Vacation in Malaysia - Upon Arrival - Part 2

Let's continue...

Another alternative will be using the ERL (Express Rail Link). Basically it's a train ride which will take you from KLIA to Kuala Lumpur city center. The last pit stop will be KL Sentral, the main hub for all train in Malaysia. No, I did not misspell it. Instead of Central, we "Malaysianize" it to Sentral!

Anyway, to get into one, from the arrival halls, follow the signs for KLIA express. Take the glass lifts on the far side which has KLIA express stickers pasted on the doors. This is important as only this lift will take you to the correct side of the building on Level 1 where the ERL counters are. Follow the sign closely.

There is one bad news if you arrive later than midnight - the ERL only cater during the day time between 5.00am - 12.00midnite.

As for the rate... A one way trip will cost you MYR35 per adult, MYR15 for children.

But then most travellers skip this alternative simply because once you reached KL Sentral, one must look for a cab to get to his/her hotel.

The final alternative will be rent-a-car. You will find some international companies to cater for you like Budget Rent-a-Car, Hertz, etc.. Almost similar to taking the cab, you will find the booth/counter right after you settle your luggage. Some guideline when you are driving in Malaysia...

• In Malaysia, we drive on the left hand side of the road and thus, the driver will be on the right side of the car (just like European countries).
• Be prepare with local currencies because you will have to pass through some toll booth.
• Watch the signage carefully. If you miss your exit, don't worry. Just go further up and you should be able to make a U-turn or get to an alternative route.
• Watch out for motorcycle! This is extremely important because there are a lot of motorcycle users in Malaysia. Most of it are not the superbike or Harley Davidson type, but more to the moped or scooter type. And to make matter worse, they can move in-between two cars or beside you!
• Watch the speed limit. It is in metric! In other words, it is in km/h, not mph! If you saw 90, it mean 90km/h, NOT 90mph.
• Finally, rule of thumb, if you think you are lost, you are indeed lost! Best bet to ask for direction will be at the petrol station. But do not simply ask anyone there. Park your car. Go into the shop and ask the cashier or those wearing the uniform. Hopefully you ask the local since they do hire some foreigners.

In that note, Malaysia is a melting pot for people in Asia countries. The Malays are the majority here, second by the Chinese, then the Indian, and the rest... You should be familiar with the Chinese and the Indian (from India, not the Red Indian), right? To describe the Malays, I would say, IMHO, would be like the Mexican + Hawaiian a bit. Get the picture?

To add to that, the main religion is Islam. But we are open-minded. There are other religions, too. Beside the mosques, you can also see churches and temples everywhere. The best part about Malaysia is that, no matter what your race or religion is, we live harmoniously among each other. We respect each other belief. We work together. And we always see ourselves as Malaysian first, putting our race and religion aside.

So, finally you reach your hotel. Take a break. Later you need a lot of your energy to walk about in Malaysia. There are lots of things to do in Malaysia. If you are game for shopping spree, there are lots of places for good bargain. If you just want to sight-seeing, make sure you have a very comfortable shoes. And if you are food lover and you want to sample the local delicacies, there will be aplenty of choice for you. All in all, get yourself comfortable for now before you hit the street...

Vacation in Malaysia - Upon Arrival

Hi there.

You finally decided to take a vacation in Malaysia huh? Did all the research and your travel agent have told you everything of what to expect when you reach Malaysia, right?

Well, let me add my 10 cents guidance for the first timer...

Firstly, you will arrive in Malaysia via plane into KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). If you have done your research right, Kuala Lumpur is the capital for Malaysia. Yup, you have just arrive at the capital city of Malaysia. NOT!

Actually you are by far away from the capital city!

A bit of geography here... KLIA is located in a small town called Sepang, which is more than 60km away from Kuala Lumpur city center (or capital city). Why don't someone named it SIA instead for Sepang International Airport? Nah, too unexceptional. People might mistaken it to be Singapore International Airport or something. And who have heard of Sepang before? Even some locals have never heard of Sepang before! So someone decided to named it KLIA. At lease all the locals knew KL or Kuala Lumpur. Internationally, I suspected you learn during your geography class before, only not to recall it now.

Upon arrival, after clearing the immigration's paperwork and collecting your luggage, you need to go to your hotel. There is one hotel just a walking distance from the airport named the Concorde Inn KLIA, but unless you are on transit for another flight, most probably you have booked your hotel elsewhere. Most particularly I bet your hotel will be in Kuala Lumpur city center itself. FYI, there is almost nothing around or nearby KLIA.

Some hotels will have their people waiting to bring you to your designated hotel. For those that have arranged for pick-up, it is just a simple step to lookout for someone holding a big sign with your name or the hotel's name. Go to that person and introduce yourself. Simple :-P

For the adventurous ones, you have several alternatives to get to your hotel - cab (taxi), ERL (train) or rent-a-car.

By the way, English is Malaysia's second language. The first is Bahasa Melayu, but don't worry about it. The third, IMHO, is Malaysia's self-taught sign language. If you ever play charade before, I guarantee you can survive and communicate effectively in Malaysia... If you cannot communicate in either of the three language, I suggest you get a small dictionary ready from you native language to English. There are also other languages spoken here in Malaysia like Hokien, Mandarin, Tamil, Urdu, etc - mostly originated in Asia region. But since you are reading my blog, forget about it!

Let's continue...

If you going to take the cab, make sure you use the legal way. It is very simple. There will be some booth/counter at the public arrival hall, right after you clear the customs (for your luggage) - named Airport Limo. Go to the booth/counter. Tell the person behind the booth/counter where you want to go. The person will tell you how much it will cost. Pay for it and they will give you a voucher. They will point you where to get to your limo. Follow the instruction. Once you get into your limo, pass the voucher to the driver. You should not pay additional charges i.e. tips to the driver. The voucher you paid earlier covered everything including the driver's tip.

The rate is between MYR60 to MYR180, depending on what type or size of the limo. FYI, the currency rate is about US$1.00 = MYR3.60.

Although sound luxury, the limo you are about to get into is not really a limousine you normally watch in TV with mini-bar, mini-swimming pool and so forth. It is just a typical car or MPV with license plate number that start with the word "LIMO"!

It is also handy if you have the address of your hotel. While some hotels are quite well known, others are not or having few branches.

Earlier I mentioned you should use the legal way to take a cab. Well, the other way you might end up paying more or being send to another place! If you really want to try it out, just walk toward the exit of the airport. You will be greeted by some guy touting (or hustling) to take you to your hotel. Good luck!

If you have not make any hotel reservation yet, go to the link below for hotels available in Malaysia. It is a nice and simple website, unknown to almost all outside world. Don't forget to jot down the address.
http://www.cuti.com.my/

To use ERL or rent-a-car, wait for my part 2.