I have had the fortunate opportunity to teach in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. It has a diverse culture with some fantastic places to explore with children. There are many learning opportunities for children in or around Kuala Lumpur or a quick flight away to a beach.
Its culture is a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and English, to name a few. Many children speak Mandarin and English besides the native language of Malay in schools.
Religion & Holidays
Islam is the official religion with adhan sounds (call to worship) heard five times throughout the day. Salah is the word for prayer. Ramadan (month-long fasting) is just one of the many Muslim holidays.
The country also observes other public and religious holidays such as Hari Merdeka (Independence Day), Chinese New Year (traditional Chinese beliefs), Deepavali (Hindu), and Christmas (Christian).
Food
One of the many exciting things about the diversity of Malaysia is the food. With the blend of intense, aromatic, and spicy flavors, there are still some gentle flavors your children may enjoy, such as a milder curry (upon request), satay, rice, noodles, naan bread, and an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
Avocado, strawberries, and blueberries are extremely difficult to come by or relatively expensive but have some lovely alternatives like mango, guava, rambutan, dragon fruit, and coconut. Watermelon and bananas are familiar fruits that are easy to find or often served in hotel restaurants.
Weather
One of the most memorable, beautiful, and unique yet almost scary things I have ever seen in Kuala Lumpur was their lighting storms. I have never seen such crazy, mad lighting shows. They can be a bit frightening for children and even adults, but if you are inside a high rise, you may have an unobstructed view to watch its amazing show (slightly away from the window.).
Malaysia is hot, humid, and rainy, with temperatures averaging around 80-90 F (or 29-32 C with lows around 73F or 23C). There is no dry season being that it is near the equator and surrounded by sea.
Several monsoon seasons are affecting different regions of Malaysia. Between mid-October to January, the northeast monsoon prevails, affecting the east coast and the northeast coast of Borneo. Between June and September, it’s the southwest monsoon period, which is said to be weaker.
The sun usually shines in the mornings, but beware it might fool you later in the day. Tropical rains often occur, generally as children are getting out of school. They are intense downpours that last for a few hours. It can rain so hard an umbrella and raincoat will not keep from getting drenched from running from point A to B.
Be Aware
Malaysia is a developing country that is undergoing rapid economic development. Several people who lived in Malaysia believe it was a gateway between America and Asia, probably because of their fast growth and English ability.
In many respects, it is an access point with many people that can speak English and several large foreign stores and food chains you might be aware of like Gap, Garrett Popcorn, McDonald’s, IKEA, and more. Yet, the people that told me this did not have children and didn’t mention a few things I wish I knew about before arriving there.
Getting There
While flying to Kulala Lumpur, we had a layover in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, a woman came forcefully up to my daughter and placed an object up towards her head. I complained, “Hey, what are you doing?” It took me by surprise after so far a long 18-hour journey with layovers.
I realized after she pointed to a small printed sign the machine (that looked like a police speedometer) was reading her body temperature for any infectious diseases she could be carrying. The bird flu had been prevailing in the area, and they were taking measures to keep infections under control. Who knows what would happen if one of us had a temperature?
Flight
Once in flight about halfway to Kuala Lumpur, there was an announcement made. Often it can be difficult to hear announcements over the intercom being muffled or distracted from people talking.
I wasn’t a pleasant passenger because the stewardess started spraying chemicals in the air. I quickly began to cover my daughter’s and my face, but my daughter would not have it and started screaming bloody murder. I can only imagine that anything that kills mosquitos may not be the best for humans to breathe.
I wish I had a little bit more of a warning to prepare my daughter and maybe added a small story that they are spraying for mosquitos, and “us fairies need to take cover, so we don’t lose our magical flying powers from the spray.”
Air & Mosquitos
While I was living in Malaysia, fogging pesticides often took place a few times a week to rid of the mosquitos in the areas I lived and worked. It left a terrible smell even if breathing through an item of clothing to cover up for a little even several minutes after the fogging was complete. I recommend carrying a mask wherever you go since you would not want to breathe in the chemicals.
Environmental Issues
One of Malaysia’s top industries is palm oil. It is the second leading producer after Indonesia. The production of palm oil has lead to an increase in human-wildlife conflict. According to a National Geographic report, 16,000 square miles of rainforest on Borneo Island have been logged, burned, and bulldozed to produce palm oil. According to World Wildlife Fund, palm oil production has caused the humanitarian disaster of animals.
Rainforests are commonly torn down and cleared by burning the forests. The burning creates carbon dioxide and badly pollutes the air. I have experienced many days where the air is so densely gray and thick I have had to wear a mask outdoors because the smoke and pollutions air quality is very unhealthy. I recommend carrying a face mask with you and downloading an air quality app on your phone.
There have been times where the air pollution had caused droughts. Who would think in a tropical area there would be drought? The Malaysian government requested us to conserve water in Kuala Lumpur for a while, and we could not flush toilets (cleaners were to flush every hour), wash hands, or shower. We did have a drinking water delivery service, so we at least had water to consume.
Palm oil is in more items than you may realize. Often palm oil is mixed in vegetable oils, chocolates, peanut butter, shampoo, and more. It is essential to understand the impact products you are using have on the environment.
A company like Toblerone makes chocolate without palm oil, but other companies like Lindt, a consumer must read the label. Some companies have different recipes for candies. Suppose an item has palm oil, then look for the RSPO label. The RSPO label varifies the merchandise as socially and environmentally responsible. The great news is I can eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream without feeling guilty!
In my observations, inadequately treatment of animals in Malaysia was standard. For example, condos do not allow dogs, but cats were acceptable. Wild animals such a monkey or civet found at our condo were trapped and removed.
The Darwin phrase “the survival of the fittest” comes to mind when I think of many of the modest labor workers trying to provide for their family and unable or unaware to consider global humanitarian concerns towards other living creatures.
Safety
While traveling in Malaysia, there is another essential item to be aware of; is safety. There are a few concerns that occurred while traveling there. Traveling with a blonde female toddler, I had to be a little more cautious. I found that many people were bolder than other places who would just come up to my daughter, touch her, pick her up, and walking away with her to get a photo.
Malaysian coworkers told me that touching a small child would bring good luck and fortune to a person. Waiters in our hotel when we first arrived would rub my daughter’s check every time they saw her, which in turn made her break out and only healed once we move into our condo. But going to a park or mall, people would walk past her and pinch or grab her as they passed.
It seemed odd that even young men would seek her attention and try to get photographs with her. I heard because of parents’ business endeavors; an accomplice took a child for ransom. A kidnapper held another child hostage because he found information about the child on the web through their parent media account.
I felt I needed to be a bit more aggressive in keeping her safe. There was a fine line between being respectful to the country’s people and setting boundaries to keep my daughter safe and not pushed around.
Dealing with crowds is an item I have had to maneuver. Waiting in lines at the airport or stores or trying to get on or off escalators or evaluators can be difficult. I have had to learn to be assertive, not to allow others to cut in front or trample you over. I would carry my daughter at a young age if the crowds were not avoidable rather than holding her hand at times because the groups of people often would push her away to make their way through the mob.
A few people would ask my daughter or me if they could take a photograph; if we chose to decline, many would still try sneak to get a photo. It was a country that my daughter learned quickly to stay close to me and say, “No picture of me!” if she didn’t feel comfortable with people coming up to her take pictures, and touching her.
Unfortunately, she also learned to stick her tongue out at some people while saying “no picture;” rather than covering her face. Her rudeness surprised many (slightly embarrassed me if it was towards coworkers) and made many people laugh while they went ahead and continued to take pictures anyway. Sticking her tongue out at people she didn’t like was a difficult habit to break when we returned to America. Quickly she realized there wasn’t the paparazzi she had overseas.
I wish I learned earlier to make it a fun picture game out of all the publicity she was receiving. When people wanted to take a picture with her, I, too, took a picture of them. I now have a stack of photos of strangers. However, it does make it fun to look through the photo album of some beautiful people.
I believe the people we met there were genuinely kind. It just took me a little understanding of the culture to appreciate some intentions. For example, once we went out for dinner in Langkawi, it was early enough in the evening that the restaurant was not busy yet. We had a waiter that admired my daughter, so after taking our order, he insisted that she followed him to get a small dish of ice cream while she waited for her food. No child can resist ice cream, so I caved in and said ok.
I thought they were going to the bar counter, but then I saw them leave the room. I realized it would be best to follow them, but I was not quick enough, and I could not see them in the back area. I asked some of the workers in the back if they have seen where they went, and they pointed outside. I went out to the street but could not see them in any direction. I ran up the road and then back in the other way, looking into the shops.
After I saw them coming out of a seven-eleven with a small dish of vanilla ice cream, my panicked calmed down. I understand the man’s intentions were sincere, but from an American view, it was uncomfortable. With apologies, it was still awkward through the rest of the dinner. I should not have assumed the ice cream was at the restaurant.
Items To Bring
Mask – I recommend carrying a mask wherever you go since you would not want to breathe in the pesticide chemicals from the mosquito sprays or air pollution. The cotton Safe+Mate Face Masks I find to be the most comfortable masks.
Sunscreen – In Malaysia, there are sunscreens available at stores. However, I did not find a more reliable sunscreen for our fair skin daughter than the Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50. I never saw this kind in Malaysia so you should bring some with you from home. If your child is like mine, she spends all day outside building sandcastles if given a chance. Just be sure to put the sunscreen on before breakfast to let it soak in the skin (for 30 minutes) and again before lunch and or periodically, so it doesn’t get washed off.
Mosquitos/bug spray – malaria and dengue are problems in Malaysia. It is essential to try to protect your children and yourself. In Malaysia, they had a sticker patch that has a cartoon character children liked. My favorite natural bug stray is Intelligent Nutrients Smart Armor Perfume Spray and Serum. It smells great for men or women.
When hiking through wooded areas, be sure to have laired clothing. There are times when there are numerous mosquitos, so you would need to throw on a long sleeve shirt and roll down your pant legs. Lightweight loose, breathable material is best and the most comfortable in the hot, humid climate. The country is also conservative, so there may be times you may need to cover your shoulders or knees for modesty.
I brought malaria pills with us for the trip, but I did not use them in the end. After reading the medication precautions, I tried to keep us layered in natural bug spray and long, lightweight clothing. I made sure to bring long sleeve clothing and use the spray and patches while hiking or outdoor activity.
The Fun Places
For children and families, Malaysia has some fantastic opportunities to explore. My daughter does not enjoy museums as much as nature and outdoor activities, so here are our favorite places.
In an around Kuala Lumpur
(Kuala Lumpur City Centre) KLCC Park
If you are familiar with the 1999 movie “Entrapment,” starring Katherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery, you might know they were climbing the Petronas Twin Towers. I’m scared of highs, but the towers have two observation areas you can visit for a fee.
Find more information about the tower at https://www.petronastwintowers.com.my.
The Petronas towers’ lower sections are busy shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and nearby monorail system. TheKLCC Park is next to the Petronas Towers. Just outside, you will find fountains and gardens to walk around.
My daughter often enjoyed splashing in the guarded KLCC Swimming Pool for free. The pool area is for children to swim in. Parents can walk with their children in the pool but cannot swim or take clothing off for modest indecency issues.
It is a good idea to bring a towel and change of clothing for your child. There are changing rooms for the children, but they are crowded. I found some children’s’ swimwear with UPF/rash guard protection could look modest enough to wear on an outing until we got back to the hotel to shower and change clothing.
Located next to the pool area is a playground with slides, swings, and other climbing structures for children. There are times when you needed your children to dry off before heading back home or hotel. Set them on a swing, and their swimsuit will be dry in no time. Find information about the park at:
Home KLCC
Aquaria KLCC
Near the KLCC Park area is the Aquaria KLCC. It is about 60,000 sq ft aquarium that has roughly 5,000 land and aquatic creatures. They have some fascinating exhibits where you can watch the marine life being feed, walk through a glass tunnel, and explore the touch and feel tank. Find information about the aquarium at https://aquariaklcc.com.
Perdana Botanical Garden
Kuala Lumpur has many parks, but the one worth going to and will take several days to go through is the Perdana Botanical Garden. Within the botanical gardens, there are many areas like the Orchid and Hibiscus, Sunken, Oasis and Waterfall, Heliconia, Conservatory Gardens, and more. The gardens also the site for the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Deer Park, and Butterfly Park. The park was established in 1888 on 226 acres, so as you can imagine, it would take you a few days at a time with children to walk through the various parks and garden areas. Find information about the garden at www.klbotanicalgarden.gov.my.
Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park
Hands down, the butterfly park is my daughter’s favorite park within the Perdana Botanical Garden. It is the largest butterfly park in the world, with over 120 species of different butterflies. They have beautiful plants, koi, and freshwater turtles that you can observe while walking through the area. She enjoyed watching the butterflies with hopes of them landing on her. There were some stunning butterflies, some native and other varieties. Find information about the butterfly park at www.klbutterflypark.com.
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park
Taman Burung Kuala Lumpur is a fantastic opportunity to see some beautiful colorful birds. There are a few free-roaming birds, but also some walk-through aviaries. Children can purchase birdseed and hand feed the birds. My daughter was a little fearful when the birds landed on her head, but it was incredible to see the birds up close. Find information about the bird park at
Petrosian Science Discovery Centre
As museums go, this is a hands-on activity center. There are areas where children can build marble runs, work with magnets, and more. They have lovely visiting exhibits like snakes and other creatures as well. Children can spend several hours learning and exploring. There is also a 3D theatre if you need to relax a little bit between the discovers and running around. Find the Science Discovery Centre website at
Farm in the City
TheFarm in the City is located about 30-45 minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Children can feed giant tortoises, pet some tame animals. There is a garden that produces crops typically grown in Malaysia.
During our visit, some enclosures appeared to be small for some animals. The farm had a dog in a cage with two cows. The golden retriever was notably friendly and was donated to the farm to help some people understand dogs were friendly.
For more information: https://www.farminthecity.my
Batu Caves
The Batu Caves is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and Hindu temples and shrines. From KL Central you can take the railway train to get there quickly enough. It is best to go earlier in the morning when it is cooler. There is a staircase of 272 steps that leads you to the temple. Try to make it a fun challenge to see how many steps you can climb before taking a break. Otherwise, you will carry a child up the long staircase or most of the way.
The caves are colorful, and often you can see some of the Hindu traditions of carrying items occurring during your travel up and down the stairs. Weekend and holidays are always busy; it may be worth a visit at a less energetic time.
The Thaipusam Festival takes place at the end of January or the beginning of February. Some people will show their devotion with two piercing with skewers through their tongue and check for this festival. Some go even further by pulling heavy chariots fasten by hooks in their skin.
Be sure to bring plenty of water and a backpack to hide your water bottle. The exciting things about the caves are the macaque monkeys. It is interesting to watch the aggressive monkey come up to people and steal food, water, and even sunscreen. It is also humorous to watch how the monkeys manage to open the rations. You can observe the hierarchy struggles among the primates. So when you stop to get out your water, be sure to keep your distance from the monkeys.
Fireflies
There is a short period during the year when you can see fireflies. Between April and September, you can see natural beauty. You must travel, of course, in the evening once the sun has gone down, which makes it challenging to get your children to bed on time. But there are hotels near some areas, so it may not have to be too far off your child’s bedtime schedule.
In Malaysia, fireflies’ habitat exists in mangroves, so a boat tour would be the best bet to see them. It can be a fun activity to learn about fireflies and watch them in action.
The best-known places to see the fireflies is Cherating (about 3 hours drive to eastern shores from KL). Other areas to view fireflies in Kuala Selangor (about one and a half hour to the northwest shores from KL), Perak (north of KL a little over 2 hours), Penang (on the northwest shores about 4 hours from KL). You can also observe fireflies on the Borneo Island in Sabah and Sarawak.
LEGOLAND
Legoland may be a child’s dream to visit. I will be honest; we never had the chance to tour. It is in Malaysia, not far from Singapore. However, I take more pleasure in doing more natural outdoor activities. Also, I don’t enjoy dealing with crowds. My students that had gone there said they had fun.
Beaches
Port Dickson
The nearest beach area from Kuala Lumpur looks like Port Kelang on a map, but it is the biggest port in Malaysia and not a beach area. Port Dickson is a typical day getaway destination. Your travel to the beach option from Kuala Lumpur can be by train, bus, taxi, or all three to Port Dickson. It is about a two-hour drive by car.
I recommend if you do travel to Port Dickson, it is best to stay in a hotel. We enjoyed walking on the beach but found out quickly that they had sandflies. Then swiftly, we found ourselves spending our time at the hotel’s pool with a cold drink with an umbrella.
With low priced flights, it can be just as quick to fly to many of the other islands in Malaysia, such as Penang, Pangkor, Langkawi, Redang, and more. The lovely thing about flying in Asia is that children’s seats are lower priced than adults.
Perhentians
There are two Perhentian Islands; Pulau Perhentian Kecil is the smaller, and Pulau Perhentian Besar is the larger of the two islands. The best time to visit is between March to November. Since there is no airport, you must fly to Kota Bharu or Kuala Terengganu, then by bus or taxi to Kuala Besut to get on the boat ferry to travel to the island.
We stayed at Flora Bay Resort that is on the larger Besar island on the southern side. There seemed to be a little bit of trash everywhere. But the next day, a boat with students from a private school in KL arrived and picked up trash along the beach. It made it a more pleasant experience.
We did not stay in the most luxurious hotel bungalows, but it seemed to be the best smelling compared to fancier hotels on the island after walking about the island. The drainage from the hotels appeared to drain into streams that eventually lead to the ocean. After scoping the area, we allow the children to play in the water away from the mystery streams.
Pangkor
Pangkor is a beautiful island where you have the beach, and that is about all we needed. Sumatra shields the island, so the weather is pretty consistent throughout the year. June, September, and March are the busiest times to visit.
We stayed at the Pangkor Island Beach Resort. The resort fed the hornbill birds a few times a day, which gave children and adults a unique opportunity to see the birds up close. It had pools, a beach, and other activities such as ping pong.
It had a children’s center; however, it burned down during a stay at the resort. One evening during a walk on the beach after dinner, we heard a strange sound and saw a fire. Luckily it was in the evening, and the children’s center was closed.
The resort left a few snacks and fruit in the room for the beginning of your stay. It is fantastic when a hotel provides free snacks to carry you over from arrival to dinnertime. When we arrived in our room, we looked around, checked our view of the ocean from the balcony, and then left to scope out the rest of the hotel.
When we returned to our room, we had macaque monkeys that moved into the room. I imaging this is a common occurrence at the resort since I later read, keep your balcony doors locked at all times! Fundamentally, we gave up some fruit to get the monkeys out of the room and onto the balcony. It was a bit scary at first but relieved and enjoyed watching them once they were outside. We defiantly remembered to keep the door locked from then on out.
Langkawi
Langkawi is much like Pangkor, where the weather can be beautiful at any time of the year. However, the dry season is between December and February, and it will become slightly more crowded during these months. There are many things to do besides build sandcastles at the beach.
In Langkawi, we took a jet ski tour through various islands, such as Pulau Tepor and Dayang Bunting. We snorkeled and saw geological and natural wonders of the area. A guide drove his jetski and directed us through the tour.
It is easy enough to rent a mopped to drive around the island to capture some sights. However, I recommend renting a car or taking a tour if you feel more comfortable with children; after all, Malaysians travel on the left side of the road, not the “right.” Also, with a sleeping toddler laying on you, driving, taking in the sights, and looking at a map is not the safest or ideal way to travel.
The most memorable land activity is renting a mopped and taking a trip up the Panorama Langkawi SkyCab and walk the Sky Bridge. Yes, I am scared of highs, but I kept away from the edge. It had some incredible 360 degrees views from the top of the Gunung Machinchang 850 meters high, the second tallest mountain on the island. Gunung Raya is 881 meters high, being the largest on Langkawi. For information about the Langkawi Sky cab and bridge, go to
On our return, we stopped to double-check our next destination off the side of the road. Then we heard a faint little meow calling. My daughter found a baby kitten, maybe just a few days old. It was among junk and trash dumped along the road. We looked for its mother and other kittens that might belong to, but we didn’t see anything.
It was hungry and had a lot of flies. We felt obligated to help, so we wrapped it in a shirt and took it back to our hotel. We got some food and gave it an oatmeal bath. After giving it a little TLC, it seemed like it was going to be ok.
We decided to get some food and search for a veterinarian where we could take the kitten. However, when we returned, the kitten was gone. I asked around, but I am afraid the workers at the hotel decided to handle the situation. My daughter was heartbroken; the kitty was gone, but we hoped for the best.
Redang
We made the mistake of stopping in Redang in January on our holiday journey before returning to school. It is a beautiful island, but it best time to visit is March through September. It is easier to get to than the Perhentian Islands because it has an airport on the island.
We stayed at the Taaras Beach and Spa Resort. It was a higher-priced hotel but a bit reduced during the off-season. They had a nice pool and beach.
I did love the fact they had a band every night for dinner. It was our highlight. My daughter enjoyed going up to the front of the stage to dance. If there were any other children having dinner, she would pull them to the floor to join in. The band was terrific and welcomed the children in the musical festivities.
January is a cheaper time to visit for a chance to relax, which was fine. However, to do any sort of water sports was not good. Because of the lack of visibility in the water and the strong currents, water activities were shut-down. Our hotel did not offer much concerning tours or rentals. Therefore, we spent our days taking hikes around the island or playing on the sandy beach.
Sandakan (Malaysian northeast portion of the Borneo Island)
My very favorite place we visited while in Malaysia. We enjoyed touring the different sanctuaries for the orangutan, proboscis monkeys, and sun bears. Sadly, it made me more aware of how much depletion there has been of the rainforest and the creatures living in it.
We stayed at the Paganakan Dii Tropical Retreat in Sepilok. It is relatively close to the orangutan and sun bear sanctuaries but a bit of a drive to the proboscis-monkeys.
Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
Located northwest of Sepilok is the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. The proboscis monkeys mostly live in the mangrove forests and coastal areas. They are on the endangered list, with about 7,000 left in the world.
The sanctuary had boardwalks paths, a covered open metal roof pavilion, and had several feeding platforms to attract the family groups for dinner. We had the opportunity to see lizards, mudfish, hornbill, silver-eared monkeys, as well as the famed proboscis monkeys.
When the proboscis monkey arrives for their food, they put on quite a show. The monkeys liked to run and chase each other and make all kinds of noise. The metal roof of the pavilion was quite noisy when they ran on top above us. My daughter was a bit frightened of the commotion they made and didn’t want to get too close to them.
For information about the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, go to https://www.proboscis.cc.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre was compelling. Orangutans are critically endangered. Estimates suggest that only about 50,000 to 65,000 orangutans are living in the wild. Yet, between 2,000 to 3,000 orangutans are killed each year, according to https://www.orangutan.com.
The orangutans were undoubtedly entertaining and have quickly become one of my favorites. One orangutan was intentionally performing for us by kissing its mate, then looking at us with a big smile, then kissed again, looked at us, smiled, and repeated this several more times.
The orangutans came up to us reasonably close, but there was a guard with a stick to remind the orangutan to keep their distance. The center’s staff fed the orangutans on a platform by a banyan tree far from people. All the orangutans that came appeared to be females or young males. I didn’t see any male orangutan with the cheek-pads on their face. For more information on the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, go to https://www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center is very close to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. So close that while we were climbing the stairs to observe the bears, we noticed an orangutan was following us. A center guard told us to stop and step aside to be careful.
After that, all I could think of was Jungle Book songs; King Louie singing, “Oh, oobee doo I want to be like you, I wanna walk like you, talk like you, too.”
Because of the golden patch of fur on their chest, the sun bears got their name. They are vulnerable on the endangered list. There are no reliable population figures of how many sun bears are in the wild. According to https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/profiles/mammals/sun_bear/
I only noticed three bears during our visit who were sleeping or digging in the dirt. Their area was fenced, with not as much open terrain in the proboscis monkey or orangutan sanctuaries.
The guard said that the sun bears look sweet, but they can be aggressive and attack without cause. Palm oil companies destroyed their habitat; poachers kill them for their gall bladders; bear cubs are captured and sold in the pet trade; do you blame him?
Information regarding the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center, go to https://www.bsbcc.org.my.
If only the sun bear could sing Baloo’s song from the Jungle Book, “Look for your bare necessities, the simple bare necessities. Forget about your worries and your strife.”
Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre
Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre was surprisingly pleasant. I was ready for a mosquito-infested trip. We did come prepared with long sleeve shirts and pants and drowned ourselves in bug repellant. I imagine they may spray for mosquitos now and again, however.
They had many trails at the Rainforest Centre that lead you through the forest floor of the jungle. There is a 363-meter canopy walkway where you can see the forest at the canopy level of the rainforest. The layers of the rainforest are forest floor, understory, canopy, and emergent.
During our visit, we saw several varieties of birds, including the hornbill. We were also fortunate enough to see a glimpse of an orangutan moving through the trees. Additionally, various lizards scurried around as my daughter tried to catch them.
You can find more information about the Rainforest Discovery Center at
Malaysia has so many stunning places. I wish I had more time to visit. As a mother of a toddler, I tried to be extra cautious of where to go. If you plan a visit, I highly recommend registering with your country’s State Department to receive alerts or check their website frequently for advisories or concerns you need to know. In the US, you can find your information at
You can find some of my lessons and activities at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Pixie-Seed.
Safe travels!