Tax-Free Shopping {A Feature on Malaysia 4/4}

The tourist centers of Malaysia aim to cater to tastes of all kinds, with sports culture and relaxation being the top draws. One area that is continually being expanded and improved upon is shopping –  especially, duty free shopping. 

However, shoppers, you should know the difference between "duty free" and "free of duty" as both can be quite confusing. “Duty free” goods are those exempted from import duty only in designated shopping zones in Malaysia, whilst items which are designated as “free of duty” are goods that are free from import duty nationwide, all year round. 

Currently there are over 300 items in the country that are totally exempt from tax, so there are already plenty of opportunities to grab bargains. There are plans to expand this number even further so that all good fall into the free of duty category. Malaysia will then truly become "the duty free shopping destination."

Let’s start with a list of the places where you can shop and not pay any duties and then we’ll take a look at some of the shoppers' favourites. 

Duty Free: 

• Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 

• Bayan Lepas International Airport (Penang) 

• Langkawi International 

• Airport (Kedah) 

• Kota Kinabalu International Airport (Sabah) 

• Kuching International Airport (Sarawak) 

Duty Free Ports: 

• Port Klang (Selangor) 

• Tanjung Belungkur (Johor) 

• Pengkalan Kubur (Kelantan) 

Free Duty Goods shops are clearly signed throughout: 

• Kuala Lumpur 

• Georgetown (Penang) 

• Melaka 

• Kuching (Sarawak) 

• Johor Bahru (Johor) 

Border Towns with Free Duty shops: 

• Padang Besar (Perlis) 

• Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah) 

• Pengkalan Hulu (Perak) 

• Rantau Panjang (Kelantan) 

• Kuala Baram (Sarawak) 

Domestic Designated Duty Free Islands: 

• Langkawi 

• Labuan

• Tioman 

Most shoppers tend to favour Langkawi for duty free shopping and recommend that you head to Kuah town in the central district of the island. Rows upon rows of stores selling electronic gadgets, household goods, branded products, cosmetics and fragrances, chocolates, cigarettes and liquor welcome you with prices that will make you think if you had the exchange rates right. 

Jewelries at tax free prices. Photo by Tourism Malaysia. 

Also highly-recommended is a stroll along to the Langkawi Mall, the Fair Shopping Complex and the Jetty Point Duty Free Complex, as these tend to compete very hard with each other on price. If you’re looking for more “touristy” items, like crafts, delicacies and clothes, in addition to the usual duty free merchandise, head down to the tourist beaches of Cenang and Tengah. 

For items like pewter, crystals and glassware, visit the duty free mall next to the Langkawi Underwater World or the smaller outlets at the Oriental Village. If you're into Burberry raincoats and Mont Blanc pens, you can buy these in the outlet inside the KLIA. 

Cities such as Kuala Lumpur pride themselves on their retail experiences and designer outlets such as those in the extraordinary region of Bukit Bintang. The Suria KLCC at the Petronas Towers boasts an extraordinary and unbelievable range of top names from Jimmy Choo and Prada to Gucci and Versace. Yes, these are expensive, but they are still at a lower cost here than anywhere else. 

Fashion Walk Shopping Centre. Photo by Tourism Malaysia.

 Malaysia has always been welcoming of foreign custom and this is clear in the convenience and opportunities that are offered when shopping in any of the countries great retail-friendly shops and malls. 

The worlds’ largest choice of silks? Photo by Tourism Malaysia. 

The local currency is the Ringgit (RM) and is still fondly referred to as the Malaysian Dollar by some – currently enjoys a good exchange rate against the US Dollar and British Pound. That means you really get a lot of RM for your money. In addition to this, the country also accepts a number of Western credit cards and is full of ATMs to give you easy access to your money. 

If all of Malaysia becomes tax free it will allow increase retail-based tourism significantly in the region. This is certainly the aim of the Malaysian government and the main reason why this concept of a blanket tax exemption is given such a high regard. The thought behind expanding this duty-free tag to cover all goods is to not only increase tourist spending by offering more chances for appealing deals but to also boost the economy and GNI by an impressive RM9 billion. 

Beautiful designer clothing at duty free prices. Photo by Tourism Malaysia. 

The premier shopping destination of the future? 

In short, tax-free shopping across the country will not only make the goods more accessible at more appealing prices, it will also enhance the image of the country for prospective visitors because this combination of bargains, top names and the unique experiences of the Malaysian complexes is something that cannot be experienced anywhere else. If all these proposals go ahead and the rest of Malaysia follows the examples of the designer stores in Kuala Lumpur and the duty free centres of Langkawi then this Asian nation could really become a world-class shopping destination!

And you know how it goes shopaholics like us, right? We'll scour all the fantastic places... and might even go to other countries just for the shopping experience. Malaysia will be a good country to start our shopping rampage all over the world. Haha! ;)

Best Artisanal Buys {A Feature on Malaysia 3/4}

Welcome back to our feature on the shopping scene in Malaysia! 

Most travelers are into buying souvenirs... especially us Filipinos! It's one of the first few things that we look for when visiting a new place. In Malaysia, it'll be nice to know what signature arts and crafts are available. They're the perfect gifts for family and friends back in your home country. 

Given the diversity of ethnic groups in Malaysia, these vary from place to place. Because of this, many resort to going to Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market at the end of their trip to fill their suitcase with items from all around Malaysia. However, you should always be on the lookout whenever you're out and about the places in Malaysia. One huge tip is to find artisans and buy directly from them so you’ll get better prices and you're assured that your money goes to the creators directly. 

Craft stalls in markets like Kuching, Sarawak are good places to pick up locally made products.
Photo by Joanne Lane.

 Here are five main crafts to look out for during your travels:

Batik and other fabrics 

Yes this is inherently an Indonesian craft, but batik is also prevalent around Malaysia and somewhat different in style to its neighbor's. Batik is basically created by drawing or printing a pattern on fabric with wax. It is then dyed. This design is often reproduced on anything from clothing to tablecloths or cushion covers, but you can equally find it simply as wall hangings or art works. 

The best places to find batik crafts are on Malaysia’s eastern coast in Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu but you can also find it in Penang. In Malaysia most of the batik designs are floral motifs and quite colourful and the patterns tend to be simpler. 

The Malaysian government is actively promoting the development of batik patterns and promoting it as a national dress. There’s also a biennial convention, Kuala Lumpur International Batik (KLIB) Convention and Exhibition, that brings in anything related to batik. The last event was held in December 2011. 

Another kind of fabric to keep an eye out for is kain songket. This textile with hand woven silver and gold threads was once reserved for members of royalty only. Now anyone can wear it but it’s usually only used for special occasions. Kelantan, Terengganu and Khota Bharu are where you’ll still find small cottage industries making this product. A songket factory is located at Kampung Penambang north of Khota Bharu. Try the Buluh Kubu Bazaar, also known as Bamboo Fort Bazaar, for a variety of other textile products in Khota Bharu. 

Malaysia is renowned for its many fabrics and woven materials. Photo by Joanne Lane. 

Metalwork 

If silverwork is your metal of choice you may want to look out for the silversmiths of Kelantan where their work is generally considered intricate and of superior quality. They use two techniques here – filigree and repousse – and you’ll find everything from tea sets to brooches and bracelets. Visit the silvercraft factory at Kampung Sireh, Kota Bharu. 

If brasswork is more what interests there are ample industries producing various work in Kuala Terengganu. Silverwork, textiles, woodcraft and kites are also produced here, particularly in the waterfront district of Kampung Cina. 

Woven products 

Various weaving methods are used around Malaysia to produce an array of gift boxes, mats, bags, hats, shoes, fans and more. You’ll see many of these practiced as a cottage industry all around the country. 

Pua kumbu weaving is common in Malaysian Borneo amongst Iban people for producing ceremonial items for use in birth, marriage, funeral and other rituals. For example a child may be cleaned when first delivered and then laid on apua kumbu, or a corpse may be screened with such a cloth. Pua kumbu are also used to veil structures. To produce the pua kumbu a special dyeing process called ikat is used by which the designs are dyed onto the threads before they are woven. 

Mengkuang is the practice of weaving the strands of the pandanus tree that grows in mangrove forests and jungles. The leaves are stripped, split into strands, soaked, dried, boiled and dyed with vegetable colours. The colourful woven fragments are then used to make various products. This practice still thrives in the eastern states of Peninsular Malaysia. 

Woodcarving 

The Kenyah and Kayan peoples of Malaysian Borneo are generally considered very skilled carvers. In places like Semporna you’ll also find designs of lepa boats, a traditional wooden-hulled single-mast boat. 

A carved lepa boat in Semporna, Sabah. Photo by Joanne Lane. 

Woven baskets 

Woven baskets are commonly found in Malaysian Borneo and produced by a variety of ethnic groups including the Iban, Kayan, Kenya and Penan. Here you’ll find baskets, mats, seats and other materials made from rattan, bamboo, swamp grass and pandanus. These are commonly sold in markets around Borneo such as in Kuching but you’ll also find them in longhouses where they maybe available for purchase.

Now that you know what to look for when it comes to souvenirs in Malaysia, it won't be difficult to shop your way around.

Wrapping Feelings With Papermoon

When Eyecandy and I were shopping for a gift to our very dependable driver, Mr. Joy, we wanted to present it in such a way that he'll know how much we appreciate him and what he's doing for us. As many of you know by now, Mr. Joy is our constant driver who takes us around Riyadh. We were kidding that he's the official service of The Pink Tarha. Without him, half of the entries in this blog wouldn't be possible because we couldn't have set foot on those places without him ferrying us to and fro. E and I agreed that we'd give him something special and it will also come in a special box. Enter Papermoon...

As one of the premier gift-wrapping shops in Saudi Arabia, Papermoon believes that the way you present a gift is more important than the gift itself. While some of you might balk at the idea, you cannot deny that receiving a gift wrapped fabulously and meticulously sets your heart aflutter; the element of surprise thrown in such a beautiful manner takes you aback that sometimes, you wouldn't want to open the gift anymore! Papermoon believes that gift wrapping is not a mere act of covering up a gift, but an elegant for of art and self-expression. 

While the attendant in the Kingdom Centre branch was busy wrapping the gift, I went around the store and took some photos of their boxes and wrappers just in case you'll be needing any gift wrapping service soon.

Simple boxes should have stuff toys to go!

Choose your colors. Loving these bright ones.

For the baby girls: great for baptism and dedications

Fabulous birthday boxes: no wrapper needed!

Serves as a gift box... boxes for your trinkets at home

It doesn't have to end with a box. Mix and match!

Decorative gift bags. Just add gift!

So many choices! The gift-wrapping process adds value to your gift.

These hand-crafted flowers can be given as is!

Comes in many colors!

Lovely fabrics as gift wrappers... unique and chic!

Papermoon products are of high quality and their gift wrapping is very artistic and decorative that I would have a hard time unwrapping a gift Papermoon wrapped. The store's collections and products can be mixed and matched to match your style, or the personality of the one you're gifting. They also have a lot of items for any occasion. 

Papermoon, aside from giving you selections of boxes, gift wrappers, and gift bags to wrap your gift, can also do the gift-wrapping for you! It's simple: bring your gift to their store and control how it looks and how much it should cost you. Tell the attendant what the occasion is, what your budget is, what colors and style you like... and voila! Your gift is ready in no time! 

We tried the second option and had our gift wrapped according to what we were envisioning: elegant and manly with a bit of frill thrown in (after all, it's the Pink Tarha who's giving it eh?)... and here's the finished product:

Hello, Mr. Joy's gift!

We loooove it! Even with the delicate ribbon atop, the gift doesn't look girly. It was quite expensive for more than SR35 but it was worth it! The final verdict, of course, comes from the person receiving the gift... Mr. Joy liked it! He was so overwhelmed and we were happy with how our little surprise turned out.

So if you want to wrap your feelings, you know where to go! ;) ~ Sundrenched

Papermoon
The GiftWrap Company

Riyadh Branches:
Faisaliah Mall : 01-2734151
Kingdom Centre: 01-2112493
Sahara Mall: 01-4520379
More branches here.
W: www.papermoonworld.com
FB: Papermoon

Through Your Eyes, The Second Morning

The second Pink Tarha Mornings went by quickly and smoothly. We have a bigger crowd this time, just a little bit more from the first one and we have a guest speaker who knows a lot about our chosen topic... PHOTOGRAPHY. Do you know how many photography clubs are in Riyadh? A lot and yes, we will come up with a feature on them one of these days but for now, we had a workshop led by professional photographer Nikoll Long-Carr. You should really visit her site and learn more about this remarkable woman. 

The second workshop titled "Through Your Eyes" is a full basic photography workshop that was held in Piatto Restaurant in Exit 5 here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 'Mornings' are making quite a stir now especially after the feature in Balitang Middle East. You still have to pinch me sometimes for me to believe I just watched The Pink Tarha ladies on tv. Anyway, here is a photo diary of the second Pink Tarha Mornings. Whenever we have this event, everything just moves forward rapidly that it's already over before I can grapple with reality.

Piatto Italian Restaurant

Piatto Restaurant in Exit 5, once again, opened their second floor 'courtyard' for the second Pink Tarha Mornings. We love how they setup the place for a bigger crowd this time. The sponsors of our pastries and baked goods were given a long table. The Piatto management has always been supportive of our endeavor and again, we'd like to express our gratitude to its management, esp. to Sir Steve, Sir Majed, Sir Albert, and Sir Neil, for giving us this opportunity. This venue is, as always, perfect!

A different set of colors

I deviated from the usual pink this time around and used bright colors of lime and orange. If you see our site for Through Your Eyes, I used a different set of digital papers for decorations and sign ages. Even the badges you see above use summery colors. I think it suits a morning event as well. We'll always love pink though. ;)

We usually arrive around 8 o'clock in the morning to prepare the venue and our stuff. Early risers much? Haha! The Pink Tarha ladies didn't have a dress code but Eyecandy, Shoegarfreeruby and I came in shades of peach. Sampaguita Pride had a summer dress with bright yellow details. It wasn't a requirement for the ladies to arrive in pink but some of them did. Yeyyy! ;)

Shoegarfreeruby, fresh from her vacation, is manning the registration area.

Sampaguita Pride having her cuppajoe.

Our sponsors arrived looking fabulous with their equally fabulous baked goodies. Cielo Algaeed arrived with her husband, Mr. Abdul, and went on arranging her Paris-inspired dessert buffet table. We love seeing her work progress over the months.

Cielo Algaeed of Cielo's Sweet Treats

The bubbly and very energetic Cecile Bautista-Perez arrived next with her family in tow. They arranged her lovely setup of cupcakes, nibble bars, cake pops, and chocolates. And yes, we fell easily in love with her baked creations.

Cecile Perez of Dolce Cecilia

There was an abundance of sweet treats and glorious pastries!

Cake pops!

Seems like cake pops are all the rave these days. You should try these yummy balls of sweetness! We also had guests who brought their own baked goodies to be shared. Aren't we lucky to have lovely and generous participants? ;)

Thanks, Meg Tillah, for the cute and colorful cupcakes + cookies!

Thanks, Nadia Tariq!

The ladies getting some coffee + pastries before the start of the program.

The ladies started trickling in to the venue around 9 o'clock. They were welcomed by R who was in-charge of the registration. This time, our folder kits are yellow! Woot! So bright! Haha! The guests are free to roam around the place, have coffee and pastries, and get to know the other ladies.

Let us begin the session!

Eyecandy as our host for today's workshop.

Nikoll Long-Carr on how to hold the camera properly.

Always ready with a smile

The participants listening intently.

A few raffle prizes in between

One of the new things we incorporated in this second event is having a raffle draw. The prizes include Saudi Arabia bags from Camel Corner, ID lanyard (so limited it was only one, haha!), MNG clothes, and a gift voucher for Four Nail Spa and Salon. Nikoll added one of her framed photos too featuring the Kingdom Tower.

Nikoll on photo tips and tricks

Nikoll with her framed photos

After the lecture session, the exercise session began. Nikoll roamed around to help out the participants and answer any of their questions. Brunch was also served during this time so they can capture the food, if the ladies want to. There's a photo contest happening after the event. You can check out the photos here.

Nikoll giving Nadia a few pointers

One-on-one session

The ladies enjoying their brunch

E and P with the ladies who are also interested in Toastmasters

One thing we learned from the first Pink Tarha Mornings is to allot enough time to distribute certificates and take a photo of each participant in the process. So we did just that! We get to keep the photos, of course, as our souvenir for another successful event.

Awarding of certificates

Thank you, Nikoll!

Shoegarfreeruby, Eyecandy, Sampaguita Pride, and Sundrenched

The Pink Tarha ladies are very much in debt to all the people who made this event possible! As you've probably read in our Facebook page, we had a lot to be thankful for... including you dear readers! ;)

Thankful to our friends who helped and supported this event.

Thankful to our sponsors, Whites Pharmacy and Volvo.

Thankful to our lovely participants!!!

Again, we'd like to THANK everyone who's supported and helped and cheered us on in this endeavor. This wouldn't be successful without you.

Want coffee? Own the mug too! ;) One of our souvenirs for this event.

Whites Pharmacy has provided ample samples for this event. They came in a cute box too! ;)

A few might be asking why we're holding the Pink Tarha Mornings. What do we get from it? What do we gain from it? Friends. That's what. And with that simple reason alone, we hope to be able to hold more Pink Tarha Mornings in the future. Stay tuned! ;)

The aftermath... Thanks Jou for being our photographer for the day! WOOT!

After all the guests have gone and the our friends have also left for the morning, Eyecandy and I usually have an egress report of some sort.We deal with the packing up and reviewing the event while having our proper lunch (we cannot eat properly during the event... must be the nerves, haha!). It's like having an immediate SWOT analysis of the event. Nothing formal just a quick recap so we can make the future events better. 

So, who's excited for the next Pink Tarha Mornings? We're thinking of bringing The Pink Tarha Mornings to Alkhobar and Jeddah! What do you think? Hahaha! Ambitious much? ;) ~ Sundrenched