Malaysia (Kuah, Langkawi) or Singapore - a shopping and dress code question
Mar 26th, 2014, 01:04 AM
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Malaysia (Kuah, Langkawi) or Singapore - a shopping and dress code question
Dear travellers,
I like to read these forums and did contribute now and then while I was living in Austria, but I managed to forget my username, so I'm a (nearly) brand new user again. I now live in Zagreb, Croatia, so if someone has questions about this part of Europe, I'd be glad to help.
My daughter, who is currently in Thailand, on the island of Koh Lipe, managed to have her tablet PC and camera stolen. She will be travelling by ferry in a few days to Kuah (Langkawi islands, Malaysia), then by train from Butterworth to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, on her way to Melbourne, Sydney and eventually Hobart, Tasmania.
She is on a rather tight budget, but would definitely like to buy a new tablet pc and camera. She's booking hostels and checking timetables on the go, having only a fixed date for the flight from Singapore, and it's way more complicated for her to have to find public - access computers.
Finally, to my (our) questions:
1) Does anyone know about shopping on Langkawi, which is a duty free area and how it compares to prices in Singapore?
2) What would you suggest wearing in public in Malaysia in general, it being a predominantly Moslem country. My daughter is 25, travels alone and usually wears very light (it's pretty hot at the moment in Thailand / Malaysia) clothes, short skirts and tops.
We'll be most grateful for any suggestions (I'm well aware our questions are a bit off-topic, but she has no problems getting around)
Regards
I like to read these forums and did contribute now and then while I was living in Austria, but I managed to forget my username, so I'm a (nearly) brand new user again. I now live in Zagreb, Croatia, so if someone has questions about this part of Europe, I'd be glad to help.
My daughter, who is currently in Thailand, on the island of Koh Lipe, managed to have her tablet PC and camera stolen. She will be travelling by ferry in a few days to Kuah (Langkawi islands, Malaysia), then by train from Butterworth to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, on her way to Melbourne, Sydney and eventually Hobart, Tasmania.
She is on a rather tight budget, but would definitely like to buy a new tablet pc and camera. She's booking hostels and checking timetables on the go, having only a fixed date for the flight from Singapore, and it's way more complicated for her to have to find public - access computers.
Finally, to my (our) questions:
1) Does anyone know about shopping on Langkawi, which is a duty free area and how it compares to prices in Singapore?
2) What would you suggest wearing in public in Malaysia in general, it being a predominantly Moslem country. My daughter is 25, travels alone and usually wears very light (it's pretty hot at the moment in Thailand / Malaysia) clothes, short skirts and tops.
We'll be most grateful for any suggestions (I'm well aware our questions are a bit off-topic, but she has no problems getting around)
Regards
Mar 26th, 2014, 04:29 AM
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Modest clothing...no plunging necklines, and not too short on the skirts. I wear cropped pants, tee or blouse with cap sleeve . I bought several Cotton Indian tunics when in Malaysia last that were good for travel.
Mar 26th, 2014, 04:43 AM
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Thank you, kmkrnn, I'll send your suggestion to my daughter via sms. Roaming costs (she has an Austrian SIM in her phone) are very high, and one of the reason I would also like her to buy a new tablet or some other internet - enabled device.
Mar 26th, 2014, 10:16 AM
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Is her phone unlocked? If so, she just needs to buy a local SIM for much lower phone rates. In my experience prices for electronics is Asia tens to be very similar to store prices in the US, that is, higher than internet prices. She will have a broader range of choices in KL or Singapore than she will on Langkawi.
Shorts or short skirts on women are not the norm all over SE Asia. I expect in the Buddhist countries, no one told her her clothing was not appropriate, but in Malaysia, they might.
Shorts or short skirts on women are not the norm all over SE Asia. I expect in the Buddhist countries, no one told her her clothing was not appropriate, but in Malaysia, they might.
Mar 26th, 2014, 10:57 AM
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Hi anathem,
Sorry about your daughter’s bad luck.
Kuah/Langkawi being dutyfree is good for buying alcohol and chocolate, definitely no electronics. Not enough shops to chose from. Nice place though: http://konniandmatt.blogspot.com/201...2011-kuah.html
Kuala Lumpur is a good place for buying electronics, Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang, to name only one. As far as I can say, Singapore is not better for shopping than Malaysia, We’ve been living in Kuala Lumpur for a while. I’ve bought my PC in Kota Kinabalu/Borneo, which is easily comparable to Kuala Lumpur from a shopping angle.
Have a look in our travel notes about it: http://konniandmatt.blogspot.com/201...-kinabalu.html
There is no problem with a dress code in Malaysia, especially not in big cities like Kuala Lumpur. 30 % of Chinese are living in Malaysia, the girls wearing mini skirts and tank tops, no problem! I mostly wear tops which are covering my shoulders, kind of. Here are some travel notes about KL: http://konniandmatt.blogspot.com/200...-feb-2009.html
All the best for your daughter and her travels
Cheers, Konni, www.konniandmatt.blogspot.com
Sorry about your daughter’s bad luck.
Kuah/Langkawi being dutyfree is good for buying alcohol and chocolate, definitely no electronics. Not enough shops to chose from. Nice place though: http://konniandmatt.blogspot.com/201...2011-kuah.html
Kuala Lumpur is a good place for buying electronics, Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang, to name only one. As far as I can say, Singapore is not better for shopping than Malaysia, We’ve been living in Kuala Lumpur for a while. I’ve bought my PC in Kota Kinabalu/Borneo, which is easily comparable to Kuala Lumpur from a shopping angle.
Have a look in our travel notes about it: http://konniandmatt.blogspot.com/201...-kinabalu.html
There is no problem with a dress code in Malaysia, especially not in big cities like Kuala Lumpur. 30 % of Chinese are living in Malaysia, the girls wearing mini skirts and tank tops, no problem! I mostly wear tops which are covering my shoulders, kind of. Here are some travel notes about KL: http://konniandmatt.blogspot.com/200...-feb-2009.html
All the best for your daughter and her travels
Cheers, Konni, www.konniandmatt.blogspot.com
Mar 26th, 2014, 12:43 PM
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Kathie,
thanks for the local SIM suggestion, it's one that I also give to people who visit my country. Thing is, Thailand has truly a lot of free wifi hotspots, so my daughter relied on Skype and Google talk, while still she had her tablet (and she prefers cheap unlocked "dumb" phones in the € 20 range, where it's never a great loss when stolen, lost or broken; also batteries last much longer than on a smartphone).
She also planned to stay in Bangkok and Thailand in general only for a week this time - she explored the area in much more detail last year. Then she found some work in a hostel in Bangkok and stayed longer. She actually already has an Australian prepaid SIM, as she will be staying in Hobart, TAS for nearly three months. I also read your reply in the thread on general safety of Malaysia for solo female travellers, so thanks for both.
thanks for the local SIM suggestion, it's one that I also give to people who visit my country. Thing is, Thailand has truly a lot of free wifi hotspots, so my daughter relied on Skype and Google talk, while still she had her tablet (and she prefers cheap unlocked "dumb" phones in the € 20 range, where it's never a great loss when stolen, lost or broken; also batteries last much longer than on a smartphone).
She also planned to stay in Bangkok and Thailand in general only for a week this time - she explored the area in much more detail last year. Then she found some work in a hostel in Bangkok and stayed longer. She actually already has an Australian prepaid SIM, as she will be staying in Hobart, TAS for nearly three months. I also read your reply in the thread on general safety of Malaysia for solo female travellers, so thanks for both.
