Malaysia

I visited Malaysia in 2022 for 3 weeks. The trip was unplanned but I really enjoyed it as it was my first solo trip ever (even though I had my cell phone stolen at the hostel on the last day, but things happen and you learn how to deal with them). I would recommend visiting Malaysia for 2-4 weeks. The Backpacking Trip I did is easily doable in 2 weeks. If you want to visit Borneo or the East Coast of Malaysia I would recommend you to stay for 4 weeks. The best way to travel the country is from North to South or South to North. You can also arrive or continue your trip from/to Singapore and Thailand. From North to South with the possibility of coming from Thailand and leaving for Singapore the route would be: (Thailand -) Langkawi - Penang - Ipoh - Cameron Highlands - Kuala Lumpur - Malacca (- Singapore). From South to North it's vice-versa. I landed in Kuala Lumpur from Pakistan (which is in the middle) and went towards the North first. Then I returned to Kuala Lumpur and went towards the South and crossed into Singapore.

Malaysia is a very diverse country with many languages, ethnicities, religions, traditions, and food. I recommend you explore as much as possible - different religions, different food, etc.

There are 3 main ethnicities:

• Malay: the majority of the population. Malays are Muslims and speak Malay. A Malay dish to try is Nasi Lemak.
• Chinese: parts of Malaysian society are descendants of Chinese. They are mostly Buddhist, Taoists, Confucianists, or Christians and speak different variations of Chinese (Wu, Cantonese, Mandarin). Chinese food to try is Laksa.
• Indian: parts of Malaysian society are descendants of South Indians. They are mostly Hindus or Muslims and speak Tamil and other South Indian languages. Indian food to try is Roti Canai and Tosai.

Dress code

Dressing is not a big deal in Malaysia as compared to other Muslim countries. Because of the cultural and religious mix, people are very tolerant and open-minded - at least everywhere I went. Especially in the cities, you can see people wearing Abayas and Hijabs next to people wearing crop tops and shorts. You should still be careful with your dressing if you visit Muslim areas and especially if you visit religious places, like Mosques, Hindu temples, etc. I always took my scarf with me when I was walking around the city just in case.

Check visiting hours

Before visiting temples and other places, check out their opening hours on the Internet. Many Hindu temples are closed around noon from 1 pm to 5 pm (or similar) meanwhile many Chinese temples close around 5 pm. You need to organize your tours accordingly.

Kuala Lumpur is really beautiful. The city is very modern and has a lot to offer. I recommend you stay for 2 days. Things to do in Kuala Lumpur.

• Visit the Petronas Towers: this is a must-see and the most popular thing to do in Kuala Lumpur. The towers are impressive!
• Visit Suria Mall and park next to the Petronas towers
• Visit Chinatown, the Taoist and Hindu temple, and the Mosque which are close.
• Visit Batu caves: Batu caves are located in the North of the city. It’s a Hindu temple inside a cave. You can get there by train which is much better than taking a Grab. 

I also recommend you to stay at a hostel called Penthouse on 34 (unpaid publicity). They have an infinity pool with an amazing view all over the city!

And I recommend you take the subway instead of taxis which is so much cheaper and sometimes even faster.

The Cameron Highlands are located north of Kuala Lumpur. The bus ride takes about 4 hours and will cost about 40 Ringgit (9 $). The Highlands are a very natural place – colder than the rest of the country and very peaceful. I recommend staying about 2 days. There are day tours and half-day tours offered for a very good price in the city center (don’t trust the hostel tours, as they are mostly overpriced and offer fewer places). I booked a half-day tour for 25 Ringgit (6$) to see 6 places. For two places I had to pay an extra entrance fee (15 Ringgit (3.5$) in total). Still, I think it was worth it and I saw everything important to me. The half-day tour started at 8.30 am and finished at 2 pm. We visited:

• a Butterfly Farm
• The BOH Tea plantation (the most popular thing to see in Cameron Highlands)
• a Rose Garden
• a Bee Farm
• a Strawberry Farm
• local market

On the second day, I just walked around and visited a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple.

From Cameron Highlands, you can take the bus to Ipoh which takes about 2 hours and costs 20 Ringgit (5$). I recommend you stay 2 days in Ipoh. On the first day, you can walk around the city and explore the colonial architecture at the railway station, the court, the birch memorial clock tower, and the town hall. You can also visit some more religious places, like Mosques, Churches, Chinese temples, and Hindu temples.

On the second day, you can do a “Cave temple” tour. Ipoh is famous for its cave temples. All of them are Chinese Buddhist temples. And they are beautiful! I looked on the internet at which ones I found nice and then created an itinerary for myself. I took a Grab to the first temple and another one to the second temple. Temples 3, 4, 5, and 6 are within walking distance. And then I had to take another Grab to temple number 7. Here is my itinerary:

1.    Kek Lok Tong

2.    Ling Sen Tong

3.    Nam Thean Tong

4.    Sam Poh Tong

5.    Kwan Ying Tong

6.    Da Seng Ngan

7.    Perak Tong

From Ipoh, you can take a bus to Penang Sentral which takes about 2 hours and costs 20 Ringit (5$). From there you can take a ferry for 2 Ringgit (50ct.) to Georgetown which takes about 10 minutes. I recommend you stay in Georgetown for 2 days. There are many things to see in Georgetown. I personally divided my two days like this: On the first day, I did everything  that was more or less close to the center and my hostel. On the second day, I did the things that were further away.

Itinerary for Day 1:

• Burmese temple: You can take a Grab to come here or take the public bus which stops almost in front of the temple. The temple is beautiful. It reminded me of my time in Myanmar.
• Thai temple: In front of the Burmese temple there is a Thai temple that has very impressive decoration. It reminded me of the temples in Thailand.
• Have lunch in Little India: From the temples, you can get a Grab, take the bus, or walk (40 minutes) to Little India. There you can have some food and after that, you can visit more religious places.
• Visit a Hindu temple, a Church, a Mosque, and a Chinese temple around Little India which are all within walking distance (5 minutes from one to another).
• Go shopping in Little India: As you know I LOVE desi jewelry and clothes so I went big shopping in Little India and the prices were amazing!

Itinerary for Day 2:

• Visit Kek Lok Si temple in the morning: This temple is the most beautiful Chinese temple I have seen so far. It's located a little outside of the city but you can easily access it by public busses for 2 Ringgit (50ct.) It will take around 30 minutes. Take your time to visit the temple because it's huge. It's not a temple that you can visit in 20 minutes. It took me around 2 hours because there are so many small temples and pagodas and statues etc. If you want to visit the Pagoda you have to pay 2 Ringgit (50ct.) and for the lift to visit the big statue you have to pay 6 Ringgit (1.5$.)
• Visit the Floating Mosque in the afternoon: This Mosque is beautiful. I have never seen anything similar in my life. It's located next to the beach on the sea. To get there you can again take the bus for 2 Ringgit (50ct.). It will take around 30 minutes.

From Georgetown, you can get to Langkawi, an island near the Thai border. Usually, there is a direct ferry which takes about 3 hours and costs 80 Ringgit (19$). Unfortunately due to Covid, it wasn’t working while I was there. I had to go another way. From Georgetown, I took the ferry back to Penang Sentral and there I took a bus to Kuala Perlis which took me around 3 hours and cost about 20 Ringgit (5$). From Kuala Perlis, you can take a ferry to Langkawi which takes around 1 hour and costs 20 Ringgit (5$). The only problem is that you have to spend a night in Kuala Perlis because the first bus from Penang arrives in Kuala Perlis around 3 pm but the last ferry to Langkawi leaves at 1.30 pm. So I spent a night there and visited the Floating Mosque for sunset, which is beautiful. The next day I took the ferry to Langkawi at 10.30 am. From the ferry terminal in Langkawi, you will have to take a Grab which takes about 30 minutes and costs 25 Ringgit (6$) to Canggu. This is where all the beautiful beaches and hostels are located. My hostel was located only 10 minutes from the beach. The beach is amazing – like in a movie. You have white sand, blue ocean, and palm trees. It felt like paradise. You can also go for water sports in Langkawi. From Langkawi, you can get to many Thai islands and continue your trip in Thailand. Or you can also come from many Thai islands to Langkawi and start your trip through Malaysia. I went back to Kuala Lumpur from Langkawi which took almost an entire day.

From Kuala Lumpur, you can take a bus to Malacca which takes about 2 hours and costs 10 Ringgit (2.5$). Malacca was the first ever colonized place in Malaysia by the Portuguese in 1511. All the sights are very close to each other. Things to visit:

• The "temple street": A street where there is a Mosque, a Chinese temple, and a Hindu temple
• walk through the Dutch settlement Stadthuys and explore the Christ Church, the St. Pauls Church, and the A Famosa
• walk through the Portuguese settlement
• take a walk next to the river and have a look at the amazing street art
• take a boat tour at night
• visit the night market Jonker walk

From Malacca, you can easily go to Singapore by bus. It takes about 4 hours and costs 60-100 Ringgit (15-25$). You can also cross from Singapore to Malaysia via Malacca.

I was lucky enough to be in Malaysia for Eid-ul-Fitr (the big celebration after Ramadan) in 2022. My friend took me to his friend's house and we had food there. Then we went to the beach. In the evening I had traditional food called Lemang which is sticky rice cooked inside of bamboo with a family who was selling it next to the street. It was such a beautiful experience.