Korean Job Discussion Forums

Pateach · Joined: 11 May 2006

Hey Travelers:
Any thoughts on going to Malasysia? I hear Borneo is wonderful. Is affordable?
If I end up going there alone, is it safe for woman travelers?
Would it be too darn hot there in the summer (when I have vacation)?
Thanks, :)PT

mellinger · Joined: 21 Jan 2007

Hi,

I was just in Kota Kinabalu which is in Borneo for 5 days and it was an incredible time. I wish I could've been there for much longer as there is a wealth of things to do.

As for it being affordable, yes, it can be. I stayed at a hostel for around $5 a night. Most hostels there are about this price. As for food, it depends what you want. There is the markets where you can get fish and rice for about $1. Then there are also upscale seafood restaurants where it can run you $20. I do have to say that the market food was very good and it didn't make me sick or anything. Also, there are a lot of small restaurants where you can get food for around 5-10 ringgits. Which is about $2-4.

Also, as for tours, most are reasonable. You can climb mt. Kinabalu (which is quite a trek) for about $100....this is worth the price. You can do a river cruise to see Proboscis Monkeys for about $50. Again, worthwhile. There are smaller tours that you can do for in the $30-40 range. What i'm saying is that if you like Nature, this is the place for you. If you are a beach person, you can get transferred to the islands from Kota Kinabalu which are about 10 minutes away by boat for about $10. And then you can rent snorkelling equiptment for about $5. Not bad. These aren't touristy/party beaches though. These are paradise/no one around beaches. At least when I was there.

If diving is your thing, you can check out Mabul island in the south of Borneo. This is ranked one of the top 5 dive sites in the world and you can get PADI certified in diving for about $300.

Safe for women travellers? I'm not sure, but I would venture to say yes. I am a male, so I can't say that for certainty, but Malaysia is a very diverse country made up of many cultures and I have a feeling they would respect you. You might get a few stares, but besides that I don't think they would do anything else. I would just take normal precausions when going out at night and just make sure not to take any small dark alleys. But at least in Kota Kinabalu there aren't many of these. When I was there, I saw quite a few tourists and quite a few women travellers by themselves.

Hot, yes. But it's hot there most of the year from what I heard, aside from the random rainstorm which will cool it down to maybe the 70's. Most of the time it will probably be in the 90's and a lil humid. But no need to worry about Typhoons as it's below that, thus Borneo being called "the land below the wind."

So I hope this was helpful to you. If you have any questions, let me know.

Mike

Natalia · Joined: 10 Mar 2006

Hot?

No.

As was said above, Borneo is 'The Land Below the Wind'. Meaning it is comfortably warm all year round - not extreme heat, no cold....

You don't have to go the hostel route to have a relatively cheap holiday. Even the big resorts offer very cheap packages.

As for safe for women travellers, it is a lot safer than any other destination I have been to in Asia. While Malaysia is officially a Muslim country, Borneo has a tiny percentage of Muslims and far more people of other religions. Here you will find fewer Indians and almost no headscarves, and a lot of people of different tribal groups.
You will have some people sneaking photographs of you - and get some stares - but Malaysia is a walk in the park compared to countries like India. It's a hell of a lot more friendly too.

The island is small enough to travel around easily, and personally I find it a lot more interesting than mainland Malaysia.

andrew · Joined: 30 Jan 2003

.....

Pateach · Joined: 11 May 2006

Thanks!

What kind of airfare should be reasonable?
Hostels are sometimes cool, but I like to book a few nights in a modest hotel when I travel. Any hotels or guest houses there that you would reccommend?
Muslim countries are fine. Lots of crime and creepy guys stalking me around town, now those I try to avoid. Happily, that doesn't sound like a problem there! Smile

Boodleheimer · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:31 am Post subject:

i'm in the Cameron Highlands right now. very cool, very nice. KL was hot. Pulau Tioman was an awesome resort island. we're not staying in dorm beds, so accomodation is our biggest expense. it's about $20 a night, so $10 for each of us. oh, and beer is (relatively) expensive. we're going up to Penang on Friday, then up to Thailand. on our way back through (our stuff is in Singapore), i'd like to go to Malacca and the Perhentian Islands.

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

I hear that one should NOT use a credit card in Malaysia, as scanning your card leaves it vulnerable to fraud.

Boodleheimer · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:51 am Post subject:

in Georgetown, Penang Island now. KL was hot, Georgetown is boiling.

Boodleheimer · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:00 am Post subject:

Penang was underwhelming. not sure why it's the Pearl of the Orient or some such nonsense. the Chinatown and Little India were interesting.

and i'm addicted to roti for breakkie!

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

Considering it was around 38c celsius with high humidity in South Korea last August, Malaysia will actually be slightly cooler, but only just. Cameron Highlands was around 23c & a nice break from the high heat of KL & Penang. Haven't been to Sabah or Sarawak but have transitted in Brunei many times. Malacca was nice. East coast islands like Pulau Kapas, P. Redang, & the Perhentians, might be worth staying at. Haven't been to P. Tioman, either.