Been back to Malaysia 2x since my last post here (and also trips to Bangkok in conjunction).

My wife and I found Malaysia to be a much better bargain now than Thailand (or rather Bangkok). Prices for casual dining in Bangkok are getting up to developed world levels (and these are places where Thais go to, such as Mega Bangna mall). No idea how one can eat so cheaply in Malaysia but one really does! It's one place we are not afraid to eat street-ish food.

Malaysia may not have the huge numbers of wealthier middle/upper classes that Thailand (or at least Bangkok) now has but it doesn't have the grinding poverty either (at least not so apparent).

We did a 2 week driving tour of the east coast, all the way from Kota Bahru to Johor Bahru. Though supposedly the most religiously conservative place in Malaysia, we found the people in the north to be the friendliest , getting slightly less so as one went south.