Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday break. I went home to my hometown & spent the festive season with my family & relatives. It’s also the reason why I’ve been very quiet the past weeks. I’m very happy to be back! I have a long list of stories, tips & content to post. I can’t wait to share all of them with you!
Let’s get down to business. Today, I will bring you to Penang, Malaysia. Last November 2018, I got to explore Penang. I was supposed to stay for a few days but I had to cut short my trip to 36 hours for another exciting engagement in Singapore. I will talk about that experience in an upcoming post. Back to Penang, I spent most of my time around the island’s capital – Georgetown. This colorful & multicultural capital became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Georgetown is like a living museum; the buildings & shop houses have retained their historic form through the years.
I will make this post somewhat informal & basically share my itinerary by date & time. Check out the turnout of events in Penang below.
Day 1 – Hello Penang!
22:00 – I arrived at Penang International Airport from Kuala Lumpur via Malaysia Airlines. Flight was delayed for an hour due to bad weather at the airport vicinity. I got some cash from the ATM & booked a Grab ride to my hostel.
23:00 – I arrived at The Frame Guesthouse in Georgetown & checked in to my room. I went to the nearest convenience center & grabbed something to eat & drink. I had freshened up & went to bed.
I wrote about my stay at The Frame Guesthouse. Check out the hostel of the day feature here.
Day 2 – Kek Lok Si Temple & Around Georgetown
07:00 – I woke up & immediately took a shower. I went downstairs to avail the hostel’s free breakfast. I had some toast, fresh fruits & a glass of milk. I went to reception & asked for advice on what to do for the day.
08:00 – I left the hostel & walked to Komtar Bus Terminal. I took Bus 203 or 204 to Ayer Itam. The fare costs RM2 per person & takes about 30 minutes. It is the bus line’s last stop so the driver will advise you to get off the bus. The temple is only a short walk up the hill.
09:00 – I arrived at Kek Lok Si Temple. The Buddhist temple was built way back in the late 19th century. This temple played a big role in building Penang’s religious heritage.
I went around the different temple buildings & pagodas. The complex has millions of Buddha images & hundreds of physical statues. I also took the inclined lift up to the giant Buddha. It took me 2.5 hours to go around the whole temple complex.
11:30 – I went down to Ayer Itam & had lunch. I went to the small hawker center & bought curry mee for lunch. After lunch, I walked around the different shops in the area. I was a bit tired so I booked a Grab car back to the hostel.
12:30 – I arrived back to The Frame Guesthouse & decided to rest for a while.
14:00 – I left the hostel & started my walkathon around Georgetown. I walked around Love Lane & saw some interesting murals.
14:15 – I went to Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Also known as the Mansion of the Babas & Nyonyas, this mansion was once owned by the rich Chinese who migrated to Penang. The Chinese family adopted to the local Malaysian & colonial British cultures & still managed to create a unique lifestyle & customs. This way of life left a big collection of antiques which are on display in the mansion. The mansion has a RM20 entrance fee per person. They also offer English tours (takes about an hour) around the house daily. I joined the 14:30 tour.
15:30 – I left Pinang Peranakan Mansion & continued my walkathon to Penang Town Hall & The Esplanade. This public open space by the sea is a popular recreation area for the locals. People go here for leisure walks & relaxation. I planned to visit the nearby Fort Cornawallis but the fort was closed to the public on that specific day.
16:00 – I went to Padang Kota Lama, a hawker center beside Fort Cornwallis, to try the famous mee sotong goreng. This sweet & spicy noodles are only sold by Hameed Pata Special Mee. I waited in line for a few minutes before it was finally my turn to buy. The regular plate costs RM5 & the big plate costs RM7. You can choose from the goreng (fried noodles) or the rebus (boiled noodles). I also tried the coconut shake in the nearby stall for RM4.
16:45 – I resumed my walkathon around Georgetown. This time, I went back to Lebuh Chulia & continued to Lebuh Armenian to check out the famous Penang murals. I went around the main & small streets to see as many murals as I can. Luckily, there were only few tourists checking out the murals.
17:30 – I went back to the hostel to rest before heading out for dinner.
19:30 – 2 hours after, I went out to have dinner with a Filipino I met in the mansion tour. We ate in a local restaurant along Lebuh Chulia. I had wan tan mee (Malaysian wonton noodles), char koay teow (stir-fried noodles) & hot teh tarik (hot milk tea) for dinner. Yes, I was that hungry.
20:30 – We went to this local liquor store named Antarabangsa Enterprise to have drinks. This shop is located along Lorong Stewart (Stewart Lane). Every day, the store staff sets up tables & chairs in the street for their customers. We stayed for a while here & met interesting people from Penang (locals), Iran & Norway. It was a fun night exchanging stories about anything under the sun.
23:45 – After a few bottles & hours of drinking, I headed back to my hostel to rest. I took a shower & went to bed.
Day 3 – Goodbye Penang!
06:00 – I woke up & fixed my stuff. I took a shower & got ready for check out.
07:15 – I booked a Grab car & went to Penang International Airport for my international flight to Singapore.
07:45 – I arrived at the airport & went straight to check in. I had breakfast at KFC after check in then I headed to the boarding gate.
09:30 – Boarding for Singapore commenced.
10:05 – My Scoot flight to Singapore departed Penang International Airport on time.
This pretty much is all about my quick stop at Penang. I wish I stayed longer but I guess I made the most out of that 36-hour stay. I know I missed a lot of interesting places like Batu Ferringhi, Clan Jetties, Penang Hill & the Blue Mansion. That gives me another reason to go back in visit Penang in the future.
Have you been to Penang? Where else did you go that you find very interesting & unique? Feel free to share these places in the comments below. I’ll check ’em out when I fly back to Penang. You can also send them via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Please help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Watch out for the next post about Penang. You’ll surely love it! Ciao. ✌️
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.