Malaysia
Where can I see your posts on Malaysia?
Click the see articles button on the right sidebar, or scroll to the bottom of the page for mobile.
When did you travel to Malaysia?
I visited Malaysia for two weeks in January, 2020, at the beginning of my Southeast Asia backpacking adventure.
Which areas of Malaysia did you visit?
I spent just under a week each in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, George Town, and the beautiful island, Langkawi.
Why did you go to Malaysia?
When planning for my Southeast Asia backpacking tour, I decided that Singapore would be the most inexpensive city for me to fly into. (My sister works for United Airlines, which has a direct flight from San Francisco that I can fly standby on). Given that Singapore would be my starting point, it made the most sense for me to begin my adventures in the neighboring country of Malaysia.
How did you get to your final destination from the US?
I flew domestically to SFO. From SFO, I flew United Airlines to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) (17.5h).
From Singapore Changi Airport, I took a bus to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. You can read more about how to make that journey by clicking here.
You can also read about how to get from Kuala Lumpur, to George Town, Penang, by clicking here.
What advice do you have for someone visiting Malaysia?
→ Don’t be afraid to talk to the locals! For one, a lot of them speak much better English than you might expect. It is a recognized language after all. And secondly, they are not as shy as my initial research led me to believe they would be. I found them to be incredibly friendly and eager to converse, even if only to ask where you are from out of curiosity.
→ Remember that it is a Muslim country. While it is not as intimidating as say, the Middle East, it is still more conservative than its neighbors. Dress modestly out of respect, and don’t expect alcohol to be abundant.
→ If you are after cheaper alcohol, head to Langkawi, which is entirely duty free.
→ Eat the street food. Malaysia is known for having some of the best food in Asia, and at prices that will make you wonder if you did the currency conversion correctly. Try it all, and then try some more.
→ Take advantage of the public transport in Kuala Lumpur. The locals like to complain about how it doesn’t go enough places, but if you are sticking to the tourist spots, it will go everywhere you need it to.
Basic Information:
→ Capital: Kuala Lumpur
→ Population: 32,772,100
→ Area: 127,724 square miles (330,803 square kilometers)
→ Currency: Malaysian ringgit
→ Time Zone: UTC +8 (Malaysian Standard Time)
→ Official Languages: Maylay
→ Religions: Islam (61.3%), Buddhism (19.8%), Christianity (9.2%), Hinduism (6.3%), Chinese folk religion (1.3%), Unknown (1.7%).
