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Asia & The Pacific Factfilechoosing our partners in Burma carefully we are ableto maximize the benefits for local communities andallow our clients to see the situation in the countryfor themselves, should they wish.MALAYSIA & BORNEOCapital: Kuala LumpurPopulation: 27.5 millionCurrency: Ringgit (MYR)Official Language(s): Malay (official), EnglishMalaysia is almost two countries in one, thepeninsula offering a varied mix of cultures fromMalay to India colonial influences, a modern andcosmopolitan capital and fine beaches. Borneo isrenowned for its rich and unique wildlife, tropicalrainforests and remote tribes, and it also offers finebeaches. Also on the island of Borneo to the southis the region of Sarawak, home to the Iban tribe.What To SeeMalaysia’s longest river, the mighty Rajang, flowsacross Borneo from Sarawak into IndonesianKalimantan. Though well known to many dueto Redmon O’Hanlon’s classic, Into the Heartof Borneo, the river attracts few tourists dueto its remoteness and lack of facilities. Thereis an abundance of wildlife, amazing scenery,and opportunities to visit traditional as well asmodern longhouses. Downriver, the prosperousChinese town of Sibu is a reflection of old China,with its old shop houses, markets and friendlyinhabitants. Take an “Into the Heart of Borneo”cruise on the new RV Orient Pandaw to explorethis fascinating region.Mulu National Park is Sarawak’s largest nationalpark, centered around the peak of Gunung(Mount) Mulu and noted for its landscape ofsoaring peaks, dense jungle and undergroundcave system. The network of huge limestonecaves is one of the largest in the world, at morethan 31 miles long. Highlights include Deer Cave,home to a million bats and best observed at duskLang Cave, regarded as the most beautiful caveformation in Mulu, and Clearwater Cave, whereyou can swim in the warm water. The park ishome to an amazing diversity of wildlife and 8,000species of plant and trees as well as the Penanpeople, a tribe of hunter-gatherers and one ofthe few remaining nomads of the rainforest.122 I Asia & Pacific 2011When To GoIt remains hot and humid throughout the year inMalaysia. So, weather wise the best time to visitis from May to September. It rains heavily duringOctober-November and April-May on the Westcoast and from November to January on the Eastcoast. However, rainy season is the best timeto spot turtles that come out to lay their eggs.Apart from the highlands, the temperatures arenormally around 30°C in the lowlands with highlevels of humidity.SRI LANKACapital: Sri Jayawardenepura KottePopulation: 20.9 millionCurrency: Sri Lanka RuppeOfficial Language(s): Sinhala, Tamil and EnglishSir Lanka offers many archaeological, culturaland scenic highlights including the ancient sitesof the ‘cultural triangle’, the tropical interior, thebeautiful hill station of Kandy and the picturesque‘tea country’. As well as exploring Colombo,other key areas to visit include the elephantorphanage in Pinnewala, the rock fortress atSigiriya and the small fishing hamlet of Ahungalla.Horton Plains and Yala National Park offer greatopportunities to search for wildlife. At the end ofyour exploration you may choose to unwind onone of Sri Lanka’s idyllic tropical beaches.What To SeeColombo is Sri Lanka’s biggest city and thecountry’s political, economic and cultural center.On the southeastern fringe of Colombo is thedistrict of Kotte, formerly the capital of a majorSinhalese kingdom. Today Kotte goes under thename Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte and is onceagain the administrative capital. Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage is a governmentrunelephant orphanage. Which was set up to saveabandoned or orphaned wild elephants. Controlledby their keepers to make sure they feed at the righttimes and don’t endanger anyone, the elephantsare free to roam around the sanctuary.When To GoWith consistently warm and sunny climates,conditions rarely grow chilly. In the lowland areasaround the coast, temperatures are much higher.While sea breezes keep the air fresh during theday, evenings can be rather humid. It can rain atany time of year the southwest coast experiencesmonsoon rains between May and October, whilethe northeast monsoon occurs between Octoberand December.INDONESIACapital: JakartaPopulation: 238 millionCurrency: Rupiah (IDR)Official Language(s): Bahasa IndonesiaIndonesia is situated across the equator,encompassed by more than 17,000 islands, twothirdsof which are inhabited. Most of the remainsunexplored, concealing a wealth of cultures anda myriad of landscapes. Oceanic rice fields andancient sultanates in Java are humbled by volcaniccones. Maluku’s alabaster beaches and desertislands remain pristine.What to seeBali : Dotted with small, character-filled villages,smouldering volcanoes rising out of lush richfields, idyllic beaches and colourful reefs, Bali isthe perfect island getaway. Conquer the slopesof simmering Mt Batur, explore an underwaterworld in Bali Barat National Park. Enjoy a momentof absolute peace in Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, aHindu-Buddhist lake temple.Yogyakarta at present is a place where traditionand modern dynamics are going on togethercontinuously. It has a palace which has hundreds ofloyal servants to run the tradition and a Universityof Gadjah Mada that is one of the leadinguniversities. Traditional markets and handicraftcenters are numerous in the city.When to goBest time to visit Indonesia is during dry seasonbetween April and October, when the humidityis relatively less and weather is pleasant. Thoughtravel in the wet season is possible in most partsit can be a deterrent to some activities.