Malaysian visa and Sarawak

Every time I have entered Malaysia, I have gotten an entry stamp that says I am permitted to stay in Sabah and Western Malaysia. So, before coming to Kuching I was confused as to whether I needed a separate visa or some kind of permission.

Searches on google revealed all sorts of wrong information. Some sites said a Malaysian visa was valid only for peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and that a separate endorsement needed to be obtained before coming to Malaysia.

As it turns out, a separate visa isn't required for Sarawak. There is a separate immigration control at the Kuching airport and you get an exotic extra stamp on the passport, but that's about it.

So, if you're an Indian citizen and have a Malaysian visa then don't worry about visiting Sarawak. Those that don't need visas for Malaysia don't need one for Sarawak either.

KL Marathon 2013 postponed to September

It's June 30 and I should be on the roads of Kuala Lumpur running a marathon. The race, unfortunately, was cancelled over the haze hype. I will admit that the day I arrived in the city  (June 26), the air quality wasn't as good as it usually is in this wonderful city, but it cleared up so much that in a couple of days, the API readings were absolutely fine.

On Saturday, the skies were blue and visibility was perfect. It's a shame that the run was postponed. I think the organizers and the authorities got it wrong. They panicked because of the media hype over the haze.

At least 3600 international runners came to KL for the run and I am one of the disappointed runners who probably won't be able to make in the last week of September for the run.

Some courtesy please

Immigration officers in Bombay were at one time, mean and intrusive. After all, the authorities deputed Maharashtra Police officers, who automatically assumed that all citizens are potential criminals. Things have thankfully changed for the better over the years.

When I recently flew out of the international airport, I was stuck in a queue for about 40 minutes, since a large group of pilgrims were flying out to Saudi Arabia for the Haj. Many of them didn't fill out their immigration forms and the understaffed immigration had to deal with large numbers.

Many of those in the queue were cursing the immigration and calling them incompetent. The man behind me was very early for his flight and I assume many of them cribbing were as well. The stressed officer who checked my passport was not having a nice day, but a simple good morning from my end brought out a smile and how are you.

He told me he was sick of grumpy travellers being mean to him and that it was finally nice to see a smile...

 

A perfect summer day in St Petersburg

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Something of use in Sakhalin and Bombay

Given the great disparities in climatic conditions for most of the year between the Russian Far Eastern island of Sakhalin and India’s chaotic metropolis, Mumbai, one would be hard-pressed to find a common item in a shoe-rack in both places. Yet, in the summer months on the Russian island, which coincide with the rainy season in the home of Bollywood, there is something that has universal value: the humble сапоги рыбака (sapogi ribaka or fisherman’s boots).

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