stranded traveller

Mate,

My opinion, Kota Kemuning 100% for family type, not socialize area if that what you want, thought quiet reasonable price to rent,

Just try those places I did suggested you, Bukit OUG at Old Klang Road, very convinenced for you to reach Mid Valley or Bangsar, mostly chinese area..but its was fine to me..I was living there..I like the area...quiet calm and a bit privacy, located on the hill..

Also, I would like to suggest you in Bukit Jalil area, plenty condominium around, close to hypermarket..

let me know if there anything you need to ask ok!

Fiza

red_robin

Hi Fiza,

The first time I looked at OUG I thought expensive, but i have found some very good rental prices there now. I will most likely look at this area 1st, because I can access the kesas highway easily!

Many thanks

Robin

stranded traveller

Hi Robin,

Thats great, hope we will be invited for your new home

red_robin

Definately, i'll let you all know when I plan the house warming party!

trish78

k

bakedbean

Hi Trish, I think something went wrong with your posting there. Maybe your internet connection is as dodgy as mine.

mlt86

am a local and stumbled upon this forum by accident, thought I could lend a hand to some of the questions so I signed up for a British expat acct

it depends on where you are working, am assuming you will have a car. decent areas with affordable rent and young urban crowd (locals and expats) that you can look into

segambut which is just behind Mont kiara, so u can still be near the expats
damansara Perdana, near to the curve, Ikea, pubs in ttdi, 1utama
sentul area, even nearer to city centre...used to be a dodgy area but recently developing. split into east and west, one is more exp than the other...can't remember
tropicana area (kota damansara etc) ok but traffic will be hellish

good luck.

bakedbean

Hi mlt - well thanks for helping out on this thread and your input is most welcome Does not matter if you're not a Brit We are very international on this sub-forum.

red_robin

Hi mlt,

Thanks for your suggestions... looking into this now! i do need local advice, so really appreciate it

aa98

Hi,
I still prefer penang for its quieter and slower pace of life, away from the hustle & bustle of the big city of KL. Penang is a food paradise and has an active expat community, rumah mat salleh, Sometimes they have bbq on the beaches in tanjung bungah, beer nights etc.Whenever we are visiting malaysia, we landed in penang, it is also a central base to travel or visit the beaches of kelantan & trengganu and a couple of hrs drive to the border town of thailand after crossing over to the mainland on penang bridge.


Freezing England.

bakedbean

Hi aa we've just driven up to Thailand from Penang and can confirm only A couple hours drive to sadao border crossing.

Sorry about the freezing weather. It's bloody hot here I can tell ya

stranded traveller

Mat salleh alwayss enjoying the hot weather in Malaysia..

Strider24

Hi ST,

On occasion, sometimes, quite often, usually..are all possible...but always...no I don't think so

Where I used to live, it could be much hotter than Malaysia, so I don't mind the cool change...usually

the troubadour

What ever happened to the vibe of George Town? Found it to be a shade of itself from the late 70s,when it was a bustling,happening alive sort of place.

Visited in 03 and again in 05,couldn't believe how quiet Penang Road had become or Chulia Street.

Ofcourse it was a major travellers centre in the 70s and both George Town and Batu Ferringhi were all the go. But besides mat salleh,what ever happened to all the local Chinese folk,whom gave the place real live during that period? So many folk sitting around talking etc,some real characters among them.
Penang was really the Pearl of the Orient in those days. Do folk really find Penang an interesting place to live in these days?

Wonder if any folks on here have alternatives to retire in Penang? Lived in Melaka in the early 80s for a time and enjoyed it.

bakedbean

Not sure if I'm being politically correct here, but never mind.... from what I have heard from other folks (and I've only been here 6 months so cannot verify)... Penang and Georgetown is "back to what it used to be". That's what people are telling me.

I suspect a lot of it is to do with the fact that the opposition party DAP got into power in Penang in 2008(?) and Penang Gov is now led by an excellent man called Lim Guan Eng. His wikipedia bio makes interesting reading if you know nothing about him. See here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lim_Guan_Eng

What I've been told by other people is that Penang island got very run down in years prior to 2008 and Lim Guan Eng has literally turned things around. Of course, if you're a supporter of the ruling party in Malaysia, you may think differently. Me... I'm not Malaysian so none of my business and keep out of the politics... but just listen to what others say.

On the "mat salleh" comments above, I think aa98 has confused a little bit and not actually referring to original meaning of Mat Sallehs. There is an expat group/gathering in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, who meet up on the beach for BBQs at various times during the year and they call themselves, I think, Rumah Mat Salleh. The name of it is a bit unfortunate I think as I've been told that it's a derogatory term but maybe someone wiser than me can confirm.

I've not been along to any of the BBQs, as I'm not really into drinking warm beer with sandflies and gawd knows what else is lurking on the beach in the evening, but some folks obviously enjoy it. They have a facebook page if anyone wants to do a search on them. I got the distinct impression that the group tends to promote their own little businesses (guesthouses, winebars, renovation companies etc) but, each to their own, probably a good way to network especially if you've something to promote. Anyway, should be able to find the group via google or other search engine if anyone is interested.