I was in Malaysia for 339 days (about 11 months) from the 27th of February 2020 till the 30th of January, 2021. That’s because Jonas and I were in lockdown there during the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the lockdown, we still managed to explore quite a bit of Peninsular Malaysia (i.e. West Malaysia). We didn’t visit East Malaysia (i.e. on the island of Borneo) at all because they have their own immigration policies and they remained closed for tourists who had overstayed their visas in the peninsula. That was us because we spent our 90 days mostly in lockdown in Penang. But we could overstay our 90-day welcome because the government introduced a policy of amnesty for stranded tourists.
Anyway, we eventually decided to leave towards the United Arab Emirates because the amnesty rule felt less secure with each extension. Because of the lockdowns, I’ve done a lot of research on what cool things to do in Malaysia. I’ll have to make them a reality next time if the country ever reopens without restrictions.
Things I’d Like to Do Next Time in Malaysia
- Hitchhike more. Last time I hitchhiked seriously only for one day before the lockdown started
- Visit Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan. Probably with a side trip to Brunei to renew our 90 days
- Explore the capital Kuala Lumpur; KL was the worst place to be during much of the pandemic, so we avoided staying there for a long time. I want to do indoor skiing/snowboarding
- Visit Pahang and Terengganu; besides Kota Bharu, we didn’t visit many places on the peninsular east coast. Think Pulau Kapas and areas in Bukit Tinggi
- Eat so much more vegetarian munchies. The food in Malaysia was really top-notch
- Go kayaking even more!
- Revisit our favorite places in Penang and Johor Bahru
If you know cool places and things to do in Malaysia, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again once I start plotting my return! Tips especially welcome if you are Malaysian or lived there for a while
Are you a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Malaysia? Drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
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