Since the Sixties, Malaysian prisoners are no longer put through hard labour during their incarceration. Instead, they are taught a number of living skills that would enable them to earn a decent income when they are released into society. The Prison Department of Malaysia, which has a 225-year history, established the Vocational and Industrial Section under ... continue reading »

As one of only six female pedallers in the male-dominated trishaw industry in Malacca city, Humaira Bt. Norezan, 21, certainly draws much attention. In the job for three years now, Humaira has gotten used to the pleasant surprise of her passengers. She shared, "They are always amazed to learn that I am one of the rare ... continue reading »

Travelling around Malaysia since 2008 to produce a Tourism Malaysia-endorsed pictorial travel guidebook in the Farsi language which has a market of 120 million people, Iranian Jaleh Chegini, 42, has visited Ipoh numerous times to research on travel destinations and products offered in Perak, its people and their culture. "The first time I visited Ipoh was ... continue reading »

After spending almost 24 hours travelling from Sagres to Lisbon in Portugal and from there to Dubai, Singapore and finally by car to Malacca, Micael Valentim's first proper meal, that of a Peranakan buffet lunch, was almost heavenly. That initial introduction to the Peranakan cuisine was easily Valentim's best memory of Malacca from his one week's ... continue reading »

Sitting at home in Oman with nothing much to keep her occupied except for her baby, Amal Tahir, a former architect, was looking for a hobby to fill her time. Amal, who loves cross-stitching and working with yarn, discussed with her husband, Ahmad Syafii'ei. He, however, had a better idea. Syafii'ei, who studied Arabic calligraphy ... continue reading »

Following her bitter divorce, all Khadijah Ahmad wanted to do was to leave the country to start life afresh. Friends in Dubai and Japan offered to take her in and after much contemplation, Katt, as she is known, decided to head to Tokyo, Japan. Katt worked as a personal assistant to her friend and lived in ... continue reading »

For digital nomad Gael Hilotin, 32, Ipoh was a rather elusive city to visit! The Filipina who blogs at thepinaysolobackpacker.com and contributes regularly to Yahoo! Southeast Asia Travel as well as other travel publications, recalled, "I have visited Ipoh several times since then, but the one visit that has stayed in my memory was a solo ... continue reading »