Kuala Lumpur Tour Guide

Kuala Lumpur Full Day Walking Tour 2014/ 2015.

Hai ! I am Rezz, a local Malay (male), 26 years old and graduated from a local university major in tourism management.
I am doing this activity as a hobby/part time job. I love to make friends with people from all around the world and show them the uniqueness of Malaysian culture, food and heritages.

Lets join my Local KL Full Day Tour ! Unlike any other !

Price : Only RM 180 PER GROUP.. yes per group.. regardless of how many participants..

Durations : 9AM-6PM (9 hours)

Area : Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya (administrative capital), Shah Alam (Selangor's capital city) and surrounding areas.

Including : Tour guide fee. (No tips required..generally, Malaysian do not practice tipping..)

Exluding :

• Food and beverage.. I will guide you to various off track & authentic local restaurants/ food stalls.. mostly unknown to average tourist.. and the price are much more cheaper than non local eateries, for example, the ultra-touristy Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang. 
• Entrance fee (if any).. but most of tourist attractions such as Masjid Jamek, Merdeka Square, National Mosque, Putrajaya 'Pink' Mosque, Batu Caves Hindu temple etc..are free of charge. 
• Transportation for participants and for tour guide. Generally, this is a walking tour.. But some areas such as Batu Caves, Shah Alam and Putrajaya, require us to use public transport (train, subway, bus & monorail) with minimum fee.. should be around RM 5 to RM 15 per person for return journey.

List of places in Kuala Lumpur to choose from :

• Merdeka Square - Malaysian Independence Square.
• Masjid Jamek - One of the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur.
• China Town - also known as Petaling Street.
• Masjid Negara - Malaysian National Mosque.
• Old National Palace - Former royal palace.
• Batu Caves - The most famous Hindu Temple in South East Asia.
• Kampung Baru - Malay settlements in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.
• Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman - famous shopping street among local Malay & Indian.
• National Museum and Islamic Arts Museum
• Bukit Bintang 
• Twin Towers & KLCC
• And many more....!!

List of places in Putrajaya :

• Putra Mosque - Also known as Pink Mosque
• Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque - Also known as Steel or Iron Mosque
• Palace of Justice - Home to the highest court in the land.
• Perdana Putra (the iconic Prime Minister Department building)
• Putrajaya Bridges etc.

List of places in Shah Alam :

• Masjid Sultan Salahuddin - also known as Blue Mosque..the largest and among the most beautiful in Malaysia.
• Selangor State Museum.

My contact detail : this is my email messrs_rezzs@yahoo.com and my mobile phone number +6013-3119194 or +60107880603. Feel free to contact me..

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How much is the price? - RM 180 per group (not per person)
2. Are you representing a travel and tour company ? No, I am not representing any travel and tour company. Completely independent.
3. Is there any minimum participant required? - Minimum is a person.
4. How about maximum number of participants? - There is no maximum number of participants.. You can bring a battalion of people..and the price will still the same.  
5. What kind of transport that will be used during the tour? - Generally we will walk whenever possible. If the places are far, we will take public transport such as bus or train.
6. If we need to ride public transport, do I need to pay for guide's as well? - Yes, you have to pay for guide's transportation fare as well.
7. How much is the cost for transportation? For Batu Caves RM 3 (return journey per person by train), Putrajaya around RM 12 (return journey per person by bus) and Shah Alam RM 7 (return per person). The fare are approximate and may change without notice.
8. Where will we have our lunch ? - We will have lunch in one of the local restaurant.
9. What kind of food that we will eat during the tour? - Local genuine Malaysian foods.
10. Do I have to pay for tour guide's meal ? - No, you don't have to. I will pay the meal by myself.
11. Do I have to pay deposit in advance? - No, you only have to pay me during the actual day of the tour.
12. What should I bring during the tour? - Drinking water.
13. What should I wear? - Any comfortable clothes suitable for walking in hot tropical climate. Cap, sunglass, sun block cream are recommended.
14. Are you Malaysian ? - Yes, I am local Malaysian (Malay and Muslim). I can speak English, Malay and Indonesian. I can speak basic Japanese as well.
15. How can I reserve the tour ? - Please send email to messrs_rezzs@yahoo.com. 
16. Why should we join your tour ? - Because I can provide you with lots of information regarding local cultures, genuine and hidden (from tourists) local foods, Malaysian history, Malay culture, about Islam, about the uniqueness of Malaysia as a multicultural nation (Malay + Chinese + Indian)..about local politics and law..all from genuine local point of view. 

Lets explore KL like a local !

Price of Cookies in Labuan

Labuan: Despite higher grocery prices, surprisingly the prices of delicacies sold at the Ramadan stalls had remained as before.

Cookies such as "kueh lapis" and "pulut panggang", among others, are quoted at RM1 for a pack of three pieces, same price as the previous years.

A survey, however, showed that though the prices had remained unchanged, the size of the cookies had been "shrunken". But most consumers don't seem to mind this.

"We know it is smaller sized now, smaller by at least 10 per cent or more but it is okay as long as we could still purchase at old prices," said one of them.

The other reason why prices had remained the same could be because the Labuan Corporation (LC) had ensured that there are enough stalls and as such create a choice of food items and also healthy competition among the operators.

The Licencing officer of LC Manisah Mahmood said: "We have issued 165 permits for the Ramadan Bazaar of which 126 are at Jalan Dewan, Jalan Manwar (26) and Batu Arang (13).

Approvals had also been granted for stalls at Pantai, the new hospital area and Masjid but stalls had yet to operate yet.

She added that compared to last year, 50 more permits were issued this year. She added that operators needed to pay RM3 per day to operate a stall, and this made it affordable to many.

Despite the increase in the number of stalls, business had been brisk this year. Manisah said that was largely due to the presence of oil and gas workers, most of whom were on contract and single on the island.

The rush for Ramadan cookies and food every evening had resulted in a new irritation for motorists, especially along Jalan Tun Mustapha highway near the road junctions where traffic flow was at a crawl after 5pm.

Meanwhile, Manisah said the LC would be accepting renewal of trading and operating licences from Oct 1.

(Daily Express)

Bank Muamalat To Open Islamic Investment Company In Malaysia

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Bank Muamalat is to establish the First Islamic Investment Bank Ltd with an initial capital of US$10 million in Malaysia, its president director Andi Buchori said here on Monday.

"We have received the license from Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority (LOFSA) in Malaysia and got the letter of content from Bank Indonesia, the central bank, to establish the investment company in the country," Andi Buchori said.

He said the company would start in October this year and Bank Muamalat would add US$100 million to its capital, while an investment for its infrastructure development was predicted to be around US$1 million.

According to Buchori, Fist Islamic Investment Bank Ltd would have its main office in Kuala Lumpur and its secretariat office in Labuan, Malaysia.

Buchori said the purpose of establishing the company in Malaysia was to net international investors, especially those from the Middle East countries and Northern African countries.

"Labuan has been known by international investors including those from the Middle East who use foreign SVP," Buchori said, adding that the establishment of investment bank was to withdraw funds from investors who invested in medium and long term equity financing (5-10 years).

LABUAN CEMENT SHORTAGE

Labuan: The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has given its assurance that the shortage of cement supply on the island will be resolved soon.

Its Deputy Director, Aslani Dabi, said Saturday that contractors should not be unduly worried about the shortage as the Ministry was addressing the problems since the last few weeks by getting additional supply from Cement Manufacturer of Sarawak (CMS).

He also said the Cement Industries Sabah (CIS), the main supplier for Sabah and Labuan, had been asked to look into the matter seriously.

Labuan needs at least 4,600 tonnes of cement per month but only received 3,200 tonnes in two trips from CIS every month. CMS is currently supplying 5,000 tonnes every month.

Various parties, especially the medium contractors, have been urging the Ministry to look into the frequent shortage of cement which caused the price to fluctuate and delay in road repairs and other projects.

Aslani said the shortage of supply occurred since March due to the inability of CIS to meet the increasing demand.

"However CIS has agreed that CMS supply the material to Labuan since April. Labuan also is the last destination to receive the supply from CIS as the company has to supply all districts in Sabah," he said.

Following the shortage, the price of cement has shot up by another RM1, to RM19.50 per bag. - Bernama

(DAILY EXPRESS)

AirAsia KK-LABUAN

AirAsia's Kota Kinabalu-Labuan flight will boost economic activities
Jailani Hasan, BERNAMA.


The soon-to-be-launched new domestic route of Kota Kinabalu-Labuan by AirAsia Bhd will help to boost economic activities on the island.

Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan (CASH) president Datuk Patrick Sindu said the consumers, especially those with businesses, had been facing difficulties travelling between Kota Kinabalu and Labuan due to limited flights by national carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

“The move by the airline company should have been implemented long ago. Travellers have to use the ferry to travel between Labuan and Kota Kinabalu which takes about three hours,” he told Bernama today.

AirAsia’s chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes last Thursday announced that AirAsia would launch a new domestic route, Kota Kinabalu-Labuan, beginning this Sept 26.

The low-cost airline said the daily flight would increase air connectivity in Sabah and provide an added entry point to get into Kota Kinabalu, the main gateway to Sabah.

He said the air linkage provided by AirAsia has someway assisted to open various economic and business opportunities since it launched the flight in Sabah six years ago.

The fares for new routes start from as low as RM9.00, excluding airport taxes, fuel surcharges and fees, and are applicable for one-way travel only.

LABUAN IBFC

Labuan Embarks On Marketing Drive In Asia And Middle East, by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong.



The Labuan International Business and Financial Centre Inc (IBFC), the offshore jurisdiction's marketing and promotion arm, has announced the launch of a promotional drive to attract more business from Asia and the Middle East to the low tax finance centre, which lies off the coast of Malaysia.

Announcing the initiative at a recent press conference, Martin Crawford, the chief executive officer of the Labuan IBFC, revealed that offices would be set up in Hong Kong and either Abu Dhabi or Dubai within the next twelve months. But firstly, the IBFC would attempt to spread Labuan's message through roadshows in India, North Asia, Australia and Indonesia, he disclosed.

Crawford explained that the IBFC was keen to tap into newer emerging markets for offshore investment flows such as India, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, which have traditionally routed their offshore investments through Mauritius or Singapore.

According to Crawford, the marketing campaign would focus on attracting business in five key areas, including international holding companies, private and public investment banks, captive insurance, Islamic finance and wealth management products.

Labuan is a relatively unknown offshore jurisdiction, having been created by the Malaysian government in 1990. However, it offers a highly attractive tax regime to offshore companies, and the IBFC will no doubt emphasise this point in its campaign

The Labuan Offshore Business Activity Tax Act 1990 (as amended 2004) provides for the reduction or complete exemption of income tax in respect of certain business activities carried on by offshore companies in Labuan. Chargeable profits derived by an offshore company from an offshore trading activity are subject to tax at a rate of 3%. An offshore company which carries on an offshore non-trading activity is exempt from income tax altogether.

Last year, Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stated in his budget speech that in future, companies registering in the Labuan offshore sector would have the option of having their offshore business income taxed under the Income Tax Act 1967, in addition to under the Labuan Offshore Business Activity Tax Act 1990. The Income Tax Act 1967 applies to any activity other than offshore business activity carried on by an offshore company, meaning that they pay normal taxes.

The Prime Minister explained at the time that:"In the light of greater global competition, we need to ensure that Labuan remains competitive as an international offshore financial centre. Given that investors in Labuan undertake a wide range of financial services, a flexible tax regime is necessary."

Despite is hitherto low profile however, growth in the Labuan offshore sector has been strong. As of March this year, there were more than 6,500 companies operating in Labuan, including 58 offshore banks with total assets of USD26.6 billion, 132 offshore insurers with more than USD600 million in capitalisation, 106 leasing companies with USD16 billion in leases and 22 fund management and 46 listed instruments worth USD16.1 billion.

By the year 2012, the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority (Lofsa) is aiming to have 50,000 companies registered in the financial centre.

“Labuan is an unpolished gem that can be sold to the world," Crawford observed.

"I am sure it has the potential to be a leading business and financial centre in the region once we have polished it," he added.

UiTM Untuk Bumiputra

Tuanku Canselor UiTM



KUALA LUMPUR: Naib Canselor Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Prof Datuk Seri Ibrahim Abu Shah menyifatkan cadangan Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim supaya UiTM dibuka kepada bukan Bumiputera sebagai usaha untuk menggadaikan kepentingan Melayu dan agama Islam.

Sambil menegaskan UiTM semalam memanggil mesyuarat ahli lembaga pengarahnya membincangkan cadangan ‘tidak perlu’ itu, beliau berkata, cadangan itu dilihat sebagai usaha mencari sokongan bukan Melayu terhadap kepemimpinannya.

“Soal ini tidak wajar dibangkitkan oleh sesiapapun kerana Bumiputera masih jauh ketinggalan berbanding kaum lain. Kita membantah bukan hanya membabitkan agenda untuk menjaga kepentingan Melayu tetapi seluruh rakyat yang mahu matlamat asal penubuhan UiTM terus dipelihara.


“Jangan bangkitkan soal ini kerana ia boleh menggugat keharmonian bangsa yang selama ini hidup dalam keadaan tenteram,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, sepatutnya bangsa Melayu diberi peluang untuk memperbaiki kelemahan untuk duduk sama taraf dengan bangsa lain.

Sementara itu, Yang Dipertua Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP) UiTM, Luqmanul Hakim Mohamed, berkata MPP akan menghantar memorandum bantahan ke pejabat Menteri Besar hari ini dan meminta beliau menarik balik kenyataan berkenaan.

Pengerusi Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) Selangor, Mohamad Mustafa Latif, dalam kenyataannya, membantah kenyataan Khalid itu yang disifatkan sebagai mewakili kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat yang tidak sensitif dengan kepentingan bangsa Melayu.

“Beliau sebenarnya memungkiri janji yang dibuat selama ini untuk membela, menjaga dan memperjuangkan hak-hak bangsa Melayu,” katanya.

(Dipetik dar Berita Harian Online siaran 12 Ogos 2008)