Guys,
Last did an extensive road trip of Malaysia 22 years ago when I was working in HK. Have been back several times but as a superficial tourist i.e. just chilling out. The objective this time was to gauge if my Wife & I would like to retire there. So, shall commence with general overview & add more specifics in coming days:
PENANG: Overall impression was very good. Found the people painstakingly helpful & friendly - sort of lost innocense. Challenging to generalise on living cost but for me <50% compared to OZ (& I prefer to live well). There is clearly a significant oversupply of condos & general market appeared a bit "fickle" to me (happy to expand on that later). My preferred areas to live would be T Bungah, or area near Turf Club which is very lush/scenic against backdrop of Penang Hill. Stayed at Grand ParkRoyal Hotel BatuF which was excellent. BatuF was better than I expected - lots of activity, nobody hassled us & beach was clean/good for walking. The Old Quarter of Georgetown very attractive to roam around up to 10 AM (before heat kicks in). Visited Penang Swimming Club & Penang Sports Club - both great but latter is awesome ! Loved the Botanical Gardens & Penang Hill. Downside re Penang - it was busier/more developed than I expected - perhaps a bit rough at the edges although thats part of the attraction. Overall 9 out of 10.
IPOH: A 2 -3 hours pleasant drive to Ipoh. The place is bigger/more sophisticated than I expected - also nice mountains around the city. Appears to be a strong Cantonese influence. Plenty of hotels options - can certainly do better than place I selected (Regalodge)
FRASER'S Hill: A 4 hour very scenic drive from Ipoh. Great place for trekking - suggest Bishop's Trail & Maxwell Trail - which I did. Awesome scenary. Plenty of accommodation options better than Old Smokehouse where I stayed (which was total crap !!).
KUANTAN: Drove there via Genting Highlands which was interesting. Main attraction of Kuantan are the great beaches. However, the place appears very "localised" & Kuantan City did not hit home with me !. Still people are extremely friendly/helpful eg stopped for directions at roadhouse & lady requested her adult son to lead me there on his motorbike for 5 kilos - I then struggled getting him to accept 3RM tip !!!
MALACCA: Awesome drive across country via Muadzam Shah & Segamat to Malacca (or Melaka). Recommend this route as its very very scenic/relaxing (& not main freeway to KL). Malacca is a beautiful combination of new & old - modern well planned/maintained with superb shopping, restaurants etc. The old quarter is Unesco World Heritage & arguably EVEN nicer than Georgetown. Property & cost of living also materially less than Penang. Suggest the hop on/off tourist bus (5RM) & the river cruise (7RM). A variety of accommodation options - the Holiday Inn where I stayed is a classy new place worth every cent (best to request high floor seaview room) . Malacca is a comfortable 90 min drive to KL. Drawbacks no operational airport yet & could not find any good beaches. Not sure about expat community or clubs ! Overall 9 out of 10.
DRIVING: Found all the roads/signage excellent & plenty of relaxing stops on route for coffee/food etc - toll fees are well worth it. People do not bother about speed limits & its best to drive defencively.
The above is an overview to kick things off. Shall post more specifics in coming days. In the meantime, more than happy to answer any queries or elaborate on aspects people may be interested in.
Cheers,
James
Topic: Impressions of Malaysia after 22 Years (Read 681 times)
July 18, 2009, 10:04:08 PM
