Geographically, Malaysia sits at the heart of south east Asia,
with Thailand to the North and Singapore to the south. It is
divided into two areas: Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian
Borneo.
Off the coast of the Northern tip of Peninsular Malaysia, right
next to the Thai border, are the islands most popular with New
Zealand tourists, with Langkawi and Penang on the west coast and
the Perhentian Islands on the east coast. Along the spine of the
peninsula is a ridge of mountains known as The Highlands, which
includes areas such as Cameron and Genting, as well as the huge
Taman Negara National Park.
South of the east coast Perhentian Islands sits Redang and
Tioman Islands. Also on the peninsula's east coast is Cherating,
where Club Med and other luxury resorts are situated, all within a
short drive of Kuantan airport.
Further south, KL's primary airport is about 50kms south of the
city near the Sepang F1 Grand Prix circuit and is easily accessible
by new high-speed train that is 28 minutes from the city. Further
south on the West coast is Malacca, the second of Malaysia's
UNESCO-listed heritage cities.
Malaysia is close to the equator so has a true tropical climate.
Daylight extends from around 6am to 6pm year-round and temperatures
are consistently between 22 to 32 degrees, with humidity normally
above 83%. Monsoons move over the country from the west, starting
with Langkawi and Penang in September/October then through KL and
Peninsular Malaysia in November/December, then across the east
coast and its Islands (which close completely) from November to
January and finally onto Sarawak between April and September and
Sabah from May to November.
The local currency is the ringgit (RM), and the exchange rate is
usually around 3 RM to the Australian dollar, making Malaysia a
bargain destination for travellers.
Bahasa Malayhu is the local language and very similar to
Indonesian, however English is very widely spoken and is taught in
schools, so most Malaysians speak it.
Malaysia, like Singapore, actively enforces the death penalty
for drug trafficking so do not carry, buy or use illegal drugs.