Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
297
can help y ou out: United States Embassy,
&
03/2168-5000;
Canadian High Com-
mission,
&
03/2718-3333;
A ustralian
High Commission,
&
03/2146-5555;
New Z ealand High Commission,
&
03/
2078-2533;
and the B ritish H igh Com-
mission,
&
03/2170-2200.
EMERGENCIES
Call
you discover your wallet has been lost or
stolen, and file a r eport at the near est
police precinct. Your credit card company
or insur er may r equire a police r eport
number or r ecord of the loss.
Most credit
card companies hav e an emergency toll-
free number to call if y our card is lost or
stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash
advance immediately or deliv er an emer-
gency credit card in a day or two.
In the ev ent of a lost or stolen cr edit
card, y ou can contact the follo wing hot
lines:
American E xpress,
&
03/2050-
0789;
MasterCard,
&
800/804-594; and
Visa,
&
800/800-159.
If y ou need emergency cash o ver the
weekend when all banks and American
Express offices ar e closed, y ou can hav e
money wir ed to y ou via
Western Union
(
&
800/325-6000;
www .westernunion.
com).
MAIL
Post office locations in each city
&
999
for emer-
gencies.
INSURANCE
See “Insurance” in “Singa-
pore Fast Facts,” p. 291
INTERNET
Service is av ailable to most
of the nation, and I hav e found I nternet
cafes in the most surprisingly r emote
places. Although the major international
hotels will hav e access for their guests in
the business center , charges can be v ery
steep. I used to r ecommend Internet cafes
in each city but found that these small
places came and went overnight, making it
impossible for me to pr ovide accurate
information for this topic. Wherever you
are, your best bet is to ask y our concierge
or the local tourism information office for
the best places close b y. Usage costs only
about RM5 to RM10 ($1.45-$2.90/90p-
£1.80).
LANGUAGE
The national language is
Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, although Eng-
lish is widely spoken. Chinese dialects and
Tamil are also spoken.
LEGAL AID
If you encounter legal trou-
ble in M alaysia, y ou should notify y our
home embassy immediately. They will not
be able to change local laws to help y ou,
post bail on y our behalf , or offer legal
advice, but they can assist y ou to contact
family and suggest names of local legal
representatives. Note that drug trafficking
carries a mandatory death penalty and that
conviction for certain other violent crimes
can result in corporal punishment. S ome
aspects of Shariah (Islamic) law have been
incorporated into the lawbooks of some
states.
LOST & FOUND
Be sur e to tell all of
your cr edit car d companies the minute
B
covered are provided in each section. Over-
seas airmail postage rates ar e as follo ws:
RM.50 (15¢/9p) for postcar ds and fr om
RM1.40 (40¢/25p) for a 100g letter.
MEASUREMENTS
See the chart on the
inside front cover of this topic for details
on conv erting metric measur ements to
nonmetric equivalents.
NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES
E ng-
lish-language papers the
New Straits Times,
The S tar, The S un,
and
The E dge
can be
bought in hotel lobbies and magazine
stands. O f the local KL magazines,
Time
Out
has gr eat listings and local “ what's
happening” information for travelers.
PASSPORTS
See “P assports” in “F ast
Facts: Singapore,” p. 293.
POLICE
For emergencies, call
&
999.
TAXES
Hotels, with the ex ception of
those on Langkawi, add a 5% government
tax to all rates, plus an additional 10%
service charge. Larger r estaurants also fig-
ure the same 5% tax into y our bill, plus a
10% ser vice charge, wher eas small coffee
shops and hawker stalls don
't charge
