Previously, I mentioned that we went to Ipoh for a day trip and will be planning a beach trip to Penang. And we did! As the lockdown measures eased up to allow interstate travel in Malaysia, I thought it is the best to stretched our legs and immerse ourselves into nature after being holed up in an apartment for 2.5 months.
First of all, I do not advocate reckless behaviour. So even when I reasoned why travel is the best thing to do now, all precautionary measures such as wearing masks in public places, keeping top notch hygiene and observation of social distancing at all times is a must.
Secondly, if your government do not advocate interstate travel, please don’t do it yet. As always, safety comes first. At any point if you are hesitant about travel, listen to your guts. We only travel when the numbers of community infection are down to near zero.
Trust me, even with these measures in place, you will still be able to enjoy travel as much as before (even more so if you are an introvert).
And here are the reasons why:
Support The Locals
This is one of the best ways to help the economy to recover in your own country: by spending money supporting local brands. We choose to eat in small local eateries and shop at domestic stores, forging big foreign brands as much as possible.
Going our way out to smaller townships and kampungs is the best way to explore the rural locations while contributing to their livelihoods. Many of the locals are very happy to see us and some share their hardship stories with me.
All of them are glad that Malaysia Government are encouraging interstate tourism, even if the sales or the crowds will never be back to pre-pandemic, some profits are better than none.
Plus, I bet they were as bored as we were stuck at home.
Low prices everywhere
With the Malaysia government removing the service tax on hotels in addition to the fantastic hotels and restaurants deals, it is too attractive to give it a miss.
Our Shangri-La hotel in Penang was at 50% discount! Even tickets to attractions are at a discounted rate. Restaurants are promoting set meals and bars are advertising their happy hours.
Friendly faces all around
Whether it is due to not able to mingle around people (remember, those who work in hospitality and tourism are people persons) or maybe it’s fear of losing their jobs (lockdown since 18 March, many have seen companies coming down like dominos), all we saw are friendly faces all around. Smiles, waves and cheerful greetings.
Of course, it makes us feel so much better, knowing that we are welcomed here because we are contributing to their economy and not turned away because we are from the big city hence may be bringing viruses in.
Lesser traffic
The usual drive from Kuala Lumpur to Penang will take us roughly 5 hours, in consideration to traffic jams and breaks. This time round, it only took us 3.5 hours to reach.
It sucks to be stuck in a traffic jam but what sucks even more is when you are stuck in the car with a small child. Luckily for us, our little one is a seasoned traveller. 5 hours in cars or flights no longer fazed her. Instead, she’ll sleep like a log, conserving energy to play once we reach our destination. Smart baby!
No human crowd
You can be safe and have fun too
All the hotels and restaurants have to follow strict SOP in maintaining hygiene and adequate social distancing. We were greeted first with temperature checking and hand sanitising before we are shown to our table.
It is the same everywhere in Malaysia. So much so, my daughter is furious if she is missed out (probably because she’s 3 years old and adults are afraid of upsetting her with the thermometer), she will keep reminding the Uncle or Auntie to take her temperature and give her the hand sanitiser.
Sometimes, she even reminds me to put on a mask before stepping out of the car or the door.
So Clean
Without the humans around, the beaches and seas are so much cleaner. Many folks have warned us of broken glasses and leftover cigarette butts on Penang beaches, nope.. nada.. didn’t come across any. Not even stranded washed up jellyfishes on the sand.
The beach was so clean, there wasn’t a stray plastic in sight. The sea was cleaner than my previous visit some years ago.
Conclusion
The decision to jump at the chance of traveling interstate the moment the government allowed us (1 June) was the right one. There wasn’t any crowd, not even in tourist attractions. Everyone was being extremely careful, observing social distancing. That made me feel safe enough to bring my 3 year old daughter around.
Now we are hearing that resorts and hotels are fully booked and packed to the brim especially now it’s summer holidays for the international schools. Every parent is dying for a break away from the kids, a resort vacation will be the best place to contain everyone in one place yet in different activities. While everyone is rushing out to vacay, we are relaxing at home.
However, this is still the best moment to pack up a weekend bag and go explore your country. Without the travel borders opening up, you won’t get an influx of tourists. This may be status quo for some time.
MiddleMe 
That does sound fun
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It is fun. For a long time during lockdown, we haven’t had such fun in nature.
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We haven’t been out in four months. Your trip, every aspect of it, you scored. Especially the discounts and friendly faces.
Cant wait for my turn.
For now, i shall travel through my blogging family’s adventures.
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Your travel days will come soon. Just little longer. Meanwhile, you can start planning one. Maybe a quiet natural place to hike or dive.
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It seems you managed to have a great day with a quieter cleaner world.
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Yes, it was very peaceful and clean amid the chaos in the city.
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Amazing pictures!
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Thank you!
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Indeed it is a plus if you spend a great day with fresh and clean atmosphere !! 💕
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Oh yes, it has been so long we haven’t been back to nature so this trip is really fruitful to our souls and minds.
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Nice to see less pollution of human mind and matter.
Thanks for sharing.
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You’re most welcome and I am glad you love my post.
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My pleasure!
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So true! I live about 3 hours from Venice and visited there and it was truly amazing. Everything you listed was true there as well.
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Awesome that you can travel too! Venice must be awesome. I haven’t been there yet but one day, I will since it is on my list of countries to visit once in my lifetime! Thanks, Cindy.
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Well chosen destination. I am still a bit scared to mix but if you find a place like this….. perfect. I love that it is not polluted. The world is in better condition in this respect through the virus.
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I’m afraid to mix too but I am more afraid not to live a little. So finding a balance in the greyish area, the little one really relish her freedom in nature. I haven’t seen her laugh so loud for the longest time!
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Agree.
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Thank you!
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I think another reason to go travelling is for a change in environment – as staying at home all the time can get too much after a while!!
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Yes, precisely. But one key thing to remember all the time is hygiene hygiene and hygiene! Lol.
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I agree. If you get the chance to travel safely, the break is well worth it. No planes or trains, but car travel can be done safely. Stay well Kally. Allan
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Thank you so much, Allan. The break is worth it. I haven’t seen my daughter laugh so loud for the longest time. And yes, we avoid crowd like crazy, wear our masks and wash our hands all the time.
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Nice post, Kally. Seems like you had a great trip, especially with less people around and great deals by desperate businesses, ha. I agree that it’s important to support the local economy, especially small businesses. In Taiwan, domestic tourism is also being encouraged and in some places, it has become too successful and there are too many tourists as Taiwanese are unable to go abroad. I’m guessing since Malaysia is much bigger than Taiwan, they do not have this problem.
By the way, that photo of that tiny crab being held by your little daughter is cute.
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Thank you! My family wasn’t too happy that we were traveling around. I guess it was part worries and part envy. Since Singapore is too tiny for them to go anywhere. I am fortunate that I am in Malaysia and we get to choose obscure quaint places to visit to avoid the mainstream crowd.
Now this weekend is a long holiday (Hari Raya), we are staying at home to binge watch Netflix so as to give the local some space for their family visitation.
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That’s amusing your family in Singapore were unhappy due to worries (especially considering Singapore has much cases than Malaysia) and because they themselves can’t travel much. I do understand their frustration because even in Taiwan (which is much bigger than Singapore but much smaller than Malaysia), I feel a little annoyed I might not be able to go overseas anytime this year. I do intend to go on a trip to another part of Taiwan soon.
That’s certainly a good idea to stay home for a long holiday when there will be a lot of people traveling.
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Yeah, first world problems. Lol. As much as they understand not traveling should be the least of their problems, they can’t help it either. The cases are mostly do to foreign workers in dormitories while community cases are in he low single digit every day.
Taiwan have so many natural places to explore! The best thing is that Taiwan is safer than Malaysia (in terms of petty crime rates like snatch theft and robberies). If I am in Taiwan, I’ll probably hole up in one of the pretty Minsu at the coast areas or head up for a farm stay.
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OK, so Singapore is doing quite good if the community cases are so few. It’s sad that the foreign workers are still experiencing so many cases.
I’ve heard of Malaysia’s crime issues and I was a little surprised since this part of Asia is usually very safe.
Coincidentally, the country I’m from, Trinidad, has a serious crime problem that includes robberies and murders – this is one advantage of living and traveling in Asia.
Yes, Taiwan is very safe and it has a lot of natural beauty, especially for a small island. I am planning on going to the east coast.
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Yes, it is sad but not unexpected for the foreign workers to experience so many cases since they live in tightly packed dormitories.
The poorer the country is, the higher the crime rate especially if the people is not taken care of and struggling to find jobs just to survive or to feed your family.
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I hope the authorities can get the foreign worker cases under control or improve their conditions because it surely can’t be good for them to be crammed into dormitories while waiting to be infected.
Yes, crime is often caused by poverty and desperation, The sad thing is Malaysia and Trinidad are both middle-income nations with decent GDP per capita. I don’t know about Malaysia but in Trinidad, the issue is that inefficient and sometimes corrupt governance has caused wealth to be wasted so that a large amount of poverty still remains.
In Asia, I am surprised by Malaysia because less wealthier nations like Thailand and China don’t have a bad crime reputation, other than scams and pickpockets. And I’ve also visited “poor” nations like Myanmar and Sri Lanka that are considered quite safe.
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Long story with Malaysia. If you have the time, read the 1MDB story, that will give you some basis. It is very sad for Malaysians, they are super friendly and humbled folks who truly deserves a better life. They have the natural resources, vast land and manpower but yet next to the tiny Singapore (a country without natural resources), it is Malaysia $3 to Singapore $1.
I always believe it is corruption and poor strategy in managing a country that will led to a country’s GDP to fall drastically.
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I have heard about the 1MDB affair and I still can’t get over the vast sums that were stolen from the country. I am glad that Najib Razak got sentenced to jail for his corruption. And I realized during our discussion here that it’s so strange how the leader of a relatively well-off country like Malaysia could have been so corrupt (for me, these guys were like the Philippines’ Marcos and African dictators).
I agree with your points about Malaysia falling short and not making full use of its potential due to corruption and poor governance. I think when one considers that they built the Petronas in the 1990s and built their own car brand back then, it seems like they have stood still or even gone back a bit since then. I hope that they will progress more especially as they have locked up their corrupt leader.
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Unfortunately, during Najib period, the country has gone backwards. Just when the new party is trying to mend the patches and recover the economy, the pandemic strikes.
But I know the “kampung spirit” of Malaysians are very much alive. I feel it everyday. They will recover eventually and hopefully become stronger than before. I truly believe what they need are good governance and good people to run the party.
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I hope Malaysia will recover from all of this. Whether good governance can happen soon remains to be seen, though at least they have done alright with handling the coronavirus.
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I hope so too. Malaysia is a beautiful country with equally beautiful people. I hate to see it go to waste and abused.
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hello Kally , really nice photos
Your blog about what ? your thoughts ?
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Hello Ayse! Check out the description on my blog: https://middleme.net/about/
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Glad to meet you .
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Same here! Hope you are having a wonderful day.
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Aaa , is your girl ? She is so cute ❤️❤️
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Yes, this is my 3 year old daughter 🙂
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I couldn’t agree more! Just came back from the mountains of North Carolina and Kentucky. People were so happy to see visitors! A lot of people rely on travelers to support themselves. Thanks for this.
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Thank you, Bryan. As long as we travel responsibly, we can be safe and yet contribute to tourism.
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Nice post. We need traveling to relax. Glad you had great time. We try to have a outdoor trip in Sep.
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Thank you! Oooo… hope you have a good trip in Sep! Probably that’s when the weather is a little cooler?
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Thank you. I like travel in the Fall when it is not so hot.
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Wonderful experience, Kally – thanks for sharing it with us!
How could the whole thing not fill your nights (and your days) with honeyed dreams for years to come?
Especially, the little one. This likely jumped front-and-center among her happy childhood memories. Years from now, when she has little ones of her own, can you guess where she’s going to want to vacation?
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Yes, my days and nights are filled with joy remembering her laughter when she was playing on the beach. I got it recorded too!
Recently, she is torn between growing up to be a doctor or to be a scuba diver. I told her she don’t have to choose: she can do both. Haha!
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Exactly, Kally!
How about a marine biologist? One job, both options.
“OK, now that we know what we’re going to do, we’re going to have to go down there and help her. This is where we scuba.”
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I think currently she wants to be Little Mermaid. Hahahahaha! But Marine Biologist sounds awesome.
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Lovely, light-hearted post Kally. Yep, I’ve had a few weekends out of this ol city and gone just up the road (1.5 hrs) to the beautiful Kent, where it’s green and full of nature! Loved it.
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That’s really nice! I heard Kent is beautiful. You must have a wonderful time.
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It was amazing, as always Kally 🙂
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That is great. So many things to enjoy especially with the discounts. I love that your government is being very considerate. 🙂
Lovely sceneries. Your little one too sure had a great time. 😊
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Yes. The important part is that my little one totally loves it. We can’t wait to get back on the beach. She’s been asking for it Everyday!
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Smiles. Nature with its calm and beauty is so irresistible. 😊
Aww. That will be great. ❤
I can tell she misses it. ☺
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Insightful..sooner we accept the new normal, it would be better
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Thank you! Yes, we shouldn’t live recklessly but try to live within the guidelines.
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Your little one is so cute! I have news: I’m grandmother since 27 days 🙂
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OMG!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS, Paola! I’m so super happy for you!!!!!!!!! Thank you for making me yelping in joy at your news. What a joyous way to start my weekend at a friend’s awesome news.
Do you have a granddaughter or grandson?
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After two sons, a grandson 😉
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Awww… All boys in the family! Congratulations on your grandson!
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Thank you 🙂
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These are some good points in favor of responsible travel. I have occasionally thought about going farther afield to help support stores and restaurants in smaller towns.
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Thank you. I think we all should try to help the local stores especially the generations-to-generations shops and eateries.
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This sounds so fun!
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Yes, it is fun. Welcome to MiddleMe, Temiloluwa.
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Thanks Kally!
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Plus your Little one is adorable!
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Haha! Thank you, she’s a little diva.
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Sending virtual hugs!
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Virtual hugs back!
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Very nice travelogue
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Thank you and welcome to MiddleMe!
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Wonderful! And that careful examination of the crab is incredibly sweet!
Fortunately, I live in a little tourist town in the mountains, the kind of place people usually go to get away from the city.
Unfortunately, in the US that’s exactly what many people (who can) have done. Cities, like San Francisco (about 250 kilometres away) have lost large parts of their populations who can “work from a distance”. Presently, there isn’t square-meter to rent here, and the little town’s population is probably four times the usual number of residents through a typical winter. Add in weekend day-trippers, and the local infrastructure and wilderness are entirely overwhelmed. And of course, it’s also resulted in a local outbreak that quickly outstripped the resources of a little hospital more accustomed to dealing with ski and bike-riding injuries. “Paradise”, perhaps. Or just an upscale refugee camp.
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Big hugs. You must be frustrated with all the tourists! It is so dangerous too. Is there anyway your town can restrict the number of outsiders coming into your town per day? That may be the only way to make sure everyone is safe and practicing social distancing. Hard to distance yourself when there are no space!
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There’s been an attempt to limit the number of people in staffed locations, like State Parks and commercial areas. But the roads and the wilderness are overrun. Not much that can be done about it in the US… it’s hard enough to get Americans to just wear a mask in public. My solution is to get out before sunrise and enjoy the place before everyone else wakes up and realizes where they are. It’s still extraordinarily beautiful. And especially considering others’ situations, there’s a great deal to be thankful for.
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Awesome. I love traveling and awww your little one is so cute!! Sounds like you had a great time 🙃🙂
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Thank you so much. Yes, we had a wonderful time. Can’t wait to do it again.
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Nice write up Kally. These are really very nice tips.
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Thank you, Anil and welcome to MiddleMe!
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It sounds so nice. I see you enjoyed it. Stay safe.
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Thank you so much.
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You’re welcome!
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Love this! Especially helping locals and I agree there’s less traffic! 🙂 xx
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Thank you, Shannon! And welcome to MiddleMe!
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Traveling to a remote and hilly area is particularly the best thing to do.
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Nice! I really prefer to travel to any seaside.
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