Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
he Malays like to please and in general
are likely to be some of the friendliest and
most helpful people you'll come across.
he flipside, however, can be that they
don't necessarily furnish you with
negative information.
he vast majority of Malaysians are
Muslims, but there are also significant
numbers of Hindus, Buddhists,
Confucianists and animists (see p.40)
among the population.
Islam in Malaysia today is relatively
liberal. Although most Muslim women
don headscarves, few wear a veil, and
some taboos, like not drinking alcohol,
are ignored by a growing number of
Malays. here are stricter, more
fundamentalist Muslims - in Kelantan
the local government is dominated by
them - and there's a constant push for
replacing state law with sharia law in
that province, but in general, Islam
here has a moderate and modern
outlook. here are clear hints of other
religions within Malaysian tradition as
well - the traditional Malay wedding
ceremony, for example, has clear
Hindu influences, and talking to people
about their day-to-day beliefs and
superstitions often suggests the
influence of Chinese animistic religions .
Just like the cultures, religions tend to
overlap fairly easily in Malaysia. hat
said, visitors belonging to the Jewish
faith should not advertise that fact, as
anti-Semitism is widespread.
Malaysia shares the same attitudes to
dress and social taboos as other Southeast
Asian cultures (see p.40).
SNORKELLING AND DIVING
he crystal-clear waters of Malaysia and
its abundance of tropical fish and coral
make snorkelling and diving a must for
any underwater enthusiast. his is
particularly true of East Sabah's islands,
which include Sipadan and Mabul, and
the Peninsula's east-coast islands of
Perhentian, Kapas and Tioman. Pulau
Tioman offers the most choice for
schools and dive sites, while the
Perhentians offer superb snorkelling,
with frequent turtle and shark sightings.
Make sure that the dive operator you
go with is registered with PADI
(Professional Association of Diving
Instructors) or equivalent; dive courses
cost from around RM900 for a four-day
PADI Open Water course to RM2200
for a Divemaster course. If you're already
certified, it's possible to rent all the
necessary equipment for a day's worth of
diving for RM100-120.
6
TREKKING
If trekking either on the Malaysian
Peninsula or in Sarawak and Sabah,
you should be prepared for heat,
humidity and leeches; also, trails and
rivers become much more di cult to
negotiate when it rains. hat said,
although the rainy season (Nov-Feb)
undoubtedly slows your progress on
some of the trails, conditions are less
humid and the parks and adventure
tours not oversubscribed. Most visitors
trek in the large national parks to
experience the remaining primary
jungle and rainforest at first hand.
For these, you often need to be
accompanied by a guide, which can
either be arranged through tour
operators in KL, Kuching, Miri and
Kota Kinabalu, or at the parks
themselves. For less experienced
trekkers, the Cameron Highlands (see
p.433) and Taman Negara National
Park (see p.450) are probably the best
places to start, while Sarawak's Gunung
Mulu National Park (see p.490) offers
su cient challenges for most tastes.
Few people who make it across to
Sabah forego the chance of climbing
Mount Kinabalu (see p.502).
SPORTS AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES
he varied terrain of Malaysia means
activities such as cycling and horseriding
are possible across the country. Cycling in
towns isn't all that advisable as tra c is
fairly unpredictable, but in more regional
areas it's a great way to explore. On the
islands, kayaking is also a great way to go
from cove to cove, and kayak rental is
usually available from guesthouses for
RM15-20 per day.
 
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