Timezone
Malaysian time zone: GMT +8 (+ 4 hours from Moscow).
Telephone
An international call from Malaysia can be made from hotels, points of contact or pay phones using a calling card.
Call pattern:
- From a landline phone in Russia to a landline number in Malaysia: 8 – beep – 10 (international connection) – 60 ( Malaysia dialing code ) – area code – local subscriber phone number in Malaysia.
- From a mobile phone in Russia to a mobile phone in Malaysia: + 60 – mobile phone number.
- From a landline phone in Russia to a cell phone in Malaysia: 8 – dial tone – 10 – cell phone number ( Malaysia code is already in the cell phone number).
- To call from Malaysia to Russia, you need to dial: 001 – 7 – area code – phone number of the subscriber.
Telephone codes of cities in Malaysia:
Kota Kinabalu – 88
Kuala Lumpur – 3
Sibu – 84
Sandakan and Kuching – 82
Telephone numbers of city services:
Ambulance, fire department, police – 999
Rescue Service – 994
Tourist Assistance Police Department
- Kuala Lumpur – (03) 249-6592 (/93)
- Kota Bharu – (09) 747-2222
- Penang – (04) 261-5522
- Kuching – (082) 241-133
Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur – 456 0009 (/7252)
The shops
Opening hours of large shopping centers and grocery stores: from 10 am to 10 pm on weekdays, on Saturday – a shortened day, on Sundays – a day off. In the cities of Kedah, Trengganu and Kelantan, the day off is Friday.
Malay shops are diverse. Here you can buy both local souvenirs, antiques of the colonial period, and branded clothes. Pewter items and painted batik are considered specific purchases from Malaysia.
Shoppers will enjoy duty-free shops on the islands of Labuan and Langkawi. Some duty free shops can be found in the capital, Johor Bahru, Penang and airports. See liuxers for Malaysia customs and traditions.
Sales or “megasales”, as they are called here, are arranged in March, at the end of summer and in December.
Tips
There is no mandatory tipping system in Malaysia. In restaurants and hotels 10% of the bill is included as a service charge. Tipping can be given to hotel porters, drivers of a free tourist minibus, service personnel in restaurants and hotels if they have shown a high level of service.
Security
Tourists can feel safe in the country. At the same time, it must be remembered that it is better to leave large sums of money in a hotel safe so as not to become a victim of pickpockets.
Women should not visit the Chinatowns of cities alone and be aware that a revealing appearance may attract unwanted attention and offend Muslims.
Health
It is better to drink boiled or bottled water.
Before traveling during the summer months, tourists visiting the Malay Peninsula, northeast Sabah or west Sarawak are advised to get malaria vaccinations. All tourists are advised to get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.
In addition, guests of the country are advised to use repellents and mosquito nets, especially outside the resorts.
Before diving, you need to check with the instructor which of the underwater inhabitants can pose a health hazard.
Currency
The country’s monetary unit is the Malaysian ringgit (denoted as RM or M$ – the Malaysian dollar). There are 100 sen in one ringgit. Banknotes are used in denominations of 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 1 ringgit and coins of 1 ringgit and 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 sen.
You can also use cashed traveler’s checks and common credit cards (Visa, American Express, Master Card) to pay for services and purchases, but in some places payment by credit cards is several percent more expensive. To issue money on a traveler’s check, a passport is required.
Currency is exchanged in banks, hotels, airports, shopping centers. The exchange rate is considered stable. The smallest commission is charged in banks and private exchange offices, the largest – in expensive hotels.
Banking hours in Malaysia: on weekdays – 9.30-16.00, on Saturday – 9.30-11.30, Sunday – non-working day. The states of Kelantan, Kedah and Trengganu have a different opening hours: from Saturday to Wednesday – 9.30-16.00, on Thursdays – 9.30-11.30, on Friday and on the first Saturday of the month – a day off.
Transport
Malaysia has international airports that serve about forty of the world’s airlines. There are charters from Russia to Malaysia during the season and holidays. You can also fly with a transfer in the European capital or in Doha, Dubai, Tashkent. Approximate flight time: 15-16 hours. There is the possibility of domestic flights.
With the help of rail links to Malaysia get from Thailand a and Singapore a. Comfortable express trains run between the main cities.
Some Malay resorts can be reached by ferry.
A good highway – the North-South Highway – connects Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Free buses for tourists run from large hotels to the city center. You can also travel between cities on comfortable inexpensive buses.
It is convenient to move around the capital by metro or taxi. In some cities, you can use the services of bicycles and motor rickshaws (cheaper for long distances).
With an international driver’s license, you can rent a car. To do this, the driver must be between 23 and 60 years old. In the absence of international rights, you can take permission from the Ministry of Road Transport of the country. Liability insurance, theft insurance and local taxes must be paid along with the rental.
The traffic in the country is left-handed, but it is far from always respected, so driving a car can cause some difficulties.
Mains voltage
There are 220 and 240 volts, the frequency is 50 HZ. An adapter for an outlet can be borrowed from the hotel. In many hotels, electricity is turned on after the owner of the room inserts a plastic key card at the entrance.
