Country Information
Location: Southeast Asia
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Population: 30 million
Currency: Ringgit
Language: Bahasa Malay/English
Main Religion: Sunni Islam
Hello: selamat pagi/petang/malam
Thank you: terima kasih
Dates in the country
Climate
Malaysia is located in the equatorial region, and has a tropical rainforest climate. Located near the equator, Malaysia’s climate is categorised as equatorial, being hot and humid throughout the year. The average rainfall is 250 centimetres (98 in) a year and the average temperature is 27 °C (80.6 °F).
Public Holidays
For 2017
- January 1st New years day
- January 24th Thaipusam
- February 1st Federal Territory day
- May 1st Labour day
- June 4th The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Birthday
- July 6th – 7th Hari Raya Pucasa Day
- August 31st Malaysia National Holiday
- October 2nd Muharram New Year
- October 29th Diwali
- December Prophet Muhammad birthday
- December 25th Christmas
VISA
90 day visa free Australia and UK
More Information:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/malaysia/entry-requirements
Medical
Vaccines advised:
- Tetanus
- Rabies
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Malaria (No medication required, extra protection precautions suggested)
Rules of the Road
Malaysia has a good road system, one of the best in Southeast Asia. Emergency phones are located along the roads every two kilometers. Along with state or federal roads, there are toll roads. Drivers can pay by cash cards or ‘touch-n-go’ cards; both can be bought at toll kiosks on highways. In large cities, there are many cars and motorcycles on the road since driving in Malaysia is popular.
Driving in Malaysia foreign driver needs to have an International driver license which is valid for up to six months after that period, visitors must obtain a Malaysian driver license by applying to the Road Transport Department. Drivers with driving permits issued by Thailand or Singapore are permitted to drive in Malaysia without any restrictions. Malaysia has three types of licenses: Learner Driving License, Probationary Driving License, and Competent Driving License. When foreign drivers exchange their National driver licenses, they receive Malaysian Competent Driving Licenses after the required written test.
Malaysian car drivers are generally courteous. However, motorcyclists are not so well behaved; they can run through red signals, ride along the wrong side of the road, the wrong way of one-way streets or motorway shoulder, or along footpaths.
General driving information:
- Traffic moves on the left side of the road; most cars are right-hand drive.
- Turning left at a red light is prohibited if it is not other marks.
- Seatbelts are obligatory for drivers and all passengers.
- The minimum driving age is 18 years.
- While driving, using cell phone without hand-free support is illegal.
- All times while driving, any foreign driver must carry his domestic driver license, International driving permit, registration and insurance documents.
- Most road signs are in Malay language; English is only used for important directional signs such as airports and tourist attractions. European numbers are used on the signs. European ISO system is used for advice, directional, obligatory, prohibitory, and regulatory signs; hazard signs are yellow diamonds with black symbols.
- Road markings are clear everywhere; double yellow lines usual mean “no parking”
- Speed is measured in kilometers per hours.
- The speed limit on motorways is 110 km/h; on federal roads – 90 km/h; in urban areas – 60 km/h.
- Prior to turning, drivers must use their turn indicators.
- Drinking and driving is illegal; breathalyzer tests are common by the police. The permitted blood alcohol level is 0.08%.
- In cities, it is not easy to find a place for parking.
- The police and ambulance number is 999.
- Carnet is required in Malaysia
Places to Visit
Route
A detailed route showing where we went overlanding and exploring. We jotted down the routes we travelled on a physical map which travelled with us from Australia to the UK, then transferred this to a digital form using Google Maps (KML and GeoRSS Layers)
These are exact appropriations, maps differ between brands and converting from paper to digital may lose some details in translation. This should still show in great detail our route.
The KML file is not showing the map with a correct zoom. Here is a screen grab.
Interactive map (below):
