KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Ever thought of going for a holiday on a train? For those looking for a new holiday experience altogether, there is good news.
In conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY14), Railway Tourism Association (RTAM) has introduced railway holiday packages across various parts of Peninsular Malaysia in collaboration with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) and the Ministry of Tourism.
The rail holiday packages will help the ministry achieve its target of seeing 28 million local and international tourists during VMY14.
One can now choose a 3-day-2-night package under customised homestay programmes covering north and east of the Peninsula.
Apart from offering up to four daily tour packages ranging from RM200 that include tourist attractions like as hot spring retreat and heritage trails, RTAM also offers more than 20 homestay packages in Kedah, Melaka and Kelantan starting from RM500.
These attractive packages bring travellers on a relaxing train trip to various parts of Peninsular and gives them a taste of authentic Malaysian rural life.
While enjoying magnificent panorama along the journey, visitors can also learn more about the locals and their cultures.
Beautiful scenery, flora and fauna
Tourists will be amazed with Malaysia’s natural flora and fauna treasures, made up of 8,000 species of flowering plants that comprises of 2,000 tree species, 800 types of orchids and 200 types of palms.
Our natural rainforest is also a home to more than 200 species of mammals, 600 types of birds, 300 species of fresh water fish, 140 species of snakes, 80 types of lizard and thousands of insects.
Besides that, Malaysia has many beautiful landscapes that include beaches, Rainbow Falls at Sungai Lembing in Pahang, Royal Belum Forest and Pangkor Island in Perak, Beris Dam and Langkawi Island in Kedah.
Cultures and local delicacies
While having a spectacular holiday trip here in Malaysia, visitors can embark on a journey of knowledge by learning the customs, cultures and religions of various ethnic groups here - the Malay, Chinese and Indians.
There is a variety of traditional games like congkak, gasing or batu seremban that one can play and see the traditional attires like the baju kurung, cheongsam, saree or sarongs.
Malaysia is know for its gourmet where tourists can enjoy a combination of modern and traditional local food such as lontong, laksa, soto, roti canai, nasi lemak and nasi kerabu. And one should not forget the sweet deserts such as ais kacang or cendol, and the many kuih including koci, lopes or even seri muka.
Tourists feedback
Abdul Razak Mohamed Adan, 24, from Somalia studying at Almadinah International University (MEDIU) here said the affordable homestay trip provided him a new experience and the opportunity to meet the locals face to face.
“The trip is a totally different experience than your usual hotel stay as you don’t really get that feeling of warmth and comfort especially when being far away from home.
“I had a foster family, stayed with them for the entire trip, experiencing new and exciting things such as taking part in a Malay wedding ceremony and observed Malaysia’s determination in preserving and restoring historic architecture like the Victoria Bridge in Kuala Kangsar which was built in 1897 during the era of Queen Victoria,” he said.
He said that the homestay provided a totally different experience unlike the usual hotel stay as it came with the warmth of the friendly foster family.
Yunia Vivi Kartika Surianto, 20, a student from Jakarta said she was attracted by the packages offered by RTAM and joined a homestay programme in Ipoh.
“It was an interesting trip filled with excitement where we visited and captured memorable photos of beautiful scenery, locations and historical buildings such as the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Ubidiah Mosque and Istana Bukit Chandan.
“During our vacation, we were greeted by the friendliest locals, learned many knowledgeable facts of the citizens here, tasted the delightful delicacies and had been given the opportunity to feel the ambience of a rural area,” she said.
She is planning for a return visit to venture into other unexplored places here in Malaysia.
For further enquiries, those keen can visit RTAM website at www.malaysiarailwaytourism.weebly.com, email to [email protected] or call +60173641157/ +60193268480.
— Bernama
