Malaysia
Jul 17, 2017 | 9:17 am
#17
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Completely forgot about this service in California that started, stopped, and now is suposed to be starting again.
SF Weekly article on overnight bus from San Francisco to Los Angeles area, a 500 mile (800 Km) overnight trip with no seats but sleeping pods starting at over $100 per trip.
SF Weekly article on overnight bus from San Francisco to Los Angeles area, a 500 mile (800 Km) overnight trip with no seats but sleeping pods starting at over $100 per trip.
Jul 17, 2017 | 9:48 am
#18
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(I do recall something about the ability to take the train from Singapore to Butterworth with a quick stop at the border.)
Jul 17, 2017 | 10:09 am
#19
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Jul 17, 2017 | 10:27 am
#20
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Jul 17, 2017 | 10:30 am
#21
Join Date: Aug 2005
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I have driven in a few countries and I'd say Malaysia is one of the better developing countries to drive in (especially long distance).
Once you leave the major metropolitan areas of KL/Penang, it's a breeze to drive in unless you are caught in holiday traffic. Malaysia has well-maintained highways and signs and Malaysian drivers are generally good outside the city. If you insist on driving in KL (if you want to take a day trip to the suburbs etc.), just be prepared for aggressive drivers.
Also, I think you'd get to Butterworth a lot faster by train than driving (you'll lose flexibility on checking out some stops in between tho). Just be aware that there are automated speeding cameras (AES) along the North South Expressway to/from Penang and those tickets are pricey (google them for the camera's location).
Oppps on (the equivalent of) right turn on red in Malaysia 
Been doing that all the time
Depends which part of the US you drive in. I'd say LA doesn't give pedestrians the right of way either
Once you leave the major metropolitan areas of KL/Penang, it's a breeze to drive in unless you are caught in holiday traffic. Malaysia has well-maintained highways and signs and Malaysian drivers are generally good outside the city. If you insist on driving in KL (if you want to take a day trip to the suburbs etc.), just be prepared for aggressive drivers.
Also, I think you'd get to Butterworth a lot faster by train than driving (you'll lose flexibility on checking out some stops in between tho). Just be aware that there are automated speeding cameras (AES) along the North South Expressway to/from Penang and those tickets are pricey (google them for the camera's location).
Been doing that all the time Depends which part of the US you drive in. I'd say LA doesn't give pedestrians the right of way either
Jul 17, 2017 | 10:57 pm
#22
Join Date: May 2008
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Jul 18, 2017 | 7:00 am
#23
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I have driven in a few countries and I'd say Malaysia is one of the better developing countries to drive in (especially long distance).
Once you leave the major metropolitan areas of KL/Penang, it's a breeze to drive in unless you are caught in holiday traffic. Malaysia has well-maintained highways and signs and Malaysian drivers are generally good outside the city. If you insist on driving in KL (if you want to take a day trip to the suburbs etc.), just be prepared for aggressive drivers.
Also, I think you'd get to Butterworth a lot faster by train than driving (you'll lose flexibility on checking out some stops in between tho). Just be aware that there are automated speeding cameras (AES) along the North South Expressway to/from Penang and those tickets are pricey (google them for the camera's location).
Oppps on (the equivalent of) right turn on red in Malaysia Been doing that all the time
Depends which part of the US you drive in. I'd say LA doesn't give pedestrians the right of way either
Once you leave the major metropolitan areas of KL/Penang, it's a breeze to drive in unless you are caught in holiday traffic. Malaysia has well-maintained highways and signs and Malaysian drivers are generally good outside the city. If you insist on driving in KL (if you want to take a day trip to the suburbs etc.), just be prepared for aggressive drivers.
Also, I think you'd get to Butterworth a lot faster by train than driving (you'll lose flexibility on checking out some stops in between tho). Just be aware that there are automated speeding cameras (AES) along the North South Expressway to/from Penang and those tickets are pricey (google them for the camera's location).
Oppps on (the equivalent of) right turn on red in Malaysia
Been doing that all the time Depends which part of the US you drive in. I'd say LA doesn't give pedestrians the right of way either
Not quite as civilised (or predictable) as what you'd find in most western countries. The roads may not be as nicely designed, many motorists treat traffic rules as suggestions, and many practices are different from what you'd find in North America.
For instance, pedestrians don't get the right of way, you can't make the equivalent of a right turn on red, motorcyclists can be erratic (hit one and you're in big trouble), and parking can be quite random (i.e, almost anywhere you like, even if it blocks an entire lane of a busy road). Plus, Malaysia and Singapore drive on the left
You might survive driving in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore which are more civilised, but I wouldn't try it in Georgetown unless you're used to such driving conditions.
KL and Georgetown are quite easy to navigate around without a car. Uber and Grabcar (the SE Asian competitor) are reliable and quite cheap. Getting between SIN, KUL and PEN is quite easy by train, bus or flight. I wouldn't rent a car from SIN to KUL as cross-border rentals can be quite expensive.
For instance, pedestrians don't get the right of way, you can't make the equivalent of a right turn on red, motorcyclists can be erratic (hit one and you're in big trouble), and parking can be quite random (i.e, almost anywhere you like, even if it blocks an entire lane of a busy road). Plus, Malaysia and Singapore drive on the left
You might survive driving in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore which are more civilised, but I wouldn't try it in Georgetown unless you're used to such driving conditions.
KL and Georgetown are quite easy to navigate around without a car. Uber and Grabcar (the SE Asian competitor) are reliable and quite cheap. Getting between SIN, KUL and PEN is quite easy by train, bus or flight. I wouldn't rent a car from SIN to KUL as cross-border rentals can be quite expensive.
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.
Jul 18, 2017 | 8:09 am
#24
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: YVR, KUL
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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.
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.
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
Jul 18, 2017 | 10:11 am
#25
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Don't expect the same level of quality and/or service. It is just a 'hertz' sign run by a local company.
BTW, one feature of local car rentals - they install GPS logger in the car which records speed and then transmits data to local police in case you exceed speed. I do not know if ALL rental companies practice such thing, but AVIS at Kuching does.
BTW, one feature of local car rentals - they install GPS logger in the car which records speed and then transmits data to local police in case you exceed speed. I do not know if ALL rental companies practice such thing, but AVIS at Kuching does.
Jul 18, 2017 | 10:26 am
#26
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Don't expect the same level of quality and/or service. It is just a 'hertz' sign run by a local company.
BTW, one feature of local car rentals - they install GPS logger in the car which records speed and then transmits data to local police in case you exceed speed. I do not know if ALL rental companies practice such thing, but AVIS at Kuching does.
BTW, one feature of local car rentals - they install GPS logger in the car which records speed and then transmits data to local police in case you exceed speed. I do not know if ALL rental companies practice such thing, but AVIS at Kuching does.
Jul 18, 2017 | 4:21 pm
#27
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Driving in Malaysia is fine as long as you're alert. No worse than, say, Boston or Phladelphia. Driven 2x between Penang-KL-Melaka (and Johore Bahru) r/t and it's fine.
Rent a Proton Saga and you won't have any problem with speeding tickets: They don't go fast enough. I've rented through Sixt (local franchisor) and Avis. Both are fine.
I've come across a local outfit called Mayflower (no direct online reservations except indirectly through some sites such as Scoot) that rents some Nissan (Sentra equivalent?) as their base model. Anyone ever used them?
As for GPS, if you have a Garmin, this site has free maps (and speed cam proximity alerts). I only use the GPS in north-up map mode so not sure how it is for fly-behind navigation.
Rent a Proton Saga and you won't have any problem with speeding tickets: They don't go fast enough. I've rented through Sixt (local franchisor) and Avis. Both are fine.
I've come across a local outfit called Mayflower (no direct online reservations except indirectly through some sites such as Scoot) that rents some Nissan (Sentra equivalent?) as their base model. Anyone ever used them?
As for GPS, if you have a Garmin, this site has free maps (and speed cam proximity alerts). I only use the GPS in north-up map mode so not sure how it is for fly-behind navigation.