Travel Tips For Visiting Malaysia

Our friend Amelia, who recently returned from a holiday in Malaysia, sent us a few words about her latest experience, together with some beautiful photos she took while exploring Kuala Lumpur, Klang and the surrounding areas.
Here is what she wrote:

Why Choose Malaysia

If you have set a lower budget for this year’s holidays and yet you dream of an exotic journey in a place that you have not visited before, my advice is: try Malaysia!
I just got back from a 10 days vacation spent in this beautiful contry and I can tell you that it is not an expensive destination. In addition, this Southeast Asian country has much to offer to tourists: exotic beaches, mountains, modern cities, museums, temples and mosques, nature reserves, parks and gardens.
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is the city where I spent most of my vacation. The easiest and fastest way to get there is by plane, but if you plan to leave from an Europen airport (as I did), you’d better be prepared for a flight of 12+ hours (for a direct flight) or 20+ hours (for a indirect flight).

A Few Useful Travel Tips

I think you’ll find most of these advices useful regardless of the country you travel to, so here they are:
Before you go, solve any medical problems you have. An extra tip would be to thoroughly study the areas you want to visit, and if you plan to explore less populated areas (such as the jungle) my advice is to go to the doctor before and get shots against Hepatitis A, Typhoid fever and Malaria – these are high risk diseases that you may be exposed to while on a safari, for example. And, of course, do not forget about your health insurance!

Keep your essential belongings in your hand luggage during the flight to avoid unpleasant surprises in case of loosing your main luggage: in the most optimistic scenario you will only be able to recover them after a few days.

Carry soft and light clothes as temperatures consistently exceed 30ºC during summer and don’t fall below 21ºC during winter.
However, when you enter a mosque or a temple you should respect the dress code and always wear modest, conservative clothing (long sleeves, long skirts or trousers and shoes). Also, women should always wear headscarfs.

The capital of Malaysia is a modern metropolis with many shopping centers and skyscarpers and a busy traffic during the day.
Accommodation is varied and you will always find lots of offers from which to choose, regardless of your budget. If you prefer the hotels, you will be glad to know that you can sleep in the comfort of a hotel room for as low as $ 20 for one night and if you want the extra comfort of a five star hotel you will not have to pay more than $ 150 for one night (depending, of course, if you visit the city in high season or low season).

The city’s main attraction are the Petronas Towers, two huge office buildings linked by a skybridge on the 41st and 42nd floors. Each tower has 88 floors and an architecture based on reinforced concrete, steel and glass. What is more interesting is that the towers were also the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 (the year that their construction was completed) to 2004.

In Kuala Lumpur you will also find the largest museum of Islamic culture and religion in Southeast Asia: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia – it has four floors and contains various items such as weapons and armor, jewelry, coins, pottery, Indian and Chinese artifacts.
The Museum offers history courses for school children, students and adults and if you want to buy a souvenir, there is a store at the ground floor where you can buy artifacts, books and jewelries.

The list of places to visit in Kuala Lumpur continues with mosques, museums, historical buildings and shopping centers: these will definitely keep you busy for several days.
You will also want to enjoy the sun and the natural scenery outside the city: my recommendation is to go out and explore the exotic beaches of Borneo, Langkawi and Redang – the most famous islands in the area.

Klang, The Second City That I Visited

At 32 km from the Malaysian capital and approximately 6 km from Port Klang you will find Klang – an ideal destination for those who want to combine the comfort of the city with all the outdoor adventures available here: hiking, trekking boat rides etc.
I would also recommend you to rent a boat for a few hours to explore the coast and surrounding islands, visit the mangrove forests and take pictures of exotic birds and reptiles that populate these forests.