Malaysia Mini Guide
The country of Malaysia in South East Asia is split into two land masses. Part of it is located on a peninsula which has land borders with Thailand while the rest of Malaysia is located on the Northern third of the huge island of Borneo.
This tropical country has a very diverse population with people celebrating many religions there including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. This incredible mixture also makes Malaysian food so interesting as meals can have combinations of Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes.
The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur and its other major cities are Malacca, Kuantan, Miri, Kuching, George Town, Putrajaya, Kota Kinabalu and Johor Bahru.
Most westerners can get into Malaysia without a visa and they are likely to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International airport.
The other airports which have international flights are Johor Bahru, Miri, Malacca, Langkawi, Ipoh, Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Air Malaysia is the national carrier while AirAsia does flights to most South East Asian destinations and countries such as Australia too.
If you have rented a car from Rhino Car Hire in Thailand you could drive it across the border into Malaysia as part of your trip. If you plan to do this or go to Indonesia, Brunei or Singapore by road it is best to have an international driver’s licence. To Indonesia the main crossing is at the Tebedu-Entikong checkpoint on the Kuching-Pontianak road.
For Brunei the Kuala Lurah-Tedungan checkpoint is used for traffic travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and Limbang in Sarawak.
To Singapore the two crossings are the Causeway which links Johor Bahru with Woodlands in Singapore, and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link which links Tanjung Kupang in Johor with Tuas in Singapore.
Traffic drives on the left in Malaysia and the road network there is good, though you should watch out for cyclists at all times. If you want to have a relaxed trip then avoid driving in the cities which can be confusing and congested and use the car to explore the countryside of Malaysia.
Driving from Malaysia to Thailand you can do the whole journey on the north south expressway road. You are advised not to drive at night though for fear of being robbed so plan stops into your travel and that way you will enjoy the journey more too. It is worthwhile carrying some Malaysian currency (Ringgit) with you at all times.