Malaysia

Travel Guide: Malaysia

Malaysia is a hot pot of different cultures and ethnics. Being a young democracy, the country is growing and developing economically well. The capital, Kuala Lumpur is an economic hub in South-East Asia and the largest city in Malaysia. We spent 3 weeks travelling around this crazy, multicultural country.

Melaka | Nomaddictives

When to Travel

Depending on where you are headed, travelling should be good (and hot) for most of the year. Rains and storms usually just come around for a short period of time and should clear out very quickly. We travelled around end of October to mid-November and had a few showers but most of the time, we got really lucky with sunny skies and cooler weather.

Accommodation

Cheap is the way to go. We usually stayed in guesthouses or hostels which were very simple but served its function well. Those two options ranged around AU$13-15 close to the central areas.

Food

Malaysia is famous for its multicultural culture and food, so enjoy the best of it. Food hawkers are the cheapest but often times not the cleanest option around. Regular restaurants are still really cheap and you can eat for less than AU$8 per dish.

Transportation

We travelled around Malaysia mainly by bus. Cheapest and most comfortable option available. You can use this link here to buy tickets all over Malaysia & Singapore. Really trustwhorty and reliable. In the cities around, look for buses and trains (usually cheaper and easier way to travel). To drive around in Malaysia, you only need your International Drivers Licence and you’ll be fine. Just be careful with the crazy traffic. Plus, Malaysia drives on the left side of the road.

Things to Do

Our Must Do in Kuala Lumpur
The Historical City of Melaka
Half Day in Langkawi

Nomaddictives Tips

Malaysia has a slightly less crazy traffic than the rest of South East Asia, but it’s still pretty hectic. Be careful and pay attention for incoming traffic even on the sidewalks.
By the way, most of Malaysia doesn’t have proper sidewalks. Most of the time you have to walk on the road, sharing your space with the cars.
In Kuala Lumpur, beware of pick-pocketing. Seems very common around there. We were lucky enough not to have any problems with that.
Men are usually indiscreet and will stare at women (or mainly tourists) very often. Keep moving and ignore the looks. It made us very uncomfortable to walk around and I would recommend extra caution to solo female travellers .