Hi Booray,

are you just going to the peninsula, or the Borneo side as well? They have distinctly different cultures. But I’ll keep my reply to the Peninsula side.

To put it simplistically, Peninsula Malaysia has 3 regional cultural varieties. You have the Northern cultures (in the states of Kedah, Perlis, Penang and north Perak), the Eastern cultures (Kelantan, Trengganu and east Pahang), and the Southern culture (Johor, Melaka and south Negri Sembilan). Each of them re distinctive enough that if you want to experience Malaysian culture, you should go to all three regions.

For Northern culture, go to Penang and Langkawi. Stay at the many small beach chalets rather than chain hotels. You’ll meet many more friendly locals that way, in my experience.

For Eastern culture, Kota Bharu city in Kelantan and the beaches of Terengganu are a must. There are homestay chalets all over the place—basically villagers who rent out rooms to tourists. These homestay chalets are part of a nationl programme run by the Government, so as long as you stick to the officially-sanctioned ones you should be safe (from being cheated, I mean).

For southern culture, a day in Melaka city and another day in Johor Bharu city should do it. There’s nothing much to do in JB, to be honest, but since Singapore is just a few minutes’ drive away you can easily go over and then come back before night-time (Malaysia is cheaper than Singapore for accomodation and food).

Ask another Q if you want to know more.

For a list of some of the cultural activities happening in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, see here:

www.kakiseni.com.my

If you make it to Borneo, definitely climb Mt. Kinabalu. You stay overnight (there is a little lodge up there) and get up early early the next morning (at 3 or 4 am) to catch the sunrise at the summit. It get’s cold, so bring warmies!
One thing I really regret is not making the trip out to the orangutan sanctuary. It’s supposed to be fantastic.

Hi, Booray. This depends on how much time you have, and how much you want to travel around vs. staying in one spot.

So, some favorite spots for “not so touristy” are:

Terengganu (http://www.flickr.com/photos/macloo/15397603/in/set-371372/)
—see the big market (fabulous textiles!), the floating mosque (at night), and stay at a rustic beach “resort.”

Kuching—a smaller city, Eastern Malaysia (Sarawak). From here you can easily get into the jungle. I really love Kuching, but I fear its dusty little shops are being transformed into touristy knick-knack places … home of Sarawak laksa, yum yum …

Langkawi—this is a resort place, but also, it’s not. You can see a lot of beautiful padi here, just a feast for the eyes.

You might want to go to Mulu National Park and see the amazing caves there!

You can try going to Batu Caves for an Indian cultural and Hindu religious experience… If that’s what you’re looking for. Try going on weekdays though, it’s less crowded then. Other places like Masjid India, Chinatown and Central Market are also rich in arts and culture. Hope you have a great time in Malaysia!