Malaysia

[Ziggy]

When in January are you there?

[Falkirkyabass]

I've just booked to go in January. It's 7 days in Penang then 3 more in Kuala Lumpar. 

Only booked it for a bit sunshine and because it was cheap so know next to nothing about the place.

Have any of you lot been?

My wife's from KL. Beautiful city mate.

[hk blues]

My wife's from KL. Beautiful city mate.

I agree it's a nice enough city, but lacking anything to strongly recommend seeing - even the Petronas Towers, possibly the one 'must see' are kinda underwhelming in the flesh.

That said, I found Hong Kong a stunning city but don't ask me to recommend anything specific, there isn't much in my opinion.

Soak up the general atmosphere and you'll have a great time.

[Guest JTS98]

Just saw this thread and I have a bit of knowledge of KL having lived there for a couple of years.

It's true that it doesn't have the 'must-see' stuff you find elsewhere, but it's a pretty pleasant city overall, if dull in some ways.

Go to Jalan Alor for decent Asian food - although not as cheap as you'd think. The area around Jalan Alor and Changkat Bukit Bintang (street full of boozers) is rammed with good places to eat and drink. Nepalese, Mongolian, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, German... Whatever you want. You could also go up the KL Tower and eat up there. They have a buffet. Sometimes they have cut-price deals on that so check before. Groupon etc.

The old town area around the Central Market is fun to walk around. Go in and out of shops, look at stuff, take it in. China Town is similar. A place to see and enjoy rather than do anything specific.

Outside KL I'd recommend Melaka, Penang and Langkawi as good places to go. Langkawi is some kind of customs haven too, so bevvy and fags etc are much cheaper there than in the rest of the country.

Enjoy.

[hk blues]

Just saw this thread and I have a bit of knowledge of KL having lived there for a couple of years.
It's true that it doesn't have the 'must-see' stuff you find elsewhere, but it's a pretty pleasant city overall, if dull in some ways.
Go to Jalan Alor for decent Asian food - although not as cheap as you'd think. The area around Jalan Alor and Changkat Bukit Bintang (street full of boozers) is rammed with good places to eat and drink. Nepalese, Mongolian, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, German... Whatever you want. You could also go up the KL Tower and eat up there. They have a buffet. Sometimes they have cut-price deals on that so check before. Groupon etc.
The old town area around the Central Market is fun to walk around. Go in and out of shops, look at stuff, take it in. China Town is similar. A place to see and enjoy rather than do anything specific.
Outside KL I'd recommend Melaka, Penang and Langkawi as good places to go. Langkawi is some kind of customs haven too, so bevvy and fags etc are much cheaper there than in the rest of the country.
Enjoy.

That's a pretty good summary of KL - It's a bit like the average girl next door, pleasant enough and very enjoyable but hard to pin down anything specifically good about it. Not particularly cheap from memory either.

[BerwickMad]

Anyone ever been to Borneo before? Quite fancy one of these safari tours in the Danum Valley but it's coming in quite expensive so not so sure yet.

[Guest JTS98]

Never been to Borneo, sorry. But forgot to add to this thread before that  there is a bunch of Hearts fans in Kuala Lumpur who meet to watch games regularly at The Green Man (oh, irony) on Chang Kat in Bukit Bintang. So anybody in KL hoping to catch some Scottish football should try there.

[Alex_14]

Looking at KL -> Langkawi -> Penang -> (somewhere on the east coast) -> Kuching -> KL to fly home.

Any thoughts, recommendations etc. before I book? Was originally looking at the Philippines but bailed because of death/lack of things to do.

[Tight minge]

Looking at KL -> Langkawi -> Penang -> (somewhere on the east coast) -> Kuching -> KL to fly home.

Any thoughts, recommendations etc. before I book? Was originally looking at the Philippines but bailed because of death/lack of things to do.

Don't go to Malaysia!!!! :-)

Not sure how easy it is to get up to Sabah from Kuching or maybe a detour to Brunei?

For on the mainland, Cameron Highlands or about?

[Guest JTS98]

51 minutes ago, Alex_14 said:

Looking at KL -> Langkawi -> Penang -> (somewhere on the east coast) -> Kuching -> KL to fly home.

Any thoughts, recommendations etc. before I book? Was originally looking at the Philippines but bailed because of death/lack of things to do.

Decent plan. All solid destinations. If you're looking to add one more you should go to Malacca/Malaka/Melakka - still don't know how to spell it and I've been four or five times.

If you're going to go to Melakka (let's settle on that spelling), it's best to get the bus from KL. This is pretty easy to do and doesn't take very long. 2-3 hours. Cheap too. So, following your plan, I'd either go there first or last. After arriving in KL or before flying out of KL. It's a lovely wee town. Not Vegas, but a nice place to visit.

Langkawi is pretty relaxed and also the cheapest bevvy/fags etc you'll get in Malaysia. It's some kind of special customs zone within Malaysia.

Penang is a favourite of mine. Get out and walk around. Just an interesting place to see. Great food, interesting market stalls etc.

I lived in KL for a couple of years and only left recently. So if you're going to be there for any length of time at all let me know and I'll hit you up some ideas. It's not the world's most interesting city, but it's not as dull as some people make out either. Fine for a couple of days or so.

[hk blues]

Malaysia isn't a bad choice and the schedule you've mentioned pretty much covers the popular choices (maybe KK as am addition).

As suggested, Penang is a nice enough place to visit but no more than that IMO. Georgetown is the main city and It's fine. The beach area Ferringia (wrong spelling) is reasonable enough.

KL is better than many give it credit for but nothing specific really other than the towers.

All in all, Malaysia is worth a visit but I'd say it's behind Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, even HK and Singapore, as a SE Asian destination.

Have you considered the Philippines...

[Guest JTS98]

20 minutes ago, hk blues said:

All in all, Malaysia is worth a visit but I'd say it's behind Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, even HK and Singapore, as a SE Asian destination.

 

I'd disagree with you on Singapore and probably Cambodia.

Cambodia has its moments, but can also be frustrating and lacks infrastructure (obviously) compared to Malaysia. Horses for course on that one I suppose. Cambodia's certainly worth seeing.

Singapore is terrible. Makes me want to set fire to my face.

You're right about the others. HK, Thailand and Vietnam all have a lot to offer.

[Tight minge]

I'd disagree with you on Singapore and probably Cambodia.
Cambodia has its moments, but can also be frustrating and lacks infrastructure (obviously) compared to Malaysia. Horses for course on that one I suppose. Cambodia's certainly worth seeing.
Singapore is terrible. Makes me want to set fire to my face.
You're right about the others. HK, Thailand and Vietnam all have a lot to offer.

Hey, don't knock Singapore. That's where I am living just now!

Then again your right enough, happy here just now as my daughter was born a couple of months ago and its good to be here for that reason. Out with that reason it would be mind numbingly boring, especially after living in Vietnam, China, Philippines and Indonesia the last 7 years. For tourism 4 - 5 days tops.

I can see where your coming from regarding Cambodia, but for me its great, love it and would happily live there and maybe one day I might as business is starting to develop there.

I think Thailand is suffering a bit as no longer a 'trendy' place to go, but it's good.

Vietnam, and I'm biased as it's the best place I've lived out here, is fantastic and although developing a lot and quickly the development is good.

On the whole, I like Malaysia and not spent enough time there. KL can get a bit tedious after a while (back and forth 3/4 days at a time working). What I really hate in KL is driving, the road network is mental. Planning seemed to love tight turns, fly overs and exits both right and left. Pinging nightmare. Driving everywhere else in Malaysia is fine.

Hong Kong is always love/hate for me. Right now its a love vibe. Think on the whole its a good place and always a place in happy to go to.

All in all though, South East Asia is immense. Really love staying here, even with all the frustrations.

[Guest JTS98]

1 minute ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

 

Then again your right enough, happy here just now as my daughter was born a couple of months ago and its good to be here for that reason. Out with that reason it would be mind numbingly boring, especially after living in Vietnam, China, Philippines and Indonesia the last 7 years. For tourism 4 - 5 days tops.

On the whole, I like Malaysia and not spent enough time there. KL can get a bit tedious after a while (back and forth 3/4 days at a time working). What I really hate in KL is driving, the road network is mental. Planning seemed to love tight turns, fly overs and exits both right and left. Pinging nightmare. Driving everywhere else in Malaysia is fine.

Hong Kong is always love/hate for me. Right now its a love vibe. Think on the whole its a good place and always a place in happy to go to.

All in all though, South East Asia is immense. Really love staying here, even with all the frustrations.


 

I think Singapore would be the best bet in the region for those with kids. Safe, predictable. I find it too dull, and I survived KL!

The roads outside KL are great. The Malaysian government has spent big on infrastructure so the roads are pretty good and in general (outside KL) pretty quiet. It's a good place to hire a car and just head off. Very easy to get around and by regional standards pretty safe to drive.

I've never lived in Hong Kong, but visit fairly regularly. I love it. Never get tired of it.

It's a great part of the world. Within a few hours' flying time you've got tropical islands, volcanoes, highlands, backpackery beaches, interesting cities, great wildlife. So much to offer.

[Tight minge]

That's exactly right about Singapore. If it wasn't for the baby, I wouldn't be here. It's dull, it's predictable and is expensive!

Drove JB - KL - Penang in November and all was a breeze (but long). But driving about KL/Selangor was annoying.

[Alex_14]

4 hours ago, JTS98 said:

Decent plan. All solid destinations. If you're looking to add one more you should go to Malacca/Malaka/Melakka - still don't know how to spell it and I've been four or five times.

If you're going to go to Melakka (let's settle on that spelling), it's best to get the bus from KL. This is pretty easy to do and doesn't take very long. 2-3 hours. Cheap too. So, following your plan, I'd either go there first or last. After arriving in KL or before flying out of KL. It's a lovely wee town. Not Vegas, but a nice place to visit.

Langkawi is pretty relaxed and also the cheapest bevvy/fags etc you'll get in Malaysia. It's some kind of special customs zone within Malaysia.

Penang is a favourite of mine. Get out and walk around. Just an interesting place to see. Great food, interesting market stalls etc.

I lived in KL for a couple of years and only left recently. So if you're going to be there for any length of time at all let me know and I'll hit you up some ideas. It's not the world's most interesting city, but it's not as dull as some people make out either. Fine for a couple of days or so.

I'll have a look at <dodgy spelling place>. Logistics will be the main thing - we're only going for 3 weeks so will have to sacrifice some places, as we'll want to settle in at some of our destinations for more than a couple of days at a time.

I noticed Langkawi is duty free which is a real attraction  the beaches, snorkelling, sky walk etc are all obvious attractions too. Penang we're mainly considering because of the air links to Kuching, but like I say, we may go to the east coast before that. If it's a favourite though, then we'll definitely check it out.

I've been to Singapore so if it's anything like that i'm sure it is the '2 days max' kind of place - which is fine.

5 hours ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

Don't go to Malaysia!!!! :-)

Not sure how easy it is to get up to Sabah from Kuching or maybe a detour to Brunei?

For on the mainland, Cameron Highlands or about?

There's a company called Amazing Borneo who seemingly do transfers, so I think that's in hand. 

Yeah, do you think it's best to get a bus to the Cameron Highlands? 

[drs]

On ‎08‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 13:15, hk blues said:

That's a pretty good summary of KL - It's a bit like the average girl next door, pleasant enough and very enjoyable but hard to pin down anything specifically good about it. Not particularly cheap from memory either.

Nonsense.

I was there in October and even post brexit the Pound was still a better currency than the US Dollar and the Euro. It was cheap as chips in KL. 

[Guest JTS98]

6 hours ago, Alex_14 said:

Yeah, do you think it's best to get a bus to the Cameron Highlands? 

Some people hire a car for a few days. Otherwise use taxis. I think there may be buses to get you around there, but not sure to be honest. My mates and I had a car when we went.

Getting there itself from KL is a piece of cake, but wheels make it easier to get around once you arrive. Also, take a jumper.

[Tight minge]

Some people hire a car for a few days. Otherwise use taxis. I think there may be buses to get you around there, but not sure to be honest. My mates and I had a car when we went.
Getting there itself from KL is a piece of cake, but wheels make it easier to get around once you arrive. Also, take a jumper.

Just to add to this. I'd mentioned before about KL being crap to drive in. It's basically like driving a 'spaghetti junction' that covers the whole city. It's not difficult, just annoying. However outside KL driving is a breeze and one of the best places to drive anywhere. The roads are good and traffic, light.

[welshbairn]

7 minutes ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

 

Just to add to this. I'd mentioned before about KL being crap to drive in. It's basically like driving a 'spaghetti junction' that covers the whole city. It's not difficult, just annoying. However outside KL driving is a breeze and one of the best places to drive anywhere. The roads are good and traffic, light.

 

Bit off topic, but have you ever been in touch with the guy who runs that pub in Budapest you recommended? You told me to mention your name when I visited a while back and he seemed a bit miffed he hadn't heard from you.