Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
I've driven in the West Indies, including on the left where drink driving is legal or openly tolerated (the bars give to-go cups).
What's the rental car situation like? By default, I go to Hertz but I'm open.
The train sounds best, outside flying, but there's so much more you can see by car. I'm more afraid of car-jacking or getting lost because GPS doesn't work or the signs aren't in English.
The car rental situation isn't too different from the West. The cars are mainly automatic, unlike in Europe, though you might be surprised by what counts as "premium" (a compact Honda/Hyundai sedan, for instance). This is because non-Malaysian brands are relatively expensive to purchase.
Hertz is run by a local company, so the website might seem a bit strange at first.
Carjacking shouldn't be a problem. I'm not saying it's never happened before, but it's nowhere near as bad as, say, Johannesburg. Most road signs aren't in English, but when you're on the highway it doesn't matter as much as you're primarily looking out for the name of the city you're heading to. The Malay language uses the Latin alphabets, so you might be able to get used to several basic terms.
Feel free to drop me a PM if you need more details
