles of Kuala Lumpur, but Rick certainly qualifies that label. Working for WildAsia.net and NGO's worldwide, Rick knows the ins and outs of the Kuala Lumpur jungle and outtings.

When some months I saw his website for the first time, I could hardly believe there was so much nature so close to Kuala Lumpur. Rick's website gives an excellent overview of the options you have, he knows the local guides and is an excellent photographer. Even if you are not interested in going to visit one of Rick's recommendations, you should visit the website as the photos are spectacular!

- http://www.nature-escapes-kuala-lumpur.com/

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Swiss-Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut
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The Swiss-Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut informed us of some new packages they have available for you this year. Prices are updated and the packages look exciting.

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

The Swiss Villas are another option for the whole family to stay:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/swiss-villas.html

And there is a new bar: The Iguana Bar. The idea of the bar is expected to be the favorite entertainment venue where you can party till late night, listen to great house music, dance, expand your network of friends, and the best part is just being yourself.

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/iguana-bar.html

There is also a new Golf package available: "Damai Laut Weekday Golf Special New golf package 2 days 1 night!", check the details at:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/damai-laut.html

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Link to me, Link to you!
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Many webmasters are aware that links to their website increase the possibility of getting traffic and gaintrust by Search Engines as Google, Yahoo and Windows Live which are the prime search engines on the net. How to get good links? Lets start what does NOT work.

What does certainly not work is a link farm. Linking to websites with heaps of links on one page is not considered to be a good link. If I get those requests, I always skip them. Sorry folks. You can ask a webmaster to write a good article for your site. I asked Nazlina to do an article about traveling with children. As I don't have children, this was a solid content page for my site and Nazlina got her link to her site:

- http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/pangkor-vacation-with-children.html

At the same page you can see another example of an option for link exchanging. Miriam from http://www.china-family-adventure.com write a short introduction for her website which I put on Nazlina's page. In return Miriam gave me a link back to my bicycle website: http://www.china-family-adventure.com/xian-wall.html

These kind of links have a good value. Of course you can only do that with websites that have some relation with your site. But how to find good quality websites? I use Sitesell's Value Exchange. People who already own Sitesell know Value Exchange and it's benefits. Sign up now and start using Value Exchange. It's free and easy:

- http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/webselling64290.html

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Penang property - Georgetown
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A few weeks back our property agent in Penang called us. If we were interested in seeing some very new houses in Penang. Of we were interested. Thus we met Mr. Yeoh and spend a couple of hours looking at various houses. As you already know, we don't offer any service on the website without checking ourselves. How else could I tell you something is good or not?

This time we saw the new build bungalows at Hogan Road and Dunn Road. These bungalows are not for the fainthearted, as I told Mr. Yeoh. The luxury bungalows are in a very quiet part of Georgetown, minutes away from Gurney Drive and the cultural heart: the Armenian Quarter. If you are searching for property in Penang, give the two locations a view:

Hogan Road:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/hogan-road-penang.html

Dunn Road:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/landed-property-in-penang.html

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Tioman - getaway for the whole family
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Tioman island on the east coast is a long time favorites of travelers in Malaysia. Not for nothing. The diving facilities here are excellent. It's not too far from Singapore too, so if you have little time, Tioman is a good option if you stay there. And with everyday flights from several destinations from other Malaysian cities, Tioman is easy accessible. Several resorts have diving facilities, but you can go hiking in the mostly unspoiled jungle or get a canoe and go around the island.

At the moment Tioman is not the best place to visit as it is rainy season on the east coast. However, later in March the weather will change and Tioman will be again a magnificent holiday destination. Check out introduction to Tioman page:

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

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123Greetings.com
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