Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic calendar, a time when Muslims all over the world battle basic human desires for food, drink, smoke, and sex by abstaining from these in a practice known as fasting.

Ramadan is also the month of giving, sharing, and forgiving, when Muslims forgive the bad things other people have done them and surrender their anger to Allah. The actual time of Ramadan varies according to the lunar calendar; this year it was Dec 9, 1999 to Jan 8, 2000.

Fasting is one of the five pillars–fundamental beliefs—of Islam. These include: shahada, or affirmation (there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger); shalat, or prayer; Siyam, or fasting during the month of Ramadan; zakat, or almsgiving; and hajj, a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in one’s lifetime.

Since it is one of the five pillars, fasting is an obligation for all Muslim men and women. Those who cannot fast during Ramadan (for example, for health reasons), may fast in other months of the same Islamic calendar year, or contribute to the poor.

While there are variations for each of the four different Muslim sects, generally during Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise till sundown. Each day the fast begins at dawn, and most people take a light meal before sunrise known as Sohur. At sundown people break their fast, usually with something sweet such as dates, a type of desert fruit indigenous to the Middle East. Sweets restore the energy used during daytime.

In the evening, Muslims also gather and pray together. The most common gathering places are the mosques, and mosques all over the world provide food and drink, usually contributions from the people themselves, so the faithful may break their fast.

Islam believes that "Whoever gives food to a fasting person for breaking fast is rewarded an equal reward as that fasting person" (from the Hadith, trans. by Tarmizi, Zaid, Ibnu Khuzaimah, and Ibnu Hibban). This practice of giving goes on for the whole month of Ramadan.

Some people believe that fasting is torment. To Muslims, however, fasting is a way to show appreciation of all God’s gifts and to share the hunger and suffering of all the hungry and unfortunate people in the world.

Finally, after a month of battle against human desire, Ramadan is followed by Syawal, a month of celebration of the victory of the spirit’s battle with the flesh.

Picture yourself in a place where the attractions are as varied as they are exciting, fresh, and unspoiled. There are uncrowded beaches, isolated tropical islands, fascinating cultures, colorful and beautiful marine life, and people who are genuinely friendly and traditionally hospitable.

There really is such a place: Sabah, Malaysia, where the spectacular countryside is dominated by the awesome Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia.

Sabah occupies the top portion of the island of Borneo between four and eight degrees north of the equator, and its climate is tropical but pleasant. Sabah is below the typhoon belt, so it is known as the "Land Below the Wind." It covers an area of more than 29,000 square miles with about 900 miles of coastline. It is washed by the South China Sea on the west and the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea on the east. Its capital is Kota Kinabalu, located on its West Coast.

More than 30 different groups and 80 different dialects comprise the natives of Sabah. The indigenous groups include a number of different tribes, large and small, and each group has its own colorful culture, traditions, festivals and customs.

For nature lovers, Kinabalu Park is a cool mountain environment reached from the capital by a two hours drive through a spectacular countryside. The park is a paradise for naturalists, botanists, birdwatchers, mountaineers, and those who simply admire unspoiled tropical nature. The main attraction of the park is Mt. Kinabalu, standing majestically about 13,500 feet above sea level and visible on clear mornings from any part of Sabah.

In Sepilok, on the east coast, the jungle man of Borneo lives in the world’s largest Orang Utan sanctuary. The Orang Utan is instantly adorable to anyone who sees it in its natural habitat. Cute and disturbingly humanlike, it always brings a smile. It would be extremely difficult for any zoo anywhere in the world to recreate the animal’s natural habitat, but a sighting at close range at Sepilok is guaranteed.

For those who prefer to laze under the sun, Sabah offers five tropical islands off the west coast of North Borneo: Mamutik, Manukan, Sulug, Sapi, and Gaya. These islands are only a 10 to 15 minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu. The water is crystal clear and clean, the beaches are beautiful, and the underwater corals irresistible. This is a spectacular marine experience not to be missed.

For a great diving experience, visit the island of Sipadan, located off the town of Semporna on the east coast of Sabah. It offers what is considered the best diving area in this part of the world with abundant marine life that thrill and amaze everyone.

If you are from Hawai‘i and tired of surfing, Sabah offers a new wet experience—freshwater rafting in the strong current of Padas River. It is a good way to get your adrenaline pumping.

For those who enjoy hiking, the natural, peaceful, and soothing rainforest offers beautiful and rare flora and fauna guaranteed to capture the heart. The best hikes are the Crocker Range trail, and the Kinabalu Park trails.

Mexico is a great country that satisfies a variety of different interests: Historical sites for the amateur archeologist, great beaches for the sunbathers, reefs for divers, and interesting cities and towns.

Historical sites

There are hundreds of historical sites including pyramids temples and sites from at least three pre-Colombian cultures, footprints in the history of the Aztecs, Mayans, and Toltecs. Each pyramid has a different story to tell, and some of the more interesting are in the archaeological zone of Teotihuacan, an hour’s drive Northeast of Mexico City. Here are the impressive pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, part of the Aztec city of Teotihuacan, once Mexico’s largest city, with perhaps 200,000 inhabitants at its peak when it was the capital of a pre-Hispanic empire.

Travelers more interested in Mayan culture should visit Chichen Itza, the most famous and best restored of the Yucatan Peninsula’s archeological sites, located in the south-eastern part of the country. The Mayans dominated the area from Mexico City in the north down to the highlands of Honduras in the south.

The Classic Maya, who thrived between about 250 and 900 A.D., were organized into independent city-states and had a complex, partly pictorial, partly symbolic writing system with 300 to 500 characters. They refined a calendar used by other pre-Hispanic peoples into a tool for the exact predicting of astronomical events. The symbols sketched into the walls of the "time temples" at Chichen Itza have helped historians understand the Mayan astronomical calendar.

The Toltecs, a warlike people who dominated much of central Mexico in the 10th century, have influenced the archeological site of Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula. The buildings here, decidedly Toltec in influence, were the product of a Mayan civilization in decline.

Beaches

Tulum is actually located on the beach and visitors with a surfing history will find themselves near some of the best beaches in Mexico on the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. This part of the country has had an explosive growth in tourism the last decade. A string of beautiful beaches starts in the north near Cancun and heads south to the border with Belize. The water is turquoise and crystal clear, and much warmer than the water around Hawaii!

Cancun, also called "gringolandia," meaning "white mans land," due to the large number of American tourists who frequent it, is a crowded place that should be avoided. It’s better to get on the bus and go south to places like Playa Del Carmen and Tulum.

Playa Del Carmen used to be a small fishing village, but it has grown so rapidly in the last 10 years it is no longer recognizable as a village, according to the local citizens. Tourism has not, however, overwhelmed the city, but made it develop in quite a different manner than Cancun, which has been invaded by Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Café. The beach at Playa Del Carmen is lined with nice restaurants and a pedestrian mall.

From Playa Del Carmen visitors can take a boat to the island of Cozumel where at least 10 different companies offer snorkeling and dive trips in what is reputed to be one of the best spots in the world for these activities. Lucky visitors might get some of the local fishermen to take them out to hunt for giant barracudas with harpoons! They will dive into the water to hunt while visitors snorkel at the surface watching. For visitors they like, they fry the fish afterwards and share it.

Cities

Mexico also has towns that are lively and that offer more than pyramids and fish. Check out San Cristobal de Las Casas, west of the Yucatan in the region called Chiapas. Many people are afraid of going to this part of the country because of conflicts between the government and the Indians that began in 1994.Visitors, however, will not notice any tension except that there are more police checkpoints in this region than in the others.

This city should not be missed. Located in a temperate mountain valley, the town has an estimated population of 90,000 living in beautiful, colorful colonial houses. The town has a market where all sorts of interesting things can be found, especially artisan work. Visitors should go for a horse trip to one of the surrounding Indian villages. Exploring the mountains is worth the pain in the butt!

Taxco is another mountain town, but it is located in the western part of the country, a three-hour drive from Mexico City. This old silver-mining town clings to a steep hillside and is known as one of the most picturesque and pleasant places in Mexico. It’s actually fun to walk in the narrow streets keeping out of the way of the VW bugs that run around the hill like small ants.

Remember to have a look at all the silver artwork. The silver is mined here, so it is cheap. If something looks interesting – go for it!

Mexico City

Most of those who come to Mexico by air pass through Mexico City. Covering more than 2,000 square km and populated by more than 20 million people, Mexico City can easily confuse visitors. A city map is a must!

Mexico City does not have one city center, but several. The cheapest way of getting around is by subway or VW bug. The subway should be avoided during rush hours, unless one wants to get squashed in the crowd.

One major attraction is the National Museum of Anthropology, one of the finest museums of its kind in the world. It covers all the present ethnic cultures of Mexico as well as the history of the country.

Be sure to visit Zocalo, where one of the world’s biggest plazas is formed by the presidential palace and the city’s cathedral. Zocalo is in the Centro Historico or Central Historical District, where all sorts of old colonial buildings mix with newer architecture. Remember to take the elevator up to the top floor in the Torre Latinoamericana to see the spectacular view over the city. On less polluted days, visitors can even see the mountains.