Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Appendix B: Malaysia
Fast Facts
1
FAST FACTS: MALAYSIA
AMERICAN EXPRESS
The main office
for American E xpress is located in KL at
Menara Maybank, Ground Level banking
hall, Jalan Perak (
&
03/2050-0888
).
AREA CODES
Malaysia's countr y code
is 60. Ar ea codes for destinations co vered
in this topic ar e as follo ws: 03 for K uala
Lumpur; 06 for M elaka; 07 for J ohor
Bahru; 04 for P enang and Langkawi; 09
for Tioman, K uantan, Cherating, K uala
Terengganu, and K ota B haru; 082 for
Sarawak; and 088 for Sabah.
ATM NET WORKS/CASHPOINTS
S ee
“Money & Costs,” p. 42.
BUSINESS HOURS
Banks ar e open
from 9:30am to 3pm M onday thr ough
Friday. Government offices are open from
8am to 12:45pm and 2 to 4:15pm M on-
day thr ough F riday. S maller shops like
provision stores may open as early as 6 or
6:30am and close as late as 9pm, especially
those near the w et mar kets. M any such
stores are closed on Saturday evenings and
Sunday afternoons and ar e busiest befor e
lunch. O ther shops ar e open 9:30am to
7pm. D epartment stor es and shops in
malls tend to open later , about 10:30 or
11am until 8:30 or 9pm thr oughout the
week. Note that in the states of K elantan,
Terengganu, and Kedah, the working week
runs fr om S aturday to Wednesday, with
weekends on Friday and Saturday.
DENTISTS & DOCTORS
All hotels and
resorts hav e qualified physicians on call
who speak E nglish. These doctors will
come directly to your room for treatment.
If your condition is serious, they can help
you check into a local hospital.
DRINKING L AWS
Liquor is sold in
pubs and supermarkets in all big cities, or
in pr ovision stor es. I f y ou're going to a
smaller island, y our resort may hav e lim-
ited alcohol selections, so you may wish to
bring your own. In Terengganu and Kelan-
tan, liquor is strictly limited to a handful
of Chinese r estaurants. P ubs and other
nightspots should officially close b y 1am
nationwide, but there are places in KL that
stay open later.
The legal age for alcohol pur chase and
consumption is 18, but for
eigners ar e
rarely checked.
DRUG L AWS
As in S ingapore, the
death sentence is mandatory for drug traf-
ficking (defined as being in possession of
more than 15g of her oin or morphine,
200g of marijuana or hashish, or 40g of
cocaine). F or lesser quantities, y ou'll be
thrown in jail for a v
ery long time and
flogged with a cane.
ELECTRICITY
The v oltage used in
Malaysia is 220 to 240 volts AC (50 cycles).
Three-point square plugs are used, so buy
an adapter if y ou plan to bring any appli-
ances. Also, many larger hotels can provide
adapters upon request.
EMBASSIES
While in Malaysia, should
you need to contact an official r epresenta-
tive from your home countr y, the follo w-
ing contact information in Kuala Lumpur
