Wednesday 20 April 2011

3 Reasons Bali is "User Friendly" to Malaysians

I know of many Malaysians who seek the comforts of home whenever they travel. They prefer to travel to a country where they can communicate easily with the locals, where the currency is lower than the Malaysian Ringgit, where the food agrees to their tastebuds and stomach, etc.

Bali is one destination where Malaysians would feel at home, and here's why:

The Malaysian Ringgit Talks
The Malaysian Ringgit (RM) is accepted in most currency exchange and money changer in Bali. Eventhough the rates are lower compared to changing RM into Indonesian Ruppiah (IDR) back in Malaysia, it beats having to bring US Dollar or some other currency that's more widely accepted.

Bali is probably one of the few international tourist destinations where the RM is accepted in currency exchange. The other place I know of is Chiang Mai in Thailand.

                                                   So proud to see the RM at number five!
                                           (Photo taken along Monkey Forest Road in Ubud)



No Chicken & Duck Talk
Bahasa Indonesia which is the national language in Bali, is similiar with Bahasa Malaysia, so communicating with the locals is not a problem.

Malaysians don't have problems ordering food, asking for directions, choosing which spa treatment or even having a simple conversation with the locals about life in Bali.

            If you're Malaysian, you don't have to read the English translation to understand what's being said in this signage. (Photo taken at Tampak Siring).


And you would certainly understand this signage too:

Photo taken at Tanah Lot.


Hot & Spicy
Traditional Balinese food is spicy like Malaysian food.

(Note: When I say "Malaysian food", I'm referring to Malaysian Malay and Malaysian Indian food but not Malaysian Chinese food which is usually not spicy.)

Due to similiarities in cuisine, Malaysians would feel right at home during meals in Bali because the dishes would definitely agree with their tastebuds and stomach.

And if you don't know what to order, always go for nasi goreng (fried rice).

The first time I was in Bali I had nasi goreng for lunch and dinner for 3 days straight. You can't go wrong with nasi goreng!
(Photo taken at Jimbaran Bay) 



2 comments:

Sapi Lucu said...

Hi Julie, i like your blog, i was stumbled upon it when I browse around. I have similar travel blog called www.travelingcow.com Tried to keep it like yours, in English but then I got tired writing in English ...back to Bahasa - my native.

Btw I couldn't help not to comment from your post here : "Bali is one country where Malaysians would feel at home"

You do realise that Bali is not a country right? :) it's part/one of a province in Indonesia. :)

Julie Lim said...

Vari Sapi Lucu,

You're right - Bali is not a country. I must have written that in the context that Bali is very different from the other parts of Indonesia, as if though it's a country of its own.

Anyway, I've changed the sentence accordingly to avoid any confusion.

Thanks for pointing it out :-)

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