As someone that had already seen dozens of Southeast Asian beaches and sampled mouth-watering cuisine in a handful of neighboring countries, I didn’t think Malaysia had many surprises for me. Yet it offered everything we were looking for with crowds a bit thinner, prices a bit more within reach, and transport exponentially easier and safer. We came for the islands, but stayed for the cities – completely won over by friendly locals, historic and cultural sites within city limits, and the totally addictive nasi lemak.