Going to Malaysia

[kimtae]

I'll be there for a week in late Feb. So, what's to do, see, eat, buy, stay, etc?
Thanks in advance.

[nightshade]

I've never been to Malaysia, but I do know that you must eat some laksa. I ate laksa on Singapore Day in New York, and the organizers had flown out the ingredients and the chef to make the dish. I have dreams where I get to eat it. Whenever I try to replicate the eating experience, it always turns out bad. I think it's because the noodles and the spices are only readily available in Malaysia and Singapore. Mmm. Sorry, I could probably write pages about how good it is. The shrimp, curry, and noodles. Mmm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa

[taijian]

Depends on where you're going, really. Anyway, yeah, try the laksa. Penang is famous for it. There are two types: plain laksa which is hot and sour and laksa lemak which has santan (coconut milk) added to it, making it a bit richer. Both are good.

There's also Bak Kut Teh, for which Klang is famous. There are many places where that is the main dish.

Also, you might want to try the Fish Head Curry. There's plenty of tasty food around here. This is just off the top of my head.

[kimtae]

I'm already in high anticipation of the food and drink. Unfortunately I'll only be there for 6 days and 5 nights. I'm flying into Kuala Lumpur. Any suggestions on quick and easy get aways from the city? What about the city itself? Any ideas on what part to stay in? How about golf? This'll be my first trip there and I'm really looking forward to it.
This is going to sound a little touristy and stupid but they run these great Malaysia tourism ads here in Korea, "Malaysia truly Asia". They've got me hooked. The ads always stress the five distinct cultures, the sheer variety of food, the street life, the beaches, etc. I can't believe I'm getting sucked in by a TV ad.
Here's one with Michelle Yeoh. They run the hell out of it here on CNN. I have to admit, it's a slick slogan and ad campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6u-W2Y02iM&feature=related
A couple of others
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgjAFtzKJaA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4O2S2I36vw&feature=related
It's starting to get cold here in Busan and it's a bitch riding the motorcycle as the wind cuts into your clothes and literally freezes your nuts. Then you see one of these ads on TV and it's like, damn. I need to get there.

[ChÈ]

If you have time, one of the more unique and worthwhile experiences you could do is to sign up for adventure stuff like caving, kayaking and hiking through the rivers, rainforest and hills, all of which are available around the KL area.

Find out where to get KL Bak Kut Teh - it is un-fuckin-believably good. One famous spot for it historically was the Pudu area near the jail - that's where the truck drivers used to go eat it in the mornings, I don't know if this is still going on but I would expect it. Bak Kut Teh is strictly a breakfast/brunch thing so only look for it in the first half of the day! Also check out the Jalan Imbi and Bukit Bintang areas.

PS: make sure you try the *claypot* version. And you need to be aware that there are different kinds - the one people rave about is Hokkien-style Klang or KL-style Bak Kut Teh, not the Teochew version (which is lighter flavoured).

[ChÈ]

BTW, there is a huge amount of blog and message board activity centered around Malaysian food on the net so it might pay off to browse a bit in advance.

Here's something I pulled off Google!...

http://www.en.articlesgratuits.com/tips-for-shopping-food-and-bargains-in-kuala-lumpur-malaysia-id1212.php

http://www.waisikkai.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=51


PPS: when you eat Bak Kut Teh, you MUST have it with the fried dough stick-thingies - they look like churros - Yew Char Kwee (Hokkien) aka Yow Char Gwei (Canto) aka You tiao (Mand).

[kimtae]

BTW, there is a huge amount of blog and message board activity centered around Malaysian food on the net so it might pay off to browse a bit in advance.

Here's something I pulled off Google!...

http://www.en.articlesgratuits.com/tips-for-shopping-food-and-bargains-in-kuala-lumpur-malaysia-id1212.phpThanks, I'm being a little lazy on the research at the moment as I have a trip to the States over the holidays. More cold and snow. I hate that.
I'm going to have to stay away from the adventure stuff as I just tore my ACL and I probably won't be able to do much for the next several months.

[ChÈ]

BTW, getting around by cab is fairly easy and cheap - but one thing to beware of is that the local cabbies (whether they are Malays, Chinese or Other) may not easily understand your pronunciation of place names, even when the words are in the most basic English... so you need to check and double-check that they have got what you are saying. You end up saving a lot of time and fucking around.

But wherever possible, use the rail system to get around so you can avoid the traffic.

[ChÈ]

Wiki:

The high-speed KLIA Ekspres [5] links the airport directly with the KL Sentral transportation hub in Kuala Lumpur in 28mins. Trains run from 5am to 12 midnight. There is one train every 15mins between 5am and 9am, and between 4pm and 10pm; while trains run every 20mins outside those hours. The cost of a one-way ticket is RM35.

[Lum]

I've never been to Malaysia, but I do know that you must eat some laksa. I ate laksa on Singapore Day in New York, and the organizers had flown out the ingredients and the chef to make the dish. I have dreams where I get to eat it. Whenever I try to replicate the eating experience, it always turns out bad. I think it's because the noodles and the spices are only readily available in Malaysia and Singapore. Mmm. Sorry, I could probably write pages about how good it is. The shrimp, curry, and noodles. Mmm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa

Had laska tonight in Chinatown. Yum.

[taijian]

Ok, I hope you find these helpful:

http://www.tourism.gov.my/

http://www.dinemalaysia.com/

[DONKEY]

bus ride from KL to Penang was about six hours and inexpensive and well worth the ride. you can buy the bus ticket in downtown KL. there is a famous cendol in an alley off of Penang road. chrysanthemum tea is essential for staying cool. try as much food as you can, none of it costs very much. always be brave, you wont be sorry. the hawker centers have a different atmosphere late at night when they fill up with teenagers.

[Dialectic]

Malaysian food, as I have just experienced, is goddamn delicious. Work out a lot when you come back.