“Long road trips require a well-balanced diet of caffeine, salt and sugar and a great selection of music - Oh yes ... and directions."
After a long 10hrs and a brief KFC dinner break in Ayer Keroh pitstop and 3 toilets breaks, finally we reached Penang at 1am. The first thing that greeted us was a police roadblock, we were stopped because we did not have "road tax" sticker on the windscreen. After showing our road tax from the web, police then realized that we are from Singapore (he might think we are from Sarawak), he let us cross the roadblock with a welcoming smile.
Here in the brief introduction on Penang
Penang (Malay Pulau Pinang) is located on the northwest coast of Malaysia. Penang is an island by itself that is connected by Malaysia's two longest road bridges, the Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge and is bordered by Kedah and Perak. The capital city is George Town, and we will be spending a few nights here.
Penang was a British colony in 1867 until it was occupied by the Japanese during the World War 2. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, The British retook Penang back and was later merged with Malaysia which gained independence from the British in 1957.
Personally, this is not my first time to Penang, came here for holiday before via plane and cruises. I always like Penang because of the good food, beautiful Gurney Drive, old-school lanes and buildings. Most locals speak Hokkien here, it feels so at home.
I was assigned a room facing the KOMTAR, I can see the city as well as the sea view. The room is clean with 5-star amenities. Comfy king-size bed with smooth bed sheets and the air con is well functioning too!
Despite there is no bathtub, we totally love the clean and spacious bathroom.
Hotel breakfast choices are widespread that I do not know where to start.
The nasi lemak is seriously delicious!
Overall, we are very happy with Courtyard by Marriott. The staff here are all very polite and welcoming.
Just 4 minutes' walk away from Courtyard by Marriott, we are here for second breakfast. An old school coffee shop that is full of local fares.
We are here for Hock Seng Lor Mee which has a chicken foot hidden inside. It's a shame that the foot is not deep braised enough.
Sonny opted for char kway teow which is full of wok hei.
Boss gave in to the temptation for some dim sums which are really good.
We came back again for dinner; for this curry fish head which we already aimed in the morning.
The curry fish head is very rich and tasty, it is cooked with assam and coconut, no curry powder is used at all. Seabass fish head is very fresh and was cut into few pieces for easy cook and consumption. Sambal kangkong is well cooked to a perfect state ; Easy to chew yet still crispy. Fried egg is simple kosong fried egg, yet it is so delicious that we ordered again.
The atmosphere was totally different from the morning. It became a beer garden with live singing.
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St George Church
St George Church is a 19th century oldest Anglican church in S.E.A.
The elegant white building was built in 1818 by East India Company where large ship full of Indian convicts were sent here for the construction. The church was awarded National Heritage status in 2017 and since underwent extensive conservation. At the date of visit, it is in the midst of latest facelift.
Clan Jetties (Chew, Tan, Lim, Ong, Yeoh, Koay & Lee)
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Penang - The Clan Jetties of George Town only came about in the late 19th century, following the reclamation of the George Town waterfront that extended the shoreline outward.
Due to heavy tax from British government to use the main port, these jetties are constructed by Chinese Hokkien immigrants who share similar backgrounds in Fujian China. There were many people staying on jetties from houses made of stilts, especially laborers who found work loading goods from ships. Today, the offspring of the laborers are still staying here, and of course they are no longer working along the shoreline. Everything is modernized here now but the nostalgic feel from yesterday is still there.
Today, we will visit 2 out of 7 clan jetties here which are Chew and Lee. Originally, there were 9 jetties but 2 were demolished. Sonny enjoyed observing the buildings and the people here. I find this is an educating place as the younger generations can never see this in Singapore anymore.
Chew Jetty
The most famous jetty among the rest, personally I came here a few times, and I am glad that I am here with my family.
The main core business the Chews done was cargo services where they will send smaller ships to deep water to transfer goods and sailors from the big ships into the mainland.
Sonny is attracted by the aroma of char kway teow frying over live charcoal fire. He was tempted to buy but gave up due to his impending lunch.
Due to the surge of visitors, souvenirs shops and food outlets are popping out to serve the demand.
The floating village is built entirely on stilts that offer us gorgeous view. Mural paintings on the houses added a further twist to the atmosphere.
The sun was so overwhelming that Boss cannot open his eyes.
Glad that there is this gelato shop here to kill the heat. Heard that all the gelato here are homemade. The famous Penang Bridge from jetty.
Lee Jetty
One of the oldest clan jetties here among the other jetties. Though it is smaller and simpler than Chew Jetty, but the spirit and charms are great as this place maintained its originality since it is not as commercialized as Chew Jetty.
The whole village here is made on stilts too. Walking on the plank bridge gave me a feeling of freedom, it feels so relaxing.
Spotted a mud skipper here, it looks so fat.
The sun was too overwhelming that we decided not going to explore other jetties, we are already one tone daker at this point.
Kheng Pin Cafe,
We are here for the Lor Bak and this place is famous for it.
With near half a century of business, this place is well recognized for this dish.
See what we ordered here..
To most Singaporean, this is similar to Ngoh Hiang.
Kean Eng Sdn. Bhd
Kean Eng is a company specializing at dried seafood since 1957. It first started as a sundry store and since grown into a seafood wholesale business. A good place selling seafood in wholesale price.
Kimberely Street
Located directly opposite of KOMTAR.
We were supposed to come for the chendol but the queue is too much. We decided to skip it since we are not really a fan of it.
We ended up with muah chee, you can choose original or pandan flavours. We never tried pandan one before and opted for it. Indeed, it is soft and fluffy with a after taste of pandan.
Rainbow Skywalk @ The Top , KOMTAR
The visit start from level 65 where there is a 2 minute videos about the extension of KOMTAR from level 65 to 68 then follow by the indoor observatory deck.
Once this is done, take a lift up to level 68 where you find the Rainbow Skywalk, which is a glass observatory boulevard located at The Top of KOMTAR.
Standing at the height if 68th floor of KOMTAR, it is the highest outdoor observatory in Malaysia.
Unlimited view of George Town, including Penang Hill, Gurney Drive and etc.
You can also find other attractions like "Pot of Gold" & "The World Luckiest Chair" here too.
Chulia Street Street Food / Carnarvon Street Food
Shifted to opposite Lane : Carnarvon Street, but it is still known as Chulia Street Night Market.
The wantan mee is really very good, that we ordered twice, it is located at the starting point of the street.
The carrot cake is also another yummy one, the wok hei is very strong, the chye poh is very fragrance!
The satay is Sonny's favorite, he queued for 20minutes. The satays are grilled to perfect colour, the chicken meat is so soft and tender. The gravy is thick, hot and strong peanut taste.
The apom is very good too, come in original flavour at MYR0.60 per piece, expect long queue as order is cooked on the spot.
We also ordered popiah, moo ping, fried kway teow which I think is still ok.
Penang Hill
We skipped breakfast to reached here at 730am to avoid crowd yet still end up buying express tickets otherwise we have to queue for 2hrs for the Furnicular Train. The express ticket cost MYR80 while MYR30 for regular tickets for tourists whereas MYR12 for locals.. Such a GREAT difference.
Look at the crowds at 730am, so scary!
The easiest way to visit Penang Hill is by taking the 15-minute Funicular Train from Lower to Upper Station. As this is a popular attraction to the locals and tourist, expect queues on weekend.
A must visit when in Penang, standing at 833m above sea level of Georgetown, amazing paranomic views is rewarded to those who made their way here. The weather here is rather windy and cooling, the temperature is at least 3 degrees lower than the ground land. There are many colonial houses or building at the top of Penang and some are turned in resorts and restaurants.
walking trail
Side track: You may wish to opt for a hike up to Penang Hill as there is no entrance fee. Do note that it will be a 5km hike up and there is a possibility of meeting snakes, monkey or fallen trees. Up to you.
Lye Lye Coffeeshop
This coffeeshop is located at the bottom of Penang Hill. We were too hungry after the morning walk on the Penang Hill, so we decided to visit this coffee shop for a bite first before heading back to the hotel for round 2.
This coffee shop is spacious and clean and selling local fares. The food is amazing, yummy !
Kek Lok Si (ๆฅตๆจๅฏบ)
Built since the year 1891, Kek Lok Si Temple situated in the island of Penang, Malaysia, is one of the largest and finest temples complexes in Southeast Asia. The entire complex of temples was built over a period from 1890 to 1930.
It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, built strategically on a sprawling hill.
Kek Lok Si is known to be one of the finest temples and been receiving Buddhist pilgrimage from devotees in S.E.A.
With millions of magnificent images of Buddha and hundreds of beautiful meaningful carvings, sculptures and murals in the interior and exterior of the temple halls, pagodas and archways, Kek Lok Si Temple is not just a center for Chinese culture and Buddha teaching, but also an unique heritage treasures that have Mahayana Buddhism and traditional Chinese rituals blend into a harmonious whole, in temple architecture and daily activities of worshipers.
Air Itam Dam
Located on the top the hill of Kek Lok Si, the serene park + lake is a wonderful place for a stroll or a jog. This is a truly hidden gem of Penang.
The air is good, you can hear the rhythmic sound of a waterfall opposite of the car park. There are a few stray dogs here, not to worry as they are very gentle, it seems they have a feeder base on their sizes. There is a small police station here to monitor visitors not to misbehaves. It is ideal to visit this dam if you happen to visit Kek Lok Si.
Ghee Hiang
One of the brands which I grew up with, Ghee Hiang has been around for more than 160 years. Glad that this shop is just next to Courtyard by Marriott.
A traditional Chinese pastry that origin from Fujian, this yummy is brought over by an immigrant from those grandfather's years. The Sesame oil is another must buy product from this old timer too.
Welcome 2023
The celebration of the New Year in most countries is a 'Countdown" followed by fireworks.
Same for Malaysia too especially when fireworks & firecrackers are legalized here. I ever lighted firecrackers in Penang N years ago at Gurney Beach.
Happy New Year to everyone here.
You have reached the start of the blog here. ๐ฌ
The next blog will be on Ipoh, please stay tune.
Nevertheless, since you are already here, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the other blogs I had on Malaysia.
1) Malacca 3D2N Food Hunt Trip April 20184) Malacca Food Hunting Trip again - 2019 part II
6) Idyllic Ipoh
9) Malacca - July 2024
Lastly, you are most welcome to browse through the content page for my other travel blogs to Thailand, Korea, Japan, Europe and etc. I will be deeply blessed if you can like my Facebook page: followblueginger
Thank you for dropping by.
Wish you good luck. ๐
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