As you are driving across the border into Malaysia the first thing you notice is almost everyone drives a Proton...gone are the Mazda's & Toyota's that were promenant in Thailand, shoddy looking Protons are the order of the day. I guess been a Malaysian built car you can't expect them to drive around in much else. My frist stop in Malaysia is Penang, a small little island linked to the main land by a 13.5km bridge. I end up staying in Little India, George Town the main town on Penang. Little did I know Malaysia would have such a big Indian community and as a result you have no end of Indian resturants to choose from. I can't remember the last time I had an Indian so when I arrive the first thing I do is get some cash and go search for some grub. For about RM6 (just over a pound) you can get a great feed the only thing is you have to pay almost double that for a drink!!! Drinking is a pricy game over here in Malaysia (well compared to other Asian countries)
On reading the Lonely planet before coming to Malaysia they made the comment that Malaysias economy is run by the Indians but the country is goverened by the Malaysias. Arriving into Penang you can certainly see this is true. The Indians seem to dominate the place and do most of the day to day work like cab/bus drivers, builders etc. The Little India section in Penang always seems to be alive with activity. The smell of spices & food been cooked waft through the air and along with this you have the Indian music & Bollywood films blaring out from every street corner.
After spending a day or so around Penang you certainly start notice the difference between here and the other Asian countries that I've been in so far. For one there is very little bartering (bar the markets), buying bus tickets, trips, accommodation etc are generally a fixed prices. The people are very helpful also (not that they weren't in other countries, its a little different here) also they speak very good English. For any first time traveler I'd say Malaysia is certainly an easy place to start, good transport, they speak good English, its a friendly place and above all its got some great food.
TBU
Its a 6am start to get to the Cameron Highlands and it takes about 4hrs to get there. The journey is straight forward enough but the last hour is where you get to see some fantastic sights as the bus makes its way up the mountain range. I end up staying in a place called Fathers Guest House which is on a hill over looking the town of Tanah Rata. The dorm rooms are set out in the style of military bunkers with 20 of us to a room. There is certainly a change in temperature up here, the highs are about 22 degrees and then in the evenings it drops to lowish teens, which you really notice after getting used to some of the temperatures around the mainland. 
The Cameron Highlands is renound for its ability to grow many different types of crops (Tea & Strawberries been the most popular) due to its climate, along with this the place is a get away retreat for many Malays from the hustle & bustle of the city's & the extremely humid conditions. Many tourist tend to come here for the trekking and for the scenery. As for the trekking well there is no end of it to be done, you could easily spend a week here just doing the 14 or so routes they have laid out.
TBU
Kuala Lumpur
Melaka
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