Agro-Tourism and Homestay in Johor On the southernmost end of Peninsular Malaysia is the state of Johor, a vast multicultural state

characterised by pineapple, rubber, coconut and oil palm plantations. To most people, Johor serves as the southern gateway into Singapore which links the two countries by road, rail and air. Apart from that, Johor has miles of golden sand beaches, beautiful offshore islands and several forest reserves. Other than that, Johor is also well-known with its agro-tourism and homestay that are certain to fascinate both local and foreign visitors. Agro-tourism is the organising of tourism activities around agricultural and village-based attractions. In Johor, you can find one of the world's largest Arowana aquaculture farms which is the only place in the world that produces a special hybrid of pineapple called Josapine and a cross-breed cow called the 'Selembu'. Other than that, you can also see lowland tea plantation, bee apiary, herbs and spices farm and tropical fruit orchards. Feel free to indulge your tastebuds with unique taste of local fruits such as the durians and pineapples. A visit to Johor would surely be an unforgettable one as you will be exposed to rural lifestyle in villages, with lots of new experiences to gain. You can take the chances to acquire the skills in harvesting, rubber tapping and fruits picking, none of which are taught in schools. Apart from that, you can also learn how to make handicrafts and souvenirs from the village folks. They are friendly people and always welcome visitors to have coffee or meal with them, play their games or indulge in their pastimes. A good way to have a first-hand experience of these is to join a homestay programme. Johor is not only famous with its agro-tourism, but also its intriguing homestay programme. A homestay programme allows you to stay with the family of participating villagers of designated villages. This is a well-established programme under the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism which involves the village headman, area officers of the agriculture department, rural folks and also the local police. During your stay with the family, you will be treated as guests and are asked to join the villagers in ceremonies held in the village. There are various cultural performances like Zapin, Ghazal, Kuda Kepang and silat that will be arranged to

entertain you. During your stay, you can enjoy local food, learn local customs and traditions, wear local dresses, play local music and sing local songs. With all these wonderful attractions, Johor is unquestionably a fascinating place to spend your holiday in. Not only that this state offers a lot of unique experiences, its people are also friendly and helpful to visitors and willing to share their culture with you. Be there, or be square!