Penang Getaway

It has almost been 8 months since my last holiday. With the new career and new commitments (it has to do with home and nothing to do with the other half), I'm tied down in populated Singapore. Even my birthday was celebrated in Singapore.

I'd managed to slip in a holiday to clear my leave and deprivation of a holiday hence Penang was planned with Hakimbo for a 3 days 3 nights getaway. Flight booked by Hakimbo via Air Asia and hotel booked by me from Agoda.com.

Firstly, how is the accommodation? With Hakim around, you can literally kiss you bed goodnight. We'll be out most of the time and will only be back at night. Hence a cheaper hotel is the best. I've booked Sunway Hotel Georgetown which is a 4-star hotel and the deluxe room rate was only SGD 65/night. There's a swimming pool and gym which we didn't use. The room is just like most 2-4 star hotel; a necessary need of a comfortable bed, a complimentary wi-fi connection (not listed in website), a bathtub (for my need of relaxation after a long day walk), a fridge to chill the bottles of water and television just in case (under utilized as we brought our own shows in all means - iPods, iPhones and iPad). The hotel stay comes with breakfast but it's such a disappointment. We rather sleep through or eat out rather than coming down for breakfast.

Secondly, getting around can be quite a breeze. Sunway Hotel Georgetown is located about 5mins away from Komtar where every bus passes by. The buses are very similar to Singapore buses for the handicap and it's clean. Trips can cost as much as RM 4+ but majority of our rides cost a maximum of RM2.70. The buses are currently integrating the tap cards. The bus system may not be as idiot-proof as Singapore as they only point out the roads that the bus passes through. When you board the bus, you will have to tell the driver your desired location and ask for the fare which he will manually pass you the receipt. And twice we alighted at the wrong stop, which will be shared later. Taxis are another mean of transportation which we did not venture. Most remarks we received were that they are mostly metered and it's RM1 per minute journey. Note on my last ride, all buses comes with wi-fi connection.

Pasembur and Char Kway Teow

Next, come our belly fulfillment. Food are all over Penang and it's cheap. Just below the hotel, it's a food paradise. The road will be closed and make shift stall are erected to serve culinary Penang dishes like Asam Laksa, Bak Ku Teh, and many other chinese food. Sadly they're all chinese food and no halal food in sight. A great place to fill the tummy is at Gurney Drive. It'll put Newton and Lau Pa Sat to shame. Food there are awesome and selections are plenty. And stall owners do not rip you off your pockets. Anjung Gurney as it's callled only opens after 6pm and the place is packed to the brim. The area are split into halal and non-halal where it occupies a huge area. The Char Kway Teow (it's to die for), Pasembur, Lok Lok and other goodies can be found.

Another food hunts to note are the street peddlers. There are plenty around Penang Road and the famous one to note is the Teow Chew Chendul store which serves classic desserts by the road side. These famous stall are located at the junction of Keng Kwee and Penang Road. There are 2 stores here which serve the same things and both are equally packed on different days which is a wonder. The stall we visit comes with A table hence we patronized a more civilized dessert sitting down. The chendul does wonders especially on a hot day and you'll be begging for more out of thirst. It's definitely refreshing but you'll yearn for water to soothes the throat.

Other food ventures are Chilli's which is only located at Gurney Plaza. Another restaurant we went is David Brown's Restaurant and Tea Terrace, made famous from Cameron Highlands. The food there are wonder and it's quite affordable, converted to SGD.

So, what is there to do in Penang besides belly full-fillment? There's ton of walking around the heritage Georgetown which starts across Komtar. The whole area is filled with old shop houses and prominent buildings preserved by UNESCO World Heritage. There's also great beach activities at Batu Ferringhi which is an hour bus ride from Komtar.Trendy hotels such as Shangri-La and Hard Rock are located there with plenty of water activities such as para-sailing and jet skis.

In the center of Penang is the noted Penang Hill which is about 45 mins bus ride from Komtar. An early alighting lead us to Kek Lok Si temple which sits on a hill. The climb up the temple is not that tiring as your eyes wonder around the many shops surrounding the steps. Mid level of the climb, stood a hut on top of a pond filled with turtles. As we climbed further up, there are many levels to the temple. The entrance, first temple, second temple and another temple at a sub level. Further up is a giant statue which is currently under construction. It's so majestic from the view of the first picture below.

The Base Tram Station

From the base of Kek Lok Si, we're able to see the tram route up Penang Hill. Knowing the slow frequency of the bus, I convinced Hakimbo to walk to the base of Penang Hill which took us about 30 mins walk. That's for making me walk around Georgetown the day before. The tram service up to Penang Hill cost us RM30 but if you're a Malaysian citizen, you'll pay only RM8 if you show your MyCard. Queue for the tram ride is definitely long over the weekend but the line is definitely moving with it's 2 new trams which travels up and down hill faster than those of Hong Kong's Victoria Peak. So what is on Penang Hill. Well, it's practically nothing. There's a mosque and a Hindu temple, an inaccessible hotel with a bird sanctuary and A resident home. Only David Brown's Restaurant is the notable visit for it's food and dessert. It's least prominent as the restaurant sits on the peak of the hill but the view is spectacular. Best to dine outdoors but we had ours indoors as the only tables around were under the scorching sun and leaves were falling at every gush of wind.

The new tram

David Browns Restaurant

Would you expect any shopping done in Penang? If you're a shopaholic, it's possible. There are a few shopping mall around Penang with few selection of known brands. I was there during the Sale period but there wasn't much selection of items to choose from. Gurney Plaza is a great place to shop. The many arrays of shops will definitely thrill the shoppers. But there's nothing that interest me. So most of my trip money went to food.

Lastly, I would like to share my first experience overseas which is watching movies in the cinema. As lame as it seems yet it's true. Transformers DOTM just release so I planned to catch it in Penang. Booking was easy yet different, the website only ask for your mobile number and not your credit card details, and unable to select seats. Upon collection, just provide them the booking number and they allow you to relocate your seating. That was nice but hell broke loose when we entered the cinema. The whole place including the alley reeks of a musky stench. The seats were elevated for better viewing but when the movie ends, just don't look down. The WHOLE cinema was scattered with popcorn and our movie was the first for the day. Seriously???

Another irritating incident was the patrons, who won't shut up. The family (Parent and 2 boys) were yakking and yapping in the show and the mother couldn't sit still, moving in and out of the row which definitely disrupted us hence we switched seats to another row. About 30 mins passed, another patron came in talking on the phone, sat down and left once he completed his call. Seriously??? That's not all. Remember the family, 2 more of their kids(girls) came in about an hour passed the show and yak and yap till we hushed them. And is that the end??? Nope, about 30mins before the ending at it's most climatic scene, remember the family, another 2 guys came in and sit in front of them and turned to talk to the parents. Seriously??? I'm surprised that only Hakimbo and me are the shushing one while the others are not bothered by them. Gawd, can't we enjoy a show in the cinema peacefully anywhere?

So, did I enjoy my Penang trip. I did in a way because I glad that I managed to get out of Singapore. Penang is surely an experience but I don't foresee myself going there again anytime soon within the next 3 decades.

Check out the adventures of Penang.