It would be an impossible task to describe every one of Malaysia's
thousands of beautiful beaches. Ranging
from
the powdery stretches of sand that characterize the eastern coastline of
Peninsular Malaysia to the black sand beach of Pantai Pasir Hitam and the
smooth pebble beach of Pantai Batu Kerikil, Malaysia's shores offer more
idyllic locales than one could explore in many lifetimes. In addition to the
plenitude of beaches along the the peninsula and the coast of Eastern
Malaysia, the country also possesses over a hundred tropical islands. Many
of these are so beautiful as to have entered into legend centuries ago, like
the islands of Langkawi remain desert isles, marked , or Pulau Tioman.
Others only by the imprint of the South China Sea on their sands.
Despite such abundance and variety, Malaysia's beaches are noticeably
different from those in other parts of the world. They are often less
differentiated from the shoreline than those of the Caribbean, for example,
tending instead to be almost nestled up against the lush forests that this
nation is famous for. The color palette is different as well--golden sands
and emerald waters imbue Malaysian beaches with an air of succulent
sweetness that isn't found in the cool whites and blues of many western
strands. The result is that these beaches impart a very different sensation,
a sense of languid peace and a distinct feeling that the division between
land and sea is less a sharp line than a smooth continuum.

This continuity is noticeable in Malay culture as well. Kelongs, the
traditional villages of coastal Malaysia, are built out over the water on
stilts, reversing the usual notion of a beach view. Exploring the waters of
Malaysia can produce a similar sense that the sea rather than the land is
dominant here--cruising among the islands of Langkawi or those off Johor,
for example, or scuba diving and snorkeling among the country's many
world-class reefs.
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