| 2007 marks 50 years of independence from Britain | | | | Langkawi is world's away: an eco-island composed of |
| for Malaysia - so watch the country come under the | | | | 99 islets with an unhurried pace of life and a |
| spotlight in the coming months as a number of | | | | landscape of virgin jungle, cascading waterfalls, the |
| attention-grabbing celebrations start to unfold. These | | | | majestic Mat Chinchang mountains and caves. |
| will make it a great time to plan a trip to a country | | | | You could spend days trawling for the perfect beach. |
| that has it all: golden beaches, ancient rainforest, | | | | There are back-to-nature stretches, fringed by |
| towering mountains, spectacular - and endangered - | | | | casuarinas, fine sandy beaches backed by dense |
| wildlife, some of the world's tallest buildings, pulsating | | | | rainforest and powdery white sands sloping into |
| street markets and cool designer shopping malls. | | | | shallow water. More recent attractions include the |
| It's a destination tailor-made for Britons: English is | | | | mountain-top Langkawi Cable Car and a brand new |
| widely spoken, driving is on the left hand side and | | | | marina. |
| you'll find plenty of remnants of the empire, not least | | | | 50 years ago, independence was declared in Kuala |
| in the 'nowhere like home' food found widely | | | | Lumpur. Nowadays Malaysia's skyscraper capital, KL, |
| (although the local cuisine has more to recommend it). | | | | is an ultra-modern city, boasting the Petronas Twin |
| Malaysia is friendly, its people good natured - and the | | | | Towers, the world's second tallest building, and a |
| temperature stays a more-or-less constant 30°C | | | | hefty helping of shopping and nightlife in its Golden |
| year round. | | | | Triangle. Away from KL's bright lights, the wildlife |
| For most holidaymakers Malaysia's biggest draw are | | | | wonderland of Malaysian Borneo is a must. Climb to |
| its beaches, found on its premier resort islands - | | | | the summit of Mount Kinabalu, venture into the |
| Penang and Langkawi. Penang is the more evolved: a | | | | world-famous Mulu Caves or visit the world's largest |
| colourful place to soak up the country's culture, | | | | orang-utang sanctuary at Sepilok Forest Reserve, |
| especially in its vibrant capital, George Town, or to | | | | where you can see the critically-endangered apes |
| soak up the sun in lively Batu Ferringhi. | | | | roam freely. |