malaysia
After spending over a month in Malaysia we are lucky enough to say we really feel like we have experienced what Malaysia has to offer and we have been amazed by it.
To be honest, we landed in Malaysia with no expectations, we knew little about the country itself and even less about the people. Now, we have left with a new love for Malaysia. We still cant decide what it is about Malaysia that we love so much, I think if we had to pick something it would all come down to its diversity, over the past 38 days we really feel like we have visited 3 countries, which has made for some amazing memories, sights and even better meals! |
IMPORTANT LINKS
Newly Nomads blog on our 38 day trip around Malaysia. Here you'll not only find our daily blog, but also places to stay, eat and visit around the island.
Jaide Photography's website, go here to view Justin's awesome snaps of our time in Malaysia. *All prices on this page are of AUD and are current from July 2014* |
the budget
Malaysia definitely gets the tick for being budget-friendly, overall for a couple we were spending $50-$60, here is a breakdown of what we were spending. You'll also find more information about life in Malaysia as a backpacker on this page. View our planning guide here.
* Food/Drink: $10 - $15 A day. Thats right, this is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For us, breakfast consisted off a loaf of bread and some jam and for lunch/dinner we were sharing a generous main and a side.
* Accommodation: $15-$20 a night. We havn’t spend over $20 a night in accommodation whilst being here, however some places are a bit cheaper than others.
* Transportation: $10-$20 a day. Some days this included nothing as walking was our main way of getting about, other days we caught a taxi here and there or hired a motor bike.
* Other: $10 a day. For your entrance fees, petrol and any other needs.
* Food/Drink: $10 - $15 A day. Thats right, this is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For us, breakfast consisted off a loaf of bread and some jam and for lunch/dinner we were sharing a generous main and a side.
* Accommodation: $15-$20 a night. We havn’t spend over $20 a night in accommodation whilst being here, however some places are a bit cheaper than others.
* Transportation: $10-$20 a day. Some days this included nothing as walking was our main way of getting about, other days we caught a taxi here and there or hired a motor bike.
* Other: $10 a day. For your entrance fees, petrol and any other needs.
food/drinks
The food in Malaysia will leave your mouth watering for more. Malaysia consists of 3 main ethnicities; Malay, Chinese and Indian and let me tell you something, this is great news for your stomach. The food in Malaysia is so different to any other country we have visited and there really is something for everyone.
For breakfast we usually would buy a loaf of bread and jam from the convenient store or a couple of muffins, costing us no more then $4 .We visited in the month of Ramadan, meaning there were always delicious food markets at night that saw us spending $6 between us for an absolute feast. For lunch or dinner in a restaurant your meal can cost you $3-$10 depending on what you're after/what sort of restaurant you go to. Try to stick to the local restaurants, they are always the best. You'll find that on islands such as The Perhentians and Langkawi the food is more expensive and there are fewer options. (there is basically no local option for food on the Perhentians) We were really pushing our budget during our stay on the islands, however, it is do-able. |
Without Ramadan we can only assume there would be other local night markets around, just ask your home stay or a local, they will happily point you in the right direction.
If you are worried about eating from the street markets, don't be. Buy something which you know they are cooking fresh/cooking in front of you and go for a vegetarian option rather then the chicken and rice they have pre-packed in containers waiting to be bought. Although we ate in street stalls most days, neither of us became sick from any of the food we ate, which has to vouch a little for their sanitation standards. Being a Muslim country, drinking in Malaysia is not surprisingly expensive, instead of it being on par with other SE Asian countries, its up there with the majority of the western countries. A beer here will set you back $3-$6 a can depending where you purchase it from. Langkawi and Penang have been the cheapest places we have found for alcohol. Most of the beer served is European and mainly comes in a can. You can find more information on Malaysia's food and drinks, as well as a list of places we ate at on our Malaysian Blog page. |
accomodationKuala Lumpur - Number Eight Guest House - $20 a night, a really good room, private bathroom with hot water & air conditioning, right next to hawkers street and down the road from a 'hop on hop off' bus station. Self serve breakfast of boiled eggs with toast and jam. Borneo, Kuching - Nooks Guest House- $20 a night for a massive room with a huge bed and air-conditioning, shared bathroom, although it was only shared with 3 other rooms. Great hang out area, Frankie is really helpful and so knowledgable.Self serve breakfast of toast and jam. Cameron Highlands, Tanah Rata -Cameronian Inn- $20 a night, peaceful and relaxing area, comfortable and clean rooms with a shared bathroom. Only a short walk from the town centre. Perhentian Island, Kecil – Fatimahs Chalet – $20 a night, not one of the best places we have stayed in; but accommodation in the perhentians is overall more expensive for less. Fanned room with a small bathroom. Room is extremely hot although its right on the beach. |
Kuala Besut - Yaudin Inn - $17 a night, decent budget accommodation, across the road from the ferry port to Perhentians, shared bathroom and air conditioning. Kota Bahru– My Place Guest House – $17 a night for awesome accommodation, cold air-conditioning with a comfortable bed, shared bathroom. Really good communal area, friendly owner who helps you with everything you need. Self service breakfast of toast and jam. Langkawi – AJ's Guest House- $20 a night, probably the worst of all the places we have stayed in, a little dirty but the room was spacious and had great air-conditioning. A 20 minute ride from Cenang Beach, wouldn't recommend unless you have your own transport. Penang, George Town– D Mo Inn - $17 a night, Amazing, the best we have stayed in during our time in SE Asia so far. The room is a little bit small but extremely clean, really cold air-conditioning with the best bed & pillow we have slept on. Shared bathroom (theres 4 for each floor) with hot water. For a little bit extra you can get a bigger room with a window or private bathroom. You can find more information on Malaysian accommodation and on our blog page of Malaysia. |
transport
The transportation in Malaysia is fantastic & is one of the most ‘tourist friendly’ we have seen, making it easy and cost effect for us to use.
In KL there are trains & monorails which cost you no more then $2 each way. There are also ‘hop on hop off buses’ which take you to the main tourist destination around the city for $15 each (stay off them during peak time, you will be stuck in a stream of traffic which can take hours to get back to your original point). Of course you can always walk, not only is it free, it can also be quicker then other types of transport during peak hour. In Penang there are many local buses, which are dirt cheap and can get you from A to B, they even have a local bus going from George Town to the Airport for $3 each. |
There are also Trishaws that you can haggle with to get a decent price to your destination (more for the experience than anything).
If you are confident then you can rent a motorbike for anywhere between $9 - $18 (depending on the location – Penang has been the cheapest and Cameron Highlands by far the most expensive) to explore around, if not, there are always tour buses going to all the tourist destinations. There are also buses to get you from town to town - we caught an amazing, comfortable and spacious bus from KL to Tanah Rata for $10 each. We have caught few taxis, however the ones we did catch required us to haggle a little bit for a decent price. Try to hop in one that is always metered to save the hassle. At KL central station there are counters you can order a taxi and pre-pay for it which makes life a whole lot easier. |
tippingNot required.
Money denominationsNote denominations: Coin denominations:
100RM 50 sen 50RM 20 sen 20RM 10 sen 10RM 5 sen 5RM 1RM |
moneyWe didn’t use any money changers, just ATMs, however always be careful of money exchanges offering high conversion rates, always check your money at the counter and watch them like a hawk. Just because a sign says 'Authorised Money Changer' does not mean they are safe, or authorised for that matter.
visa & departure tax90 day free visa into Malaysia for Australian Passport holders, which includes Borneo, however, there they requested to see our departing flight details back to KL.
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