Last year, I went on the second long-distance trip of my life and I fell in love with that country. Everyone I met was incredibly friendly, the food was amazing, the culture fascinating, and don't even get me started on the beautiful nature.

I've made some of my best memories in that country and today I want to tell you everything you need to know about Malaysia! If you've ever wanted to go on a trip there this article is perfect for you, and if you haven't, I'm sure I'll convince you otherwise.

Everything You Need To Know

Malaysia is a beautiful country in South-East Asia. It consists of two big land masses: Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia on the island of Borneo. While the biggest ethnic group are Malay, there is also quite a big percentage of Chinese and Indian people.

Because of that, many different religions and cultures coexist in Malaysia. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, which is also the biggest city.

The weather is hot all year around and paired with the high humidity you'll feel like walking in a sauna pretty fast. Shorts and T-Shirts seem optional for hot weather, but often long, loose-fitting clothing is even better. It protects you from the sun while still not feeling too hot. Especially when you plan on visiting religious sites, long clothes that cover knees, shoulders and your stomache are recommended or even mandatory to enter.

Bahasa Malaysia is the official language and it's always great to pick up simple words in the native language of the country you're visiting. But most people don't mind speaking English and many know it because it's also a recognised language. Especially when talking to Chinese or Indian Malaysians, it's not necessary to speak Malay, since it's often not their native language either. Reading up on English slang, which can differ quite a lot from original English is always a good idea!

Pointing out things or people is completly normal, but be careful not to use your index finger. This is considered very rude, which is why you should always use your thumb. Always keep your voice down, raising it is a big no go in public.

Everyone is very friendly and will always try to help you out. But be aware that many people would rather lie to you than admit that they don't know. Of course, they don't lie on purpose, but not knowing is often considered as a "loss of face."

Take the Quiz: Which Fall Activity Should You Try Next?

Fall is full of exciting activities to match your vibe! This quiz will help you discover the perfect way to enjoy the season.

My Route Through Malaysia

Together with my family I spent 17 days in 5 different places in Malaysia. I'm going to tell you about the whole itineray and what I liked and disliked about it.

Day 1:

Our plane landed in Singapore and we spent a few days there before traveling to Malaysia. We took the bus to cross the border, which was fast and easy. Another bus brought us to Larkin Sentral bus station, where you can board many different long distance busses. Traveling by bus is the easiest and cheapest way of traveling in Malaysia, I think we spent around 20 hours in busses in total!

From Johor Bahru we took the bus to Malacca. Sadly we arrived quite late and boarded our next bus early in the morning, which is why we barely saw anything in the city. When I hopefully visit Malaysia again someday, I need to come back to see such a beautiful city by daylight!

Day 2:

Due to some complications with the bus, we once again arrived quite late at our next destination: Ipoh. Though what awaited us wherever we came was amazing food, fast and freshly delivered to our apartment. An app called Grab is very popular in Malaysia and other south-east asian countries, you can call taxis and order food through it (similar to Uber and Bolt).

Day 3:

After a tasty breakfast we called a taxi to visit the Perak Tong Temple. It's located in a cave and you can walk up the stairs until you're on top of the hill! Everyone who visited the temple was gifted a cup of tea, which is such a sweet gesture.

After a while it started to rain and we took a taxi back to the city, where we walked around the city centre and saw beautfiul street art. Market Lane is a famous road you should definitely check out! In every city you can find big and modern Shopping Malls with cool shops, supermarktes, arcades and food courts.

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 4:

On our second day in Ipoh we drove to the Gua Tempurung stalactite cave. You can either walk around the normal path without a guide or you can book a tour to go on an adventure through the river at the bottom of the cave. Back in the city, we explored Concubine Lane and the surrounding streets, where I tried Souffle pancakes for the first time (very sweet but soo tasty!).

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 5:

The next bus was waiting for us and we drove from Ipoh to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. Suddenly the hot weather was forgotten and I actually had to take out my zip hoodie, which I only brought for the cold AC in busses and planes. However, it was fully worth it! Never before have I seen such big, green forests, colorful flowers and breathtaking scenery.

Day 6:

We booked a full day tour with our hotel to see the most important highlights of the Cameron Highlands in one day. Our guide was really sweet and he showed us all the best spots, such as tea plantations, the Mossy Forest, a tea factory and a strawberry farm. Unfortunately, what we thought was a park for beautiful flowers and some butterflies turned out to be a zoo with awful conditions for the animals. Please, if you book a tour like we did, leave this station out and don't support a place like that!

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 7:

Our way led back to the bus station, who would've thought. The next stop on our itinerary was George Town on the Penang Peninsula. After the long bus ride we checked into our apartment, spent some time at a nearby mall and went to a hawker center for dinner. One of my favourite dishes were fried dumplings, you have to try them!

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 8:

George Town is part of the UNESCO heritage list since 2008 and very famous for its streetart. There are many little shops that sell cute souvenirs and unique clothes. If you're a fan of vintage shops, you'll find some cool pieces for sure.

On our way back from dinner to our apartment we came across a Chinese puppet theatre. After we watched it for a while (without understanding a word, of course) a man invited us to sit with him and his friends. He told us about the Chinese holiday they were celebrating, the Ghost Festival, which is celebrated throughout the seventh lunar month. Before we continued the walk to our apartment they invited us into their shrine and told us all about the different figurines. Even though the communication wasn't easy they suprised us with their hospitality and it's still one of my favourite memories of the whole vacation.

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 9:

The Botanical Garden in George Town is amazing. You can see a lot of monkeys and many different plants. There also is a cable car that takes you on top of Penang Hill.

For dinner we ate a dish called steamboat or hotpot, which is very famous in Malaysia and other parts of Asia. It traditionally comes from China and is popular because it turns meals into a whole social event. You sit together at the table with one big pot of hot soup in the middle, where everyone cooks their own food like vegetables, meat and seafood. Paired with an ice cold watermelon juice, it's super delicious!

Day 10:

Before leaving George Town we wanted to have at least one day at the beach, but the weather didn't agree with our plan. After we left the massage salon, we called a taxi to drive us to a restaurant by the beach, but while we were still eating, it started to rain. In case you've never seen rain in Malaysia, it starts as a light sprinkle and after five minutes you feel like whole buckets are thrown over your head.

We barely made it to the car and decided to play minigolf since the beach wasn't an option anymore. By the time we were back in the city and stepped out of the taxi our whole feet were standing in enormous puddles of water. Playing minigolf was a lot of fun and in the evening we could still use the pool in our apartment, the rain normally stops as abruptly as it started.

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 11:

The last bus!! After we almost missed it due to heavy traffic on the way to the bus station we finally were on our way to the capital city Kuala Lumpur. Our view from the apartment was absolutely stunning, and I'd do everything to go back there!

Day 12:

Probably best known because of the Hindu festival Thaipusam are the Batu Caves in the north of Kuala Lumpur. The 42,7 metres tall statue of Lord Murugan is even more impressive in real life than on pictures. Though you should be careful when climbing the 272 steps to the top, my circulation almost collapsed because of the heat!

I was quite tired after so we went to a shopping mall, there is basically one at every corner. The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur is one of the prettiest in my opinion.

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 13:

My brother and I have always wanted to go-karting and it was so much fun! We had the whole track to ourselves and I really enjoyed it. After we went to Chinatown to stroll around for a while, eat something and look for cute souvenirs to bring home.

In the end we bought 3 packs of the best ice tea I've ever tried, which we initially discovered in the tea factory in the Cameron Highlands. The company is called Boh Tea and my favourite was the peach ice tea instant mix.

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 14:

We really treated ourselves to the coolest experiences during this vacation because most activities are way cheaper than in Germany. Indoor Skydiving is something I've always admired but never actually considered that I'd be able to try it one day. Well, that day proved me wrong because that's exactly what we did!

Like everything else (really everything) it was located in a mall and obviously we didn't get out there without walking through at least a few shops. A big ethnic group in Malaysia are Indians and so our stop for dinner was Little India Bricksfield for some amazing paneer tikka masala.

Day 15:

Of course, we couldn't visit Kuala Lumpur without seeing Merdeka Square and the Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek mosque. In the afternoon, we made our way to a residential area, which was really interesting since you normally only see the city centres and touristy parts of a city. But I'd booked a nail appointment, which was at the house of the nail designer. She was such a sweet person, and I've never had such beautiful nails before!

Photo by Klara Lehmann

Day 16:

Our last day in Malaysia, I still couldn't comprehend what an incredible vacation we'd had! We went to an amazing cafe for breakfast, spent some time by the pool, and visited the Suria KLCC shopping mall one last time.

Day 17:

We left our apartment in the morning and took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Our driver was once again a very friendly lady who helped us load all our luggage onto a baggage trolley and wished us a nice flight. Once again, such a small gesture made me feel so happy because all the people we met on our journey were so hospitable and helpful towards us! We boarded our flight to Singapore from where we departed back to Germany one day later.

So Why Do I Want to Move There Now?

Some people might say it was "just a vacation", but for me it was one of the greatest experiences of my life so far. Since I left, my interest in traveling has become even bigger, which I didn't think would be possible. Everything we did was amazing and I could still go back and find more to do at every single stop, especially Kuala Lumpur and don't even get me started on all the places we weren't able to visit.

The people have showed me a whole different way of living compared to Germans. Not all the stereotypes might be true, but many people here are way ruder, more stressed and just comparing big cities in Germany and Malaysia makes me want to cry.

Even if I probably won't end up moving there because I want to move to almost every city/country I visit, this vacation will always have a special place in my heart and I truly hope I'll be able to go back one day.

Besides, I hope I inspired you to travel to Malaysia with my article! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, I'm always happy to help you out.