New Zealand is one of the most recently settled major landmasses. The first settlers were Eastern Polynesians who went to New Zealand, probably in a series of migrations, sometime between around 700 and 2000 years agoOver the following centuries these settlers developed into a distinct culture now known as Māori. The population was divided into Iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) which would cooperate, compete and sometimes fight with each other. At some point a group of Māori migrated to the Chatham Islands where they developed their own distinct Moriori cultureBecoming aware of the lawless nature of European settlement and increasing interest in the territory by the French, the British government sent William Hobson to New Zealand to claim sovereignty and negotiate a treaty with Māori.The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in the bay island on 6 February 1840. The drafting was done hastily and confusion and disagreement continues to surround the translation. The Treaty is however remains regarded as New Zealand's foundation as a nation and is revered by Māori as a guarantee of their rights.

about korea

Korea, "Land of the Morning Calm," is a land of opposites existing in conjunction with each other. It combines ancient Oriental tradition with modern technology. In downtown Seoul, one can find traces of its 5,000 year history in its palaces, city gates, and temples, yet the country is also a rapidly developing nation in terms of industry, trade, and commerce.

Calendar & Holidays | Clothes | Education | Flag | Food and Drink | Geography | History Housing | Language | Money & Economy | People | Religion | Weather

Calendar As in many Asian countries, Korea uses both the solar and lunar calendars, and celebrates holidays based on both. The country uses one time zone and is 9 hours ahead of GMT, the same as Japan. Most Koreans work Monday through Friday and then a half day on Saturday mornings. Usual business hours are 9:00-6:00 during the week and 9:00-1:00 on Saturday. During national holidays, government offices and most businesses are closed, although many private store keepers and large department stores may remain open. The major exceptions occur during the 3-day holidays for the Lunar New Year (Seol-nal) and Harvest Moon Festival (Chuseok) when just about everything shuts down except public transportation. (See the Events Calendar section for upcoming holidays and events.)

Clothes Although most people prefer Western clothes like suits and jeans, the national costume, hanbok, is worn by many during national holidays. Traditionally, people wore white clothes, reserving colors for the upper class or during festive occassions. Rubber shoes and sandals have been replaced by designer shoes and sneakers; however, even these are removed when entering a house or other area where shoes are not permitted. The Cultural Spotlight area has an in-depth section on Traditional Clothing.

Education In Korean culture, education is the key to success in life. The school one graduates from can determine whether one will be a success or failure. To many Korean parents, the education of their children outweighs all other considerations, and they will make tremendous sacrifices to let their children get the best education possible. The Korean education system consists of six years of primary school, three years of middle school, then three years of high school. Those who pass the national exam go on to 4-year colleges or universities. Others go to 2-year junior colleges, while the rest enter the work force. Until recently, most middle and high schools were segregated by sex. However, because of complaints about differences in education levels between the boys and girls schools and socialization problems later in life, most schools have gone co-ed.

about sabah

A bit of GEOGRAPHY.

Situated on the northeast side of the island of Borneo, Sabah is smaller than its sister state, Sarawak. The southern part of the island, called Kalimantan, belongs to Indonesia. The state capital is Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton. Sabah is generally mountainous, with the Crocker range of central mountains varying in height from about 1,000 meters to 3,000 meters, which at its peak of Mount Kinabalu rises up to 4095 meters, and with several lower ranges of hills near the coasts.

Things to do and Getting Around.

For those interested in tropical rainforest with diverse flora and fauna, stunning islands and beaches, superb scuba diving with rare and abundant macro and pelagic life, Sabah has much to offer.

On the doorstep of Kota Kinabalu City lies the 49sq km National Park commonly known as TARP. Five beautiful tropical islands make up the land mass. Surrounding waters are a magnet for nature and marine lovers.

This is where our PADI 5 Star Dive, Snorkel & Adventure Center is cased.

The wildlife of the Lower Kinabatangan River is acknowledged by experts to be the most varied and easily accessible in all of Southeast Asia.

The Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, near Sandakan was established to return orphaned apes back to the wild and is well worth a visit.

Gomantong Caves, made famous by the edible bird nests of Swiftlets living in the limestone cave system on the North East side of Borneo have made this area incredibly valuable and world famous.

Please peruse our sidebar links for a more detailed look at some of the highlights that have interested us.

Independent travel is fairly straightforward and very safe. People are very helpful and don't be put off by stories of Headhunters and Pirates.

The long distant buses, which are very comfortable air conditioned coaches run frequently from KK to Tawau via Sandakan and stop at all major towns where you can get smaller minibuses to take you further. The buses and coaches usually run when full so timetables are generally only a rough guide but if you wait at a main road, one will soon pass by.

If your journey begins in any major city then bus schedule are more reliable and you can pre-book your seat.

Flights are also quite cheap, the Malaysia Airlines System MAS and Airasia have daily flights from KK to Tawau and Sandakan.

Please feel free to drop us a line and we'll endeavor to help with your travel plans or at least put you in touch with someone who can !

Please peruse our Travel Packages - you might find exactly what you're looking for - if not then we offer be-spoke travel itineraries.

A bit of HISTORY

Sabah is Malaysia's northernmost state and together with Sarawak makes up Malaysian Borneo. Known mostly for its two Mountains; Mt Kinabalu and the underwater mountain of Sipadan it still remains something of a frontier.

Before its independence in 1963 the British North Borneo Company administered the country as a protectorate of the British Empire. For centuries prior to this there were many bloody disputes over the countries riches drawing raiders and traders from afar and with the Philippines and Indonesia claiming parts of the territory as their own.

Fortunately nowadays over 30 different ethnic groups live here in harmony while at the same time preserving their own culture, traditions, festivals and custom.

The PEOPLE.

The three million people of Sabah are as diverse as the ecology. There are three main groups of indigenous people. The largest group is the Kadazandusun, making up one third of the population. They live mainly on the West Coast to the interior and were formerly the main rice producers. They have souls and spirits that must be appeased from time to time through specific rituals. In these modern times, some of the rituals are less performed accept during certain festivities.

Along with the Suluk, Irranun, Binadan and Obian people, the Bajau landed on Sabah's shores around 200 years ago. Once regarded as sea gypsies because of their seafaring ways in the past, many have settled down to a more sedentary life of rice farming and cattle breeding. Their riding skills on ponies have earned these Bajau the nickname "Cowboys of the East" and their colourful costumes (as well as those of their ponies) are greatly admired.

The Murut (meaning hill people) inhabit the interior and southeastern parts of Sabah and the territory straddling the Kalimantan and Sarawak borders. Many still occupy the traditional Longhouses. Once feared as fearless headhunters the Murut these days have abandoned much of their age-old traditions especially headhunting. They are also very skilled in hunting with blowpipe.

The Chinese, who migrated in great numbers to Sabah during the early years of the North Borneo Chartered Company era, make up a large portion of the non-indigenous people. Living mostly in and around city areas, they engaged themselves primarily in the commercial sectors of the economy. Unofficially, Sabah is also home to an estimated 700,000 strong Filipino population due to lax immigration controls and poor policing of the Malaysia-Philippines national border

Resulting from this multicultural society is a year full of festivals and colourful ceremonies.