Lessons from the trip to Malaysia

There is going to be no random stuff today. I was recently on a short trip to Malaysia, and i thought i should write down some things that i had figured out so that anyone making a similar trip in future would be more comfortable.

Well here was my list of questions before i went there:

1. How do i keep in touch while i am there? Should i take my cell on roaming?
2. How much cash should i carry? How costly would things be there?
3. What places to visit there?
   

Ans. (1) . The first question was the more troublesome one, international roaming is absurdly costly compared to the ISD calling rates of course. Matrix cards were another option. But they turned out to be a bit cumbersome too. I had tried activating my international roaming, but when i landed in Malaysia and my cell didn't work, there was really nothing that i could have done other than curse the call center people who had assured me that it would. Anyways, the best option is to get a a local number when you land in Malaysia. They don't make much of a fuss about it. All that they ask for is your passport for proof. And the call rates are good too. I got a connection from an operator DiGi, and they had pretty good service and call rates too.

Ans. (2) . The answer to the second question came from my brother. He remembered the McBurger Index published by The Economist. And it turned out to be pretty accurate. Food is not very expensive there. In fact its the same price that you would pay in any decent restaurant in metros of India. So for day to day expenses one need not carry a lot of cash with them. As for shopping. I personally think the place isn't cheaper as compared to India. However there are some Malaysian crafts that one can lay their hands on while there. So for shopping there is no limit on the amount of cash that you can carry.

Edit: Its called the Big Mac index. http://www.economist.com/markets/bigmac/ . Thanks to anonymous... :-) ...

Ans. (3) . As for the places to visit. It is very important to have a well laid out Itinerary. Almost all first time travellers will have Kuala Lumpur in their itinerary. And its a beautiful city and must be visited when in Malaysia. However there are a number of things that one can see in KL. Its best to ask your travel agent for a detailed itinerary and make sure there isn't a lot of time devoted to malls and going around to various shops(I would suggest not having any time for malls, there is really nothing that you cant get in India, at the same price). One can visit the Bird park, the museum, The aquarium at KLCC. Watching petronas at night is a must, its a beauty and being there and not seeing that would be like going to Mecca and not touching the sacred stone. If one is open to a bit of adventure and trekking, there are places within short distances from KL which provide beautiful getaways. Though i haven't been there i heard a great deal about Langkawi and Penang. And one can explore options of touching those places too.



And lastly, always keep the Embassy numbers handy, and don't take chances with strangers that you don't know, unless they show proper credentials and speak a language that you can understand. Enjoy the Malaysian food, don't go Indian restaurants only, though there are a number of them there.

I am open to any questions, you can post them as comments below.