Language tips for traveling in Malaysia – Part 1

Most Malaysians speak at least two languages, mainly Bahasa Melayu and their own mother tongue, predominately many dialects of Chinese and Tamil, a south Indian language. But in this multi-cultural tropical country, it would be no surprise to know that several speak all three and of course English.

Although English is spoken widely and remains the language of commerce, banking and international trade, the national language is, however, Bahasa Melayu. It is essential to know some useful yet simple phrases as you navigate away from ultra-modern cities of Kuala Lumpur, Penang to smaller outskirt towns and exotic paradise along its coastline. Locals are more than helpful and accommodating if you speak to them in Bahasa Melayu, no matter how poorly. Your efforts will be much appreciated.

As a fluent speaker of Bahasa Melayu, I have prepared a short list of common phrases and words which I believe will make your travelling easy.

Could you help me?

Bolehkah awak tolong saya?

I come from…

Saya datang dari…

I’m on holiday.

Saya sedang bercuti.

I have no small change.

Saya tidak ada duit kecil.

I want to make a phone call.

Saya mahu membuat panggilan telefon.

Can I have more…

Boleh tambah lagi…

Please show me the way to…

Tolong tunjukkan saya arah ke…

This food is delicious.

Makanan ini lazat.

How much is it?

Berapakah harganya?

Please give me a receipt.

Tolong beri saya resit.

Where is the toilet?

Di mana tandas?

Good morning

Selamat pagi

Good afternoon

Selamat tengahari

Good evening

Selamat petang

Good night

Selamat malam

Thank you

Terima kasih

Money changer

Pengurup wang

At restaurants, ordering of food is not much of a problem as most menus are illustrated. But just to have a feel of local terms used or maybe to impress a business associate, you can use these words below as a guide.

Eat

Makan

Drink

Minum

Rice

Nasi

Bread

Roti

Vegetables

Sayur

Fish

Ikan

Beef

Daging lembu

Chicken

Ayam

Prawn

Udang

Coffee

Kopi

Tea

Teh

Sugar

Gula

I would advise my foreign friends to carry a pocket sized calculator and use it to indicate amount that they are willing to pay at shopping malls. It saves you from unnecessary miscommunication and price haggling. This is one trick I use when travelling to places where language is a huge barrier.

One

Satu

Two

Dua

Three

Tiga

Four

Empat

Five

Lima

Six

Enam

Seven

Tujuh

Eight

Lapan

Nine

Sembilan

Ten

Sepuluh

One Hundred

Seratus

One Thousand

Seribu

There is so much more to the list but for the meantime, it should be able to see you through your holidays in Malaysia. You can also choose to get a handy phrase guide at your local bookstore or online.

A first

I have always dreaded the day I am to visit China, I am a avid traveler and has been to many places, but China seems to be placed last on my travel list. My family, friends and acquaintances seems to enjoy it enough, some have even made it their annual travel itinerary. China is huge and it has many attractions to offer. I heard and read many travel stories and saw many pictures of how beautiful China is, how grand, how developed and was told that there were many types of food available from the many provinces that China has to offer, but still, I was skeptical.

Reluctantly, I had to take the opportunity recently as some members of my family who are in Shanghai are relocating back home for good, and if I do not go now, I will regret it. Furthermore, cost of traveling in China is bound to increase with inflation sky rocketing, fuel prices increasing and with the Olympics in the horizon, it will definitely cost more in the near future. The availability of a budget airline plying the route to Hangzhou, China was also a factor in making up my mind to have a go and face the consequences!

This is my first time going to China and I am going alone, independently and on a budget. Visa was not a problem as long as you have an air-ticket booked and paid for. I booked my budget air ticket on-line and my travel itinerary was Kuala Lumpur-Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shanghai and back to Hangzhou for a flight back home to Kuala Lumpur. Mandarin is a foreign language to me, and I know English is not widely spoken, sign-ages in English is almost non existent, I was traveling alone independently and I was really apprehensive. My family said, “why don’t you just take a taxi from Hangzhou to Shanghai, at least we know you will arrive safely!” Well I would liked that but it will cost me a bomb! So I decided to be cost conscious and take China’s D bullet train for all my internal travel in China.

The internet has quite a huge resource on traveling by train and China has many types, the K fast train, the Y express train, in summary the “alphabet” and the non “alphabet” train. Of all the trains, the non “alphabet” trains are the slowest as they stop at every station, whilst the D bullet train is the fastest. Prices are according to type, time and class of train. There are tourist booths available for English speaking tourist, so it was rather easy getting the train ticket, if not, you could always get the hostel or hotel to book it for you.

Hangzhou is a good place to

Reflections: Traveling in Malaysia – Part 1

From Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysian, after driving 400 km north across the long Penang Granville Bridge, I saw the scenic Penang City in the view between the sea and the sky.

Walking in the streets of Penang, I noticed varieties of shops and stand vendors on both sides of the arcades and corridors along the streets. The vendors, tricycle drivers warmly greeted me with Chinese dialects. When I was there, local counterparts showed me into a restaurant, serving fish ball soup, oyster pot, steamed bread etc. Amazingly, there were also Wulong tea, the famous Chinese tea.

Visiting the famous Tzu Chi Palace, I found that it is almost same with the one in Longhai Temple. On the pierced carved stone pillars there is a couplet: “Tsz Wan Chui Lai Kwong, Chi Shek Joe Shek Kung”, which means “the gentle clouds offer great shade; great contribution to the world no fade”.

Penang State has 1.3 million population, most of them are Chinese, more than 500,000. Penang of Malaysia is the earliest opening to the outside world, and it has been functioning as a free port, a deep-water port. There is an airport, too. In the centre of the city of Penang, among the modern high-rise buildings, there is a Mercy Goddess Temple, the oldest Chinese temple there; It was built in 1800 by the first Chinese moved to Penang, attracting a large number of immigrants from China.

Penang city, also known as George City, the only free port in Malaysia, and it is Malaysia’s second largest city, after Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country. Penang, located in the northeast of the island, is a city with long history and culture.

When I returned from there , some friends asked me about some recommended attractions. I told them that I didn’t have a clear idea, for I had paid much attention to the culture and people there. However, the temples, mountains, and beaches impressed me deeply. There are trains and ships from Kuala Lumpur to Penang. In the city, there are buses, taxis and tricycles.

It is a city with scenic views; also, it is a city with culture. I love the place, and I want to enjoy it more.

Malaysia Casinos

When you think of Malaysia the first thing that comes to mind is vibrant colors, spices and the tropical weather of a never-ending summer. Malaysia is a very popular destination for tourists around the world and for a good reason, it offers just about everything you can wish and hope to do on a vacation in order to have fun, relaxation, excitement as well as trying your hand at becoming rich over night in the famous Malaysia casinos at the Genting Group.

The Genting Group is situated about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia on the top of one of the mountain peaks of the Titiwangsa Mountains at 2000 meters above sea level. Genting Group is one of the most famous resorts in Malaysia; it has the largest hotel in the world boasting 6,118 rooms, which beats the MGM Grand of Las Vegas, which has 5,690 rooms and is the second largest hotel in the world.

Genting Group also shelters the only legal Malaysia casinos and where you will be delighted to find every game you can think of and more. There are 426 game tables and 3,140 slot machines open 24 hours a day for the entertainment of the guests.

The best way to enjoy all the luxurious facilities the Genting Group resort has to offer is to stay in their hotel for the duration of your vacation; you can have access to the casino 24 hours a day and when you decide to explore Malaysia you can jump in a car and head to Kuala Lumpur as it is a short drive away.

Besides the beautiful casino, the Genting Group resort offers everything a five star hotel promises, swimming pools, shopping arcade, a variety of restaurants and even a theme park that is similar to the Disney World, which your children will simply adore irrelevant of the age group.

In Malaysia casinos you have to be 18 years of age to gamble or enjoy any alcoholic beverage. Do not venture in other casinos besides the one available in the Genting Group, as they are not government approved and therefore not legal. However, once you visit the Genting Group resort and its casino it is unlikely that you will wish to spend your time and changes of winning anywhere else in the country. Malaysia’s only casino is build to provide all the entertainment you can hope for and who knows this may be the right place where lady luck may smile down on you too.

Non-stop Entertainment and Fun at Genting Highlands Malaysia

Genting Malaysia is a self proclaimed entertainment city situated approximately 2000 meters above sea level on a hilltop. Genting is just 50 km from Kuala Lumpur and the tourists will simply be spell bound by the lush green tropical rainforest of the Genting Highlands in Malaysia. The travelers can enjoy their visit to this beautiful highland, comfortable with the thought that here they will be greeted with consistent temperatures ranging between 16 and 23 degrees which makes for natural air conditioning. The crispy refreshing air complemented by majestic scenery and what you get is a marvelous spread out before your eyes. The travelers and visitors will be so enamored by the rich harvest of nature along with international standard facilities during their stay in Genting Highlands Hotels that it will be difficult for them to imagine that they are just minutes from the sweltering heat. The hilltop city has the country’s only casino allowing for the travelers and tourists to gamble legally in Malaysia. A theme park and an entertainment center add to the fun and excitement package the hilltop is renowned for. The kids can enjoy non stop fun at the theme park. The theme park located up in the highlands has the benefit of providing a cooler environment than the steamy lowlands.

A stay in Genting is made pleasurable by a stay in wonderful Genting Hotels in the lap of pristine nature amidst comfortable surroundings. The large and spacious areas in the hotel allows for guests to enjoy walking indoors! Amongst the most distinguished of Genting Hotels is the ‘Genting Hotel’ which can be easily identified from the round observation deck and the red Genting logo on the top. The unique aspect of the highland city worth a look is, when, on most evenings, a strong cloud descends and visibility is transferred to a winter scene quite magically! The cool and hilly environment is one of the most pleasant getaways from the heat and humidity of the city life. The highland offers a promising holiday for everybody and there is no reason why anyone should miss out on a visit to this fabulous resort city. The visitors will like the many attractions the city has to offer. Experience the joys of shopping in the city known for an environment that is contagious in terms of non-stop entertainment amidst fresh and rejuvenating environs.

Hotel in Genting are perfectly located on the top of the Highlands and offer well-appointed guestrooms. These guest rooms are all beautifully decorated and equipped with modern comforts. Most of the hotels being located in close proximity to the theme park ensure the kids do not have to exert themselves to enjoy the sights and fun of this exciting park. The décor of the rooms in the hotels will impress the guests, even the most discerning of guests. The international traveler will find services at these hotels up to their standards. The services of the hotel staff in this city are impeccable and superbly personalized. The city’s restaurants offer highly tempting cuisine. The cuisine ranges from Asian to Western with of course, local specialties such as Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine as well! Leisure activities in most hotels include swimming pool, gymnasium, spa and sauna to rejuvenate mind, body and spirit.

Kuala Lumpur Nightlife Chinatown

KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur on the move@Night

Kuala Lumpur, July 2007