Your ultimate guide to Southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia and Bali
Sipping Coconuts and Chasing Sunsets
TROPICAL TALES
Everything you need to know about Southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia and Bali
Contents:
01 General
02 Thailand
03 Malaysia
04 Bali
05 About me & let's be friends
There's an ebook version of this guide as well so feel free to download it below. There are way more pictures included and some extra more graphic pages :)
Remember that bad situations don't make anything worse.
They are all stories to tell, lessons to learn and experiences to gain!
You can meet people in the most random places, take advantage of it and make the stories.
Always smile to people and be kind to them because it can make their day and it's such a precious thing.
Remember you can't change the world but you can try to make it a better place! :)
01 General
Tips and things you'd like to know
harbour in bali
Cash Cash Cash
I can’t stress enough the importance of having cash on you when in Southeast Asia. I mean, it’s kind of obvious when you think about it but at the same time, you don’t expect it to be such a problem sometimes. I’m a huge card person actually and back home I always (and I mean always) pay by card - even for the smallest things.
Most places in Thailand, Malaysia, and Bali aren’t card friendly so if you don’t have cash, you kind of have a problem. Make sure to always have some cash on you.
I would even go a step further and recommend having cash from the destination country before going there (I didn’t of course, duh) or exchanging it at the airport (which we did only once - in Bangkok right after arriving).
Dollars but only the new bills
Since we’re on the cash topic. If you take dollars with you to Asia to exchange them later on, make sure to get the new bills. In both Malaysia and Bali, they didn’t want to accept the old ones.
Which is weird because they’re used normally. In Malaysia, there were also situations where they said they accepted them but for a lower rate. In Bali, they just said they don’t accept them at all. We didn’t encounter this problem in Thailand but to be honest I’m not sure if that was because we were just lucky or they actually accepted them everywhere.
Now, the good part is I did have the new bills. Before going to Asia I was told that in Indonesia particularly (it was a tip from a person who used to live in Indonesia and travels to Indonesia frequently) they pay you less for not straight bills.
And apparently, this is the reason a lot of people travel with money in books - so that they are straight. When I went to the exchange counter I asked specifically for “pretty dollars” with the straight ones in mind. I was given the new ones :)
Take euros
You can exchange euros without any problem. This one could easily be helped if I did any research before what hadn’t happened.
I just assumed that in Southeast Asia dollars will be easier to exchange than euros. The truth is, you can exchange euros at basically every single counter you visit and at a normal rate (in case someone here is wondering).
Cards are kinda a "no"?
As I’m a card person, I obviously also use cards when possible. I personally have Revolut and Wise for traveling purposes. The exchange rate is better and even with the free versions you can do quite a lot! I have both because of the limits in free versions actually. Limits on cash withdrawal.
You’d need to check the rules exactly how they are at the moment you decide to open the accounts. Another thing is that rules might vary from country to country. However, I believe they are similar more or less so just for the sake of you knowing what I’m talking about here are the current limits
As for Revolut, you can withdraw money from any ATM FOR FREE. The limit is 5 withdrawals per month or the sum up to (about) $200 - whichever comes first. After that, they take some commission. I think the only exception is when the ATM itself puts some commission on you because that actually happened to me once when I was in Prague. I gotta say - I was surprised, indeed. However, in Asia, I didn’t have any problems.
As for Wise, the FREE withdrawal is twice a month and up to also about $200/250. There are also some limits for general payments but I’ve never exceeded them.
Being able to withdraw money comes in handy when you don’t have cash on you, desperately need it, and can’t exchange money at the moment :)
Also in some places (especially Malaysia), you’re able to pay by card sometimes, especially in chain stores, supermarkets, and bigger stores or restaurants for example.
Is street food that bad?
Something that I always saw about SEA is people saying not to eat (a lot of) street food. To be honest - I lived on it. I mean it’s affordable and good, what else do you need to be happy?
Well, it’s not the cleanest place. But somehow I didn’t feel like it was gross or anything. If I did, I wouldn’t eat it. If I saw a stand like this in my country I’d probably avoid it for sure though.
Another thing is that the food at the street food stalls is actually fresh!
Think about it this way - there are people buying food all the time. So they have to have fresh ingredients. It’s not necessarily the case with the restaurants that are empty. I paid attention to it particularly in Phuket because that’s when someone told us the thing I just mentioned. There are definitely more people buying street food than in restaurants but keep in mind it wasn't a season.
You might want to take water into consideration though. I didn’t and fortunately, nothing happened to me but I know some people ask for “no ice” when buying drinks or juices. Also, another (apparent) information - ice cubes are from tap water and the ones with a hole in them (the cylinder ones) are bought.
What's with the tap water?
I mentioned it right above me but another thing that a lot of people say is not washing your teeth using water. Aaaand you might have heard of that one before actually. To be honest, I was so scared of catching the so-called “Bali belly” that when I arrived in Bangkok I used bottled water to wash my teeth for the whole THREE days :)
I got lazy later and just started using tap water hoping for the best. Well, it was the best - everything was all right in my case and so was my friend’s.
If I were you I’d probably try to use tap water to see how my organism reacts but it’s me being me and me be doing things out of curiosity.
Getting around
Renting a scooter is probably the most affordable option but also the quickest. I learned to ride it only in Bali (surprise!). Before we just didn’t need it and when we wanted to rent one in Langkawi (an island in Malaysia), a lady at the travel agency (where you can rent things too) said it’s risky since we didn’t know how to ride it and it was high season.
Well, she did kind of have the point which is why we decided to rent a car which was actually a better option in the end because we got to visit the whole island. And the funny part is, after all, I learned how to ride a scooter in Bali which was way worse than Langkawi regarding the traffic and the amount of scooters :)
Speaking of a scooter - you can also rent a scooter driver to hop on as a passenger. That is something I was afraid of doing because they ride like crazy and I just wouldn’t feel safe.
Grab and Gojek are apps you can use to order one.
Public transportation - metro, buses, and trains are certainly the means you can use. They’re great and affordable as well! We used them to travel between places, cities, and even countries. More about them in particular under each country section.
Accommodation
Hostels are a great and affordable way to hang somewhere for some time and on top of that meet new people so that you can experience your travels to the max. We used hostels, but also Airbnb and we also did a volunteering experience in Kuala Lumpur which I’m beyond grateful we did. Ended up staying there for over 2 months when Malaysia wasn’t even in the plans at all in the beginning. That’s how much without a plan we went there. And definitely would do it again.
If you’re choosing between hostels and airbnb and the price is your main criteria make sure you check both options. It might seem like hostels are the cheapest option but we actually found some gems on airbnb that were cheaper! Point to make: we usually booked last minute. I don’t recommend doing it but I also don’t not recommend it if you know what I mean. We booked our hostel in Bangkok when we were on our way to the airport to Asia and it turned out great but it was also our way of traveling. No plan, no stress and a little bit of adrenaline.
Hostelworld
Hostelworld is a great way of booking your hostel. This is the website we probably used most often. There are a lot of options to choose from and usually, even when we did it last minute there was something that was actually good. I’m also not that demanding if that’s the thing but I like to have a decent place. The only time we didn’t find anything there was in Singapore BUT it was during when the Grand Prix took place - there was a problem with it everywhere, for a decent price I mean :)
Airbnb
I don’t think I have to introduce this one. It was definitely in use pretty often. Make sure to check the offers there too because sometimes they are even way cheaper than hostels - especially if you’re traveling with someone and the costs are split.
Booking
Same like with Airbnb - I would definitely go and check before booking a hostel having concluded that it’s the cheapest option if you’re traveling on a budget.
Worldpackers
Have you heard of it? If not, have you heard of Workaway? They both work the same basically but Worldpackers is newer.
You exchange some work for accommodation and some other things - depending on the offer. There are different options to choose from and different skills you can exchange. Definitely worth trying it out, especially if you’re traveling on a budget. But what really made my stay in Kuala Lumpur amazing (because that’s where I did volunteering with my friend in Asia) was the experience itself and the people. More about it in the Malaysia section!
Promo code KINGA for -$10 for you if you decide to go on an adventure with Worldpackers!
Don't forget about the health insurance
Don’t skip it! This is something you shouldn't consider saving money on. Find one suitable for you and go for it. Remember that you, your safety, and life are the most important things. I’m sure a lot of people say it but it has to be done :)
I used mine once - a week before my flight back to Europe as I got *drums* acute throat inflammation; to the point I couldn't even swallow water
Vaccines
Do your research and contact a doctor in that regard. There might be different requirements and recommendations depending on what country you’re from. In some cases, you might already be vaccinated against certain diseases as they’re obligatory. I personally got two vaccines - for typhoid and hepatitis type A.
Insect repellent
Not gonna lie, get a good one. Otherwise, you’re gonna be a victim of mosquito bites. I was anyway but I always get mosquito bites. Be aware of them in Southeast Asia, however, as the mosquitos might be carriers or viruses. The risk is higher when it's the rainy season! Guess what season it was when I was there? Bingo. Did I get bit? I can’t count how many times.
Transportation tickets
12go.asia and Rome2rio are two websites where I usually booked our transportation tickets - trains, vans, even ferries, and fast boats!
You might want to check the tickets directly at the stations as well (if you have time) and preferably buy them a little bit quicker than, well… a few hours before.
We actually couldn’t buy tickets from Hatyai to Padang Besar (Thai-Malaysian border) because it was too late so we just went with the flow, guessing we would probably just buy the tickets at the counter. Heads up - we made it :)
And tickets actually turned out to be cheaper than on the website. Nevertheless, we would usually buy the tickets online as it was more comfortable :)
Planes - directly on the airline's site?
I used to say that I would never book through a third-party company because if you need to contact the airline you start facing problems. And, I used to work as a Ryanair customer service consultant a couple of years ago and saw a lot of situations where people would get frustrated over it.
But I also say “never say never” and this wasthe case here! We couldn’t buy tickets directly on AirAsia’s website once; literally, none of the cards worked. We tried European cards and even Latin American ones, and the payment just wouldn’t go through. A friend told us to book via skyscanner which I was skeptical about at first but not like we had many choices.
Ever since then we actually kept booking there because pretty often the prices were cheaper.
Sometimes I would also book directly via the sites mentioned on the right without clicking through Skyscanner - always check out your options :)
SKYSCANNER TIPS:
- Book only if you don’t plan to do anything with the booking
- Book already with the baggage / add baggage right away when booking (check the price though because the baggage prices are often more expensive in third party companies)
- Trip.com and eDream are the only sites I trusted and I didn’t use any other ones + didn’t have any problems with these
Have you flown Scoot before?
We flew Scoot from Europe to Bangkok via Singapore and I gotta say it’s not as bad as people make it look like.
I mean, it’s a low cost so don’t expect princess treatment (flew with Cathay Pacific back to Europe and there was a difference, not gonna lie) but I would say that the standard was definitely higher than Ryanair’s (low-cost airline in Europe)
Air Asia and Malindo Air (Batik Air)
These are the airlines we took when in Southeast Asia. Take a good look at Malindo deals because they had baggage included so usually it was cheaper.
A backpack or a suitcase?
Spoiler: we ended up switching to backpacks on the way, in Malaysia. Our suitcase is currently somewhere in Kuala Lumpur probably :)
Buuut, having a backpack was definitely much more comfortable than having a big suitcase.
I also think that it was Thailand where we most needed the backpacks rather than the suitcase we had but still made it work. I remember the moment I really wished to have a backpack was when we were going from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. The train was super narrow and the suitcase we had didn't really fit in between the seats.
Sugar everywhere
What did kind of surprise me because I simply didn't expect is that they put a lot of sugar everywhere.
The amount of sweets is huge, it's noticeable right away. But I was so done with the sugar thing when I got chips because I wanted some salty snacks. And you know what I got? Sweet chips! I don't know if people there are just used to it and for them, it's still salty or it's just the way it is. I even had my fingers sticky from the sugar in the chips. Not only are sweets the first thing you will probably see in supermarkets and stores but also they put it into things you would never think of.
Just don't get hyped over some chips and keep in mind it's probably gonna be sweet anyway! Although if you get any actually salty ones, let me know, please!
Askf for no sugar and NO SALT
Speaking of sugar, it's no surprise they also add it to freshly squizzed juices of course. I really like fresh juices so usually I would ask for no sugar.
But there's a catch. Ask for no salt as well, especially if you're ordering lemon/lime juice or one that might be sour.
I almost spilled when I got my first lemon juice with no sugar. I absolutely didn't expect they would add salt as well. It was a pure brine.
The second time when I asked for no sugar and no salt, they would make sure I said "no salt". And it did keep happening :)
Not pedestrian friendly places
I don't know if you're aware of it but being a pedestrian in SEA is not really a friendly experience.
We realized very quickly actually, upon being in Bangkok, that it's not a good idea to walk. Let me tell you, 2 km (probably in a straight line after all) with a suitcase in Bangkok is not exactly a walkable distance. And normally, I actually walk a lot.
If you happen to choose to walk in Bali (which I did of course too), maybe don't. But if you do, get ready to be honked at by the scooter drivers. They ride on the sidewalks so make sure you don't jump in front of one.
And it's extremely hard to cross the street. Like in any other country in SEA, I guess.
02 Thailand
Roaming Thailand: from templates to tuktuks
And pad thai is a must! (unless you don't like it)
mae wang, thailand
Not gonna lie - Thailand has my heart. I fell in love with this country and I find the contrast you can find there captivating.
There is so much difference between the northern and southern parts of the country. It really is a country of contrasts and I absolutely understand why so many people had told me I would love Thailand before I went there.
Thailand is the country we visited the most places in the shortest amount of time and it was actually pretty intense!
Wandering around the places
Bangkok
Bangkok was the first city we arrived in Thailand. To be honest, as much as I fell in love with Thailand, Bangkok doesn't belong to my favorite cities. If I were to describe it with one word that would be chaos. There's a lot of everything.
Chiang Mai
We visited Chiang Mai purely because of the trekking trip we bought. We were there for a few days in total, including 2 days spent in a jungle so not a lot of time to see much around. We did make it to the night market tho! And I felt way beter in the north than in Bangkok
Phuket
Initially, we were actually supposed to go to Laos after Chiang Mai but we and our "not planning in advance" made us book tickets the day before leaving. So we decided on Phuket, Kata Beach to be exact, and to be honest, I loved the time there.
Ko Pi Pi
In Phuket we decided that it doesn't make sense to go back to the north so Malaysia became our option, but we decided to do it by train. And Ko Pi Pi was also an island we wanted to visit. So on the way to the land we stopped in Ko Pi Pi for 3 days.
Krabi
Krabi was the last stop before going to Malaysia. We spent there a couple of days, without seeing much around. But we made it a food trip!
Things and places you might not want to skip
Or maybe you want - totally up to you!
Tuktuk scam - is it actually a scam?
I hadn’t heard about it before, you might if you did any research. So what is this Tuktuk scam? And is it actually a scam? I would say it also depends on the drivers you come across. I didn’t feel scammed, nor did my friend. And our driver actually was a very kind person.
Online you can find information that tuktuk drivers offer you rides for a lower fare if you visit certain places, travel agencies for example. And that they end up driving you around the city for hours.
Now, that didn’t happen to us. When we tried to bargain the price of the ride (which wasn’t that close either), our driver mentioned that if we JUST visit a travel agency, he would get gas coupons and then we can pay less for the drive, which we agreed to.
When he drove us there he told us just to talk for max 5 min and that’s it. We used that moment to actually ask about a trip we were interested in at our hostel and decided to compare the prices.
We also asked him if there were other travel agencies we could visit (to compare the prices) and actually ended up driving back to one of them to buy the trip we wanted. What comes here is that if you buy something they get even more gas coupons. The driver legit didn’t want any money from us for driving us and even offered to pick us up later on. And he still didn't want any money. We paid him what we agreed on in the beginning though because for us it wasn’t much and for him, it might have made a difference.
We definitely were also lucky and it depends on what kind of person you come across as someone might try to take advantage of you.
Our driver actually also told us to watch out for scams at the Grand Palace! 03 Malaysia
Bangkok-Chiang Mai night train
Once you're at the train station there are people who will happily help you with finding your platform (like in any other station).
I would recommend getting seats with beds! We didn’t and it was terrible. Even though during that fourteen-hour ride I napped, y’all probably know how it is when you nap in an uncomfortable position.
I basically slept after arriving at the guest house and the day was kind of lost.
But queens, the views when you're getting close to Chiang Mai are amazing!
Jungle trekking & meeting elephants
This was the trip we bought in Bangkok. It’s my favorite memory that I have from this whole trip.
I love elephants so much and the fact that I could meet them was just amazing. I’m beyond grateful that I was able to do it.
Just when deciding to visit elephants make sure that the place doesn’t treat the animals wrong. It’s sad but there are a lot of places that still allow riding on elephants.
We also spent a night in a Thai jungle. We went hiking for a couple of hours, swam in a waterfall, saw a lot of waterfalls, and saw rice fields (!), (I was bitten by a lot of mosquitos) and had a wonderful time. The tour guides we had were just amazing and we felt taken care of at all times.
We had a bonfire with people at the village that we slept in, late-night talks and singing and it was just awesome.
Spoiler alert: if you happen to spend a night in a village in the middle of the forest - MILKY WAY VIEW IS BEYOND AMAZING.
I was so hypnotized by it.
Ko Pi Pi - a party island?
Apparently, it is. That's what people said. It might be because we weren’t in a season but I wouldn’t call it that much of a party island. Or my definition of a party island is different. By party island, I imagined loud parties everywhere I suppose. Sure, there are bars, discos and some activities on the beach but other than that it was pretty calm. And the bars closed by 2 AM.
However bucket drinks - it's the whole bucket for around $5, I bet it fits around 4-5 (if not more) regular drinks.
Our guest house was in a truly calm neighborhood!
Info: bottled water was twice as much as in other places in Thailand!
Patong and its nightlife
If you like partying - go for it, you’ll probably be over the moon. Bangla Road is a nightlife center on the island. It’s crazier than Khaosan Road in Bangkok if it tells you anything. And if not, well imagine.
They also promote "fucking shows" everywhere and they are persistent at inviting you to them and other shows as well. For comparison - in Bangkok, people were calling you over to have laughing gas.
Nevertheless, we did go there with friends for a night and had a great time, drinking, dancing and just having fun! I wouldn’t be able to do it every day though.
We caught (disco) tuktuks to get there and back, went swimming around 5 AM, and walked our friend home in the morning making it back to the hostel after 7 AM. I believe it was the epitome of a night out.
7Eleven and its goods
If you're heading to Thailand, I bet 7Eleven is gonna be your go-to store. I don't make the rules. In fact, it's probably gonna be your go-to store in other countries too.
And honestly, I had a love-hate relationship with 7Eleven. I see a lot of people saying it’s the best store and so on and not gonna lie this is the place where we often would end up in to grab some food. But to be honest, most of the food there had a strong artificial taste to me. Which is the reason I ended up classifying it as a love-hate relationship :)
In Malaysia, it was better than in Thailand because they had bakery stuff that actually tasted amazing!
Krabi
We were in Krabi just for a moment as it was our stop between Thailand and Malaysia. So technically it ended up as a food trip for us. And we would just wander around coming across places. The night market was one!
However, a lot of people recommended Railay Beach so you might want to consider it! I’m definitely gonna go back there.
03 Malaysia
DUAL PERSONALITIES: From urban city to island bliss
Nasi Goreng aka your go-to meal probably
langkawi, malaysia
I truly believe that Malaysia is a very underrated country. I feel like usually travelers omit it. The truth is it's not like we planned on going there either. We just happened to get interested in volunteering in KL.
But the truth is it's so much worth it. Kuala Lumpur is actually a pretty and interesting city if you take the time to see it a bit. And Langkawi - a paradise.
And it'll sound funny but I actually didn't see monkeys in Thailand (I know, surprising) but I did in Malaysia! They're cute and scary at the same time.
Wandering around the places
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur > Bangkok for me always. As I mentioned in the Thailand section I'm not a fan of Bangkok even though I love Thailand. However, when we arrived in KL after a whole day of traveling I remember getting off the train and just feeling a different vibe right away. A pleasant one. Kuala Lumpur literally became my home for 3 months basically and couldn't have been more grateful for the people I came across and made the stay so special. Funny stories, amazing people and loads of cool experiences are forever mine and I wouldn't trade them for anything.
Langkawi
Langkawi wasn’t in the plans at first! We were supposed to head to the Philippines but due to certain circumstances (aka signs from the universe I like to believe) we ended up not going to the airport and we changed our plans. We went to Langkawi for 2 weeks and I have to say it’s an absolute paradise! We lost the money that we spent on the tickets but to be honest we didn't regret it. I didn't feel like we lost anything. It was supposed to be that way and remember, we do things for the plot and we don't cry over the spilled milk! I think everything happens for a reason and we were simply supposed to go to Langkawi (and have a stalker? I'll leave that one...). You can go around the island and see the places on your own and they're just beautiful.
Things and places you might not want to skip
Or maybe you want - totally up to you!
Zero money on accommodation, amazing people and unforgettable memories aka Worldpackers
We basically ended up living in KL for over 2 months spending zero for accommodation at the same time. We did volunteering at the hostel with Worldpackers and loved it enough to stay. The hostel became our home very quickly. The people, the atmosphere, and the experiences we got to live there were just beyond amazing.
Initially, we applied to volunteer for 2 hostels in Kuala Lumpur and got accepted in both (for now there are only two as well :)). Both required at least 2-week volunteering time so we decided to spend 2 weeks in each.
Heads up: we loved the first one and ran away from the second.
The first hostel Travel Hub. I absolutely recommend it to anyone who’s heading to KL and would like to do some volunteering. Masnita was in charge of volunteers and she was like a sister. She cares a lot and makes the time spent there simply wonderful.
Overall, we also ended up doing a variety of things - we started off with housekeeping, did painting in the kitchen (if you happen to be there and see fruits on the wall in the kitchen - I was part of it! 😝), serving at the bar (it’s my flex now that I was a waitress at the bar that’s in TOP30 bars in Malaysia), sat at the reception and took care of social media for some time!
No boredom when it comes to tasks and wonderful people around you, sometimes some drama happening too - after all tons of memories and stories to be told.
My favorite part was that for the first two weeks there most people were from Latin America and I spent the whole time speaking almost only Spanish!
Fun fact: I love Spanish and it’s my favorite language.
The second hostel was definitely better looking (as in renovated) but to be honest we didn’t feel very well there. And we weren’t the only ones. The work wasn’t the problem - I don’t mind working. It was the whole atmosphere and weird rules that weren’t it.
We definitely weren’t going to stay there till the end. But since we don’t like to simply back up from something we signed up for with my friend, we shortened our stay and were there for a week. For a week too long :) Anyway, after that we came back to Masnita and made ourselves home once again.
Worldpackers is a website that connects travelers and hosts around the world. You can look for opportunities around the world and in exchange for your skills you can get free accommodation and/or food or activities, etc.
KINGA for $10 off
Worldpackers TIPS:
01 | make sure to go through the offer and check what exactly is included in exchange for your work, I personally wouldn't do more than 20/25 hours per week
02 | applying ≠ you going; no worries if you're not sure you wanna go there yet when you apply, you still have to accept it once the hosts review and accept your application
03| DM previous volunteers about the actual experience - I feel like I can't stress this enough, especially after one of my experiences in KL; some volunteers might be afraid to leave a bad review so it's better to just ask them directly
FREE buses in KL
KL offers free lines for you to get around! Make good use of it! It’s called Go KL City Bus and the buses are green and have (surprise) line colors on the front
Below you can find details regarding it, just keep in mind the buses are green, not pink like it’s said in the article. I personally used 2 lines only - purple and green.Watch out for the honks of theirs. They’re pretty… loud.
Metro and trains in KL
It’s also pretty convenient to use the metro and train system in KL. Especially when going somewhere further (Batu Caves!). I think I don’t have to say it’s pretty intuitive - metros are always well-described and it’s no exception this time.
Men staring at you
Not something pleasant to mention and I think I particularly noticed it the second time I was in Kuala Lumpur.
Now, in Thailand, the looks and stares were clearly out of curiosity and I totally didn't mind them!
The ones in KL were not exactly of this type. Some of them - maybe. We can't generalize that much of course. But... in general, I did feel like meat sometimes, and I would get mad especially when I'd hear words like "sweetheart" directed at me.
Malaysia and visa run
So depending on your origin country, you're allowed to be in Malaysia for a different period of time. If you're from Europe it's up to 3 months.
Technically this is enough to see places. But you might want to stay longer. And on the internet, you'll see that visa runs don't work in Malaysia since a few years ago.
I asked an immigration officer about it when I was leaving for Bali because we had planned to go back to Malaysia. And if the whole thing about staying up to 90 days during 180 days was actually a thing, we would not be allowed.
Two immigration officers said, however, that you're allowed to enter for 90 days every single time. I particularly specified the time and our case and so did my friend. Both officers said there was no problem with it.
I also know that some people do typical visa runs to Singapore and back when they need to extend their visa.
This is no law advice btw! Just some information that I acquired :)
Eggs in a microwave?!
This is something I learned in Malaysia, that's why it's in this section :)
So you stay at the hostels. You probably eat out almost all the time. Sometimes you feel like eating in finally and it's amazing if your hostel has a stove. But pretty often it's good if there's a microwave.
So that being said, you can make eggs in the microwave! Another traveler taught me that and to be honest it was a game changer when we didn't want to go out to eat.
Just break the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, some onion, or other veggies to upgrade it a bit, and put it in the microwave.
I would put it for 2-3 minutes in total usually, but make sure to check the eggs are actually made, not raw.
I swear it became our breakfast pretty frequently at some point.
Langkawi aka a tax free island?
That's correct. Langkawi is a tax-free island.
"Are you getting booze?" is what we were getting frequently asked by our friends made in KL. Because the island enjoys a duty-free status, alcohol is way cheaper there. For comparison - a small can of beer would cost around 10-15MYR in KL, and around 5MYR in Langkawi. People often go there to get booze as the alcohol in Malaysia is actually expensive because it's a Muslim country.
Let's not forget though that Langkawi still is a tourist island and a lot of things will be expensive anyway because of it.
Buuut, do you know what else is cheaper in Langkawi? CHOCOLATE! And there are stores with tons of sweets.
Getting around the island
A scooter probably will be your best and cheapest option but... BUT if you'd like to see the island around (I mean like the whole) a car is a great idea!
Initially, we wanted to rent a scooter but at the time neither of us could drive it. And the lady said that it was high season and many scooters and cars were on the streets to teach us at the time.
We decided it will be safer to rent a car What ended up being a great idea and very affordable on top!
For a 4-day rental, we paid about $60 which was split between two! And for 25L of gas, we paid around $11 (!). Insane. We were able to visit the whole island, literally. And we wouldn’t have visited many places if we had a scooter because they were too far. Not to mention a beach on the other side of the island, late at night. And we weren’t dependent on the rain, either :)
Night market in a different place on different days
It's a pretty cool concept. Every day the night market is in a different town/village. We learned about it from other people at the guest house and then asked about the details at the reception. And also looked for some info online!
They don't last for a long time, so better if you arrive quite early if you want to have things to choose from. Not that night of a market after all :)
Try the things in the picture on the left - I personally quite liked them. It's a kind of pancake with different fillings.
To be honest, you can find so many different things at the markets, you just need to stroll around and go for what catches your attention. Are things always good? Nah, but it's always worth trying something new.
Supermarkets and stores
As for 7Eleven - it’s the whole upgrade from the one in Thailand! And they have a little bakery stuff too! Not all of the stores had the things available but I’m telling you when you find it, just go for it! Bagels, muffins, pumpkin stuffed things - sooo good. Open 24/7.
Mydin is a supermarket I visited the most. One thing that you see right away is a huge amount of sweets (at least at the one I would go to) and then in the corner, there were some fruits and veggies. Kinda sad but that's the truth. If you want veggies and fruits, go to local markets. Mydin has also other things - clothes, electronics, cosmetics and stuff.
Lulu is an even bigger one but I think food-wise. We visited this one once, at the beginning of our stay. Mydin was way closer so we just stuck to that one. But Lulu also had more fruits and veggies to choose from!
I’m focusing on veggies and fruits because in Thailand I felt the lack of veggies. I literally missed being able to just go to a store and buy them.
It’s probably also a matter of knowing where to find a local market which we didn’t know but being here and there for a few days is very little time.
KK Supermart - another one that is open 24/7. It's a small market, slightly bigger than 7Eleven. Perfect if you want to get some late-night snacks or something.
Of course, in Langkawi, the choice of stores is not as big as in KL. There are more local stores and markets.
Ethnicities in Malaysia
I'm not exactly sure if the word ethnicity is the right word here and Muslim per se isn't the ethnicity itself. But let's keep it this way for the explanation. This is something I learned super late. It's something you kind of notice when you're outside but at the same time you don't realize about the actual division and how deep it is.
Talking to locals definitely has a huge impact on any knowledge you gain as you travel and I can't express how grateful I am that I have this opportunity.
In Malaysia, there are generally Muslim, Chinese, and Hindu people. Muslim people have privileges when it comes to a lot of things in Malaysia. As far as I learned from a local person, a good example is health insurance. Muslim Malay will have it for way cheaper than the other two.
But for example in Langkawi, Muslim people are not sold the alcohol in duty-free stores.
They also have information about their ethnicity on their ID cards so you can quickly identify the origin of the holder.
Grab and its QR code to pay!
As expected card payments are an issue in SEA. Not everywhere of course, especially in Malaysia. But I kind of wish we had gotten to know this app earlier. It was a game-changer from the first moment though! Grab is basically like an Uber app but it also has e-wallet included.
At the counters, there are special QR codes and it’s enough you say that you want to pay by Grab. You just need to scan the code and voila - paid. Before paying you need to top up your e-wallet.
Make sure to say it’s by Grab because some places don’t have a QR code available for it though and then it’s cash that you need (or well, another online payment that I’m not that familiar with because I didn’t use them)
Grab is widely used in SEA in general but the QR payments worked in Malaysia for us.
04 Bali
WHERE ADVENTURE IS JUST A SCOOTER AWAY
And pedestrians don't really make it..
nusa penida, bali
I had thought, I think and I will think that Bali is overrated. But I also think it's a place you want to visit. Bali is basically a digital nomad crib and there's obviously a lot of tourists.
I would, however, visit Bali again for a longer time to see the places I didn't get to see yet. The thing about Bali is that a lot of things to visit are pretty spaced out and it takes time o get from one to another.
Initially, we were supposed to visit more islands but since my friend got into an accident, we didn't want to risk it. So we decided to just take it slow and rest more!
Wandering around the places
Ubud
Ubud is the place that I actually have a sentiment for, after all. At first, I really hated the place but it was conditioned by small things piling up and me being fed up with them. After calming down, I could say that I actually felt good there. We also were lucky because our neighbor next door at the guest house showed us around and took us to some places.
Nusa Penida
I think Nusa Penida is actually my favorite part of the visit. I truly think it's beautiful and it has some charm. Normally people go there for a couple of days, we stayed for 2 weeks but we absolutely loved it. The truth is a few days is more than enough to see the island. You can grab a scooter and just ride around and see the spots. Just roads aren't the most friendly but over all definitely visit if you have a chance.
Canggu
Canggu was my least favorite part of the trip there. I really, really didn't like the traffic and was annoyed by it. And I don't get annoyed that easily I think. We stayed there only for a few days. And even once went back to Ubud to see one place.
Stay:
Private Airbnb, it was a couple from Mayotte
Things and places you might not want to skip
Or maybe you want - totally up to you!
Return tickets & bribe situation
So in theory you're supposed to have return tickets when you go to Indonesia. But it also applies to other countries. Now, in practice, it depends on the immigration officer, and before Bali, I didn't have any issues at all.
Technically we decided that we will not be buying return tickets unless necessary and then we would just buy them on the spot.
Also, other travelers that we encountered didn't really buy them either, including dummy tickets.
So the immigration officer that I came up to tried to make me bribe him in order to enter the country because I didn’t have the return ticket. Ultimately, after some time of talking back and forth, he let us buy the tickets, but he really was making problems and was coming up with the weirdest things.
I didn’t know that before but once I arrived and talked to people a bit, I learned that tourists, especially white people are often treated like ATMs.
Wear your helmet
Speaking of the bribes - make sure to wear your helmet when you drive a scooter.
So technically, you probably aren’t even allowed to ride a scooter in Indonesia on a normal driving license (mine doesn’t let me) but nobody cares.
The police might stop you though if you don’t wear your helmet. Obviously, the question is whether you want to pay them or not :) Not to mention safety reasons of course!
Veggies at a local market!
If you want to buy veggies and fruits, I totally recommend finding some local market with them!
We ended up paying 2 euros for 2 full bags of fruits and veggies. When the guy was counting how much we had to pay I was so much prepared for way more and I thought I misheard when he said the amount.
One rule: honk, honk and honk
This one was difficult to get used to at first but later on, you just realize that it's even safer for you if you do it.
So they don't honk because you do something, they honk to say "I am here". You can hear honking pretty much everywhere, and expect it, especially when there are turns.
Also if for any reason you decide to walk somewhere, get ready to be honked at. They do it to tell you they are on the sidewalk and you have to move :)
Scooter will be your best friend
Bali is definitely not pedestrian friendly but I think by now you might know it already. However, it's also not car friendly. I can only imagine how long the cars have to be in traffic. Because I saw those traffics and they were insane. If it wasn't for a scooter, we wouldn't be able to just swing between the vehicles.
You will jump on a scooter to go just anywhere, believe me. Info: it's slightly different to ride with a passenger on.
I learned to drive a scooter in Bali (I mean being thrown in at the deep end is a quick way to learn). First by myself and then with my friend as a passenger. And it is, indeed, a different vibe.
Gojek and Grab for a scooter ride
You can also order a scooter, it works just like Uber. However, I personally would be scared to jump on as a passenger with someone that I don't know I'm safe with.
It's pretty common though. I'd probably just have to spend more time in Bali to change my opinion on that.
Renting a scooter
Now the question is where to rent a scooter, right? :)
Very often you can rent one from your guest house - they offer some scooters pretty often. You can ask before arriving there if they have any or you can take care of it on the spot :) That's what we did in Ubud and Nusa Penida.
Your other option is renting from a rental place. If you need it right away, you might want to contact the places beforehand for them to have a scooter waiting for you. We *obviously* didn't do it in Canggu and we wanted to get a scooter right away.
I called a massive amount of places before I found one that was available right away. Also, try to bargain before renting. The more days you're renting the scooter, the more you can try to bargain.
Your other option is renting from a rental place. If you need it right away, you might want to contact the places beforehand for them to have a scooter waiting for you.
The advantage of renting from your guest house is that you have it and leave it right there. When it comes to rental places you need to pick it up and leave it at their place. The good part is, you can find places that offer delivering and picking up service along with the scooter :)
Watch out for scammers
I swear the opportunity to talk to people who's been in the place you just arrive in for some time is golden. They can help you out a lot!
I mentioned earlier the bribe situation at the airport and that you might be asked to pay something if you don't have your helmet on.
Well, apparently sometimes there are people sitting randomly along the road and they will whistle at you to make you pay some money for "speeding" or something. A tip that we got was to not stop and just keep going. We took it to our hearts.
Technically, we didn't exactly encounter such a situation on our own.
It was a moment but we were pumped and decided to not stop as per the tip we got from people.
The thing is, it was actually right before entering a place we went to visit, and the men there were actually collecting money for parking. So technically, we didn't pay for parking then...
People are insanely kind
Even though there are people who treat tourists like ATMs and stuff like that, we can't generalize because people in Bali are actually SUPER KIND. And it's still probably an underestimation anyway.
You don't even know that you need help and you'll be offered it. People are just so lovely and get out of their way to help you.
They see you struggling and right away they are there to help you. And I think it's beautiful.
Bargain my queens!
Bargaining is their culture so don't be afraid of it. Don't be afraid of asking for a low price either, you won't be offending them. I felt that way in the beginning. I'm definitely not a pro by no means but I did bargain a bit!
In fact, if you stroll around and see things they sell, you'll notice pretty quickly that some sellers actually have very high prices compared to others and they simply try to take advantage of you.
Anyway, here's a tip: learn the numbers in Bahasa. I swear the moment I asked for a price in their language they instantly agreed and smiled! I was starting in English and they were not really into it, but the moment I switched to numbers in Bahasa, it was a click.
And they're not difficult! They're actually easy :)
They speak the same language in Malaysia and Indonesia and there are only some minor differences between the variations. Technically you're able to communicate freely in either country.
Bahasa sounds like they just make up words when they speak and I love it. It joined the languages I'm gonna learn! "Bahasa" also simply means "language".
Your raincoat on!
"I'm not made of sugar" is my typical response when someone says I'll get wet when it's raining I don't have an umbrella or anything.
Aaand it wasn't any different in Asia when I was there during the rainy season. But if you're on a scooter, take this raincoat with you.
Getting wet when it rains and you're on a scooter is not fun at all. And it's even worse when you're far away from your home and you need to get back.
You're cold, you tremble and all you wish for is a hot shower. Not cool so get your raincoats :)
05 About me & let's be friends
Just some things about your traveling bestie
So you have an idea who's behind the text here :)
I believe everyone deserves to be provided with extra tips if possible to make their life easier. So here’s my contribution to that!
I probably could have known about some of the things before having traveled to Southeast Asia but the truth is I don’t research, I don’t look for things in advance and I’m a huge “there’s always a solution for everything” kind of person. And the same goes for my friend!
I’m a person who likes to learn on her own. I (like to) make mistakes so you don’t have to. Although I’d probably still do them because of my “experiences over everything else” attitude.
This ebook includes tips and info about Thailand, Indonesia (Bali), and Malaysia as these are the places I visited. The things gathered here are the outcome of my travels, mistakes included, acquaintances with other travelers as well as conversations with local people. By no means do I say that the very same things will or could happen to you as everybody’s story is different :)
I hope to create an amazing community (king-dom) of queens who wanna slay together, support and help each other! Welcome on board!
That being said, it would mean the world to me if you'd like to follow me on Instagram and TikTok as I really want to start creating more content regarding travels, but also languages and most likely some other things - I have tons of ideas, just a hard time executing them. This ebook, however, is one of my ideas being executed so baby steps are being taken.
INSTAGRAM: KMANDELT
TIKTOK: LIFEBYKINGA
I treat my Instagram like my diary so most content is not really filtered. Sure, I love pretty pictures too but I also like to remember how my life goes so I include both. And as for TikTok - I love to talk and that’s the main purpose of it. Also, feel free to ask me questions about traveling and languages as I’m a huge lover of them. I’d be happy to respond to you!
THE ULTIMATE BUNDLE FOR CREATIVES
I’m a founder of The Ultimate Bundle for Creatives which features editable Canva templates, customizable Wordpress site templates, and vector graphics including illustrations and patterns. The Bundle is constantly growing as I add new items every weekend. Everything is for personal and commercial use so feel free to explore The Bundle and if you decide to join it - welcome!
Graphic design is one of my interests and so I decided to make something out of it as well at the same time for it being helpful to people. I love creating and it really lets me dive deep into it.
Thank you so much and hope you have a lovely day!
Kinga xx
The home for unique & authentic travel
