Malaysia welcomes the world... but will the world welcome Malaysia in welcoming the world?
Wikitravel:
wikitravel.org/en/George_Town_(Malaysia)
Stay safe
Be extra careful in shopping malls and crowds, as they are the spots of petty crimes such as pickpockets and snatch thefts although rape crimes occasionally happens.
(hmm... mom was right)
(Prangin- getting crappier by the day...)
(and here's my favourite part...)
Local men like to yell things to women walking alone, and sometimes they can get "too friendly". It is not rare to get suggestions to see the sizes of local men's "organs" for example. You should travel in a group, if you are a woman. Local men think that westeners are much more "open" to such suggestions, because they have been taught in schools and newspapers that the westerners are infidels with no moral, and that they can have lots of promiscuous sex with multiple partners. Men walking alone will have to deal with a similar amount of harrassment too, especially around the Love Lane/Lebuh Shulia areas. There are large amounts of prostitutes and/or ladyboys prowling the streets here and they can be very aggressive. Exercise great caution walking around at night.
Outside SoHo... where the male harassing usually occurs. Go, Ah Gua...!!!
If you look like a tourist, you will get considerably higher prices from the salesmen in markets, like Batu Ferringhi Night Market, or the market near the Kek Lok Si temple. The real price of the product is always a lot less than you would pay for it in western countries, and at times "the best price" is five times the normal price.
(er... they charge according to the forex?)
Count those bills, Malaysians never give you more change than you deserve...
Taxis generally do not use meters, even if it is compulsory by law. The meters are always "broken". You should anyway ask for a meter, because you might get lucky. The metered price is always less than a price given in advance. Again tourists are often cheated, sometimes even left by a roadside in a middle of nowhere, if they refuse to pay a considerable sum of money. Serious crimes are pretty rare, but you should find out about normal prices for taxis somewhere in advance. Taxis taken from Penang Airport are safe, you pay using slips given in a small office in the airport building.
Do not use drugs, and stay away from them! You can easily get a death sentence even from a possession, because the local police are ordered to raise charges of trafficking instead. Synthetic drugs are quite widespread even with this kind of legislation.
There are lots of beggars around, because they are not controlled in any way. Some of them have mutilated themselves with knives to remove large parts of skin from the legs, and/or have learned to crawl around without using their legs at all. Sometimes children are kidnapped and used as beggars. This is more about the security of the poor people than your own, but you should think twice before giving them money. You should use some charity organizations instead. Five ringgits will buy more rice for an organization than for a single beggar.
Whoa... Like seriously, WHOA!
That was harsh, wasn't it?
As cruel as that oaf who wrote this article on Wikitravel, i still have to agree on the facts laid down. The simple truth is, yes, that is a wacky, hazardous world out there in Georgetown and all the above do happen... all the time!
But still....
Sea of liquid meets a sea of lights at Gurney Drive.*Sigh*Penang is a great place to be.
Trust me.
(this is coming from a person who had persistently wished that the Pearl of the Orient will be swallowed up by a tsunami)
