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Penang

A Day in Penang 2

A Day in Penang 2

A Day in Penang 2

Third day in Penang. Same usual process of going for the free buffet breakfast as the previous day (see A Day in Penang 1), then headed out to KOMTAR (Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak) bus station to take Bus 204 to Penang Hill (last stop). Since I reached around 10.45am, I bought the earliest round-trip ticket RM4 for 11:00am at Penang Hill Railway ticket counter. Actually, I did come to Penang Hill the previous day too (as it’s nearby Kek Lok Si) but I have to wait for 2.5 hours for the next available rail. Thought it was a time-waster to just sit and wait, so decided to come back early the next day.

A Day in Penang 2

Finally boarded the 11:00am funicular railway. It was really crowded and cramped!

A Day in Penang 2

Leaving the main station and going upwards to Penang Hill. The funicular railway will not take you straight to the top, you have to change trains halfway.

A Day in Penang 2

Finally arrived after 30 min duration. Another group of visitors will take the same funicular train down.

A Day in Penang 2

Panoramic view of the city, 830m above sea level. It’s cooling up here! 🙂

A Day in Penang 2

Funicular train on it’s way down.

A Day in Penang 2

Jungle trekking is one of the popular activities in Penang Hill. Another attraction is Canopy Walk, which is a suspension bridge hanging over the treetops. Would love to do both but I just don’t have enough time as I need to collect biscuits from Him Heang and then meet up with my partner at hotel at 3pm! Sigh….

A Day in Penang 2

Is that the faint image of Penang Bridge?

A Day in Penang 2

Waiting area for the funicular train leaving Penang Hill.

A Day in Penang 2

At the top of Penang Hill, there is tea kiosk, restaurants, souvenir stalls, mosque, Hindu temple and Bellevue hotel.

A Day in Penang 2

Another view of city of Penang. Seems to me it’s kinda cloudy today and wasn’t able to see so clearly.

A Day in Penang 2

Bukit Bendera is the Malay name for Penang Hill, which refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak.

A Day in Penang 2

Walking around to explore. Noted that are some stalls around here.

A Day in Penang 2

A stall selling grasshoppers that care delicately made from leaves.

A Day in Penang 2

Seems to be an area where you can take photo with snakes.

A Day in Penang 2

Food center at the top of Penang Hill for you to chill out or eat.

A Day in Penang 2

Somewhere on Penang Hill, there is this 32 pounder cannon, weighing 2.75 tons. This cannon was probably transported from town to hill as an ornament or to warn the presence of pirates.

A Day in Penang 2

Sri Aruloli Thirumurugan, or better known as the Penang Hill Hindu Temple, is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang.

A Day in Penang 2

Old wooden funicular train of Penang Hill Railway, used from 1923 to 1977.

A Day in Penang 2

Taking another look at the city view before leaving Penang Hill. The journey also takes about 30min down and after which I took bus 204 back to KOMTAR area.

A Day in Penang 2

From KOMTAR, took a short stroll to New World Park along Jalan Burma (beside Tune Hotels Penang).

A Day in Penang 2

Food Court at New World Park. Huge selection of food available!

A Day in Penang 2

Koay Teow Th’ng (粿条汤) RM4.

A Day in Penang 2

After my lunch at New World Park, I went to Him Heang to collect my orders – 2 boxes of Tau Sar Pneah (豆沙饼) at RM19 and 2 boxes of Beh Teh Sor (马蹄酥) at RM13.

A Day in Penang 2

At Him Heang, I also bought 1 packet of preserved nutmeg (sweet) RM2.80, 1 packet of preserved nutmeg (sweet & salty) RM2.80 and 1 packet of liquorice nutmeg at RM4.30. Buah Pala is the malay word for nutmeg.

A Day in Penang 2

Left the Him Heang products back at hotel and met up with my partner. Then took a cab for RM12 to Gurney Plaza to walk around again! There is Dragonball Z Heroic Christmas Live Show happening at Gurney Plaza. I was a Dragonball fan when I was young (hmm…maybe I still am now …)!

A Day in Penang 2

G Hotel Penang at Gurney Drive. Should have stayed here instead but my partner mentioned that it might be a hassle to travel daily to Hotel Royal Penang for her training. It’s such a nice hotel – surely it can make up for the travel time! 😛

A Day in Penang 2

Walking along Gurney Drive sourcing for dinner.

A Day in Penang 2

We decided to try Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant at Gurney Drive, Penang as I was attracted to the Bali-themed decoration.

A Day in Penang 2

Huge selection of fresh seafood available at Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant. You can come up to this area and choose what you like to have!

A Day in Penang 2

Steam Live Prawns 300g RM24++.

A Day in Penang 2

Sambal Asparagus RM12++.

A Day in Penang 2

Fried mussels with Aroma Spicy Sauce RM15++.

A Day in Penang 2

Chilli Crab with Steam Buns RM52++. Oh yes, also had 2 bottles of Carlsberg at RM27++ to go along with the meal too!

A Day in Penang 2

Night setting of Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant. Very nice!

A Day in Penang 2

After the dinner at Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant at Gurney Drive, we took a cab to New World Park at RM15. Wanted to try Old Town White Coffee before I leave Penang.

A Day in Penang 2

Old Town White Coffee.

A Day in Penang 2

Mango and Cranberry Smoothie at Old Town White Coffee.

A Day in Penang 2

The next morning, we arranged for hotel limousine service to drive us to Penang International Airport after we had our breakfast. Reached the airport and immediately checked-in our luggage.

A Day in Penang 2

There was still some time left before our flight boarding so we relaxed at The Coffee Bean and shared a cup of Mocha.

This trip was pretty short for me as I only had 1 and 1/2 days to explore around. There were several attractions that I wanted to visit but did not due to the short stay. The next time I return to Penang, I will make sure to stay at one of the resorts at Batu Ferringhi and relax! 🙂

Categories
Penang

A Day in Penang 1

A Day in Penang 1

A Day in Penang 1

Second day in Penang (槟城), woke up around 7.30am and headed to the coffee lounge beside the hotel lobby to have our free breakfast buffet. After the breakfast, my partner went to attend her training which was also held at one of the meeting rooms in the hotel. I had another quick look at the free map which I took from the hotel lobby before stepping out to explore.

A Day in Penang 1

Walking along Jalan Burma towards KOMTAR (Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak). Spotted some colonial styled shop houses along the way.

A Day in Penang 1

Coin-operated parking meter that are still used in Georgetown, Penang. Interesting!

A Day in Penang 1

TuneHotels.com in Penang. Have heard great reviews about this hotel!

A Day in Penang 1

Another colonial-styled houses. Love the gold trimmings on the gate as it brings out the delicate design.

A Day in Penang 1

KOMTAR (Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak) – the tallest building in Penang.

A Day in Penang 1

On the top of the cross-junction bridge, noticed that there is an old building beside it.

A Day in Penang 1

Street view from the bridge. It was about 9.30am, traffic was smooth.

A Day in Penang 1

Slowly made my way to the bus station at KOMTAR and waited for a short while before boarding the bus. As there are various prices for different destination (depending on distance) so normally I will ask for the price for destination when I board the bus. You pay during then and will be handed a ticket as above. The buses are operated under Rapid Penang and you can check out their website for journey planner.

A Day in Penang 1

Shops near the bus stop (in Ayer Itam) where I alighted for my destination to Kek Lok Si (极乐寺).

A Day in Penang 1

It’s a busy morning! Rows of shops and stalls selling almost everything. At the far end of the road, there is a local wet market as well.

A Day in Penang 1

The Kuan Yin Octagonal Pavilion was only recently completed on 6th December 2009. 🙂

A Day in Penang 1

Reached Kek Lok Si’s Kuan Yin Octagonal Pavilion.

A Day in Penang 1

The area where you can purchase offerings for prayers. I made a purchase for 3 joss sticks for my prayers.

A Day in Penang 1

A resting pavilion at Kek Lok Si.

A Day in Penang 1

Ticket counter for incline lift to Five Directions Buddha Great Hall.

A Day in Penang 1

Made the ticket purchase for return trip at RM4. Then proceeded to queue up for the lift to arrive.

A Day in Penang 1

Inside the incline lift to visit the Five Directions Buddha Great Hall.

A Day in Penang 1

Five Directions Buddha Great Hall.

A Day in Penang 1

A long rows of Buddhas.

A Day in Penang 1

Bird’s eye view of Georgetown, Penang from Kek Lok Si.

A Day in Penang 1

Building beside the Five Directions Buddha Great Hall.

A Day in Penang 1

Very colorful and interesting architecture.

A Day in Penang 1

Walk up the stairs to 2nd level and you will see 3 Buddha in the room.

A Day in Penang 1

Went up to the Kuan Yin Octagonal Pavilion for closer look and to pray as well.

A Day in Penang 1

My first Penang Laksa RM3 that I had in Penang at a coffee shop outside of Kek Lok Si.

A Day in Penang 1

The stall that sells the Penang Laksa. There are several other food in the coffee shop as well.

A Day in Penang 1

Realized that I have not taken any photo of the Rapid Penang bus that I have been taking so I quickly took a snap while waiting for my bus to arrive.

A Day in Penang 1

While waiting for bus to arrive, I saw a stall (well, it’s a stall on a motorcycle) that is selling Penang Muah Chee ( glutinous rice balls coated in toasted peanuts). Decided to give it a go!

A Day in Penang 1

My RM2 worth of Penang Muah Chee . It was soft and chewy!

A Day in Penang 1

The interior of the Rapid Penang bus.

A Day in Penang 1

Took the Rapid Penang bus back to KOMTAR area and visited Prangin Mall. Went up to the 4th floor to check out the tech products!

A Day in Penang 1

Another area of Prangin Mall. There are a total of 167 Tenant in Prangin Mall. Cathay Cineplex is on the 5th floor!

A Day in Penang 1

At KOMTAR Walk, chanced upon Cafe Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol and decided to give it a try due to the hot weather.

A Day in Penang 1

Original Chendol RM5.50. My bad, focusing is totally out!

A Day in Penang 1

The interior of Cafe Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol. Nicely decorated with many old antiques!

A Day in Penang 1

Ghee Hiang (义香) at 216 Jalan Macalister – one of the famous traditional biscuits brands in Penang. The huge crowd in front was bought by tour operators as there was several big coach buses parked at the main road.

A Day in Penang 1

Another famous and popular biscuits brand in Penang – Him Heang (馨香). There is only one shop in Penang and it’s located at 162A Burma Road. Pre-ordering is recommended due to the limited daily production. I made an order for 2 boxes of Tau Sar Pneah (豆沙饼) and 2 boxes of Beh Teh Sor (马蹄酥) to be collected the next day.

A Day in Penang 1

After ordering the traditional biscuits from Him Heang, I continued my walk up Jalan Burma to visit Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram. I had some difficulties locating this area as I thought I have overshot it but actually I need walk further down (after asking a local lady). The above is Dhammikarama Burmese Temple which is located opposite Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram.

A Day in Penang 1

Entrance of Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram. The temple was built in 1845.

A Day in Penang 1

Walking into Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram.

A Day in Penang 1

Spectacular Reclining Buddha at Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram – one of the largest Reclining Buddha in the world, measuring 33 meters in length and is completely gold plated.

A Day in Penang 1

After the visit at Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram, I walked back to hotel to meetup with my partner. Then we took the 6.30pm free hotel shuttle bus (prior reservations required) to Gurney Drive and alighted at Plaza Gurney. Walking down to the Gurney Food Center.

A Day in Penang 1

Huge crowd was already forming at Gurney Food Center. Quickly found an empty seat and then went to order food.

A Day in Penang 1

Cantonment Road Famous Char Koay Teow at Gurney Drive. Can’t remember the price but believe it was RM3! It was really yummy!

A Day in Penang 1

Penang Laksa with additional fish ball for RM4. My partner had this as I have already consumed one bowl during my lunch.

A Day in Penang 1

Oh, the “Cantonment Road Famous Char Koay Teow” stall where I ordered my Char Koay Teow from.

A Day in Penang 1

Hokkien Prawn Mee RM3.50.

A Day in Penang 1

After dinner, we headed off to Plaza Gurney to walk around and do some shopping.

A Day in Penang 1

Plaza Gurney is the second largest shopping mall in Penang. The interior is classy!

A Day in Penang 1

While strolling around Plaza Gurney, A&W restaurant caught my attention as I have not patronize it since many moons ago. This is because A&W have pulled out from Singapore for quite sometime already (since 2004) and the only way for Singaporeans to eat it is to travel overseas (nearest either Johor, Malaysia or Batam, Indonesia). The A&W at Plaza Gurney have a retro-styled design.

A Day in Penang 1

My order for Beef Coney Dog Set RM13.35 – upgraded with Curly Fries and Root Beer Float. Was asked to take a seat first and the Coney Dog will be delivered when it’s ready.

A Day in Penang 1

Eating the A&W Beef Coney Dog. It may seemed like I have eaten a lot for dinner but trust me that this is just the replenishment for the energy I used up while walking around for the whole day. 😛

After the meal, we took a cab back to Hotel Royal Penang at RM12. The taxis in Penang do not use the meters and you need to ask/negotiate for the rate to your destination before boarding!

Categories
Penang

A Day in Penang

A Day in Penang

A Day in Penang

Recently my partner had to go Penang (Malaysia) for some training and since I was on annual leave, I decided to accompany her there and spend the whole day exploring around on my own. Actually, we wanted to catch the morning flight but it was sold out so we settled for the 3.45pm SilkAir flight from Singapore to Penang. Arrived at Singapore Changi Airport T2 early so we went for a short coffee session after we have checked-in our luggage.

A Day in Penang

Walking towards our boarding gate. The departure display was already showing “Last Call” so we hurried our footsteps. 🙂

A Day in Penang

Reached Penang International Airport after 1 hour 20 mins journey. We are staying in Hotel Royal Penang and have arranged for airport pick-up service. Arrived at the hotel within half hour.

A Day in Penang

Work desk, TV console and mini-bar area at Hotel Royal Penang. We bought the red wine on the desk at the duty-free shop at Singapore Changi Airport so that we can bring it out for dinner later.

A Day in Penang

Wash Room. My partner noted that there was some urine stains on the toilet seat! Apparently, it was not cleaned thoroughly!

A Day in Penang

Together with another colleauge, we met up with my partner’s boss (based in Penang) at the hotel lobby and he drove us to a kampong-styled restaurant somewhere in Bukit Tambun for dinner. The journey took around 1 hour as the traffic was peaking. Anyway, the first thing I noticed when we reached the restaurant was the Horseshoe crab. Hmm….wonder how it taste like? Oh, I also heard that you might get poisoning if you eat the wrong part? Is is true?

A Day in Penang

The rest of the seafood delicacies the restaurant have to offer.

A Day in Penang

Was about 7.40pm when we arrived at Gee Seng Seafood Restaurant (義成海鮮樓) and there was already quite a huge crowd of local diners there.

A Day in Penang

Some spiked snails that you need a toothpick to dig out the meat and dunk it into sambal chilli before devouring it. First time trying and it’s not that bad!

A Day in Penang

Stir-fry clams. The gravy works well on the white rice that we having. 🙂

A Day in Penang

Chilli crab with man tou (deep-fried buns).

A Day in Penang

Baked mud crabs. Comes with a wooden stick to crack the shell!

A Day in Penang

Prawns coated with salted egg yolk. Heavenly!

Well, the total damage for the dinner for 4 person worked out to be around RM110 and I find it really affordable! So next time if you are in Penang, please do visit Bukit Tambun as there are numerous seafood restaurants with vast offerings of fresh and cheap seafood!

After the dinner, we head back to the hotel to rest as my partner needs to wake up early for her training the next day. So for me, I just made some notes on which attraction in Georgetown I will be visiting the next day. After all. the inner city of Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! 🙂