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PLACESAND PEOPLE MALAYSIA
IN
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CONTENT TRAVEL Bukit Nanas Eco Park National Monument Plaza Asean Sculpture Park
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CUISINES Nasi Lemak Mee Rebus Cendol
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TALENTED PEOPLE Square Kufi Designer Student Basketballer
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BUKIT NANAS
ECO PARK,
KUALA LUMPUR
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Jungle in The City “This jungle helps to cleanse the air within its surrounding environment, and the visitors here are very supportive of preserving the natural ecology,” explained Anthony Paleng, one of the nature guides, whilst guiding a group of visitors to Bukit Nanas.
Along the trail, there are traces of broken branches, indicating the presence of local monkeys. If you are lucky, you might see the two local species of monkeys that exist in the park, namely the Silvered Langur and the Long-tailed Macaque. Other varieties of fauna include squirrels, snakes and birds.
According to him, a rich variety of flora can be found within the forest reserve, which includes rare herbs, A camp site is available for nature lovers who wish to creepers, ferns, climbers and giant bamboo grasses. pitch a tent and enjoy the lush greenery of the jungle, Huge tropical tree species also occupy the jungle free of charge. namely meranti, keruing, chengal and pulai. People who love jogging can also enjoy running “All of the trees here have a unique way of surviving through the forest trail, and there is an outdoor obstain the wild, a bio defense mechanism specific to each cle course for those who want to do a little stretching species,” he explained further. and body lifting.
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Visitors to the forest reserve need to take certain precautionary measures during their visit as there are some slopes that are quite steep along the forest trails. It is advisable for visitors to dress casually, ideally sports wear which includes running shoes, as there is a ladder section that could be tricky to navigate. If you are planning to visit KL Tower, you may want to consider spending an hour or so walking through the nature trails that are well maintained here. The entrance to the park is just beside the entrance to KL Tower. A complimentary nature walk is provided for those who are visiting the Observation Deck at KL Tower. All you need to do is just show your ticket at the Forest Trail Gate for a guided tour of the forest. As the weather can be humid and hot, remember to bring along a bottle of water to quench your thirst. The daily guided tour schedule: i) ii) iii) iv)
10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.
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Nature Trails There are a few nature trails that you can follow in this forest reserve. The Merbau Trail is about 361 m long and the Jelutong Trail is about 300m long. There are many signages with information that are placed near the tree species which include Kapur (Dryobalanops aromatica), Keruing bulu (Dipterocarpus baudii), Jelutong (Dyera costulata), Meranti pa’ang (Shorea bracteolata) and Rattan (Calamus manan). For those who are into jogging, certain path along the jungle is ideal for this activity. An open gymnasium is also available for those who need to stretch themselves.
Other Facilities Other facilities that you can expect from this park are: i) Forest Information Centre ii) Lookout Platform iii) Birds Watching Area iv) Toilets v) Huts vi) Activities Field
Along the way, you may be able to see many colourful butterflies and insects. If you are fortunate and patient enough, you may stumble upon the silver lacquer and the long tailed macauque monkeys that live in this park. Squirrels, birds species such as White-Throated King Fisher, Common Myna, Yellow-Vented Bulbul and White-rumped Shama can also be found here. Other plants that you will encounter are the palmaes, herbs and ferns.
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Operating Hours and Fees
Getting Here
The operating hours of the park is from 7:00am to The Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve is located near KL 6:00pm daily including public weekends and public tower. You can take the KL Monorail to Bukit Nanas holidays. The address of the park: station where you can take a 10 minutes walk to the main gate at Jalan Puncak. From here, the free shuttle Menara Kuala Lumpur service at an interval of 15 minutes is available from NBo 2, Jalan Puncak 9:00am to 6:00pm for you to reach the tower. After Off Jalan P. Ramlee 6:00pm, it is better to take a taxi to the tower. 50250 Kuala Lumpur Tel : +6 03 2020 5448 Fee: Free of Charge
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NAtIONAL MONUMENT PLAZA
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National Monument The National Monument is a sculpture that commemorates those who died in Malaysia’s struggle for freedom, principally against the Japanese occupation during World War II and the Malayan Emergency, which lasted from 1948 until 1960. It is located in the Federal capital, Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Houses of Parliament is situated near the monument. It is the world’s tallest bronze freestanding sculpture grouping. Every year on 31 July on Warriors’ Day, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Prime Minister and heads of military and the police pay their respects to the fallen heroes by laying garlands at the monument.
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Malaysia’s history and warriors remembered
The emblems of regiments that served during the wars.
The second monument, the current National Monument, is made up of tall, bronze soldiers supporting their fallen comrades. The seven statues represent leadership, unity, vigilance, strength, courage, sacrifice and suffering.
Until 2010, a wreath-laying ceremony took place here every July 31 on Warriors Day, when the king, heads of the military and the prime minister would pay their respects. But Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council declared the statues “un-Islamic” after that, meaning they are potentially idolatrous. A new WarOverall, the figures depict the victory of democracy, riors Square is apparently set to be built in the adminpeace and freedom over communism and evil. Dedi- istrative capital of Putrajaya, where the commemocated to the 11,000 people who died during the Ma- ration service will eventually be held instead. In the layan Emergency, the monument is thought to be the meantime, Malaysia’s history still stands remembered largest freestanding bronze grouping in the world. at Tugu Negara. The floor of the crescent-shaped pavilion is made from marble from the island of Langkawi, and below the centre dome is a vault. You’ll see it beyond the black metal grill, and inside are the names of the fallen warriors, recorded on microfilm and kept for posterity.
Admission is free, and the monument can be accessed daily, 07:-00-18:00. If you enjoy war history, Tugu Negara is worth an hour or two. It’s also close to the ASEAN Gardens and Parliament House, while the Petronas Twin Towers are a short 10 minutes away by cab.
Look up at the ceiling of the pavilion, and you’ll see To get to Tugu Negara, hop on the KTM train and the emblems of the regiments who served during stop at Bank Negara Station. Follow the signage to Jalan Parlimen or Perdana Laka Gardens. World War II and the Emergency.
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The crescent-shaped pavilion that leads to Tugu Negara
There are two main monuments to take note of. The first, a cenotaph — an empty tomb or monument erected to honour the dead — was originally placed in the middle of a roundabout but later moved to its present site. As such, Jalan Tugu was first known as Cenotaph Road. The inscription at the bottom, “To Our Glorious Dead (1914–1918), (1939–1945) and the Emergency (1948–1960)”, testifies to Malaysia’s involvement in a number of wars, which tourists may be unaware of.
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The cenotaph The 10 metre-high cenotaph at the upper entrance of Tugu Negara commemorates not only the war effort during both World Wars, but also the Malayan Emergency, a guerilla war fought between the Commonwealth armed forces against the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party. The Malayan Emergency was the term given by the colonial government (Britain) while the communist party coined it the Anti-British National Liberation War. Despite their defeat in 1960 and the withdrawal of Australian and British troops, the war continued sporadically until 1989.
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ASEAN SCULPTURE PARK A PARK WITH SCULPTURES IN NATIONAL MONUMENT PLAZA If you’re in Kuala Lumpur and planning to visit Tugu Negara, make a quick stop at the ASEAN Sculpture Garden. Located in the gardens about 100 metres before you enter Tugu Negara or the National Monument, the landscape features the
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work of some of Southeast Asia’s most respected sculptors. While the garden on its own may not be worth going out of your way for, it’s worth a walk through if you’re in the area and it’s an interesting collection if you know what you’re looking at.
GROWTH
Growth by Syed Ahmad Jamal from Malaysia “Growth” was the name chosen for the 20 slabs arranged in a tumpal, or shape pointing upwards; the sculpture symbolising the dynamic growth of the ASEAN region in its first 20 years was designed by Malaysian artist Syed Jamal.
and harmony of the region. Look out for the contribution from the Philippines, entitled “Barong-Barong,” a modern representation of what Filipinos call a makeshift shack, made of salvaged materials.
The remaining works are entitled “The Gate of HarThe six small sculptures positioned in a circle was mony,” “Progress (Thailand)” and “The ASEAN made using Malaysian marble by Singaporean sculp- Dance (Brunei).” tor Han Sai Por to symbolise the growth, unity, peace VOYAGE | 19
‘Progress’ by Itthi Khongkhakul from Thailand
‘Towards Peace’ by Han Sai Por from Singapore VOYAGE | 20
BARONG-BARONG Barong-Barong, symbolising interaction between east Asian Nations, namely Singapore, Malaysia, the people and nations. Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei. It was officially opened in 1987 to commemorate the 20th The gardens are home to six sculptures made of glass, anniversary of ASEAN, while also representing unity steel, bamboo and marble created by award-winning and co-operation among member states. local artists of the six founding Association of South-
‘Barong - Barong’ by Jerusalino V. Araos from Philippines VOYAGE | 21
‘The Gate Of Harmony’ by Dolorosa Sinaga from Indonesia
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Malaysia’s “Growth” - does reality match the hopes of the sculptor?
selves seem in need of some restoration and upkeep, which is a pity because it could be a pretty relaxing area to unwind and acknowledge the success of the While public art allows the general visitor to experi- region in (mostly) pulling together over the last few ence and reflect on its form and meaning, it does help decades.Some of these award-winning sculptures arto have information on the sculptor and the title of the en’t given their due. artwork at the very least. If you’d like to take a stroll and muse at the motivaRegretfully, the garden lacks this almost in entirety tion of the artists, walk from Masjid Jamek or Pasar just a few signs have a small amount of information, Seni LRT Station, which are both roughly 15 minwith little on the background of the garden. utes away. Alternatively, take the Komuter train to the Kuala Lumpur station 12 minutes’ away by foot, or It’s no surprise then that most tourists walk straight hop in a cab for the remaining journey. past the sculptures when visiting Tugu Negara. While the grounds are well maintained, the structures them-
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NASILEMAK
NASI LEMAK
HISTORY
Nasi lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and “pandan” leaf commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish, Brunei, Singapore, Riau Islands, and Southern Thailand.
Sir Richard Olof Winstedt have written about “nasi lemak” in Malaysia 1909 in his book “The Circumstances of Malay Life”. With roots in Malay culture and Malay cuisine, its name in Malay literally means “coconut rice”, but is taken in this context to mean “rich” or “creamy”. The name is derived from the cooking process whereby rice is soaked in coconut cream and then the mixture steamed. This is the same process used to make a dish from their neighbouring country, Indonesia, which is nasi uduk from Jakarta and nasi gurih from Aceh, therefore those dishes are quite similar. Sometimes knotted screwpine (pandan) leaves are thrown into the rice while steaming to give it more fragrance. Spices such as ginger and occasionally herbs like lemon grass may be added for additional fragrance.
It is not to be confused with nasi dagang sold in the Malaysian east coast states of Terengganu and Kelantan although both dishes can usually be found sold side by side for breakfast. However, because of the nasi lemak’s versatility in being able to be served in a variety of manners, it is now served and eaten any time of the day.
Traditionally, nasi lemak is served with a platter of side dishes wrapped in banana leaves, including cucumber slices, small fried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, and hot spicy sauce (sambal). As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak can also come with a variety of other accompaniments such as ayam goreng (fried chicken), sambal sotong (cuttlefish in chilli), cockles, stir fried water convolvulus (kangkong), pickled vegetables (acar), beef rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) or paru (beef lungs). Traditionally most of these accompaniments are spicy in nature. VOYAGE | 25
MEEREBUS
Mi rebus or Mee rebus (Malaysian and Singaporean spelling), (literally boiled noodles in English) is a noodle dish popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The dish is made of yellow egg noodles, which are also used in Hokkien mee, with a spicy slightly sweet curry-like gravy. The gravy is made from potatoes, curry powder, water, salted soybeans, dried shrimps, and peanuts. The dish is garnished with a hard boiled egg, calamansi limes, spring onions, Chinese celery, green chillies, fried firm tofu (tau kwa), fried shallots and bean sprouts. Some eateries serve it with beef, though rarely found in hawker centres, or add dark soy sauce to the noodles when served. The dish also goes well with satay. In the past, mi rebus was sold by mobile hawkers who carried two baskets over a pole. One basket contained a stove and a pot of boiling water, and the other the ingredients for the dish. In certain area, due to the local situation, a similar variety of this Mi Rebus is called Mee Jawa, Mi Jawa or Bakmi Jawa, although this is a popular misnomer, since Javanese bakmi Jawa is different than Mi Rebus. A dish similar to Mi Rebus in Indonesia is called Mie Celor, and it is popular in Palembang. VOYAGE | 26
CENDOL
Cendol is a cold dessert that is popular in Malaysia. It’s also consumed in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and southern Thailand. Often, it’s served in restaurants or sold as a street food in vendor booths. Made in a variety of ways, cendol almost always consists of green, chewy, jelly-like noodles mixed with coconut cream, palm syrup and pieces of ice. The name “cendol” might come from the Indonesian word jendol, meaning “bump” or “bulge.” Based on its appearance, it is easy for one to understand why this dish has that name. Worm-shaped noodles that look like squiggly bumps and bulges are the main ingredient in the dish. The glutinous noodles are formed from mung bean, also called pea flour, as well as rice flour, with a little tapioca added. The green coloring and distinctive vanilla flavor comes from the leaves of the pandan plant. Prior to the arrival of refrigeration in southeast Asia, cendol was served at room temperature. It still was a flavorful dish, but the addition of ice gave it an extra dimension and made it a favorite during warm weather. Although shaved ice is preferred, many cooks serve this dessert with chopped or even large cubes of ice.
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SQUARE
KUFI DESIGNER
Mohamad Khairil Hariz Bin Miskam
21 Years Old Johor Bharu UniKL MIIT
Bachelor Interactive Multimedia Design How did you know about Square Kufi? Who helped you make the Square Kufi? It started when I found a boutique selling shirts with kufi caligraphy art. There is alot type of kufi but I became intrested with square kufi after see it in the store.
When do you started learns and make square kufi? I started learn how to make square kufi in early 2013. At the same time, I also try to design the kufi myself and asking people opinion how my kufi looks and design.
I join a group in facebook called ‘FoKS’. When I design a square kufi, I ask their opinion how my design looks and they give their opinion to improve my design to be better.
Do you have any mentor? Yes I have. One of them is Ariff Ashaari. He taught me alot in designing Square Kufi. Many of his design inspired me alot. Because of him, I became more obssesed with Square Kufi.
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ARTWORKS
Masturah Helmi
Hakim Murni
Mohd Hafiz
Muhammad Faiz
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FULL TIME
STUDENT
PART TIME
BASKETBALLER
Muhammad Faiz Bin Mohd Mazlan
21 Years Old Semenyih UniKL MIIT
Bachelor Interactive Multimedia Design When you start playing basketball? When I was in high school in form 3. I always watched my seniors played basketball every evening at my school basketball court.
Have you enter any tournament in UniKL? Yes, I was in the UniKL basketball team for 2012 and 2013 UniKL Sport Tournament for MIIT team.
Do you have occured any injuries?
Who is your favourite basketball player? My favourite basketball player is Michael Jordan. I adore him since I was a kid. I watch all his game and really enjoyed it alot.
Will you someday be a basketball superstar? I hope I can be a basketball superstar. I really like to play basketball when I had free time. I enter alot of tournament and improving myself to be better in basketball time to time.
Yes, when I was in form 5 while practiced for my school match.
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THANK YOU
FOR READING VOYAGE MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHER ASHRUL NUSUKIN
EDITOR MUHAMMAD ZULHAFIZ
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VOYAGE MAGAZINE
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