Take a rest at Desaru

DESARU, located on the eastern tip of the Malay Peninsula, has clean sandy white beaches and it is popular with tourists as well as locals. The 25km long stretch of unspoiled beach framed by the South China Sea on one side and lush tropical forest on the other, is home to many hotels and resorts ready to take in new guests.
The numerous resorts and hotels here cater to budget travelers as well as families seeking fun in the sun. Activities are largely available and include golfing, horseback riding, tennis, canoeing, swimming, boating, fishing, snorkeling, jungle trekking, and you can even enjoy yourselves in the local theme park.
The beaches are lined with casuarinas trees and interrupted here and there by rustic fishing villages. To make your visit more memorable, visit Tanjung Pengelih to see the relics of World War II and the historical relics of the Malay Johor Riau Empire at Johor Lama.

But the one thing that makes people come back to Desaru is the beach. It is clean and no matter the resort you are staying in, you can still enjoy the same clean and sandy beach. The beach is quite unique as the sand is quite grayish and you can walk nearly 50 meters into the sea without it getting deeper than 4 feet (1.5 m). Desaru has one of the best beaches of Johor mainland.

Pulau ketam at Malaysia

An interesting island to visit in Malaysia is the Pulau Ketam.

Pulau Ketam, literally translated, means "crab island". It is a small island located off the coast of Klang. The island is easily accessible from the Port Klang jetty by ferry. The "floating houses" that come to view as visitors approach the island is a sight to awe any city slickers. Perching casually on long wooden stilts, these dwellings are suspended about one to ten (1-10) metre above sea level.

Pulau Ketam is the best opportunity for visitors to witness and experience the unique lifestyle of fishermen. Homestay facilities are readily available. And, Pulau Ketam also having a very special viewpoint with town city where this island escape from air polutions, traffic jams, finding car parking problem etc.

Seafood is a natural wonder of this isle, and Pulau Ketam is renowned for fresh crabs, prawns and fish. It is indeed a seafood gourmet's paradise!

Malaysia and Indonesia cultural roots

Indonesia and Malaysia are two nations that share the same cultural roots, Tenas Effendi, a Riau culturalist, said here on Thursday. Indonesia and Malaysia once even shared the same peninsula and the Johor Riau kingdom was centered in Bintan, Riau Islands, in the past, he said.

"From those cultural roots, the Malay language was born and later became Indonesia’s national language," Tenas said. About Malaysia’s cultural claims, he said, they should not be the people’s concern but the government’s.

"Indonesia should make an inventory of its cultures and patent them," he said. "According to historical records, Indonesia and Malaysia were separated in 1824 based on the London Treaty which divided the peninsula into two parts."

"The upper peninsula was colonized by Britain, and the lower part by the Netherlands. Later, the upper peninsula became Malaysia and the lower one became Indonesia. Since then, administratively our governments are separated, but our culture remained one," he said.

He called on all parties to understand culture from the meaning of heredity, not politics. Moreover, Malay culture teaches wisdom, acceptance, brotherhood and goodness.

"In fact, now many Malaysian ministers and officials are interested in tracing their ancestral roots in Indonesia," he said. Meanwhile, the Indonesian chairman of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Indonesia-Malaysia relations, Try Sutrisno, said the "Pendet" case would not have happened if there had been good communications between the two nations.

Speaking to newsmen after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the lattter’s office here on Friday, Try said what he meant by communications was joint efforts in promoting culture and tourism as recommended by the EPG to their respective governments.

"If there had been cultural cooperation with regard to the depiction of the Pendet dance, the situation would not be likethis," he said.