Malaysia is a diverse country. The collection of cultures and religions, the food, and even the terrain – Malaysia seems to have it all. I think Kuala Lumpur is one of the best cities in the world. The jungles of Borneo are wildlife havens. The tropical waters that surround Malaysia are packed with sea life. If you are traveling there, you’ll find lots of information in the following articles.
In this guide, I will share all the details of our Southeast Asia budget backpacking trip that included Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.
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The Cameron Highlands in Malaysia are a popular vacationing spot for Malays and other tourists. Only 200 km from Kuala Lumpur, the area is an easy bus ride from Pudu Sentral Bus Station (about 40 MYR, multiple buses in the first half of the day, takes about 4.5 hours). Most people head to the largest city in the highlands, Tanah Rata. We decided to go to Brinchang instead, mainly because we wanted to hike to the top of Brinchang Gunung (Brinchang mountain), which for novice hikers like us, is the best hike in the Cameron Highlands.
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When we were planning our trip to Malaysia we originally had planned a stop or two between the island of Pangkor and the state of Penang. Knowing that we’d have to take 2 boat trips and a bus, we thought it would be too much in one day. Of course, plans change when you’re traveling, and we ended up having to go all the way to Penang in one, fairly easy, fairly short day. Here’s the best way to get from Pulau Pangkor to Penang (and also the cheapest).
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When I first arrived in Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I headed straight to the KLIA Ekspres train. The 28 minute non-stop train to KL Sentral. I bought my ticket — 35 MYR (about $10). It’s not a bad price considering it’s a non-stop ride on a nice train, but this is a budget travel site. Also, when I got off the train at KL Sentral, I realized that for the area I wanted to go to, around Pettaling Street, I’d have to take another train plus walk for 10 minutes, or to grab a taxi. There had to be a better way. Of course, there was.
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The best advice I have about getting your Vietnam visa in Kuala Lumpur is: don’t do it if you don’t have to. Vietnam now permits visas on arrival if you are flying into Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, or Danang via an international flight. You simply find an agent to get you a letter of approval (Google ‘Vietnam visa on arrival’ and you’ll find a bunch of companies to choose from), print out the letter, and bring it (along with the visa fee in USD cash, your passport, a completed copy of the Entry and Exit form, and one passport size photo) to the “Landing Visa” counter when you arrive in Vietnam.
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There’s a fine line between being spontaneous and unprepared when traveling. We like to have a layout of the city we are going to — know where the hotels, restaurants, and main attractions are. Unless we are traveling at a busy time, or there’s a place that we really want to stay, we don’t book a room ahead. Usually, we just have a list of 3 or 4 places that sound good, and then take the chance that at least one of them will have an opening. Most of the time, we end up at the first place on our list, but there have been a few times we were brought to the edge of craziness, running around like headless chickens, sweating profusely, yelling obscenities at each other, as we carried our heavy bags from hotel to hotel, eventually staying in a room that could be confused for a bus station bathroom. Now that we’re in our 30s, this isn’t allowed to happen anymore. I’ve been given strict orders from the higher up (ie. Sara). Luckily, the internet is always at my fingertips and there are really smart ambitious people out there.
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Kuala Lumpur is one of those epic Asian cities that conjures up a thousand images at once. A picture of skyscrapers and technological forwardness, hot but cool, with the image of the impressive Petronas towers jutting out from it all. We were very excited about Kuala Lumpur.
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