Asia’s best-kept secret for expatriates, Malaysia has a vibrant mix of foreign and indigenous tribal cultures, creating a veritable melting pot of peoples, traditions and religions.

A sizable enclave of foreigners (Brits, Americans, Australians, and Canadians) live full time or maintain holiday homes in Malaysia, and you’ll find that just about everybody speaks English, since its compulsory in local schools.

Not only are three world-class playgrounds (Thailand, Bali, and the Philippines) all within a few hour’s travel from Malaysia, but with miles of white sand coastline, tropical islands, and beachfront property galore, it has all the makings of a fairy-tale setting.

Despite being the capital of a developing nation, Kuala Lumpur is a modern cosmopolitan with clean streets and sidewalks and every modern convenience to found in New York or London. Home to the tallest building in the world, there are also FedEx and UPS offices, international banks, English cinemas and bookstores, western-style supermarkets, French and German bakeries, Chinese, Indian, and Italian restaurants, gourmet coffee, Cuban cigars, Internet caf?s and some of the best shopping in the world!

One of the few things that lend a Third-world feel to the capital are the open-air night market, where local merchants peddle everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to meat and fish, to exotic animals and traditional handicrafts.

All the major newspapers are available at newsstands, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Financial Times, the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. Cable and satellite TV provides access to a wide variety of English-language programming, including CNN, the Discovery Channel, Filmnet and many more.

Despite the local Muslim population not drinking alcohol, Kuala Lumpur has some of the liveliest nightlife in the region and there are more than a fair share of clubs and bars, where tourists, expatriates and locals alike mingle and party. Though the official religion of Malaysia is Islam, great tolerance is shown for other religions, with many beliefs being represented and their adherents practicing openly, including Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists and Jews (the nearest synagogue is in neighboring Singapore).

Compared with other major Asian cities (Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong, for example), Kuala Lumpur is downright cheap. Even in the over-priced tourist spots you can get a good meal for two for around $20. Outside of these places, a 3-course meal for two with all the trimmings, including drinks, will set you back no more than $10?a doctor’s visit $8 to $15 and live-in domestic help $200 a month.

Rental properties are readily available and not overly expensive by American or European standards. The cost of 2-bedroom rental apartments begins at around $225 per month, with 3-bedroom houses starting at $35,000. Naturally, comparable housing in expatriate communities or the luxurious suburban homes that date from British colonial period can set you back considerably more.

Other properties recently on offer include:

A 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom, 725-square-foot apartment with a dining room, a kitchen, ceiling fans, a walk-in closet, and parking, costs $45,215.

A small two-story bungalow with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room going for $35,700.

A penthouse apartment, close to downtown, with a sea-view and a 350-sqare-foot terrace. It comes fully furnished and has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a kitchen, and a dining room. The asking price? $75,000.

A spacious 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 2500-square-foot condominium with a large living room, an elegant dining room, a fully equipped kitchen, and a pantry, for $125,250.

Though there are expensive restaurants and accommodations, there’s simply no reason for you to check into a five-star hotel when you can stay in a clean, friendly hotel in the city center for $40 a night where every meal costs less than $5 per person.

CRIME-FREE AND FOREIGNER FRIENDLY

Of course, cheap living shouldn’t be the only deciding factor when choosing a new home. As well as being very affordable, Malaysia is safe.The government’s real no tolerance policy means street crime is virtually nonexistent.

The Malaysian government, through its Silver-Haired Program, offers expatriate resident retirees extremely attractive benefits. Outside of nationals of Israel and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), the program is open to citizens of most countries. To qualify, you need only be over 50, show you can bring a guaranteed income of about $1300 per month into Malaysia (or open a savings account in Malaysia with $40,000), and have a local sponsor (which can easily be arranged).

Penang, a small island off the northwest coast, has been called the Pearl of the Orient and its beaches are a favorite tourist destination. The coastline is also dotted with many small, quiet seaside villages. The tropical rainforests and jungles offer many opportunities for exploring lush mountains, trekking through the jungle, or even taking a riverboat safari. The bountiful sea surrounding Malaysia provides for some of the best scuba diving and fishing anywhere in the world (Malaysia’s seas are home to the Black Marlin, tuna, mackerel, sailfish, barracuda and a host of other species).

PRACTICAL BENEFITS

Medical care is good, with excellent hospitals and clinics in all the major towns. Doctors speak English, and the majority gained their qualifications in Western Europe or North America.

Although foreign residents must arrange private health insurance, visiting tourists who have an accident are entitled to free emergency treatment in public hospitals. A consultation with a private doctor in most cases will cost just $8 to $15.

When it comes to banking, management methods and the range of services offered closely follow the British model. Plus, most major world banks have full-service branches in Malaysia.

Many expatriates living here off investment income keep their cash growing tax free in Labuan, an offshore tax haven administered by Malaysia, and then bring into the mainland what’s needed for living expenses. Labuan is also perfect for anyone looking for a private, offshore bank account, a tax-free corporation, a trust, or other offshore structures.

Led by Malaysian Airlines, the national carrier, the island is served by many major airlines, linking it the world through its international airports. A good network of modern roads covers the distances between towns, and Malaysian telecommunications are among the best in the world.

If you’ve ever thought about living overseas, you owe it to yourself to investigate Malaysia.

About The Author

Copyright 2005 by Shannon Roxborough

Shannon Roxborough is an international lifestyle expert with close to 20 years experience. He has helped hundreds of clients with overseas living, retirement and travel matters. Visit his website at: www.TheGlobalLife.net

askinternational@aol.com

Theme park is a great fun. It is also possible to spend more time on the ride. You don?t want to spend money to stand in line, get sunburn, and feel sick from junk food. A little research will help you a long way. It is possible to have a fun, safe, and healthy day at theme park.

Before you make your reservations at the theme park, you should call to check on the big rides. You do not want to feel disappointment, if the big rides are closed. You can also save your energy and gas to drive there,

Try to make a plan before you go. Some theme parks are gigantic. You may not be able to see everything in one day. Some of the rides are better than the other. You may want to ride some rides more than once. Many parks have longer hours on a certain days. You want to find out when it is best to visit.

If you are a member of associations, you may get special treatment at the theme park. You may get special seating, VIP lounge, or be allowed to skip to the front of line.

You also want to check for special light shows, fireworks, parades, or live music on certain days. Some days are better than the other days. The Parks usually publish schedules with this information. Try to get your hand on them.

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So you?ve finally decided to head to Walt Disney World. With so much to see and do, it?s important to come prepared. Here are some excellent tips to make your trip one that will be remembered for a lifetime.

? Plan ahead. Decide ahead of time what your priorities are and make a plan of action.

? Get to the parks early! It?s amazing, particularly in busy season, how many of the popular rides you can knock off before half the ?World? gets out of bed.

? Take the time to rest in the middle of the day. Stay at one of the Magic Kingdom or Epcot resorts, allowing a return in the middle of the day for a nap or dip in the pool.

? Call exactly 90 days prior at 7 AM Orlando time for priority seating if breakfast at Cinderella?s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom is tops on your child?s list. The only way you might get away with sleeping in and booking a bit later for this highly coveted character breakfast is if you are traveling in extremely slow season.

? Come prepared for an afternoon shower during the rainy summer months even if the sky looks perfectly clear in the morning. Rent a locker to store your raingear and circle back if skies start to look threatening. However, if you?re caught unprepared, just about every store in the parks sells inexpensive rain ponchos.

? Use Fastpass, Disney?s free, nifty timesaving device. It?s offered at all four theme parks and is a great way to save hours of waiting in line. Just insert your park pass in one of the machines located at each individual Fastpass attraction and receive a ticket printed with a designated one-hour window in which you may return and enter a special line with little or no waiting.

?Pre-arrange priority seating, Disney?s answer to dining reservations, by calling 407-WDW-DINE. On arrival you?ll receive the next table available for your party size, thus saving hours of frustration and waiting.

? Allow plenty of time to reach the theme parks each morning. It?s easy to miss your breakfast priority seating is you don?t allocate enough time.

? Be spontaneous. If something catches your eye, even if it?s not on your daily list of things to do, stop and explore. If not, you could miss something wonderful.

? Realize the limitations of your children. If they?re tired, take a break. If their feet hurt, get them a stroller (forget that they outgrew one years ago). If a ride scares them don?t force the issue. Such precautions will make your day and the day of other park visitors a lot less stressful.

? Bring pagers, 2-way radios, or cell phones. If your party plans on splitting up, they are a perfect way to keep in touch.

? Wear broken-in, comfortable footwear. Better yet, bring two pairs and rotate them. Nothing is worse than blisters on your first day and then nursing them for the remainder of your vacation.

? Most importantly, slow down and enjoy the magic. Resist the urge to see everything at breakneck speed. You can?t possibly cover it all, so think of this as your first trip to Disney, not your last. There will be time to pick up all the things you missed on the next go-round.

Cara Goldsbury is the author of The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer available at 800-247-6553, or www.luxurydisneyguide.com

Located thirty miles south of Salt Lake City, the town of Layton, Utah, is named after Christopher Layton, a famous Mormon coloniser. Its self-proclaimed mission statement is to, provide services and opportunities, in partnership with the community, which enhance the quality of life. In 2004, the population of Layton was estimated at a little over sixty thousand people; but despite its small nature, there is an abundance of fun attractions in Layton to excite visitors.

The town’s foremost cultural spot is the Layton Heritage Museum. Although the building of the museum began in 1976, it was not opened until 1980 and celebrated its twenty-fifth birthday last year. Since its inception, the museum has made its goal the preservation and exhibition of artefacts that chart the history and development of communities in north Davis County, in which Layton is the largest city.

Established as recently as 1852, Davis County underwent a rapid transformation from its very beginning; with the advent of the Utah Central Railroad in 1870 and the Hill Air Force Base in north Davis County during World War II, the civilian population exploded. In 1940, the population just exceeded 16,000; however by 1950 this figure had doubled, and then doubled again by 1960. In 2000, there were 239,000 residents in the county. Therefore, the importance of documenting the enormous cultural, recreational and economic changes that have been experienced in the last hundred years in the region is paramount to preserving its historical integrity, and this is exactly what the Layton Heritage Museum consistently aims to provide.

At the time of its opening in 1980, the museum possessed only a minute collection of Native American relics, as well as a few remnants of the pioneer age. Its expansion has been on such a scale that, presently, it is home to over 2100 artefacts, 1890 historical documents and newspapers, and 3357 photographs. The majority of its collection dates from the turn of the twentieth century, when Layton and north Davis County were still rural, agricultural areas. The heritage museum is also well situated near the Utah Central Railroad, once again affirming its importance in the history of the region.

The newest feature of the Layton Heritage Museum is its Digital Exhibit Hall. Visitors will find pictures of museum exhibits, as well as scans of photographs and maps on its website. Available collections currently include historical images of Layton, photos of the heritage museum’s permanent exhibition of the Layton Old Town, as well as pictures of its 2006 featured exhibit, The Business of Businesses, which charts the history of businesses in the Layton/Kaysville region. The LeConte Stewart Landscape Art Competition is another exciting feature at the Layton heritage Museum: this annual competition is named after the famed Utah landscape painter LeConte Stewart, and aims to encourage young landscape painters in the region. This clearly shows the Layton Heritage museum’s unwavering commitment to documenting the changing history of Layton and north Davis County, making it a worthy and valuable historical asset, and with a Hilton Garden Inn located just down the road, it’s conveniently located for out of town visitors.

Andrew Regan is an online journalist who enjoys socialising at his local Edinburgh rugby club.

Cancun is back, better than ever! Over a hundred Mexico resorts have reopened and the state tourism minister predicts Cancun will draw as many visitors in 2006 as it did two years ago. And the travel deals are great! If you haven?t been, now may be the best time to take a vacation to Cancun.

Since Hurricane Wilma hit in late October, the clean up has been moving fast. In fact, commercial and charter flights are back on regular schedules and many of the Cancun hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, golf courses and clubs have reopened. Even the ancient Mayan sites of Tulum and Coba are open and looking better than ever. In an effort to repair the beaches, engineers have been working around the clock building the equivalent of two American football fields of beach a day by collecting the displaced sand, from 22 miles off shore, onto two ships and re-depositing it back in it?s original location.

The hotels and shops in Cancun continue to deliver exceptional, very personalized and attentive service. Clearly, Cancun wants everyone to come on back!

Additional Notes about the Restoration

?Beach Restoration Project Moving Forward: A $17 million beach restoration project, funded by the Mexican government, is currently underway. The project, which is expected to take about eight months to complete, will restore and augment beaches along the 7 1/2-mile stretch between Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc.

?It?s a Divers Paradise: Divers are enjoying less crowds, great conditions and personalized service now that those areas have re-opened.

?Expedia.com Helping Get the Word Out: Expedia is working closely with travel industry partners in Cancun to create more awareness about the region as well as setting up smart business practices for local merchants that will keep more money in the local communities.

?New jobs: Cancun has added 10,000 new jobs since the Hurricane

Its time to go to Cancun

So, when you make travel plans this year, don?t forget about Mexico?s number one vacation destination. Cancun has received a real facelift with remodeled shopping centers, new hotels and restored beaches. The government, business owners and local people look forward your arrival.

This article was written by Jon Wuebben, of Custom Copywriting. Jon writes select pieces about travel in Mexico for the JW Marriott Resort in Cancun.

Samuel Johnson said it almost 300 years ago, and I still believe it today …

If you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life.

I enjoy many locations around the world, but none so much as London. It’s the center of civilization, as far as I’m concerned. If something is ‘happening’ there, then it’s worth taking note.

That’s why I was quite impressed to see the IceBar had set up shop on Heddon Street.

You don’t need to have a taste for vodka in all its forms, but it helps. That’s not only because Absolut is the financial power behind this motif, but because there is a historically-established reason why cultures from cold climates got this creative with a potato. Not only does it ‘warm’ a soul from the inside, but in the realm of Absolut, it comes in more guises than you’ve got time to try in a 30-minute session. That happens to be a customer’s time limit in the IceBar, which also limits the number of icebarfights on record.

This is a spinoff of the famous IceHotel in the Swedish arctic zone. If you like to travel, then this is a required destination. It’s only a 90-minute flight from Stockholm to Kiruna, where you’ve got a choice of snowmobile or dogsled (hint: take the sled) to complete your journey to the icy climes of Jukkasjaervi in Sweden’s portion of Lappland. It’s situated along the banks of the Torne River, widely acclaimed as being the source of the purest water in Europe, if not the world.

I think this is one of the most spectacular scenes in existence. Everything is constructed of pure ice, from the chambers to the furniture to the decor (world-class sculptures from global artists are commissioned to create them each season) to the glassware. The all-ice wedding chapel is booked far in advance and the theater stages world-class productions.

The beds do make the concession of thermal sleeping bags, which are amazingly comfortable, but even if you do get a bit chilled here, I guarantee you’ll be convinced it was worth it. I cannot think of a more majestic locale to view the Northern Lights flashing across the cold, crisp sky, bathing the ice in a blue-green glow that melds Nature’s wonder with that of man’s. The IceHotel is breathtaking in every sense of the word. It’s an experience which will be etched into your memory forever.

Thus, it wasn’t a surprise to me when, during a trip to Stockholm a couple of years ago, I checked into the Nordic Sea hotel and noticed a scaled-down replica of the IceBar adjacent to the lobby. I loathe queues, so fortunately, I was there on a quiet night and there was no 30-minute limit in effect. I donned the thermal cloak and gloves they provide, ordered an Absolut citron and proceeded to mingle in search of someone to share a toast of ‘Skol!’. Trust me, it wasn’t hard to do!

Its presence was such a ‘natural’ in Stockholm that I’ve thought more than once since then that the IceBar meets the critera for being a fixture in that center of chic that is London. And now it’s happened.

The ?12 cover is reasonable, the drinks are Absolut, the sculptures and decor are changed periodically — the cumulative body heat does cause melting over time, so re-building is a necessity — and the atmosphere is the only thing that is always warm. After all, who’s going to pay for a 30-minute stay, garbed in silver thermals, and not be in a festive mood? It’s a perfect addition to any festive itinerary.

In chatting with the lovely blonde svensk flicka tending bar that evening, I discovered that Absolut is so pleased with the IceBar concept that they’re deploying them elsewhere. Besides Stockholm, they opened a franchice (I couldn’t resist the pun) in Milan before venturing into London. That makes sense. Stockholm’s ambience is quite-stylish and Milan’s is lively-stylish. If the IceBar succeeds in those cities, then it’s ready to move up to a London setting.

It succeeds spectacularly. After one visit, and 30 minutes of Absolut, you may just reach for the cellphone and book reservations for the IceHotel, then and there.

If so, you’ll join a growing list of those who have found that drinks in your ice can be more fun than ice in your drinks.

J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at the Longer Life website, which is dedicated to providing information, strategies, analysis and commentary devoted to improving the quality of living. His page can be found at http://longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html and his observations are published three times per week.