Malaysian Hospitality Program

Malaysia, I think, is a country that is often off the radar with Australians. It's one of those countries kinda to the north, somewhere in the mass of islands and continent that is South East Asia.

But Malaysia is an awesome place.

The people are fantastically friendly, the food is amazing, English is spoken everywhere, the shopping is the bomb and it is....cheap!

Getting there is cheap (see AirAsiaX), cost of living is cheap, shopping is cheap, transport is cheap.

It is a perfect study destination.

AIM Overseas currently has a group of students in Malaysia. You can read about it as it unfolds on the Tourism and Hospitality program blog.

Next year AIM Overseas is working in conjunction with the National University of Malaysia on two great programs: the Sustainability of Tropical Heritage program and Indigenous Communities program.


Students might also be interested to consider an internship in Malaysia.

Either way, think about Malaysia as a study destination - it is a fantastic place to spend time!

Kuala Lumpur - A great Asian megalopolis!

Walk into any of the major Asian cities and you’re going to find some similarities: chaotic traffic, masses of people, hazy skies…..Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai all have it.

But, having now been in KL just 2 days, I’ve got a great feeling about this place. This is one awesome Asian megalopolis, a place that has somehow managed to steal the best bits of lots of other big Asian cities, whilst leaving lots of the worst bits behind. Two days here and I love it!

Transport
There are two sides to transport in KL: Yes, it is cheap and easy to use, but in peak hour it is massively congested.

Staying in the city centre is great because there is a lot within walking distance. The monorail or metro (LRT) costs about 30-80c per trip depending on how far you're going and, worst case scenario, taxis are plentiful and cheap too.

Taxis in and around KL are safe to catch, though depending on where you take them the driver might refuse to run the meter (particularly if you are taking the cab from a touristy area like Chinatown) and want to negotiate a fixed price.

Wherever possible, insist that your driver uses the meter. If not, either find another taxi or remember that short trips around KL (e.g. the hotel to Chinatown) shouldn’t cost more than about 10 ringgit (depending on traffic).

Food
The food in Malaysia is an absolute highlight. From the hawker stalls on the roadsides (which are for the most part fine to eat from unless you've got a really sensitive stomach) to the restaurants, it's hard to go wrong.

Malaysian food is influenced by the country's three main cultural sub-groups: Malays, Indians and Chinese. Mix them together and you've got a culinary dream!

If you head into a food court you can generally pick up a meal for about AUD$1.50-3, and you'll be full afterwards! Restaurants are more pricey but still cheap by Australian standards - $10 will get you a great meal just about everywhere unless you are really going upmarket.

People
The Malaysian people are fabulous - really friendly and smiley. English is spoken everywhere (we've had only rare instances where someone we've met hasn't spoken excellent English) making it really easy to get around.

The city is really clean, connected to the world by super-cheap airfares (thanks to Air Asia) and definitely worth visiting. It would be a great place in which to undertake studies or an internship.

Arriving in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located about 75km from the city centre - quite a haul as international airports go. The airport itself has three times won 'World Airport of the Year' in the definitive annual Skytrax poll.

There are two main ways to get from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to downtown Kuala Lumpur: train or taxi.

A train will set you back about 35 Malaysian ringgit, about AUD$14, and the express service takes you all the way to KL Sentral station in about 35 minutes with no stops. See the KLIA Ekspress website for more information.

Once you get off at KL Sentral you'll then either need to connect onto public transport or take a taxi to your final destination in the city.

A taxi will cost you roughly double the train but will, of course, take you right to where you want to go.

Taxi tariffs from the airport to the city centre are fixed according to 'zones'. It currently costs about 70 MYR (AUD$30) for a taxi right to your destination. As soon as you pass through customs you'll find a desk selling tickets for the taxis. Pre-purchase your taxi ticket here. Make sure you get the 'budget' option ticket as they have a tendancy to automatically sell you the 'luxury' option if you're not paying attention (which costs more than double!)

The taxi ride will take about an hour to cover the 70km, all depending on the state of traffic as you get into the centre of KL. Taxis in KL are safe and you should have no issues from the airport. Tipping is not required.