The deadliest places on earth

Interestingly, Malaysia has an attraction that made it to MSN's The Deadliest Places on Earth .

The place is the Gomantong Caves in Sabah, Sandakan to be exact.

Source: MSN

Why the Gomantang Caves made the list..
Simud Hitam (Black Cave) and Simud Putih (White Cave) are the two dark cave complexes in the Gomantong cave system. Simud Hitam is up to 295 feet (90 meters) high and is more accessible than Simud Putih. The caves are surrounded by a forest having various animals, including orangutans. However, the thousands of live bats, Malaysian cockroaches and huge Scutigera centipedes give way to layers of waste and remains of dead creatures, with rats feeding on them, making this space extremely mucky.

The Gomantang Caves is actually one of Sabah's many attractions. Located in the heart of the Gomantong Rainforest Reserve, the caves have been claimed by the World Wildlife Foundation to be the best managed edible birds' nest cave in the world and has been the focus for birds' nest for many centuries.

They are not as scary as it's made out to be if you enjoy caving or don't mind creepy-crawlies like coaches and centipedes, bats, swiftlets and such. Oh yes, wild orangutans as well in the vicinity.

Source: Wikipedia

Malaysians visiting Qatar accorded Free visa-on-arrival

From The Star..

Honoured visitor: Dr Ahmad Zahid visiting the Souq Waqif market with Sheikh Abdullah. — Bernama

DOHA: Malaysians will no longer need to pay any visa fee to visit Qatar, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Qatar’s Prime Minister and Home Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani informed him of this during their meeting here.

He said Malaysians would also be accorded the visa-on-arrival facility allowing them to stay in Qatar for 60 days and an additional 30 days on application.

“This is a new decision which was reached and agreed with the Qatari government,” he told Malaysian journalists here.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said the change would take effect after a follow-up meeting to be handled by Malaysia’s Ambassador to Qatar Datuk Ahmad Jazri Mohd Johar. — Bernama


Along the topic of visa, in another news article as reported by The Star, Indian nationals living outside their country can enjoy visa-free travel to Malaysia now, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“We welcome them to visit Malaysia as tourists,” he said.

“This will help increase our foreign exchange earnings as tourist arrivals will go up.”

Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said this did not mean that the nation’s security would be compromised as they would have to undergo Airline Passenger Security Screening (APSS) before being allowed entry into Malaysia.

This flexibility, he added, would attract some 500,000 Indian nationals currently in Qatar as businessmen, professionals and technical experts.

Langkawi hotels take top three spots in TripAdvisor's 2017 Travel Awards

TripAdvisor’s 2017 Travellers’ Choice Awards for Hotels sees the top three spots for hotels in Malaysia go to three Langkawi hotels:

* The Danna Langkawi,
* The Datai Langkawi, and
* Casa del Mar Langkawi.

The Danna Langkawi has taken the top spot for the third consecutive year in a row.

The five-star Danna Langkawi bags the top spot in the Travellers' Choice Awards for Best Hotel in Malaysia. Photo: TripAdvisor

Other Malaysian hotels that made it into the list in order are: Pangkor Laut Resort in Perak; Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur; Tanjong Jara Resort in Terengganu; Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa in Sarawak; Four Seasons Resort in Langkawi; The Chateau Spa & Organic Wellness Resort in Kuala Lumpur; and Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur.

In Asia, the top three hotels are all located in South-East Asia. They are: Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, in Ubud, Bali; Shinta Mani Resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia; and Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Mandapa, in Ubud, Bali, wins the Travellers’ Choice Award for Best Hotel in Asia. Photo: TripAdvisor

Read more: Langkawi hotels take top three spots in travel award