Singapore & Malaysia? Should we go?
 

Two of us (mid-60;s) are considering trip to Singapore (Interested in WW 2 history and good food) and possibly Malaysia in February (to get away from US winter.) We know there are some places to avoid in Malaysia at that time of year (heat, humidity) but that other places would be fine. We are interested in hiking and being outdoors and are pretty hardy (do a lot of hiking on all our vacations). Love beaches but not as much as hiking. Have thought of Malaysia as it's easy to get to from Singapore(!) and we haven't been there before. (Have been to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and not particularly interested in returning right now.) One concern is weather. Another is that we understand that Israilis can't get visas to Malaysia and are concerned about anti-semitism, subtle or not subtle. So should we just skip Malaysia and, if so, where else might we fly from Singapore?

I would yes do Malaysia!

Chances are nobody will know that you are Israilis. If you want to see the new parliament building in KL, you must wear the long sleeve long robe with the hood (it's provided for) otherwise you cannot go in. I had no problem with the concept but it was way too hot on a hot day so I didn't see everything as I had planned to. Vietnamese like to ask where you come from. Nobody asked me anything in KL.

Are you Israeli? If so, the first piece of research you need to do is to check on the visa question. I'm from the US, and no visa is required for up to 90 day visit.

I am not Israeli but I don't want to go on vacation and be uncomfortable!

There are some very fundamentalist areas of Malaysia (not places tourists usually go) and some very progressive, cosmopolitan areas. You would be unlikely to have difficulty in places like Meleka, KL, Penang. Malaysian Borneo has more Christians than Muslims, so not a problem there.

If you want a different option, consider Bali.

BTW, it's hot year round in Malaysia.

I have indeed checked it out and Isaelis are NOT given visas for Malaysia.

Before I get to the Malaysia part, I would really like to mention that if you are interested in WWII history and hiking, that IMO you should consider going to Hong Kong over Singapore, or as an addition to Singapore. I think you will find much more in Hong Kong to see in terms of WWII history, from remaining redoubts and other military installations (esp the Museum of Coastal Defense see http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Coastal/en/index.php), to several interesting cemeteries. Singapore was not nearly as heavily fortified, and little effort was made to defend it as compared with Hong Kong, so there is not a lot of WWII sights to see (other than Changi prison, which no longer exists but there is a small museum and a replica of the outdoor chapel which you can visit.) You can also walk areas like Middle Gap Road and Black’s Link, which were the site of some intense battles, and see if you can feel the ghosts (I do). You could even hire an excellent tour guide like Jason Wordie who has a particular interest in WWII and offers tours related to WWII, see http://www.jasonswalks.com/index.html. He has several books on WWII topics and Hong Kong in general which you may find interesting.

The hiking is fantastic here. You can hike at all levels and can do hikes on your own. It is possible to reach virtually all hikes by public transport, and the trails are well-maintained with good signage in English. I don’t know that you would find anything near the same in Malaysia, although I have not done any serious hiking there other than Mt Kinabalu. My guess is that you would want to have a guide for many hikes in Malaysia, and will have to hire transport or stay near the hiking areas. That would not be at all necessary in Hong Kong, where you could do a great hike using public transport, end with a seafood or other meal at a local restaurant and get back to your comfortable hotel in Central to change and head out on the town for the night. January would be my preference for better weather, but Feb is fine. It can be cool and a little foggy, which is why I like January better (and November and December best of all). However, in Feb you might also have the chance to time your visit for Lunar New Year, which could be quite interesting.

As for Malaysia, I think it is very interesting and can be a good choice. Downsides to me are that Feb is rainy season along the really gorgeous east coast, and you may find it quite rainy in the main walking/hiking areas of Cameron Highlands, Genting Highlands and Taman Negara. It is quite rainy in Kalimantan (Borneo) which offers some good hiking and is where Mt Kinabalu is located. So look at weather websites and make sure you are OK with the rain stats. You might pick the summer months for Malaysia which IMO would be better.

I would not be concerned about anti-Semitism in Malaysia. While conservative and predominantly Muslim, they do not for the most part have radical extremists. They are a very welcoming and friendly people generally, have a great sense of hospitality, and I would be very surprised if you would feel at all uncomfortable there. (I would say that anti-Chinese sentiment is stronger there than any anti-Semitism.) You actually can get if visa if you are an Israel citizen, but you need special clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs. This applies to Yugoslavian passport holders as well. They do not recognize the state of Israel, which is why passports from Israel require special handling. (I believe this has more to do with long-standing political affiliations with certain Middle East countries rather than any organized state anti-Semitism.) It is my understanding that Israelis visit Malaysia, so obtaining permission seems possible. If you have Israelis stamps in your US passport, you should not have any issue with Malaysian immigration.

Thank you very much! This last post was very helpful and gives us many ideas!

Hello :) I'm glad to hear that you're considering to travel to Malaysia.

For the food you may consider going to Penang city, north of Malaysia. The food there is wayyyyyy better than Singapore.

For Heritage you may consider staying a night or two in Malacca.

As for your concern with the Isreali / anti-semitism issue, these problems are all only apparent from a political standpoint.

Cicerone is right, we are a real multi cultural country so we live with so many cultures and religion (christians, hindus, muslims, buddhists, etc) as our neighbours. Racism is the last thing you should have on your mind when you're here. After decades living together, we've grown to respect everyone's beliefs like how they respect ours.

I have a few from Israel as well and I never question their religion.

But because of politics please keep in mind that you will have a problem getting access to kosher food.

Have a wonderful trip! :)

i would like to suggest penang as others have and also langkawi... there is a boat between them i believe...

forget about any anti feelings at all... stay in some of the fantastic multi-national hotels and for sure there will be no issues

Ok if its WWII history you want then I would say try for a few days in Manila and do the Corregidor Tour. I have done this years ago and its a fabulous day touring the WWII sights here. You will get a nice tour of the barracks and other facilities and the gun enplacements overlooking Manila bay. Also there is the location where the PT boats took General MacArthur away. There is also a tour of the Malanta Tunnel- you get to walk thru it. You will spend the better part of the day here and they also provide a buffet lunch. Also its a nice boat ride to get there.

Its a must for WWII history buffs! Not to be missed!

The weather in the Phillippines in Feb is fantastic and you can go to lovely beaches like in Palawan. So the above idea is a good one. A trip to the Phillippines could easily be combined with a few days in Hong Kong, as they are not far apart and flights are frequent, same with Singapore.

One thing to watch in Feb at beach locations in Thailand and the Phillippines is Lunar New Year, as beach resorts get filled by expats and others. In 2011, Lunar New Year will be February 3-5, so if you want to travel to a beach during that week, you may want to make a hotel booking soon.