Malaysia...stats, tips, best & worst of...

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8 hours by boat, 27 1/2 hours by bus and 24 hours by train, with a total of 3,064km's covered we say goodbye to Malaysia, content with the fact that we saw all there is to see in this amazing country!

Now for the rundown of places we've stayed, areas we've visited and what we loved about Thailand and what we hated about it:

Langkawi:
Best: Peacefulness
Worst: Getting used to a new religion (not necessarily a bad thing!)
Rating: 8/10

Alor Setar:
Best: Centre Plaza Mall
Worst: Not a great deal else here
Rating: 2/10

Kuala Lumpur:
Best: The malls
Worst: For such a cosmopolitan city it's hard to find a decent breakfast!
Rating: 7/10

Gemas:
Best: The hotel
Worst: Absolutely nothing to this small town
Rating: 1/10

Gua Musang:
Best: Beautiful surroundings to a small town
Worst: Not much to see or do
Rating: 5/10

Kuala Besut:
Best: Nothing really
Worst: Unfriendly place
Rating: 1/10

Pulau Perhentian (Coral Bay):
Best: Quiet & (ultra) relaxing
Worst: Not much choice in restaurants
Rating: 9/10

Kuala Terengganu:
Best: People & architecture
Worst: Heat & the sewers!
Rating: 7/10

Cherating:
Best: Payung Cafe
Worst: Nowhere really else to go
Rating: 7/10

Kuantan:
We didn't really stay long enough to be able to make a fair judgment on the town

Mersing:
Best: Port Cafe
Worst: Mainly a transit point for ferries to Tioman
Rating: 4/10

Pulau Tioman (Juara Beach):
Best: Relaxation...maybe too much of it!
Worst: Beach was a ghost town
Rating: 3/10

Singapore:
Best: Everything you need is here!
Worst: Singlish...very difficult to understand!
Rating: 9/10

Melaka:
Best: Architecture
Worst: Hindu temple across the street from our hotel!
Rating: 8/10

Goergetown (Penang):
Best: History
Worst: A bit seedy
Rating: 6/10


MALAYSIA:
Best: Weather, friendly people, Perhentian Islands, Nasi Lemak
Worst: A little difficult for women due to religion, places closing for Ramadan, the difference between Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia, lack of decent breakfasts!
Rating: 69/140

SINGAPORE:
Best: Clean, efficient, great choice of malls, everything you can find is here, transportation
Worst: Singlish, not efficient enough for a place like Singapore, the immigration woman, Singapore's train station which is owned by Malaysia.


PLACES WE STAYED:

Langkawi:
AB Motel
2 Double beds, A/C, fan, hot water, TV--100RM
Great location by the beach, clean, has internet, shop, laundry service. Staff are pretty miserable though!

Alor Setar:
Zouks Motel
Double, fan, cold water--28RM
Only good thing about this place is that's it's at least somewhere to rest your head for a night! Location is convenient but rooms look like they could house junkies.

Kuala Lumpur:
Hotel Petaling
Double, A/C, TV, hot water--58RM
Central location in Chinatown, clean but a little small. Very friendly staff.

Gemas:
Hotel Tropicana
Double, A/C, hot water, TV--67.50RM
Very good value, almost 4-star quality in the center of town. Moody staff though.

Gua Musang:
Evergreen Hotel
Twin, A/C, hot hose, TV--40RM
Decent enough for a night before heading on the jungle railway. Any longer and you'll be consumed by ants. Nasty bathroom.

Kuala Besut:
Nan Hotel
Double, fan, cold water--35RM
Decent enough for a night before heading to the islands. You wouldn't be able to swing an ant in the bathroom though!

Pulau Perhentian (Coral Bay):
Fatimah Chalets
Double, fan, cold water--60RM
Nice beach, nice staff, decent hut (electricity only at night), cheap food.

Kuala Terengganu:
Hotel Indah
Double, A/C, TV, hot water--50RM
Center of town, friendly staff. Top floor rooms a bit tiring to get to with no lift. Mosque next door.

Cherating:
Payung Guesthouse
Double, A/C, fan, cold water--80RM
Clean chalets, comes with mosquito spray and coils. Payung cafe is the best place here!

Kuantan:
Hotel Baru Raya
Triple, A/C, TV, cold water--49RM
Central, not that clean with a squat toilet and a few cockroaches.

Mersing:
Hotel Mersing
Twin, fan, hot water--40RM
Central, decent price. Walk up the stairs is tiring.

Pulau Tioman (Juara Beach):
Paradise Point
Double, fan, cold water--40RM
Nice spot right next to the beach with hammocks between the palm trees. Very quiet, perhaps too quiet.

Singapore:
Backpackers Cosy Corner
Double, A/C, shared bathroom--S$43
Convenient location in the Colonial District near to everything you could ask for. Hostel type place with windowless rooms and a lot of bed bugs. Cheapest place in Singapore.

Melaka:
Cheng Ho Hotel
Double, fan, shared bathroom--50RM
Nice rooms, nice staff and free internet. Avoid the rooms by the street. Mosque + Hindu temple = alot of noise at unearthly hours!

Georgetown (Penang):
Star Lodge
Double, A/C, hot water--48RM
Nice place, good location with travel services...and a balcony. Recommended!



AMY & DAN'S BEST & WORST OF....

Hotel / Guesthouse / Fleapit:
Best: Star Lodge (Georgetown)
Worst: Zouks Motel (Alor Setar)

Town:
Best: Melaka
Worst: Kuala Besut

Place to Eat:
Best: Pavillion's Mall food court (KL)
Worst: Anywhere in Kuala Besut!

Dish:
Best: Nasi Lemak
Worst: Nasi Lemak for breakfast!

Moment:
Best: Spending time at Payung Cafe, Cherating
Worst: Langkawi Cable Car

Journey:
Best: Jungle Railway from Gua Musang to Whakaf Bharu
Worst: Melaka to Geogetown...very long and tedious, with an annoying kid on the train!

Beach:
Best: Coral Bay, Pulau Perhentian
Worst: Cherating

Island:
Best: Pulau Perhentian
Worst: Pulau Tioman

Friendliness:
Best: Kuala Terengganu
Worst: Kuala Besut

Malaysia:
Best: The people
Worst (Amy): Difficult for women
Worst (Dan): Places closing for Ramadan

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