2) Standard of living
Malaysia has one of the highest standards of living in the region with all the modern infrastructure and facilities in place.

3) Cost of living
Cost of living is one of the lowest in Asia and will remain so for a very long time. This is achieved through the Government’s efficient monitoring of the economy in ensuring that inflation is kept low at all times and thereby also the prices of goods and services.

4) Weather
Borneo and therefore Sarawak is a tropical state with an equatorial climate. It is hot and humid throughout the year with average daily temperatures ranging from 23°C during the early hours of the morning to 32°C during the day. There are two monsoon seasons. Despite the monsoon seasons, the climate in Sarawak remains fairly stable throughout the year.

5) Infrastructure
In spite of Sarawak’s vast expanse, its major towns and cities are well connected by transportation routes. Sarawak has a modern and fully equipped port and airport facilities for international and domestic linking, as well as a road network system connecting all the major towns within Sarawak as well as Sabah and neighbouring countries, Brunei and Indonesia. The Trans-Borneo Highway connects Kuching to all major cities in Sarawak, and carries on through to the neighbouring state of Sabah through Brunei. Most major towns and cities offer a variety of public transportation including buses, taxis and limousine services. Bus services are also available for those wishing to travel within the state from town to town, or even internationally to Indonesia (Pontianak) and Brunei. River transportation system is an important means of transportation for passengers and goods to large proportions of the population of the state. Express boat services utilise the many waterways inland to get to more rural areas inaccessible by road.

6) Political stability
The ruling Government is the longest serving freely elected Government in the world. It is a Government representing all the races, religions, cultures, etc. found in Malaysia. Sarawak is a state in the confederation of the states in Malaysia. A Chief Minister governs Sarawak state. In fact, Malaysia is one of the most politically stable countries in the world.

7) Rule of law
The rule of law is one of the fundamentals in Malaysia’s constitution. Everyone is subjected to the law and also equal before the law. Malaysia practices basically the British system of justice with an independent reliable and dependable judiciary.

8) Safety
Statistics can proof that Malaysia is one of the safest countries in the world; its crime rate is relatively low.

9) Religion
Islam is the official religion of Malaysia but the constitution guarantees the right of people to practice other religions. In Sarawak, Islam is not so widely spread as in the mainland. The state guarantees the right and the freedom to practice other religions as well. Approximately 26% of Sarawak’s population is practicing Islam, while about 29% are Christians. 17% are Buddhists and Taoists. The remaining population practice other world religions or are still animistic.

10) Culture and language
The official language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay). Apart from the official language, English is also widely spoken. Additionally a few Chinese dialects, Indian dialects, Iban and a vast variety of other native dialects are spoken. Similarly, the Malay culture is dominant in the country because the Malays are the dominant race in Malaysia and in region. But other cultures can be practiced very freely and there is a free intermingling of different cultures.

11) Food, beverages and fruit
All the food of the world can be found here at a very reasonable cost. With so many races and cultures living together in harmony, it is understandable that each race has picked up the best of each other’s food and made Malaysia into Asia’s Food Paradise. The cuisine of Sarawak is a mirror of its population. Malay, Chinese, the spicy curries of Indian cuisine or the specialties of a native cooking. Whatever it is, almost every meal is served with rice and is enhanced with some special flavours of every ethnic group. Sarawak is famous for its Midin (jungle fern), Umai (marinated fish or prawn meat) and of course its Laksa (a spicy noodle soup with coconut milk and prawns).

A visit to a local wet market is an absolute must to experience and taste local fruits and flavours. Bananas, pineapples, mangoes, durians, star fruit, cempedak, jackfruit, guava, langsat (duku), mangosteen, rambutan, and salak are only some of the wide choices of fruits available.

Water, coffee, tea, soft drinks; and in the evenings a refreshing glass of ice cold beer, fruit juices (freshly squeezed or from the bottle), Tuak (rice wine) and other liquor are some of the beverages to choose from. Please bear in mind that alcohol is highly priced, since Islam does not allow the consumption of these beverages. However, in every well-equipped supermarket, a good choice of wines, beers and other alcoholic beverages are available.

12) Recreation / Entertainment
The country has everything for the family including beach resorts, national parks and wildlife reserves, jungle trails, sports and water sports. Sarawak is a land of a myriad of festivals, thanks to its diverse and multicultural population. From the Chinese traditional festivals to the Gawai celebration of the indigenous people to religious festivals such as the Muslim Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the variety and frequency of Sarawak’s cultural celebrations are breathtaking.

13) Shopping
Most of the items that tourists normally like to buy – perfumes, cosmetics, watches, fountain pens, a long list of electronic goods, branded goods etc. are completely free of tax. Quality goods from all over the world are imported and are relatives low in price and sold throughout Malaysia.

14) Education
The country has one of the best-developed and quality educational systems – both public and private. There are international schools of repute in all major towns with English as the medium of instruction. There are also private colleges and universities offering twinning programmes with other well-known universities and major colleges from throughout the world. Therefore, it is the place for quality education from nursery right up to the highest level of university education. It is already becoming an educational centre of excellence for the region. Relatively speaking, it is also the place to get quality international class education at a very reasonable cost.

15) Medical facilities
The country has a very efficient health system where medical services are provided at nominal cost. Private doctors, clinics and also hospitals of international standards are easily obtainable at very reasonable cost. Malaysia is also becoming a centre for medical facilities in the region.

16) Residence
There are quality residences – terrace houses, semi-detached, bungalows, apartment and condominiums all over the country. There are also some of the finest residences available in tourism zones – on beaches, near jungles, recreational places and city centres.