Fast Facts

Business Hours The following are general open hours; specific establishments may vary: Banks are open Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm and Saturday 9:30 to 11:30am. Government offices are open Monday to Friday 8am to 12:45pm and 2 to 4:15pm and on Saturday and from 8am to 12:45pm. Smaller shops may open as early as 6 or 6:30am and close as late as 9pm. Many such stores are closed on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons and are busiest before lunch. Other shops are open 9:30am to 7pm. Department stores and shops in malls tend to open around 10:30 or 11am and close at 8:30 or 9pm daily. Bars and nightclubs usually close by 1am.

Electricity The voltage in Malaysia is 220-240 volts AC (50 cycles). Three-point square plugs are used, so buy an adapter if you plan to bring appliances. Many larger hotels can provide adapters upon request.

Emergencies Call tel. 999 in an emergency. All hotels and resorts keep qualified, English-speaking physicians on call; they will come directly to your hotel room. If your condition is serious enough, he or she can help check you into a local hospital.

Internet Access Internet service is widely available. Internet cafes come and go overnight, making it impossible to provide accurate information about them, so your best bet is to ask your concierge or the nearest tourism information office for the best places close to you. The major hotels provide access for their guests in a business center, but charges can be very steep.

Liquor Laws The legal age for purchasing alcohol in Malaysia is 18. Liquor is sold in pubs and supermarkets. If caught driving while over the legal limit (80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood), you'll be subject to a fine of up to RM2000 ($800) or up to six months in prison -- or both.

Mail Overseas postage rates are as follows: RM0.50 (10¢) for postcards and RM1.50 (40¢) for a 100-gram letter.

Newspapers & Magazines Malaysia's English-language papers, the New Straits Times (www.nst.com.my), The Star (www.thestar.com.my), The Sun (www.malaysiasun.com), and The Edge (www.theedgedaily.com), are available for purchase in hotel lobbies and magazine stands. Virtual Malaysia (www.virtualmalaysia.com) is a magazine aimed at tourists in Malaysia.

Pets To bring pets to Malaysia, you'll have to complete the proper forms and attach current vaccination records and veterinary health certificates, then submit them to the country's Department of Veterinary Services (DVS); refer to their website for further information: http://agrolink.moa.my/jph.

After this paperwork is processed, the mandatory quarantine ranges from 7 to 30 days; certain fees may apply. No quarantine is necessary, however, for dogs coming from rabies-free countries (U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Japan, and Singapore).

Note that certain breeds of dogs, including pit bulls, bulldogs, and Akitas, are not allowed into Malaysia. Other breeds, such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans, are subject to additional special conditions.

Keep in mind, too, that pets may have problems adapting to the Malaysian climate, especially if they are from temperate or cold regions.

For assistance importing your animal, the Animal Medical Centre (tel. 603 4042 6742; fax 603 4041 3660; email: drsiva@tm.net) in Kuala Lumpur will, for a fee, handle the paperwork and bureaucracy You can also use PetRelocation.com (tel. 877/PET-MOVE), a full-service pet-relocation company that arranges custom pet-shipping services.

Police A 24-hour hotline enables English-speakers to report incidents or seek help: dial tel. 07-2212999. You can also send a text message to 32728; type POLISJOH as the text's content.

Safety Johor Bahru has a high crime rate, but things have gotten better since the government established a crime-reporting hotline for English-speakers (see above). However, problems still exist. To protect yourself, refrain from carrying a bag or purse around town, opting instead for close-to-the-body pouches or pockets. As soon as you get into your car, lock the doors. Don't walk alone, don't go to deserted areas at night, and be aware of restrooms at gas stations, as there have been incidents of armed robbers lurking inside. Always lock your hotel door.

Smoking There is a limited smoking ban in Malaysia which does not extend to bars, cafes, and many open areas. The ban does extend to 19 categories of places, including hospitals, medical clinics, public elevators, public restrooms, air-conditioned restaurants, public transport, government premises, educational institutions, gas stations, internet cafes, and shopping complexes. However, lax enforcement is an issue, although the government plans to get tougher on offenders.

Taxes A 5% government tax is added to all hotel rates (as well as an additional 10% service charge). Larger restaurants also tack the same 5% tax onto your bill, plus a 10% service charge, whereas small coffee shops and kiosks don't charge anything above the cost of the meal. And though most tourist goods (such as crafts, camera equipment, sports goods, cosmetics, and select small electronic items) are tax-free, a small, scaled tax is issued on various other goods such as clothing, shoes, and accessories that are mostly sold in the larger shopping malls and department stores. A departure tax of MYR45 ($14) must be paid, but it may be included in the cost of your airfare.

To Make International Calls To place a direct international call from Malaysia, dial the international access code (00), plus the country code of the nation you are calling (U.S. and Canada 1, Australia 61, Ireland 353, New Zealand 64, U.K. 44), plus the area code and the residential number. To reach the international operator, dial tel. 108.

Buying a phone card to call home is a good idea; calls from Johor Bahru to the U.S. can cost as little as 6¢ per minute.

If you're bringing a global cell phone, Celcom (tel. 800/707-0031 in the U.S.; 213/337-5560 outside the U.S.) offers a prepaid SIM card for which all incoming are free, regardless of where they originate. Local calls cost the local rate. You also get a local phone number, as well as voicemail and text-messaging capabilities.

Time Zone Malaysia is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+8), 16 hours ahead of U.S. Pacific Standard Time (Los Angeles), 13 ahead of Eastern Standard Time (New York), and 2 hours behind Sydney, Australia. There is no daylight saving time.

Tipping Tipping isn't customary in Malaysia, but if you're staying in a nicer hotel, you may want to give your bellhop RM5 ($1.40) per bag. Elsewhere, gratuities are not expected.

Water Drinking the tap water in Malaysia is not advisable; even locals boil it before drinking it. Hotels will supply bottled water in your room, often for inflated prices: A 1.5-liter bottle goes for RM7 ($2) in a hotel minibar, but RM2 (60¢) at 7-Eleven.