What's the Mood In Malaysia?
Oct 16th 2002, 4:16 am
#1
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Joined: Oct 2002
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What's the Mood In Malaysia?
My boyfriend and I are heading to Singapore and then backpacking up the west coast of Malaysia (stopping in KL & Georgetown) into Southern Thailand in a few weeks.
a couple of questions:
Do people think there is any real reason to be on edge while visiting this region? (other than the state dept warning that suggests that Americans will be assassinated if they step foot outside the U.S.)
Anyone think there are any specific areas that should be avoided in light of the recent events in this region?
Has anyone ever taken the night train from Singapore to KL? Do you recommend it?
Any suggestions on getting from Georgetown to Krabi. I've read that there are little minibuses that can take you the whole way. Anyone ever done this or have a different suggestion.
a couple of questions:
Do people think there is any real reason to be on edge while visiting this region? (other than the state dept warning that suggests that Americans will be assassinated if they step foot outside the U.S.)
Anyone think there are any specific areas that should be avoided in light of the recent events in this region?
Has anyone ever taken the night train from Singapore to KL? Do you recommend it?
Any suggestions on getting from Georgetown to Krabi. I've read that there are little minibuses that can take you the whole way. Anyone ever done this or have a different suggestion.
Oct 16th 2002, 7:13 am
#2
Ex Mod (2002-2005)
Joined: May 2002
Location: NSW
Posts: 5,464
Re: What's the Mood In Malaysia?
> Originally posted by recycledracer:
> Do people think there is any real reason to be on edge while visiting
> this region? (other than the state dept warning that suggests that
> Americans will be assassinated if they step foot outside the U.S.)
I do not think there's anything for you to be concerned about if you're a genuine tourist (i.e. if you do the things tourists do - backpacking, sight-seeing, shopping, etc)
> Anyone think there are any specific areas that should be avoided in light
> of the recent events in this region?
West Malaysia's states are generally non-militant. The northeastern states of Kelantan and Trengganu are controlled by the Islamic party, where strict(er) dress codes and public behaviour rules apply, even to local non-Muslims and foreign tourists.
Northern states (Kedah, Perlis) are generally more conservatively Muslim, but generally aren't fanatical. However, Malaysia continues to station its General Operations Forces (elite Army units) in the border areas with Thailand.
The other states along the western railway line are generally more modern. KL and Penang have a huge non-Muslim population, and they are as Western as Muslim-Asian cities can be.
Whatever you do, try to avoid bathing topless anywhere in Malaysia if you're a woman :-)
> Has anyone ever taken the night train from Singapore to KL? Do you recommend it?
I've taken them before, and they're ok. You can get a decent night's sleep if you're okay with the constant swaying of the train, and the noise associated with it. The airconditioning is decent, and the night train is generally safe and clean. The trains' toilets, however, may not be 100% clean.
> Any suggestions on getting from Georgetown to Krabi. I've read that there
> are little minibuses that can take you the whole way. Anyone ever
> done this or have a different suggestion.
I've never taken a minibus from Georgetown to Krabi. I've taken a regular bus (24-seater coach) from KL to Hatyai, which took me almost 9 hours, as the highway from KL northwards isn't as smooth as the highway from KL southwards.
Bear in mind that if you take the train from Singapore into KL, your passport will NOT be stamped by Malaysia upon entry into Malaysia, so do not be alarmed if this happens. You'll have to keep your train ticket so that you can show it to the Malaysian immigration officer upon your exit from Malaysia into Thailand (or by air to elsewhere). This is just one of the anomalies that you're bound to face when it comes to immigration formalities.
HTH
Peter
> Do people think there is any real reason to be on edge while visiting
> this region? (other than the state dept warning that suggests that
> Americans will be assassinated if they step foot outside the U.S.)
I do not think there's anything for you to be concerned about if you're a genuine tourist (i.e. if you do the things tourists do - backpacking, sight-seeing, shopping, etc)
> Anyone think there are any specific areas that should be avoided in light
> of the recent events in this region?
West Malaysia's states are generally non-militant. The northeastern states of Kelantan and Trengganu are controlled by the Islamic party, where strict(er) dress codes and public behaviour rules apply, even to local non-Muslims and foreign tourists.
Northern states (Kedah, Perlis) are generally more conservatively Muslim, but generally aren't fanatical. However, Malaysia continues to station its General Operations Forces (elite Army units) in the border areas with Thailand.
The other states along the western railway line are generally more modern. KL and Penang have a huge non-Muslim population, and they are as Western as Muslim-Asian cities can be.
Whatever you do, try to avoid bathing topless anywhere in Malaysia if you're a woman :-)
> Has anyone ever taken the night train from Singapore to KL? Do you recommend it?
I've taken them before, and they're ok. You can get a decent night's sleep if you're okay with the constant swaying of the train, and the noise associated with it. The airconditioning is decent, and the night train is generally safe and clean. The trains' toilets, however, may not be 100% clean.
> Any suggestions on getting from Georgetown to Krabi. I've read that there
> are little minibuses that can take you the whole way. Anyone ever
> done this or have a different suggestion.
I've never taken a minibus from Georgetown to Krabi. I've taken a regular bus (24-seater coach) from KL to Hatyai, which took me almost 9 hours, as the highway from KL northwards isn't as smooth as the highway from KL southwards.
Bear in mind that if you take the train from Singapore into KL, your passport will NOT be stamped by Malaysia upon entry into Malaysia, so do not be alarmed if this happens. You'll have to keep your train ticket so that you can show it to the Malaysian immigration officer upon your exit from Malaysia into Thailand (or by air to elsewhere). This is just one of the anomalies that you're bound to face when it comes to immigration formalities.
HTH
Peter
Oct 16th 2002, 9:31 pm
#3
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Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 916
Re: What's the Mood In Malaysia?
Peter,
I find it strange that your passport was not stamped. When we took the train from KL to Singapore, there is an Immigration stop along the way, where a guy (and not a very nice one) that comes on the train and stamps foreign passports. As Singas is a different country this was the standard practice. We also had it stamped on the way back.
I find it strange that your passport was not stamped. When we took the train from KL to Singapore, there is an Immigration stop along the way, where a guy (and not a very nice one) that comes on the train and stamps foreign passports. As Singas is a different country this was the standard practice. We also had it stamped on the way back.
Oct 17th 2002, 8:28 am
#4
Ex Mod (2002-2005)
Joined: May 2002
Location: NSW
Posts: 5,464
Re: What's the Mood In Malaysia?
Originally posted by suebo:
Peter,
I find it strange that your passport was not stamped. When we took the train from KL to Singapore, there is an Immigration stop along the way, where a guy (and not a very nice one) that comes on the train and stamps foreign passports. As Singas is a different country this was the standard practice. We also had it stamped on the way back.
Peter,
I find it strange that your passport was not stamped. When we took the train from KL to Singapore, there is an Immigration stop along the way, where a guy (and not a very nice one) that comes on the train and stamps foreign passports. As Singas is a different country this was the standard practice. We also had it stamped on the way back.
When coming into Malaysia from Singapore via rail, the immigration clearance sequence is screwed up:
In Singapore, you go through Malaysian entry formalities first, before going past Singapore's exit checks. So, Malaysia won't stamp your passports on your way "in" to Malaysia while in Singapore.
Yes, Singapore and Malaysia are different countries, so different customs and immigration regulations apply.
The KL-Singapore immigration sequence is correct, so you'll be stamped by Malaysia and Singapore when going south.
Peter
Oct 17th 2002, 12:53 pm
#5
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Posts: n/a
Re: What's the Mood In Malaysia?
On Wed, 16 Oct 2002 07:13:04 +0000, ptlabs
wrote:
>I've never taken a minibus from Georgetown to Krabi. I've taken a
>regular bus (24-seater coach) from KL to Hatyai, which took me almost 9
>hours, as the highway from KL northwards isn't as smooth as the highway
>from KL southwards.
I do not know when you last travelled by road north of KL, but from my
driving experience it is far smoother as the volume of traffic up
north is far lesser than south of KL, making it much smoother.
SIAOGU
A rich man is not one who has a lot but one who needs little
Cast pearls before swine to email
wrote:
>I've never taken a minibus from Georgetown to Krabi. I've taken a
>regular bus (24-seater coach) from KL to Hatyai, which took me almost 9
>hours, as the highway from KL northwards isn't as smooth as the highway
>from KL southwards.
I do not know when you last travelled by road north of KL, but from my
driving experience it is far smoother as the volume of traffic up
north is far lesser than south of KL, making it much smoother.
SIAOGU
A rich man is not one who has a lot but one who needs little
Cast pearls before swine to email
Oct 18th 2002, 3:41 am
#6
Ex Mod (2002-2005)
Joined: May 2002
Location: NSW
Posts: 5,464
Re: What's the Mood In Malaysia?
Originally posted by truecol:
On Wed, 16 Oct 2002 07:13:04 +0000, ptlabs
wrote:
>I've never taken a minibus from Georgetown to Krabi. I've taken a
>regular bus (24-seater coach) from KL to Hatyai, which took me almost 9
>hours, as the highway from KL northwards isn't as smooth as the highway
>from KL southwards.
I do not know when you last travelled by road north of KL, but from my driving experience it is far smoother as the volume of traffic up north is far lesser than south of KL, making it much smoother.
On Wed, 16 Oct 2002 07:13:04 +0000, ptlabs
wrote:
>I've never taken a minibus from Georgetown to Krabi. I've taken a
>regular bus (24-seater coach) from KL to Hatyai, which took me almost 9
>hours, as the highway from KL northwards isn't as smooth as the highway
>from KL southwards.
I do not know when you last travelled by road north of KL, but from my driving experience it is far smoother as the volume of traffic up north is far lesser than south of KL, making it much smoother.
I went there a couple of months ago, so it's still fresh in my memory, yes :-)
Peter
