 Malaysia
Hello,
I've just returned from a ~ two week visit to Malaysia and Singapore.
I would be happy to answer any questions about my trip - I only went to
Singapore, Melacca, Kuala Lumpur and Taman Negara though. I stayed in
accomodation ranging from 4 star western hotel to guesthouses. My
experiences are still clicking over in my head so I can't easily
summarise them yet.
The S/SW of the country is ethnically more mixed then the E/NE of the
country - the E/NE being more Malay/Muslim. This means you may need to
be a little more patient at times, especially if folk have headed off
to Friday prayers when you were expecting their help! An american girl
that I met said that she felt quite uncomfortable while there because
she perceived that many men were uncomfortable around her.
I only had good experiences - there was no one "highlight" of the trip.
But while there I also had discussions with people that I might not
have had if I didn't look like I could have been a citizen (I look
Indian). I'm now quite interested in the history of Malaysia and
Singapore and the term "bumiputra". I think my genes meant that I may
have had a slightly different experience to what most "white"
westerners tend to have (inspite of having been born in and growing up
in a western country!)
One quick bit of advice - if travelling into Malaysia from Singapore by
bus, make sure the Malaysian immigration official stamps your passport.
They don't always do this and this can cause hassles when you're
leaving.
Oh, another bit of advice - if visiting Malacca, the bus station is
maybe 10kms away from where my Lonely Planet guide (2003?) said it
would be. The buses all go to a new bus station now, called Melacca
Sentral. The taxi fare to the historical district (close to where the
old bus station was) was about 15 R.
I will return the region at some point, maybe later this year.
I did not travel there from Europe.
Neil
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