Introduction
A flavoursome culture fusion - from high-tech to no-tech. Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in southeast Asia. It's buoyant and wealthy, and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.
Malaysia's love of Western-style industrialisation is abundantly clear in its big cities. Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st Century, though, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia.
Geography:
Malaysia is divided into two distinct parts: Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak in North Borneo. The two regions are 650km (403mi) apart, separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia shares borders with Thailand and Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak border Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), and Sarawak surrounds the tiny enclave of Brunei. The Andaman Sea is on the west coast of the peninsula. The east coast of the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak all adjoin the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia accounts for 40% of the country's land mass. Several mountain ranges run north-south along the spine of the peninsula. There is a wide, fertile plain on the west coast, and a narrow coastal plain on the east. Sabah and Sarawak are covered by dense jungles and have large river systems. Mt Kinabalu (4101m/13,450ft), in Sabah, is one of the highest peaks in southeast Asia.
Destination Facts
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Yang di-pertuan agong (King): Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud
Prime Minister: Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi
Government: constitutional monarchy
Time zone: GMT +8
Area: 329750
Population: 23000000
People: 62% Malay, 23% Chinese, 7% Indian, 8% other
Languages: Known as Bahasa Malaysia
52% Muslim, 17% Buddhist, 12% Taoist, 8% Christian, 8% Hindu, 2% tribal
Currency: Malaysian Ringgit (RM)
Major industries: Tin, rubber, palm oil, timber, oil, textiles, electronics
Major Trading Partners: Singapore, Japan, USA
Country Dialing Code: 60
Getting there and away
Malaysia's main international airport is at Sepang, 75km (47mi) south of KL. Most tourists either fly into Sepang or arrive overland from Thailand or Singapore. However, Penang also has international flights, and Kuching in Sarawak and Tawau in Sabah have flights to/from Kalimantan. Departure tax (around 40.00) will be included in the ticket price. You can cross the border by road into Thailand at Padang Besar, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Rantau Panjang (Sungai Golok on the Thai side) and Pengkalan Kubor. There is also a west-coast rail link. To get to/from Singapore, you can cross the causeway at Johor Bahru, catch a ferry or take the train. There are three ferry services between Malaysia and Indonesia (Penang-Medan, Melaka-Dumai and, in East Malaysia, Tawau-Tarakan). There's also a difficult road link between Sarawak and Kalimantan.
Getting around
Malaysian Airline System (MAS) and Air Asia are the main domestic airlines, servicing both the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak. Fares are reasonable but it's unlikely that you'll need to fly in Peninsular Malaysia unless you're in a real hurry. It's cheaper to fly to East Malaysia from Johor Bahru than from KL. In East Malaysia, flying is often the only quick way to get around. Note that flights in East Malaysia are frequently fully booked during school holidays and are prone to delays due to the vagaries of the weather. Peninsular Malaysia has a fast, economical and widespread bus system, and this is generally the best way to get around. Sabah has excellent roads, and minibuses ply the main routes. Buses ply Sarawak's major trunk road, but hardly anywhere else. Peninsular Malaysia has a comfortable and sensibly priced railway system, but there are basically only two lines: one linking Singapore to Thailand via KL and Butterworth, and the other branching off this at Gemas and heading northeast to Kota Bharu. In Sabah, there's a narrow-gauge line through the Pegas River gorge from Tenom to Kota Kinabalu that is well worth catching. In Peninsular Malaysia, long-distance taxis are twice the price of buses but they're a comparatively luxurious and efficient way to travel. If you want to get around by car, all major car-rental firms have KL offices. There are no boat services between Peninsular and East Malaysia, but fast boats ply the rivers of both Sabah and Sarawak. Local taxis in Malaysia are metered. Rickshaws have all but disappeared in KL, but they are still a viable form of local transport in provincial areas. KL has a notoriously bad public transport system, and peak-hour travel in the city should be avoided at all costs.
Visa:
Commonwealth citizens and most European nationals do not need visas for visits of less than three months. Visitors are usually issued an extendable 30- or 60-day visa on arrival.
Weather
It's hot and humid year-round in Malaysia with temperatures rarely dropping below 20 ° C (68 ° F), even at night, and usually climbing to 30 ° C (86 ° F) or more during the day. The tropics can take some adjusting to so take it easy when you first arrive and avoid running around in the heat of the midday sun. Throughout the region the humidity tends to hover around the 90% mark, but on the peninsula you can always escape from heat and humidity by retreating to the delightfully cool hill stations. The region has a monsoonal climate, but only the east coast of peninsular Malaysia has a real rainy season. The wettest season on the west coast of the peninsula is between September and December; on the east coast and in Sabah and Sarawak it's between October and February. Rain, when it comes, generally interrupts the sunshine only briefly; most of it falls in short, strong bursts. It rarely rains all day.
Events
The major Islamic events are connected with Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The major Malaysian festival is Hari Raya Puasa, which marks the end of Ramadan with three days of joyful celebrations. Hari Raya Haji marks the successful completion of the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) with a two-day feast of cakes and sweets. Chinese New Year, in January or February, is welcomed in with dances, parades and much good cheer. The festival of Thaipusam in late January is one of the most dramatic Hindu festivals during which devotees honour Lord Subramaniam with acts of amazing masochism - definitely not for the squeamish. In KL, devotees march to nearby Batu Caves; in Penang, the event is celebrated at the Waterfall Temple. The Malaysian Grand Prix revs up in March. The Kota Belud Tamu Besar is a huge tribal gathering held in May at Kota Belud near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. It includes a massive market, traditional ceremonies, ornately decorated horsemen, medicine men and tribal handicrafts. A smaller tamu is held in Kota Belud every Sunday if you're not visiting during May. The Rainforest World Music Festival is held in Kuching in July or August, and Malaysia's National Day s on 31 Aug; it will be huge in 2007 when the country celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence.
A flavoursome culture fusion - from high-tech to no-tech. Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in southeast Asia. It's buoyant and wealthy, and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.
Malaysia's love of Western-style industrialisation is abundantly clear in its big cities. Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st Century, though, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia.
Geography:
Malaysia is divided into two distinct parts: Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak in North Borneo. The two regions are 650km (403mi) apart, separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia shares borders with Thailand and Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak border Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), and Sarawak surrounds the tiny enclave of Brunei. The Andaman Sea is on the west coast of the peninsula. The east coast of the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak all adjoin the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia accounts for 40% of the country's land mass. Several mountain ranges run north-south along the spine of the peninsula. There is a wide, fertile plain on the west coast, and a narrow coastal plain on the east. Sabah and Sarawak are covered by dense jungles and have large river systems. Mt Kinabalu (4101m/13,450ft), in Sabah, is one of the highest peaks in southeast Asia.
Destination Facts
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Yang di-pertuan agong (King): Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud
Prime Minister: Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi
Government: constitutional monarchy
Time zone: GMT +8
Area: 329750
Population: 23000000
People: 62% Malay, 23% Chinese, 7% Indian, 8% other
Languages: Known as Bahasa Malaysia
52% Muslim, 17% Buddhist, 12% Taoist, 8% Christian, 8% Hindu, 2% tribal
Currency: Malaysian Ringgit (RM)
Major industries: Tin, rubber, palm oil, timber, oil, textiles, electronics
Major Trading Partners: Singapore, Japan, USA
Country Dialing Code: 60
Getting there and away
Malaysia's main international airport is at Sepang, 75km (47mi) south of KL. Most tourists either fly into Sepang or arrive overland from Thailand or Singapore. However, Penang also has international flights, and Kuching in Sarawak and Tawau in Sabah have flights to/from Kalimantan. Departure tax (around 40.00) will be included in the ticket price. You can cross the border by road into Thailand at Padang Besar, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Rantau Panjang (Sungai Golok on the Thai side) and Pengkalan Kubor. There is also a west-coast rail link. To get to/from Singapore, you can cross the causeway at Johor Bahru, catch a ferry or take the train. There are three ferry services between Malaysia and Indonesia (Penang-Medan, Melaka-Dumai and, in East Malaysia, Tawau-Tarakan). There's also a difficult road link between Sarawak and Kalimantan.
Getting around
Malaysian Airline System (MAS) and Air Asia are the main domestic airlines, servicing both the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak. Fares are reasonable but it's unlikely that you'll need to fly in Peninsular Malaysia unless you're in a real hurry. It's cheaper to fly to East Malaysia from Johor Bahru than from KL. In East Malaysia, flying is often the only quick way to get around. Note that flights in East Malaysia are frequently fully booked during school holidays and are prone to delays due to the vagaries of the weather. Peninsular Malaysia has a fast, economical and widespread bus system, and this is generally the best way to get around. Sabah has excellent roads, and minibuses ply the main routes. Buses ply Sarawak's major trunk road, but hardly anywhere else. Peninsular Malaysia has a comfortable and sensibly priced railway system, but there are basically only two lines: one linking Singapore to Thailand via KL and Butterworth, and the other branching off this at Gemas and heading northeast to Kota Bharu. In Sabah, there's a narrow-gauge line through the Pegas River gorge from Tenom to Kota Kinabalu that is well worth catching. In Peninsular Malaysia, long-distance taxis are twice the price of buses but they're a comparatively luxurious and efficient way to travel. If you want to get around by car, all major car-rental firms have KL offices. There are no boat services between Peninsular and East Malaysia, but fast boats ply the rivers of both Sabah and Sarawak. Local taxis in Malaysia are metered. Rickshaws have all but disappeared in KL, but they are still a viable form of local transport in provincial areas. KL has a notoriously bad public transport system, and peak-hour travel in the city should be avoided at all costs.
Visa:
Commonwealth citizens and most European nationals do not need visas for visits of less than three months. Visitors are usually issued an extendable 30- or 60-day visa on arrival.
Weather
It's hot and humid year-round in Malaysia with temperatures rarely dropping below 20 ° C (68 ° F), even at night, and usually climbing to 30 ° C (86 ° F) or more during the day. The tropics can take some adjusting to so take it easy when you first arrive and avoid running around in the heat of the midday sun. Throughout the region the humidity tends to hover around the 90% mark, but on the peninsula you can always escape from heat and humidity by retreating to the delightfully cool hill stations. The region has a monsoonal climate, but only the east coast of peninsular Malaysia has a real rainy season. The wettest season on the west coast of the peninsula is between September and December; on the east coast and in Sabah and Sarawak it's between October and February. Rain, when it comes, generally interrupts the sunshine only briefly; most of it falls in short, strong bursts. It rarely rains all day.
Events
The major Islamic events are connected with Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The major Malaysian festival is Hari Raya Puasa, which marks the end of Ramadan with three days of joyful celebrations. Hari Raya Haji marks the successful completion of the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) with a two-day feast of cakes and sweets. Chinese New Year, in January or February, is welcomed in with dances, parades and much good cheer. The festival of Thaipusam in late January is one of the most dramatic Hindu festivals during which devotees honour Lord Subramaniam with acts of amazing masochism - definitely not for the squeamish. In KL, devotees march to nearby Batu Caves; in Penang, the event is celebrated at the Waterfall Temple. The Malaysian Grand Prix revs up in March. The Kota Belud Tamu Besar is a huge tribal gathering held in May at Kota Belud near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. It includes a massive market, traditional ceremonies, ornately decorated horsemen, medicine men and tribal handicrafts. A smaller tamu is held in Kota Belud every Sunday if you're not visiting during May. The Rainforest World Music Festival is held in Kuching in July or August, and Malaysia's National Day s on 31 Aug; it will be huge in 2007 when the country celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence.
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