Country: Malaysia
Entry Point: Rail System coming from Singapore to Malaysia.
Exit Point: Rail system from Butterworth to Surat Thani, Thailand.
When: I’ll be arriving on the 15th of April and will be spending a total of ten nights in Malaysia.
Looking Forward to: I’m planning for Kuala Lumpur to be my first experience with couchsurfing in Southeast Asia. It will be a big advantage for me as I’ll only be spending a small amount of time in Malaysia, and staying with a local will allow me to engage with Malay culture.
I’ll be spending my birthday in Taman Negara. Taman Negara literally translates to “National Park” and is the world’s oldest tropical rainforest. I love the outdoors so Taman Negara will be right up my alley. My birthday present to myself will be to go fishing in the park, hopefully I don’t get skunked. The park is also host to the world’s longest suspension walking bridge, which is suspended up to 40m above the forest floor.
Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country with two sets of laws, one for Muslims and one for non-Muslims. It’ll be my first experience with a Muslim country, and I want to try and focus on this when I visit. Currently, there is tension between religious groups, and churches have been fire-bombed this week. Hopefully this will settle down before I arrive. Islamic culture will be my focus when I’m in Malaysia.
Not Looking forward to: I know I will feel rushed in Malaysia as I only have a small amount of time in which to experience this country, and as a result, I will miss almost everything. Its a necessary evil if I want to make my deadline for the Full Moon Party in Thailand. I’ll have to focus on the important things to get enough out of my time in Malaysia.
Even though its a big tourist attraction, I can’t wait to see and photograph the Petronas Towers at night. Every shot I’ve seen of the buildings looks absolutely fabulous.
Notes: If it wasn’t for me starting in Singapore to visit a travel buddy, I would never have considered Malaysia. It simply wasn’t on my radar. That said, I’m extremely pleased that I will be visiting and I can’t wait to experience my first Islamic country.
Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are linked by an excellent and modern rail system. I won’t be fulfilling my dream of riding on the top of a train here, but it will allow me to see more of Malaysia then if I had to rely on buses. Without it, I would experience even less.
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Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
About the Author:
Matthew is the author of 14 posts on Go Backpacking.
Matthew is a backpacker with a sense of adventure who will always be looking for the next story to share with his fellow travelers. When he isn't on the road or scheming to get away from it all he enjoys a odd mix of the outdoors, and technology. Twitter: http://twitter.com/backpackermatt Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mfalk/
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Categories: Malaysia, Planning, Pre-trip
Post tags: Asia, blogsherpa, Malaysia, Singapore, southeast asia, Thailand
18 Comments
Great article Matt! I've heard good things about the northern Malay islands as well.
Very helpful. thank you!
i love malaysia.. :) i have lived there for 1 and half year.. just a suggestion though, if your coming from singapore to malaysia, take the non-stop couch. the train from singapore to malaysia is slow.. the price is almost the same. :)
I loved Petronas Tower at night; i am always mesmerized by its beauty even though i get to see it every night when i was it malaysia..
If you want to go on diving, try the eastern part of malaysia, Redang Island or Perhentian Islands.. :)
Matt you've got a lot to cover in ten days. Malaysia is full of urban sights (Twin Towers), great cultures (Malay, Indian, Chinese) with excellent food, a mix of religions and architecture and much more. Soak it all in and enjoy all the flavors. Taman Negara is fantastic too. Sleep in a wildlife hide one night and find an upriver location for your fishing fancy. If plans change there are plenty of rainforest treks outside KL (http://www.nature-escapes-kuala-lumpur.com)
Hey I just got back from a trip where I spent about 5 weeks or so in Malaysia and I went to Teman Negara as well. As of mid-December the suspension bridge in the forest, well half of it is under repair and closed. It was a let-down but to really see anything at TN you have to go deep into the park, which I did not do. Also, I think Malaysia holds some of the best destinations in SE Asia for backpackers BUT, they are in Borneo (IMO). Mount Kinabalu, Mulu Caves, Sipadan, Kinabatangan River, to name a few of my favs.. Have a good trip.
If you need some Muslim perspective of Malaysia, I can help you with that.
Also check out Putrajaya for some nice architecture ;)
Do you live in Malaysia? I'd really like to visit a mosque but I can't see myself going without a local guide. I wouldn't want to offend anyone without knowing.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'm hoping the bridge is back in order by mid April. I'll be trying to get as deep as I can during my limited time, even one glimpse or, perchance, a picture of a tapir would make it all worth it.
Thanks for that, I wasn't aware of those, they might be something to try if I have time.
Great tip, it has be written down.
Yes I do live in Malaysia. I can take you to visit a mosque if you want. Just remember that when visiting mosques, you have to dress modestly. Don't wear shorts and tanks. Tshirts are fine, so are trousers.
That sounds like a great plan, I saw from you blog that you live just outside KL. Shoot me an email at falk.matthew [at] gmail.com [dot] com We'll set something up.
Do you live in Malaysia? I'd really like to visit a mosque but I can't see myself going without a local guide. I wouldn't want to offend anyone without knowing.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'm hoping the bridge is back in order by mid April. I'll be trying to get as deep as I can during my limited time, even one glimpse or, perchance, a picture of a tapir would make it all worth it.
Thanks for that, I wasn't aware of those, they might be something to try if I have time.
Great tip, it has be written down.
Yes I do live in Malaysia. I can take you to visit a mosque if you want. Just remember that when visiting mosques, you have to dress modestly. Don't wear shorts and tanks. Tshirts are fine, so are trousers.
That sounds like a great plan, I saw from you blog that you live just outside KL. Shoot me an email at falk.matthew [at] gmail.com [dot] com We'll set something up.