Malaysia Travel Guide

Malaysia Travel Destinations

Alor Setar		Bota Kanan		Bukit Hijau		Cameron Highlands
Fraser's Hill		Genting Highlands		Ipoh		Kampar
Kangar		Kota Bharu		Kuala Gula		Kuala Kangsar
Kuala Lumpur		Kuching		Langkawi		Lenggong
Lumut		Lunas		Malacca		Matang
Pangkor Island		Pasir Salak		Penang		Port Dickson
Pulau Perhentian (East Coast Islands)		Putrajaya		Sungai Petani		Sungai Sedim
Taiping		Tanjung Tuan (Cape Rachado)		Teluk Intan		Tumpat

Malaysia, nation at the heart of Southeast Asia

Malaysia Location Map View Malaysia Travel Guide in a larger map Sarawak Cultural Dance (2 October 2004) © Timothy Tye Sungai Sedim, Kedah (2 May 2005) © Timothy Tye Masjid Ubudiah, Kuala Kangsar (31 January 2006) © Timothy Tye Teochew Drummers, Penang (26 July 2008) © Timothy Tye Gua Kelam, Perlis (30 April 2005) © Timothy Tye Pulau Rawa, Terengganu (9 April 2004) © Timothy Tye Hock Teik Cheng Sin, Temple of the God of Prosperity, Penang (26 July 2008) © Timothy Tye

Basic Information

Malaysia Geography

Where to Go, What to See in Malaysia

Entry Points

Christmas: 25th December

Foreign Exchange

Currency
The Malaysian currency is called ringgit (RM). Ringgit banknotes are available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100. At the time of writing, US$1.00 = RM3.49. For the latest exchange rate, use the Oanda Currency Converter.

Credit Card
Credit cards are widely accepted in most hotels, department stores, shops, restaurants, etc. You can also withdraw cash with your credit cards from most ATM machines.

Travellers' Cheques
Travellers' Cheques can be easily cashed at most banks in Malaysia. Be sure to bring along your passport when cashing your travellers' cheques.

Banking Hours
Banks are open Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 4pm. Most banks no longer open on Saturdays.

Climate

Although Malaysia is generally accepted as hot all year round, some months are hotter than others. The east coast of Malaysia, as well as Sabah and Sarawak, experience the northeast monsoon, which brings rain that often causes flood to the east coast. On the west coast, the hottest and driest months are February and March.

When is the best time to visit Malaysia? The tables below provide you the weather guides for six cities representing six different regions of Malaysia. As far as possible, we try to provide you an indication of the average rainfall from data accummulated over ten years.

Malaysia History

The earliest evidence of human habitation in Malaysia comes from the Sarawak Man skull discovered in the Niah Caves of Sarawak. This is believed to date from 40,000BC. In West Malaysia, stone tools dating back to 34,000 years ago were discovered in Kota Tampan, Perak. The oldest skeleton found in the peninsula is that of the Perak Man, discovered in a cave in Lenggong, near Grik, and is believed to be 11,000 years old.
Malaysia does not have ancient ruins to rival those of the neighbouring countries. There is no likes of Angkor Wat or Borobudur here. Nevertheless, the ruins of Lembah Bujang is believed to date from the 5th century, making it older than Angkor or Borobudur.
The written history of Malaysia is brief, and can be traced back to the Sultanate of Malacca, founded by Parameswara, a Hindu prince from Palembang, Sumatera, in around 1500. Upon converting to Islam, Parameswara took the title of Iskandar Shah. The Malacca Sultanate lasted for only about one hundred years, before Malacca was conquered by the Portuguese, and from then, the land was colonized by European powers, first the Portuguese, followed then by the Dutch, and eventually the British. Malaysia (at that time Malaya) only achieved full independence in 1957, so much of its known history is that of colonialism.

Malaysian Food

Malaysians love food, and the sheer variety is mind boggling. One may enjoy the cuisine of the three major races within one food court. Malay and Indian food tend to be spicy and heavy, with emphasis on curries, which come in many different colours. Nasi is the Malay word for rice.
Nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk, and usually served as breakfast, with the accompaniment of boiled egg, anchovies and sliced cucumbers. It is a common dish found in hotel restaurants as well as in morning markets, where it is often wrapped in banana leaf.
The Indian Muslims, who hail mostly from South India, have created several localized dishes that have no resemblence to anything back home in India. This includes nasi kandar, a spicy rice meal, so named because originally it was carried around on a kandar, or pole. And then there's roti canai, an Indian Muslim bread similar to - but not the same as - the Hindu naan and dosai. The word for noodles is mee, and appears in the names of noodle dishes such as mee goreng, fried noodle, and mee rebus, cooked noodles.

Fruits of Malaysia

A wide range of tropical fruits are available in Malaysia, including the papaya, banana, pineapple, ciku, mango, starfruit, and seasonal fruits such as the thorny and surprising durian, the red-hair rambutan and the dark purple mangosteen. Strawberries grow well in Cameron Highlands, as do many other fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Shopping in Malaysia

There's a wide spectrum of shopping opportunities in Malaysia, from the upmarket, in air conditioned department stores, of which the majority are found in the major cities of Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johore Bahru and Ipoh. Where there is a high concentration of Chinese community, the lifestyle tend to be more urban and urbane. Those looking for a more traditional shopping experience should head to any of the Malay-majority markets, especially those in the east coast, such as Kota Bahru, or to the north, to Alor Setar and Padang Besar.

Among the souvenirs worth considering include batik, pewterware, and the gourd-shaped pottery called Labu Sayong, made in the town of Sayong near Kuala Kangsar, in the state of Perak. The East Coast of West Malaysia is famous for the weaving of songket, which is silk brocades traditionally used as bridal wear. Another form of woven fabric is produced in Sarawak, the ikat, which is tie-dyed warp.

The Straits Chinese, also known as the Peranakan or the Baba Nyonya, is famous for their embroidery, porcelain, beadwork, gold and silverware, though these are now dying arts which are more likely to be found in an antique shop than a department store.


Photo Credits:
Kangar - Author: Emran Kassim (cc-by-2.0)