"Travels in Malaysia" a Malaysia Travel Page by D_Shannon

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Because of some rather odd flight plans from Asia to Europe to North America, I ended up with a stopover in Malaysia and I decided to take advantage of it by extending my stay for two weeks. For the full story and pictures, check out my travelogue.

(The map showing my route in Malaysia was shamelessly swiped from my Lonely Planet guidebook. I b*tch a lot about my LP in these pages, but I still think it's the best book out there, and at least they've got the bus and train timetables straight.)

I had some serious ups and downs as I travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Penang to the Perhentian Islands to Melaka and then, finally, back to Kuala Lumpur. Most problems were probably my own fault. I didn't have much time, and if I were to do it again, I'd plan things differently. I would spend more time in KL, I'd check out Pulau Pangkor and the Cameron Highlands instead of wasting so much time in ugly Penang, and I'd skip the jungle train entirely unless it was to head into Singapore for a day of gawking at skyscrapers.

Lots of folks are upset about this page, claiming that I"ve exaggerated the dangers women travelers face. Hey, look, I've got nothing against Malaysia and, given the opportunity, I'd definitely go again. But forewarned is forearmed and maybe if I'd had all the info before going, I could've avoided some rough spots. The whole point of VT is to dish the real dirt, and I told my story straight and true. Why would I lie?

These experiences, though, are just my experiences. I've talked to many a female traveller, before, during, and after my stay in Malaysia, and not one of them had problems like the ones I describe. So, go and be fearless, but keep your eyes open and your arms covered.