Archive for Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur City Guide

Posted in City Guides, Malaysia with tags , , , , , , , on May 31, 2010 by Mackeral Mark

KL towers at night

KL in a word: Dynamic.
C.O.H: 3 / 5
Q.O.G: 3 / 5
S.T.L: 1.5 / 5
City guide ratings explained

Costs €$£

Beer: Around €5 a pint.
Bed: €6-8 for a private room.
Bud: ?
Board: €2 for a decent chinese dish.
Budget other: Alcohol gets insanely expensive in nightclubs.
Currency Conversion

Overview

Kuala Lumpur is a dynamic place and is a nice size. It is quite developed and safe with wonderful parks. Indians, Chinese and Malays all inhabit this pleasurable city. This would be a fantastic city to hang out in if it wasn’t for the exoberant alcohol tax.

Malay girls are adorable

The Girls

Malaysian law is pretty strict on native Malay muslims drinking, as a result it is unlikely to encounter Malay girls at night. That said, plenty of Chinese and Indian girls do indulge. Malay girls have darker skin than other ethnic groups on the peninsula and many are extremely attractive and feminine. If you want to meet a nice Malay woman, your best bet is Borneo as East Malaysia is considerably more conservative. One positive about Kuala Lumpur is that English is widely understood due to the ethnic mix. Kuala Lumpur is also great place to meet some stunning Chinese girls, many of whom are independent and well-educated. KL is also home to many are Filipinas and Vietnamese women. While many work here legitimately, others come to the city to work as prostitutes.

Nightlife Recommendations

The nightlife in KL is slighty disappointing. This is part due to extremes.

There are 4 types of place to drink  in KL.

  • Chinese restaurants with cheap booze
  • Tourist Bars (the nearest happy medium)
  • High-end nightclubs with high-end prices
  • Sleazy Freelancer bars
Beach Club
Falling under the sleazy category. Packed full of Vietnamese hookers and horny old guys. That said, is has a shark aquarium, great live music and some normal girls (I got picked up here with no money involved)
Zouk & Velvet Underground
Well known disco with lots of dance areas and great DJs. Packed with hot Chinese girls. It can be a bit pricey and a bit pretentious but the quality here is grade A.
Bukit Bintang
A street with lots of bars and lots of options. A good mix of tourists and locals. This is a good medium between the options mentioned above. This is the place to go if your want some Europeans (or Reggae bar).

Getting High (courtesy of webehigh.com)

Nomad’s  input: “you need to befriend a local”

Legislation: Very very strict, which means death penalty for traficking and for sure jail for any amount, even very small.

Law enforcement: Severe. You should only smoke in your hotel room. Police does usually not bother foreigner, but they will sure do if they suspect something. Another reporter added: “Police here are mostly corrupted. So a bribe could get you away.

Where to buy marijuana: In the golden triangle area, talk with the guys that try to hook you up with the prostitutes. Play the stupid (I’m not sure if you can get me what I want, bla, bla…) and you will eventually bring on the conversation on weed. Once the deal is set, walk or take a cab straight to your hotel, you don’t want to hang around with the weed. And don’t let the dealer know where you stay as he might then report to his policeman friend ! If you’re very very careful, everything should be fine.

Jalan Chow Kit is the main place for it. Locate the market, ask someone where is the lamb/mutton are sold, near there, you will find some fruits stalls, look out for guys making eye contact, just nod and walk towards a less crowded place, if he follows, you’re on, pay and get the hell outta there. ”

Marijuana prices: In this place mostly are sold in RM10 packs which hardly enough for a joint, negotiate and ask for better deals.
and also: “Never really measured but… 1 quarter of your palm filled with weed will mostly cost you more or less 30 ringgit, always bargain”

My KL Experience

I’ve been to KL 4 times.
I’ve walked across the entire city and feel I know it pretty well.
I got laid twice but it took a bit of luck (one from Beach bar and once from Zouk), I personally prefer beach bar. The food is to die for and some of the girls here are ‘make-you-want-to-stay-here’ gorgeous. I’d actually consider living here if the booze wasn’t so pricey.

Me in Zouk

Top 10 Destinations in South East Asia

Posted in Asia, Top 10 picks in South East Asia, Travel with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2010 by Mackeral Mark

I am lucky enough to have visited every country in South East Asia.

OK, so I haven’t been to every inch of the place but I’ve a better angle than most so I’d thought I give you guys my top 10 picks!

First let me give you the criteria.

These places/countries are judged on:

  • NBNatural beauty / Historical wonders
  • UE – Unique Experiences offered
  • CH – The Chill-out Factor (Off the beaten track, smoke etc.)
  • CR – The Craic! (Irish term meaning fun or entertainment)
  • X – The Girls  (the real X factor)

So here they are…

Naughty Nomad’s

TOP 10 Spots in South East Asia!

😉

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10. Flores, Indonesia

Komodo Dragon

In a word: Wild.

NB – Diverse & Dramatic.

UE – Volcanoes &  Dragons.

CH – Few Tourists here.

CR – Restricted to Weekends.

X – Cute accents; pity there’s not more of them.

Bottom Line: Launch Pad for Komodo and home to some of the most dramatic volcano scenery in the world.

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9. Vang Vieng, Laos

Riverside bar; drugs on the menu.

In a word: Lazy.

NB – Winding Rivers through beautiful karst scenery.

UE – Tubing down the river, drugs on the menu.

CHVery chilled but too many tourists. Low season is better.

CR – Riverside bars with ‘happy’ pizzas and friends on TV. Night-life limited.

X – A big no no. $500 fine if you are caught with a local girl.

Bottom Line: Great place to flake out for a few days, but no Boom Boom.

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8. Myanmar

Me in Bagan, Myanmar

In a word: Bizarre.

NB – Bagan puts Angkor Wat to shame.

UE – This is why this place is on the list. No American brands, strange clothing, painted faces, fashion shows in every bar and no mobile phones.

CH – Horse carts and only hardcore tourists.

CR – The odd full moon festival and driving the horse cart pissed.

X – Sigh, no phones and the girls don’t drink…

Bottom Line: This country is the most unique in the S.E. Asia and leaves more memories than any other, but night-life is a little frustrating.

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7. Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Drop anchor and light up.

In a word: Popular.

NB – Sunsets over the South China sea accompanied by 1,960 islets.

UE – Spending an exciting night on a Vietnamese boat.

CH – Rack and pack em in the day but lovely when the sun goes down.

CR – Some weed, liquor and midnight swim anyone?

X -Unless you got some horny Americans on your boats…

Bottom Line: It may be a tourist trap but it’s 100% worth it.

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6. Palawan, The Philippines

I took this in El Nino, Northern Palawan

In a word: Adventurous.

NB – Jungles, empty beaches and the world’s largest underground river.

UE – Epic Motorbiking trips . Canoeing to a deserted island.

CH – Your own private beach anyone? Purple Sunsets? Heaven.

CR – Diving ship wrecks and the dangerous dirt bike trails.

X -There’s always a few cuties to date in Philly…

Bottom Line: If you want  adventure, love and escapism; this is the place.

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5. Bali, Indonesia

There's a lot more than Kuta beach.

In a word: Unique.

NB – Great Beaches, beautiful landscapes and endearing rice paddies.

UE – Balinese culture; surfing; diving; motorbiking around the island.

CH – Beers on the beach are good; but a lot of tourists in Kuta.

CR – Plenty of great restaurants, live music and pumping nightspots.

X – Balinese girls are premium with good values. Other options include cheeky Javanese Muslims and crass Australian women.

Bottom Line: It may be a tourist trap but it’s 100% worth it.

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4. Cambodia (in general)

Life is cheap. My friend Dan took this one in the killing fields.

In a word: Lawless

NB – Angkor Wat.

UE – No rules. People go off the rails here.

CH – You can smoke weed out  in the open; on a beach. Nuf said.

CR – Every night is an adventure ; endless debauchery.

X – Khmer girls are cute and love foreigners.

Bottom Line: You may never leave.

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3. Phuket, Thailand

Bangla Road

In a word: Sex.

NB – It’s got a decent beach.

UE – Going to pool hall at 6am and being surrounded by gorgeous women.

CH – Flake out on the sand, oversexed and hungover.

CR – Live music and perfect for pub crawls.

X – Girls, girls and more girls…

Bottom Line: Sex, and lots of it. Spend more than a week here and you will probably catch something.

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2. Borneo, Malaysia

Me and Dan on the skywalk in Mulu, Borneo

In a word: Idyllic.

NB – Unique wildlife, pristine beaches and the world’s biggest cave.

UE – Jungle excursions and staying in long houses.

CH – Back to Nature.

CR – Fantastic pub culture. Get to Rainforest Festival in July.

X – Chinese girls here incredible attractive, probably the best in S.E Asia… They are quite friendly as well! Excellent place for dating hotties and MLTR.

Bottom Line: Something for everyone. So much to do here, not enough time. Everyday here is an absolute pleasure. You’re just ‘happy’ here.

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1. Boracay, The Philippines

What more could you want?

In a word: Paradise.

NB – White beaches, palm trees , turquoise waters and violet sunsets. Ahh!

UE – Mongolian Buffets, Mojitos and free love.

CH – In low season this place seems to good to be true. Think Disney land with no ques; hammocks and female acoustic sets.

CR – Ram-shackle discos by the beach with live music and cheap drinks.

X – Romantic, sexy and artistic; these Filipinas are addictive. Plenty of creamy Japanese and Korean tourists around too.

Bottom Line: For this nomad, this place is paradise.  Go in Low season.

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Honourable Mentions

I decided to only include places I’ve actually been in the top 10. I contacted some fellow globe-trotters to give their top 10 as well. I’d like take this opportunity to thank everyone involved! The only problem was everyone had different picks!  But it’s nice to see there was some consistencies.  Here are some other picks from fellow travellers…

  • The Malukus/ Sulawesi, Indonesia
  • Pie, Thailand
  • Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
  • Northern Laos
  • Hoi An, Vietnam
  • Luzon, Philippines
  • Northern Vietnam
  • Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
  • Dili, East Timor (I’ve been here, it just missed the list)

Check out my S.E Asia City Guides!

Please share your favourite places! Leave a comment below!

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