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Introducing Malaysia
Malaysia is really like two countries in one, cleaved in half by the South China Sea. The peninsula is a multicultural buffet of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours while Borneo hosts a wild jungle smorgasbord of orang-utans, granite peaks and remote tribes. Within and throughout these two very different regions are an impressive variety of microcosms ranging from the space-age high-rises of Kuala Lumpur to the smiling longhouse villages of Sarawak and the calm, powdery beaches of the Perhentian Islands. And did we mention the food? Malaysia (particularly along the peninsular west coast) has one of the best assortments of delicious cuisines in the world.
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Start with Chinese–Malay 'Nonya' fare, move on to Indian banana leaf curries, Chinese buffets, spicy Malay food stalls and even some impressive Western food. Yet despite all the pockets of ethnicities, religions, landscapes and the sometimes-great distances between them, the beauty of Malaysia lies in the fusion of it all, into a country that is one of the safest, most stable and easiest to manage in Southeast Asia.
Last updated: Dec 31, 2009
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Malaysia
Our Top Picks For Malaysia
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1 Pulau Langkawi
Splash out on the luxury resorts of this gorgeous island group
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2 Penang
Relive the colonial days in Georgetown taking tiffin at the E&O
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3 Kota Bharu
Meet traditional kite and shadow puppet makers and feast at Malaysia's best night market
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4 Cameron Highlands
Visit tea plantations and take pleasant walks in the cool highlands
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5 Pulau Perhentian
Relax and revive on these two blissful white-sand fringed islands
Fast Facts about Malaysia
- Capital Kuala Lumpur
- International telephone code 60
- Languages Bahasa Melayu (official), Chinese (Hakka and Hokkien dialects), Tamil, English
- Currency Malaysian ringgit (RM)
- Phrases selamat pagi (good morning), terima kasi (thank you)
- Population 24,821,300
- Malaysian heroes: Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra. Father of Malaysian independence and first Prime Minister in 1957.
Our favourite Malaysia Blogs (beta)
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Review: First-time in Tune Hotel, KL
Blog: First-time Traveler - 8 March 2010
When I thought of Kuala Lumpur, what instantly entered my mind was the Petronas Tower. Because of its prestige, I envisioned KL as an urbanized metropolis. But its distance from its international airport totally took me by surprise. It was a good thing that two of my companions had been to this sprawling city before, giving [...]
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Chiling Waterfall
Blog: lechua photography - 7 March 2010
Sungai Chiling Waterfall is considered as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Selangor. Located 55 km from Kuala Lumpur city, near Kuala Kubu Baru, it is a highly recommended waterfall to visit for those looking for a leisurely nature trek to a waterfall within Selangor. With the recent hot weather, a group of us decided [...]
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Blog Update: Kuala Lumpur (fish spas!), Penang Island & Singapore Encore
Blog: The Amazing Dawdle - 4 March 2010
Kuala LumpurAfter seeing both Singapore and Melaka, we were eager to discover more of the Asian big cities' cultural wonders. We hailed a fixed price cab from the Renaissance (about $ 5 USD) and a few blocks down, Christy realized she had left one of her two wedding bands on the floor next to where she had laid out her clothes. HOLY CRAP! We flew back. Luckily, Marcus always has a spare key in his wallet (after checkout), and Christy was able to bolt upstairs and access the room and get the ring. Phewh.
