Malaysia
Malaysia is an often overlooked country between the tourist hotspots of Thailand and Indonesia. With the phenomenal growth of AirAsia though, many people are making a stop there to find it’s a great place to avoid the touts and hassle of its neighbors. From Borneo, to the peninsula, to the beautiful islands, Malaysia has a lot to offer those seeking a Southeast Asian vacation with better infrastructure, mature tourists and the comforts of home. While it is a well developed country, it has biodiversity that few countries can match, but makes seeing Orangutans, all kinds of monkeys, lizards and flora easy. If you are in the region, visiting Malaysia is a good choice.
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DON’T MISS: Borneo (Sarawak and Sabah). Borneo is home to some of the most diverse wildlife anywhere on the planet, but is quickly being deforested. There is little time left to see some great animals such as the orangutan before they go extinct.
MUST SEE: Sarawak, Georgetown and Malacca.
MUST TASTE: Roti canai (pronounced “roti chennai”), a delicious crispy breakfast bread served with curry.
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TRIP PLANNING: Go to Malaysian Borneo, it is much more accessible on a short trip than Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan). Peninsular Malaysia doesn’t have much to offer, but the islands of Penang and Langkawi offer great seaside getaways.
GETTING AROUND: Buses are among the nicest we’ve seen anywhere in the world and distances aren’t very far. To maximize time though, pick up some ridiculously cheap AirAsia tickets to cover long distances especially in Borneo.
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OUR COST PER DAY (2 ppl): $46.84
COST OF A BEER: $2-6
KEY MONEY-SAVING TIP: AirAsia is one of the world’s best and cheapest airlines, headquartered in Malaysia. This makes many of the most popular destinations including Borneo, Malacca, and Penang accessible by short flights.
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YOU NEED TO KNOW: Accommodations in Malaysia run the gamet of quality, even for the same price. If you are looking for budget accommodations (a double for under $20/night ), don’t book ahead unless there is a holiday. Budget hotels tend to be clustered, allowing you to walk around and see different options. For the same price you could find either offer pristine, new rooms, or bug-infested mattresses on the floor.
IF WE KNEW WHAT WE KNOW NOW: We would have spent more time in Sarawak versus Sabah, getting to major sights (longhouses, orangutans and proboscis monkeys) is easy from Kuching.
HELPFUL LINKS TO LEARN MORE: Travelfish, Wikitravel. Please send us any sites you found useful and we’ll add them!
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WE WERE THERE FOR: 4 weeks
OUR HIGHLIGHT: Orangutans in the Sem
WHERE WE WENT: Sabah, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang
WE REGRET MISSING: The Cameron Highlands, it was the wrong season to hike through them.
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