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| Happy New Year ! |
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Hektar World at Empire City
Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya |
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| Top 10 Cheapest Countries to Travel 2026 |
" Free & easy travelling is like flying your colourful kite high & like a bird flying freely in the sky "
Wishing my readers a Happy New & Hopeful (less hype more hope) Year in 2026 ! Today is Thursday Jan 1 2026, the first day of 2026 & a public holiday in Malaysia ! A little celebration mood for both me & my wife welcoming the arrival of 2026 ! So both of us showed up (self drive) in a new theme park mall ie Hextar World at Empire City, an urban playground (enjoying a free & slow green tram ride inside the mall) which began operation in Nov 29 2025 in Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. This new concept mall is very much different from other shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur. A great place to chill & an Instagram spot for families, friends, foodies & thrill seekers as crowd throngs this new theme park mall on the 1st day of 2026 ! Am I in the Genting Skyworld Theme Park, a cool highland resort in Pahang, I ponder & ponder for awhile ?
In December 2025 after my Caucasus visit (Oct 16 > Nov 8 2025), while surfing the YouTube, I came across an interesting travel blog featuring the "Top Ten Cheapest Places or Countries to Travel in 2026" ! The 10 countries nominated by the travel blogger are :
- Laos
- Vietnam
- Indonesia
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
- Georgia
- Kazakhstan
- Rwanda
- Mongolia
- Morocco
Except Rwanda, I had over the years visited all the above countries (for the last 20 years since my retirement in May 2006, travelling either solo or with my travel buddies), lonely planet style & in countries like Thailand, I had so far made over 12 visits, Indonesia (5 visits), Vietnam & Laos (3 visits each) & Sri Lanka (2 visits). As for the other 4 countries, one visit each for Georgia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia & Morocco ! I believe if you plan & travel well, it is not going to cause you a big dent in your pockets when you "roam" the cities & seeing the best of the touristy places in these countries !
2026 is a Visit Malaysia Year (VM2026), a Malaysian government initiative to promote Malaysia (a multiracial, multi ethnic & multi religious country) as a global destination showcasing diverse cultures, landscapes & promoting niche areas like eco-tourism with ambitious target of attracting 47 million visitors ! In my opinion, Malaysia is considered one of the cheapest countries to visit in South East Asia as the country has proven & is on track to significantly exceed its 2025 target of 31.4 million tourists ! So make a date or a head start to visit Malaysia in 2026 if you are still a first timer. To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia, Malaysia is truly Asia ! Let Malaysian hospitality & food spice up your travelling days in Malaysia ! Once again & again, when one is in jovial & like minded mood, think of John Denver's moving song "Country roads take me home (visiting my beloved home country, Malaysia) to the place I belong (Peninsula & East Malaysia), mountain mama & papa (think of Mt Kinabalu stands at 4,095m, the tallest peak in Borneo; in 2011, I had successfully climbed Mt Kinabalu at the age of 61), take me home, kampung roads (countryside & village roads) to visit Malaysian cartoonist Lat's Galeri Rumah Lat & home - the Kampung (Village) Boy from Batu Gajah, Perak) !
1) A Little Window Shopping in Hextar World at Empire City, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
2) Free, green & old tram ride - just queue up to enjoy a short ride of few minutes inside the theme park mall ! Children will love it to take the ride !
3) Food Glorious Food ! Eatery stalls just opened for business in Hextar World at Empire City, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
4) A Little Eating (Hong Kong food style) during the New Year Day 2026 in Zok Noodle House, Hextar World at Empire City, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya - my first time visit & lunch with my wife, savouring a plate of Hong Kong style mixed beef noodle, BBQ / fresh prawn wan tan noodle + HK style milk tea, total food bill Rm 61.35 (US$15, inclusive of taxes)
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| Mixed Beef Noodles Rm25.90 (US$6.30 ++) |
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BBQ Pork / Fresh Prawn Wan Tan Noodle
Rm20.50 (US$5 ++) |
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Hong Kong Style Milk Tea
Rm6.50 (US$1.60) |
The Top Ten Cheapest Places or Countries to Travel in 2026 as nominated in a travel blog in YouTube are as follows (go for it if you have not visited these countries) ! As Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Indonesia are in close proximity to my home country, Malaysia, the low cost airfares & overland train rides made it conducive for me to visit these 4 countries whenever I felt like travelling !
1) Laos, South East Asia (2025, 2017 & 2011) - my free & easy solo visit (Vientiane & Luang Prabang) & with travel buddies (Vientiane, Vang Vieng & Luang Prabang).
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Pha That Luang, Vientiane, Laos
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| Vang Vieng, Laos |
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Mekong Riverside, Luang Prabang
(UNESCO), Laos
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2) Vietnam, South East Asia (2023, 2014 & 2007) - my free & easy visits with my brothers (Hanoi, Halong Bay & Catba Island) & travel buddies (Ho Chi Minh, Hoi Ann, Danang, Hue, Tam Coc, Hanoi, Haiphong, SA Pa & Lao Cai)
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Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
Hanoi, Vietnam |
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| Cat Cat Village, SA PA, Vietnam |
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| Den Mau Temple, Lao Cai, Vietnam |
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General Le Chan Statute
Haiphong, Vietnam
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| Ninh Binh, Vietnam |
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| Halong Bay (UNESCO), Vietnam |
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Catba Island, Vietnam (2007)
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Hue Imperial City (UNESCO)
Vietnam
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| Ba Na Hills, Danang, Vietnam |
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| Hoi An (UNESCO), Vietnam |
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| Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam |
3) Indonesia, South East Asia (2025, 2023, 2017, 2011 & 2009) - my free & easy visit with my travel buddies to Sumatra & Java & my wife (Bali).
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Masjid Raya Baithurrahman
Acheh, North Sumatra |
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| Istana Maimun, Medan, Sumatra |
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| Lake Toba, Sumatra |
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Dumai Islamic Center
Riau, Sumatra
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Masjid Agung An-Nur
Pekanbaru, Sumatra |
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Jabatan Limpapaeh
Bukittinggi, Sumatra
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| Ocean Front, Padang, Sumatra |
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Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre,
Batam Island, Riau, Indonesia |
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Masjid Muhamad Cheng Hoo
Surabaya, Java |
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Historic Building Lawang Sewu
Kota Semarang, Central Java |
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Istana Air (Water Castle) Taman Sari
Kraton, Yogyakarta, Java |
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| Tugu Monument, Kota Malang, Java |
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Coban Rando Waterfall
Batu, East Java
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| Proboliinggo, Java |
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| Jakarta, Java |
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Royal Botanical Garden,
Bogor, Java |
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| Bandung Train Station, Java |
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| Bali, Indonesia |
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| Borobudur Temple, Java |
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| Pasar Klewer, Solo, Java |
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| Arjuna Temple, Dieng Plateau, Java |
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| Prambanan Termple, Yogyakarta, Java |
4) Sri Lanka, South Asia (2024 & 2013) - my free & easy solo (by air from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > Colombo, Sri Lanka) & another free & easy with a travel buddy (by air from Kochi, India > Colombo, Sri Lanka)
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| Galle Face Green, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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Galle Fort (UNESCO)
Sri Lanka
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| Sigiriya UNESCO), Sri Lanka |
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| Kandy (UNESCO), Sri Lanka |
5) Thailand, South East Asia (2025, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2007) - my free & easy solo & with travel buddies via by air, self drive & overland border crossing (by trains) from Padang Besar, Malaysia > Hat Yai, Thailand & beyond (Betong, Golok, Krabi, The Pi Pi Island, Phuket, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Songkhla, Bangkok, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Koh Chang, Pattaya, Chiangmai, Chiangrai, Mae Sai, Golden Triangle, Udon Thani, Ban Chiang & Nong Khai)
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| Hat Yai, Thailand |
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| Golden Mermaid, Songkhla |
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| Sud Siam Park, Betong, Thailand |
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| The Pi Pi Island, Thailand |
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| Krabi, Thailand |
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| Koh Samui, Thailand |
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| Phuket, Thailand |
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| Hua Hin Beach, Thailand |
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Yaowarat Raod (Chinatown)
Bangkok, Thailand |
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The Bridge on The River Kwai,
Kanchanaburi, Thailand |
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| Pattaya, Thailand |
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| Koh Chang Island, Thailand |
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| Chanthaburi, Thailand |
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| Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand |
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| Sukhothai (UNESCO), Thailand |
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| Chedi Luang Stupa, Chiang Mai |
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| White Temple, Chiang Rai |
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| Mae Sai, Thailand |
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| Golden Triangle, Thailand |
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Ban Chiang National Museum
(UNESCO) Thailand |
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Udon Thani City Museum, Thailand
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| Nong Khai, Thailand |
6) Georgia, Caucasus (2025) - my free & easy visit with 3 of my travel buddies via overland border crossing between Azerbaijan & Georgia and Georgia & Armenia.
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| Sighnaghi, Georgia |
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Liberty Square, Tbilisi, Georgia
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Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument
The Georgian Military Highway
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State Museum of Joseph Stalin
Gori, Georgia
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| Chiatura, Georgia |
Akhaltsikhe Castle, Georgia |
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Gergeti Trinity Church
Stepantsminda, Georgia |
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The Scenic Snowy Mountain
Mestia, Georgia |
7) Kazakhstan, Central Asia (2015) - my free & easy, solo visit via overland border crossing from Korgos, Xinjiang > Almaty, Kazakhstan
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| Astana Square, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
8) Rwanda, East Africa (Yet to Visit) - KM, keep dreaming !
9) Mongolia, East Asia (2009) - my free & easy, solo visit via border crossing by train from Irkutsk, Russia > Ulan Bataar, Mongolia.
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Sukhbaatar Square, Ulan Bataar, Mongolia
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10) Morocco, North Africa (2012) - my free & easy solo visit via ferry crossing from Tarifa Port, Spain > Tanger Med Port, Morocco > Fez, Morocco (by train)
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| Fez (UNESCO), Morocco |
