1

Indonesia. Nothing to do in KL, very boring indeed. Malaysia is expensive. Perhentian islands are nice enough, Taman Negara good, but Indonesia has all that and more and is fun. Depends, if you want more comfort, clean etc..go to Malaysia. If you want to stretch your money a lot further then Indonesia is best.
Cities aren't what most people go there for though, but there are some which are unique, like Yogyakarta in Java or Banjarmasin in Kalimantan for example.

2

Thanks for the quick reply.
As a matter of fact, with cities I rather mean colonial towns. Places where it's cousy and nice to walk around. Where you can visit markets and fine (old) architecture.
Thanks

3

Agree with JJ.

Indonesia every time. For me Malaysia is a visa run to let me get back into Indonesia, Malaysia is a great country to be in (don't get me wrong), but in comparison to Indonesia...... it's too easy and less exciting than Indonesia.

Enjoy your trip.......... to Indonesia ;-)

4

Which parts, both are quite large countries, do you mean Borneo Malaysia, Indonesia has 14,000 islands. I would pick Indonesia more interesting although the food in Malaysia is better, the weather is prob. a bit better in Indonesia. Think you best to get a guidebook and see what interests you the most.

5

As you undoubtedly already know, Malaysia and Indonesia share common historical and cultural roots, although most Malaysians hate to admit that those roots emanated from Indonesia, viz the Sriwijaya and Majapahit empires which flourished well before the influence of Islam in either present day country.

Nothing will get an Indonesian more worked up than listening to a Malaysian claiming origins for our cultural icons such as batik, gamelan music, the kris, etc. Indeed there are strong rivalries between both countries, albeit thankfully they are more evident on the football pitch these days than elsewhere.

While admitting to my own strong bias towards Indonesia, the greatest appeal Indonesia has over Malaysia is the incredible cultural diversity of Indonesia. Malaysia doesn’t even come close to having that diversity which in Indonesia is endless. Also, aside from the ancient Hindu/Buddhist ruins of the Bujang Valley, Malaysia has few ancient historical sites from those early centuries of cultural expansion whereas Indonesia has almost innumerable numbers of such sites including the largest Buddhist complex in the world, Borobudur. Indeed, Bali is very much a living continuum of the Majapahit Dynasty, the Balinese considering themselves (justifiably) as wong Majapahit.

As for colonial architecture, you probably also know that the English had far more influence on the Malaysian peninsula whereas it was the Dutch who held that sway in what is present day Indonesia. In both countries one can easily find the remnants of their particular “colonial styles.” The same can also be said for the Chinese influence in both countries, and the remnants of Chinese architectural styles can also readily be found in both countries.

Hands down, if having to chose one over the other, Indonesia is a much better choice.

The advertising jingle “Malaysia truly Asia” is catchy, but it’s not the real story, and btw, in my view, the food in Malaysia isn’t better than in Indonesia either.

6

I think the is one other major difference too - in my experience Indonesians are a lot more outgoing and friendly compared to Malaysians.

7

agree with all replies. Indonesia is BALI, Beautiful, Adventurous, Legendaries and all are Inspiring

8

Hands down it is Indonesia.

Malaysia's "tourism industry" was a calculated government contrivance to make a buck after the bottom fell out of their silica gel chip or circuit boards or whatever they were making in the 80's when they had a boom supported by the computer industry and built ka-jillions of non-descript buildings that are now charmless and scuzzy. If out of town, you pass one massive palm oil agribusiness after another (row upon row upon row or uniform palm oil trees, for miles).

They have spent huge amounts of money on slick advertising to attract tourists but there is no there there. Hence the slogan, "Malaysia, truly Asia" they have come up with to overcome the image of it as the dilapidated 2nd world country that it is. No it is not, "truly Asia"; it's not the exotic or charming Asia you are looking for, and it ain't no travel bargain.

It's also scam-rife. Every time I have touched foot in Malaysia I have been scammed or treated rudely.

Indonesians are the sweetest, kindest people who are incredibly honest. It's so safe- the crime rate is zilch compared to most countries. and exotic Indonesia has OODLES of real charm because it hasn't yet become over discovered and over commercialized (other than gross Jakarta and the now sadly overpriced, overcrowded Bali.) Java is extremely charming and is the font from whence Balinese culture flows. Madura is like stepping back in time. Flores is spectacular. Lombok is "what Bali used to be" in many ways.

9

I would choose Indonesia 99 times out of a 100.
I agree with all of the above but I wont go that far agreeing with Paisleygeisha's diatribe. :-)

An interesting comment by Merantau about the level of friendliness by Indonesians compared to Malaysians. As a Singaporean, I feel the same way too. Its surprising when Singapore and Malaysia are culturally and geographically so close compared to Singapore and Indonesia.

It will also be interesting to hear the comments of any Malaysian members.

10

Wow:

I saw this same thread on the Indonesian board. I'm surprised this question generates such heat.

We have deeply enjoyed our repeated visits to both countries. They both offer so much — especially for a European (or North American, for that matter).

For close neighbours with a closely linked history, they diverged significantly -- certainly in the colonial period and since, but it would be hard for me to say one was "better" than the other. Since I learned my Bahasa in Indonesia, I could never disguise my cultural bias from Malaysians, but they were always warm and inviting to us.

As a Canadian, there is little I hate more while traveling than to be mistaken for an American. Could it be that Indonesians and Malaysians share similar sibling rivalry?

11

Indonesia.

12

Indonesia....and the all the prices are more cheaper than malaysia....but the beauty of Indonesia its priceless.....

13

i'd recommend going to Indonesia.
indonesia is cheaper than malaysia and of course have a lot of places to visit and a lot of interesting thing.. and indonesian people really kind. if you like to snorkling, diving etc i wouldn't recommend going to Malaysia and i'd recommend going to indonesia because indonesia have a lot of beautiful beach.