Malaysia

Country or Region Description

Malaysia is a tremendous holiday destination, as it has something for everyone … a gentle coastline with lovely beaches, dense jungles, high forested mountains, world-renowned resorts and gentle, hospitable people.

Country Facts

Location: Southeast Asia

Area: 329,758 km²

Population: 20,000,000

Capital: Kuala Lumpur (1,300,000)

Time: 13 hours ahead of Toronto and 17 hours ahead of Vancouver

Language: Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil. Bahasa

Religion: Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Taoist

Currency: Ringgit (RM = 100 Sen)

Electricity: 220V AC 50Hz

Country Code: 60, Kuala Lumpur 3, Kuching 82, Penang 4, Ipoh 5

Business Hours:

Banks: 0900-1500 Mon-Fri, 0930-1130 Sat

Offices: 0830-1300 and 1400-1700 Mon-Fri, 0800-1230 Sat

Shops: 0930-2200 Mon-Sat (Times vary throughout The Country)

Holidays:

New Years Day (Jan 1), Chinese New Year (February 24-26), Hari Raya Haji (Mar 9), Labour Day (May 1), Vesak Day/Buddha's Birthday (May 15), Official Birthday of HM the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Jun 2), Birth of the Prophet Muhammed (Jun 4), National Day (August 31), Deepavali (October 13),Christmas (December 25)

Licence: National, International.

Passport/Visa: Passport required. Visa not required for Canadian citizens for stays of less than 2 months.

Airport: Kuala Lumpur Subang International/KUL 50 km SW of Kuala Lumpur. Two terminals. International Airport tax is RM 40.

Credit Cards: All major credit cards are accepted at most hotels.

Distances:

Flying Kuala Lumpur to:

Hong Kong - 3 hrs 35 mins

Singapore - 0 hrs 50 mins

Bangkok - 1 hr 50 mins

Beijing - 7 hrs 05 mins

Ho Chi Minh - 1 hrs 55 mins

Tokyo - 7 hr 15 mins

Sydney - 8 hrs 45 mins

Los Angeles - 16 hrs 15 mins

New York - 21 hrs 15 mins

Toronto - 17 hrs 45 mins

Vancouver - 14 hrs 45 mins.

Things to know about Malaysia before you go

Passports and Visas

Visitors are required to hold valid Passports. No Visas are required for Canadians, or US citizens staying less than 2 months.

Vaccinations

Proof of vaccination is not required unless you come from an infected area.

China Town, Kuala Lumpur

Customs

Items such as cameras, watches, pens, portable radio cassette players, perfume, cosmetics and lighters are duty free. Visitors bringing in dutiable goods may have to pay a deposit for temporary importation, refundable on departure. This is normally up to 50% of the value. Please carry receipt of purchase and please obtain an official receipt for any tax or deposit paid.

Currency

The official currency is Ringgit. There are more than 40 commercial banks operating in Malaysia.

Departure Tax

RM$40 for adults. (Approx. CAD$16 / US$11)

Language

Bahasa Melayu is the official national language, but Chinese dialects and Tamil are still widely used in their respective communities, and most people speak English as well.

Water

It is generally safe to use water straight from the tap, but it is advisable to drink only bottled or distilled water.

Taxis

Metered taxis are available, and air-conditioned bus services connect all the major towns. In places like Penang and Kota Bharu, visitors will still be able to enjoy such old-world experiences like a trishaw ride. Most taxi drivers speak English.

Telephones

Telephone cards have been introduced in the Klang Valley and in all major towns in Malaysia. There are two companies who specialize in the supply of these cards. Telephone cards can easily be obtained from all Telekom shops, 7 Eleven outlets and other distributing agents.

Electricity

Electricity supply is 220 volts, 50 cycles. Major hotels also have 110V or adapters.

Travellers Cheques & Credit Cards

Travellers cheques are accepted by all banks, hotels and large department stores, and most large establishments will also accept all internationally known credit-cards. In all major cities automatic teller machines have become a part of city life. There are also foreign exchange auto teller machines at Terminal One of the International Airport.

Clothing

Light clothing all year round. For more formal occasions, a jacket and tie/long-sleeve batik for men and a dress for women, would be appropriate.

Medical Facilities

Health services are easily available in every town in the form of private clinics, with medical insurance being a good idea.

Tipping

Tipping is not customary in Malaysia, but visitors may if the service was very good.

Arrival Guide

KUALA LUMPUR

In 130 years, Kuala Lumpur has grown from nothing to a modern, bustling city of well over a million people. Superficially, KL (as it's almost universally known) may appear to be just another modern Asian city of gleaming skyscrapers, but it retains much of the character and local colour that has been so effectively wiped out in other Asian-boom cities such as Singapore. It has plenty of colonial buildings in the centre, a vibrant Chinatown with street vendors and night markets and a bustling Little India.

The twin Petronas Towers skyscrapers - the tallest building in the world - dominate the skyline, while in Merdeka Square stands a 95m (312ft) flagpole. Before the Asian economic crisis hit in 1997, there were also plans to build the world's longest building, too.

PENANG ISLAND

The 285 km² (177 sq mi) island of Penang, off Peninsula Malaysia's north-western coast, is the oldest British settlement in Malaysia and one of The Country's premier resort areas. The major attraction is the vibrant and intriguing city of Georgetown (pop 400,000) on the island's north-eastern coast.

This city has more Chinese flavour than either Singapore or Hong Kong, and in its older neighbourhoods you could be forgiven for thinking that the clock stopped at least 50 years ago. Georgetown is a compact city and it's a delight to wander around. Set off in any direction and you are certain to see beautiful old Chinese houses, vegetable markets, temple ceremonies, trishaws, mah-jong games and all the other aspects of Asian street life.

You can still see the old walls of Fort Cornwallis in the centre of Georgetown where the first Briton, Captain Light, set foot in 1786 on what was then a virtually uninhabited island. The area within the fort is now a park liberally sprinkled with cannons, many of them retrieved from local pirates.

Penang Hill rises 830m (2722ft) above Georgetown and provides cool relief from the heat below. There are pleasant gardens, a hotel, a Hindu temple and a mosque at the top. The view is particularly good at dusk when Georgetown, far below, begins to light up. There are plenty of Chinese and Indian restaurants, but be adventurous and try the succulent local dishes on offer from the street stalls which appear at night along the Esplanade.

MALACCA

Malacca is an interesting blend of Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and is considered Malaysia's most historic city. It was once the most important trading port in the region but is now a sleepy backwater. Ancient-looking junks still sail up the river imbuing the waterfront with a timeless charm and the city remains full of intriguing Chinese streets, antique shops, temples and nostalgic reminders of the now-departed European colonial powers.

The most impressive relic from the Dutch period is the massive pink town hall, Stadthuys, built between 1641 and 1660. It is believed to be the oldest Dutch building in Asia and displays all the characteristic features of Dutch colonial architecture. The building houses government offices and an excellent Ethnographic Museum, which highlights aspects of local History and culture. The imposing ruins of St Paul's Church, built by the Portuguese over 400 years ago, stand in a beautiful setting on top of St Paul's Hill.

The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in the old part of the city is the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia. It was founded in 1646 and all of the materials and all of the artisans who built it were imported from China. The old part of Malacca is a fascinating area to wander around and this is where you will find many famous antique shops.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS

The Cameron Highlands, in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia, are a series of hill stations at altitudes between 1500 and 1800m (4920 and 5904ft).

This fertile area is the centre of Malaysia's tea industry and it is the place where locals and visitors come to escape the heat of the plains. Attractions include jungle walks, waterfalls, tours of tea plantations, beautiful gardens and plenty of wild flowers. The cool weather tempts visitors to exertions normally forgotten at sea level, like golf, tennis, and long walks, but this is really Malaysia's R 'n' R capital par excellence for those who don't like the beach and who enjoy a bout of colonial nostalgia.

TIOMAN ISLAND

This picture-postcard island lies off the eastern coast of Peninsula Malaysia in the South China Sea. It boasts beautiful beaches, clear, coral-filled water, Technicolor marine life, virtually unpopulated jungle highlands, crystal-clear streams, and the dramatic peaks of Batu Sirau and Nenek Semukut. Tioman has been blessed with exotic place names like 'Palm-Frond Hill' and 'Village of Doubt' and was the setting for the mythical Bali Hai in the film South Pacific. The island's west coast is dotted with villages and is home to a deluxe resort.

TAMAN NEGARA NATIONAL PARK

Taman Negara National Park, accessible only by boat, offers a rare opportunity to visit one of the most pristine primary rainforests in the world. The park covers 4343 km² (2693 sq mi). The wildlife is varied and abundant but more evident on extended treks or boat trips away from the more frequented areas.

LANGKAWI

The isles of Langkawi - ninety nine of them, are tucked into the northwest corner of the peninsula and nestled on the Thai-Malaysian sea border. Unspoilt and rustic, it is a tropical paradise spectacularly endowed by nature, one where crystal clear emerald waters, azure skies, lush green vegetation and fantastic limestone formations can be found. But Langkawi is more than captivating beauty ~ it is also a land steep in legends and shrouded in mystery.

SARAWAK

Sarawak offers untouched jungle, the chance to visit longhouse-dwelling Dayak tribes and a good system of national parks. The area around the capital city, Kuching, has remote coastal villages, such as Pandan and Sematan, and unspoilt tropical rainforest, beaches and walking trails in the Bako National Park. Longhouses are found along the Skrang River and are well worth a visit. In the northeast, the Niah Caves, accessible only by longboat and a 3 km (1.86mi) hike, are unforgettable for their rock paintings, forest wildlife, jungle trails and night walks to see the luminous mushrooms.

SABAH

Scenic grandeur and fascinating wildlife are the main attractions in Sabah. Just offshore from the capital, Kota Kinabalu, the huge Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (4929ha/12,174ac) is made up of the islands of Gaya, Mamutik, Manukan, Sapi and Sulug. The islands have some of the best beaches in Borneo and wildlife varies from monkeys and bearded pigs to corals and tropical marine life. Inland, Mt Kinabalu is one of Sabah's major attractions. It is one of the easiest mountains in the world to climb and the views from the top are sensational especially at sunset. The flora and fauna are exceptional, boasting 800 different species of orchids.

SANDAKAN

The town of Sandakan, once claimed to have the greatest concentration of millionaires anywhere in the world in its heyday as a timber centre, began on its present site in 1879, after an earlier settlement accidentally burnt down.

The region has been known for centuries for its pearls, camphor, bees' wax, sea cucumbers and edible birds' nests. Nearby is the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre, a place where people can see orang-utans, the wild red apes of Borneo and Sumatra, in their natural habitat, the tropical rainforest. It is important to understand, however, that the purpose of the Centre is to train young orang-utans, which for one reason or another have been held in captivity so that they may learn to live unaided in the forest.

Since the early days, it has become apparent that while orang-utans are rare, they are not endangered at present. It is now known that conservation of large areas of natural habitat is a surer way to conserve orang-utans than the rehabilitation programme at Sepilok. But orang-utans continue to come into Sepilok, nowadays not from captivity, but directly from areas where forest is being cleared for agriculture.

Sepilok serves to give these unfortunate animals life in the forest rather than an uncertain future in a plantation. Finally, Sepilok is an excellent opportunity to take a walk in the Borneo rainforest without the need to organize a major expedition. Look out for the diversity of trees, climbing plants, ferns and other plants, as well as birds and insects.

Do not be disappointed when hordes of colourful wild birds and mammals fail to make a showing. The beauty of rainforest lies in its plants, in its sheer intricacy and complexity, and in its shapes, sounds and subtle relationships.

The nearby Turtle Islands Park has turtles coming up at night nearly the whole year round to lay their eggs. The turtle islands can be visited the whole year round but July to October are particularly good months because the turtles come up in large numbers during these months.