Malaysia

På ön Penang utanför Malaysias västkust pågår bygget av världens längsta vattenrutschbana för fullt. Den kommer att bli hela 1 140 meter lång. Om du känner dig sugen på ett åk får du bege dig till Escape Theme Park när vattenrutschbanan öppnar i augusti.

Kuala Terengganu is the capital of Terengganu. It occupies a promontory jutting into the South China Sea and is flanked by the estuary of Sungai Terengganu. The city is a microcosm of Malaysia’s economic history: fishing village strikes oil and rapid modernity ensues. In just a few years this once sleepy town has been inextricably altered. Land reclamation and development of the waterfront has seen the creation of attractive parks and parades plus a modern harbour that has one of Asia's biggest drawbridges. Despite the rapid modernisation Kuala Terengganu retains plenty of charm. Here you'll find one of eastern Peninsular Malaysia’s prettiest and most interesting Chinatowns, and old kampong-style stilt-houses can still be found just across the river. With seafood-heavy local cuisine and good transport links, it's definitely worth spending a day or two in Kuala Terengganu in between the islands and jungles.

Dominating an archipelago of more than 100 islands and islets, Pulau Langkawi is synonymous with sandy shores, jungle-cloaked valleys and bargain shopping. Blonde beaches are the biggest draw, but this 478.5-sq-km island has been duty free since 1987, making low-cost kitchenware a close second.

You wouldn't know it from the sunburnt buildings, fishing boats on the bay and slow tropical pace, but Kudat used to be an important trading post and the capital of Borneo back in the late 19th century. Some of the streets have Chinese names, harking back to the British colonial administration's request to the Chinese to come and run its coconut plantations. Many of their descendants are still here today, along with a warm cast of Bajau, Rungus and Filipino.

Johor’s capital city of Johor Bahru (JB for short) has been repaved and replanted and is well on the way to rebranding itself, after years of being habitually criticised as a dirty, chaotic border town.

Emerald tea plantations unfurl across Malaysia's largest hill-station area. Temperatures in these 1300m to 1829m heights rarely top 30°C, inspiring convoys of weekenders to enjoy tea and strawberries in the restorative climate. Though technically in Pahang, the highlands are accessed from Perak.

Most travelers pause briefly in Pahang's capital and Malaysia's second-biggest port to break up longish bus trips. This is a shame; while the city isn’t especially geared towards tourism, it is definitely interesting enough to warrant a day or two’s exploration. There's an excellent museum, plenty of great places to eat, decent accommodation choices and the nearby sands of Teluk Chempedak with upmarket resort accommodation and beach views. The vast mosque is also a fantastic spectacle when illuminated at night, the padang is huge and refreshingly cool in the morning and at late afternoon, while food markets set up nearby towards evening.

A visit to the world's most famous place to see orangutans in their natural habitat is all the more compelling thanks to the outdoor nursery for orangutan youngsters in the same complex, and the nearby Sun Bear Conservation Centre and Rainforest Discovery Centre. In addition, the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary is only a short drive away.

Born of the British desire to fashion the teeming jungle into a pleasant park, the Lake Gardens (now officially named Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park) remains a lush breathing space at KL's heart and home to top museums, themed parks and other monuments and sights. The transport and business hub KL Sentral and neighbouring Brickfields are immediately south of here.

Malaysia’s northeast coast is simply beautiful. Picturesque palm-fringed beaches and bucolic kampung (villages) abound, but what brings folks back to the region time and again are the tantalising tropical islands offshore. ‘Paradise’ barely does these gems justice, though that’ll likely be the word that comes to mind when you first lay eyes on the white sands and azure waters of Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Redang or Pulau Kapas. Snorkellers and divers revel in these crystal-clear waters featuring colorful coral gardens and myriads of fishes.