What do you have to know before traveling to Malaysia? Culture shock when traveling in Malaysia? You may not have enough time to discover Malaysia slowly or having any local guides with you. Malaysian loves tourist and like to help them to enjoy their holidays here and here are 10 tips (that aren’t in any guidebooks) a Malaysian would like you to know in order to help you understand Malaysia more.
1. You realize our international airport is made up of two parts.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is made up of two parts which are KLIA and KLIA 2 but they are actually the same airport. Upon arriving the airport, a lot of travelers found that their connected or outbound flight is actually at the other airport. KLIA is used by Malaysia Airline and other international carriers while KLIA 2 is used by mainly AirAsia. Even if you ended up in the other part, there are fast train transfer between KLIA and KLIA 2.
2. You realize that the international airport is too remote.
KLIA is located 55km south of the city center. There are two ways to get in/out of the city, by train or by bus. KLIA express is a train that will take you around 40 minutes to get into the city whereas buses would take around 60 minutes. Plan ahead if you want to get to the airport early.
3. You realize you can get cheap flights from Malaysia.
The outbound flights with AirAsia from Malaysia are cheap, and the company has been named the world’s best low-cost airline for seventh consecutive years. AirAsia has direct flights to most major cities in South East Asia.
4. You realize we all can speak at least 3 languages.
Most travelers traveling in Malaysia are surprised at Malaysian’s ability to learn languages. It is because we speak at least 3 languages here! You would find people speaking Malay, English, Tamil, Mandarin and other dialects here.
5. You realize we speak Manglish.
English education started since the British colonization, as time goes by it has evolved into Malaysian English. It can be a mix of Malay and English or Chinese and English or maybe more! Don’t worry because we try not to speak Manglish to foreigners as it seems embarrassing. Below stated a few common examples.
Got: Instead of ‘have’, we use ‘got’.
Common phrase: “You got or not?” which literally means ‘Do you have it?”
Lah: We add ‘lah’ to almost every sentence, it doesn’t mean anything but to emphasize.
Common phrase: “So funny lah you.” which means “You are so funny!”
Ah: It is used a lot all the time. It is used to add emphasis to a question.
Common phrase: “You don’t know ah?” which means “Don’t you know?”
6. You realize that it is a majority Muslim country.
Many people are surprised that Malaysia has majority Muslim in the population. We are a Muslim country and we have a lot of Islamic and Moorish influenced architecture in our buildings. Some of the famous ones that you must visit are Masjid Putra and Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
7. You realize Malaysian flag looks like the American flag.
A common question asked by a lot of foreigners. It is actually derived from the flag of East India Company during the British colonization. 14 stripes represent 14 states of Malaysia. The crescent moon symbolizes Islam and the 14 pointed stars symbolizes the unity of 13 states and the federal government. The color yellow is the royalty’s color, dark blue represents the unity of the people, red and white stand for equal status in the federation.
8. You realize most Malaysian never went up to the Petronas twin tower.
“No, I have not gone up to the Petronas twin tower.” That’s the answer you get from most Malaysia. I have been asked a lot of time but I just haven’t gone up yet despite there’s an observation deck and a sky bridge which is quite exciting to experience. If Malaysia is your once in a lifetime trip, you should definitely check it out.
9. You realize there is endless food to try here.
A multicultural country also has a variety of food because of the mixture of different cultures. There is too much food to try out here, majority mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine. Nasi lemak, nasi kandar, rendang ayam, mixed rice, char kuey teow, dim sum, roti canai, banana leaf rice and all sorts of curry, that make a list for you to try.
10. You realize our favorite place to eat is at a mamak stall.
In every Malaysian’s heart, mamak stall is the place to be anytime. It serves all kinds of food except non-halal food and alcohol because it is run by Indian Muslim. Certain mamak stalls open 24 hours a day and the price for the food is relatively cheap than restaurants, that is why we love it! Whether you are having a family dinner, alone or with friends or watching a football match (every mamak has TV and it is a culture watching sports while drinking milk tea). Some typical food is mamak rojak, maggi goreng, chapati and dosai. Teh tarik (pulled tea) is apparently the most ordered drink in a mamak, don’t forget to try it. Some mamak stalls you can try out are Pelita, Kayu and Murni.