Jump to content

Anyone spent any time in Malaysia or Indonesia?


Recommended Posts

A friend and I are planning on a trip to Southeast Asia this summer and are considering a number of off-the-beaten-path cities to visit in these two countries. Has anyone ever been to Kuching or Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia or to Surabaya, Balikpapan, or Manado, Indonesia? (Or any other cities in these countries, for that matter. We can also go to the more touristy areas like Bali or Penang but I figured I could get a pretty good sense of those places from guidebooks.)

Edited by Big Wheel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kuching...isn't that in Sarawak?

I planned a trip there once but never did it.

Never been to Indonesia, but I went to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for about a week.

My intent was NOT to go off the beaten track. <_< I like beaten tracks, thanks! ;)

I've lived in the Third World so long that I actually prefer civilization.

Kuala Lumpur was interesting to me, but perhaps not to you. It is fairly well-developed. People speak pretty good English there. There are some caves to see if you are interested in getting out of the city.

Best go out into the jungle, I guess...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big Wheel, in Indonesia I would recommend Yogyakarta on Java, about one hour east of Jakarta by plane. Borobudur is one of the most spectacular sights in Asia and the whole town had a pretty funky feel when I was there around 15 years ago (a long time ago, I know). Like Conn, in Malaysia I have only been to KL which I found rather quiet after Bangkok.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the recommendations. I think we're going to try a mix of urban and rural destinations, spending about a week in each of 3 or 4 places. We are doing this on a shoestring budget, and we're only able to fly into certain cities under the special pay-one-price ticket we're buying, so I'm not sure how feasible it is to go to Yogyakarta, which looks like quite a drive from our possible airline destinations of Jakarta and Surabaya--but who knows, maybe Indonesian domestic flights are cheaper than I thought.

Conn: Kuching is indeed in Sarawak. Actually three of the cities I mentioned are on Borneo: Kota Kinabalu is in Malaysian Sabah, and Balikpapan is in the Indonesian part of the island. Manado is on Sulawesi. We are flying into KL from the States, and will have to return to KL airport in order to go elsewhere in most cases, so I'm sure we will be spending some time there as well. We can also fly to Phuket and Bangkok from KL, so should we decide to go to Thailand, I'd love to hear any recommendations you might have.

Edited by Big Wheel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We can also fly to Phuket and Bangkok from KL, so should we decide to go to Thailand, I'd love to hear any recommendations you might have.

When will you decide?

Phuket is a spectacular beach area. It can be pricey and there are budget places as well.

It's nestled in the Andaman Sea. If you do go that far, you must go to Phang Nga, which has some nice tours. Interesting limestone cliffs and rocks.

Ranong is not too far away. Never been there, but an old friend says its his favorite place in all of Thailand!

Avoid Haad Yai: it's one of those crappy sin cities. All the want is your money and they probably wouldn't care for budget travellers.

I visited a friend once in Phattalung deep in the South. Interesting and quiet place.

Lots of forests. Tigers are said to still roam, but I don't think there are many left.

Southern Thai people are Moslem as opposed to the rest of the country, where they are Buddhism. Nothing ulterior meant in that particular statement. I merely point it out.

I'll let you know about Bangkok once you decide to go. Remind me, please....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Ok, just about everything is booked now. We are flying into Bangkok June 21 and spending 4-5 days there, 2 in Chiang Mai, followed by about 10 days in Malaysia, 3 in Singapore, and 8-9 days on Java and maybe Bali. (We ended up scrapping the "special ticket" idea as it turned out to be ridiculously expensive). I figure it would take about a month to even begin to explore just Bangkok, but I'd welcome any suggestions anyone might have.

Also, if anyone here has flown Air Asia before I'd be interested in hearing your opinions. We've already booked all our tickets (except the flight between the States and Thailand) with them but I wouldn't mind knowing what we're in for. With no ticket over $40 one way, they were kind of hard to turn down.

Edited by Big Wheel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fun! We actually will be on Borneo, with 3 days in Kota Kinabalu. With that kind of timetable, however, we won't be able to stray too far into the interior, so I'm not too terribly worried about tropical diseases. (Isn't the only malaria-carrying bug the mosquito?)

Edited by Big Wheel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Curious, I did a quick search about Kiedis's experience and found this page. It sounds like Kiedis got a bad case of dengue along with the usual diarrhea and leeches, but that wasn't necessarily related to the roach or whatever it was crawling in his ear. They were in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, which is much further from civilization than we're gonna be. And they weren't using mosquito netting for some reason.

Dengue is no picnic, though, and I'm more concerned about that than I am about malaria.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big Wheel, for Bangkok (and Thailand generally) I would recommend the famous Stickman guide to Bangkok site at www.stickmanbangkok.com/

A lot of good information there and some of the reader submissions are priceless. All in all, pretty entertaining.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My intent was NOT to go off the beaten track. <_< I like beaten tracks, thanks! ;)

I hear that. Only places I've been to around there are Singapore and Hong Kong. Downtown. And of course, those were experienced as a drunken sailor, so I don't remember much other than cheap bootleg cassettes... :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A quick "up," since I see our resident Thailand expert is on.

Me?? :excited:

Oh yeah, I guess me... :g

Chiang Mai: there is the obligatory visit to Doi Suthep up in the hills. If you want to go somewhere remote and beautiful, see if there's time to visit the small town of Nan. It is one of those hidden Asian gems... ^_^

Worthwhile checking out Lamphun, which isn't far from Chiang Mai. Cool temples there.

Bangkok: the main temples to visit are Wat Benjamabopit (marble temple), Wat Po, and the Temple of the Rising Sun (right across from Wat Po on the river.) Visit the Golden Mount which is in that area and the Grand Palace in Sanam Luang (of course! :g )

Now for whores you go to...

oops got sidetracked a bit... ;)

Spend a day visiting Ayuthaya. You can get a bus or taxi ride there without problem.

Good food is all over the city.

If you want old coins or gems or antiques, go down Silom Road and New Road.

Back to food: eat the lunch buffet at the Indra Hotel. Second floor, I believe, not the restaurant on the ground floor. You can also shop for cheap trinkets and such in the market around the Indra.

The Weekend market is quite interesting. You can find anything there from live animals to trinkets.

Don't forget to bargain with the taxi and samlor drivers. Don't take the first offer!!

Have fun!

:g

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In addition to Conn's Bangkok recommendations, for something other than temples I would add Jim Thompson's house. This is a really nice traditional well preserved Thai house next to a Klong (canal). Jim Thompson's story is also very interesting.

For getting around the Skytrain is really convenient and cheap, and avoids the traffic (and heat). A lot of the taxis are metered now and if you are lucky they even use them.

The food and entertainment options in Bangkok are rapidly changing so get some current info. Also, if you want to check out the famous go-go bar scene, despite what Weizen says on another thread, Patpong is for toursits. The locals generally go to Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy.

Edited by JohnJ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I concur also that Jim Thompson's house is worth seeing. You shouldn't get overrun with other tourists there as well. It's an interesting house and a good story.

There is also another house like that but I've forgotten the name. It's next to Phaya Thai hospital. Forgot the name of the road...

I remember the damned hospitals of course.... :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Checkin' in from Kota Kinabalu, Borneo now...the people out here are damned nice. The weather is hot, though, with only a little rain, and it's tough to stay hydrated. Internet cafes are cheap and all over the place, especially in Bangkok, so I've been connected to the outside world (and even lurking here a little).

Think we're gonna head out to the night market in a bit...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big Wheel, will you be returning via Bangkok? Anyway, just in case you are, you may be interested to know that the new Bangkok Subway opened ahead of schedule last Saturday. All rides are 10 Baht (25 cents) until the Queen's birthday on August 10. Should be a good way to explore the city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big Wheel, in Indonesia I would recommend Yogyakarta on Java, about one hour east of Jakarta by plane. Borobudur is one of the most spectacular sights in Asia and the whole town had a pretty funky feel when I was there around 15 years ago (a long time ago, I know). Like Conn, in Malaysia I have only been to KL which I found rather quiet after Bangkok.

About 26 miles south of Jogakarta there is a beautiful black sand beach on the Indian Ocean called Parangtritis. I was last there about 20 years ago when it was completely undeveloped but I don't think it's changed too much. Apparently now there's just a few hotels and guest houses in the village where you can stay. You can get there by bus from Jogakarta.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Big Wheel, will you be returning via Bangkok? Anyway, just in case you are, you may be interested to know that the new Bangkok Subway opened ahead of schedule last Saturday. All rides are 10 Baht (25 cents) until the Queen's birthday on August 10. Should be a good way to explore the city.

Yes, we are returning thrugh Bangkok--but right now we only have about a 9 hour layover in the city, so we most likely won't leave the airport area. However, I am mulling over the idea of staying an additional 16 days or so in Bangkok, then heading to Japan (maybe Kyoto or somewhere else in the Kansai area) for a week to visit my girlfriend, who's there again this summer. Changing the ticket may be expensive, though. Thanks for the info on the subway. The Skytrain was very nice, though a bit limited in scope, so with luck the subway will fill in the gaps.

Also, thanks Phil--we're in Yogya right now and it looks like we will in fact have time to go to Parangtritis, as we just scuttled our original idea of moving on to Bali. I admit that I'm a bit spoiled by having a great beach on my doorstep (not literally) at home in Florida, but don't think I've ever seen a black sand beach before. I've taken about 200 pictures already and will see if I can't upload some of the good ones when I get back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...