Ramandan in Malaysia
 

Hi
I am travelling to KL and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia in 10days time. Does anyone have any ideas how Ramadan will affect the opening of restaurants, hawker stalls etc during the day? I am fairly sure the hotels will still serve meals inside, but i'm not sure about cafes etc. any experiences or help would be gratefully received.
Thanks :)

Been to Malaysia five times, including two times to Kota Kinabalu. Though I can't recall if I was there during Ramadan. Because there are so many non Muslims in Malaysia (particularly Chinese and Indians), you shouldn't have any trouble finding a restaurant open at midday. And, yes, the hotel restaurants should be open as well. In Kuala Lumpur, my husband and I were not reluctant to eat at clean looking hawker stands. KL is very modern. Kota Kinabalu (and Borneo in general) has a very large Chinese population and many Christians, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding restaurants open at midday. Have a look at this Lonely Planet link:
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...;iCountryId=97
And also this link, which I just found by googling "Malaysia, Ramadan":
http://www.krolltravel.com/stories/M..._HariRaya.html
I hope you do not encounter any smoke haze in Borneo.

Diamantina, thanks for those links, both really helpful. I knew there were large Indian and Chinese populations but everything i had read indicated there might be a problem! I fully plan to eat at the (clean) hawker stalls as everything leads me to believe this is the best food! Now i am very much looking forward to the breaking of fast everyday!! I have been checking the air quality index for KL and at present it appears to be good so hopefully it will stay that way as i am an asthma sufferer and i can't imagine the haze would be too good for me. Thanks

I was in KL during Ramadan a few years ago. Some of the restaurants we wanted to try were closed for the whole hari raya period, but there were certainly plenty of restaurants open.

There are actually more Christians than Muslims in Malaysian Borneo. Finding things open will not be a problem for you.

We have visited K.L. and K.K. though not during Ramadan. However, we did visit Jordan during Ramadam and must say that it DID have a big impact on our stay. Many places were closed for the entire month and even dining in our hotel (Aquaba Movenpick), was a little compromised as we could not eat until those who were fasting, had been fed and watered. Resulting in dinner for us being no earlier than 8.00pm.
So, if things work the same in Malaysia,it may have some effect on your stay.

Ramadan is quite different in Malaysia than in Jordan. In part that has to do with how many different ethnicities and religions there are in Malaysia.

If you are just doing KL and KK, I promise you won't feel even a wee bit of Ramadan's effect. Eateries run by non-moslems and food chains like McDonalds are everywhere. Honestly, even some Indian moslem eateries are open during fasting hours ... it's all about business.

Kathie is right. The brand of Islam in Malaysia is very different than the one in Middle East that's Arab-centric. The moslems here have learnt to live with other races and religions for hundreds of years. Don't expect to see bearded men in robes, veiled women ... and all that jazz.

That said, personally, I'd try not to eat or drink in front of my moslem friends during fasting hours, out of respect.