Kengyang and I just came back from Penang! Singapore is really too small - all the places that can paktor, we went before already, so we were a bit bored. Solution: Paktor overseas!
We spent around S$255 each for the return flight on TigerAir and 3 nights accommodation at Sunway Hotel Georgetown. Quite affordable for super last minute decision! I'm sure you can get the same itinerary for a cheaper price, but aiyah S$255 is good enough for us. We really wanted to go overseas together. The last time that happened was Hong Kong in August 2014.
I didn't expect much from Penang. It's only 1+ hour flight away and there shouldn't be any groundbreaking experiences right? I thought wrong ah, I really really really loved Penang. The weather was scorching and quite torturous at times, but no matter how humid or hot, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly.
Our hotel was a distance away from the usual Penang art scene, but it's a walkable distance away. I didn't mind the location at all because the hotel was right beside New Lane Hawker Centre which has some of the best food that I've ever tasted during this trip. We ate here so many times!!
The hawker centre is at its busiest period during dinner time. Full tables everywhere!
The view from outside our hotel room was also gorgeous, especially that sunset!! I actually could have gotten a better shot, but I was way too focused on changing my camera settings and when I was ready to take a photo, the sun was already covered by the mountain/hill/raised land.
The famous KOMTAR, which is the highest building in Penang. I was so excited to go up to the viewing deck, but alas the floor is now occupied by a restaurant and only the restaurant customers can go to the viewing deck. Why tripadvisor cheat my feelings one?!
Anyway, KOMTAR is an important landmark for tourists because everywhere you walk, you will see the building from one direction. We always used KOMTAR as a guide to walk back to our hotel because it's relatively near our hotel.
Land of Maggi noodles!!
Look at this majestic McDonald's! It's also really near our hotel.
I asked Kengyang to help me take an OOTD photo because the background was too nice to pass, so he did and his photos were all ... in need of editing HAHAHA.
This is what I took for him. No cropping at all.
And this is what he took - I had to crop, straighten, etc. Aiyoh~
But I didn't whine so much lah, got person help me take OOTD photo very good already. Can always edit right? :D
When we were walking to the Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion), we noticed that the roads were empty, like...
this empty!
Why ah? Was it because it's a Sunday? Or was it due to fasting season? Perhaps it was a combination of the two but it was very strange because Singapore is way too congested on Sundays and Penang is ... empty.
Penang has a lot of art installations and initially I was on the hunt for all of them. Halfway through, I got distracted by food, so I only managed to find 20 of them.
Photos!
My favourite is the little girl in blue. This installation not little at all, and it scared the crap out of the both of us hahaha. I think it's more like I shouted and then Kengyang got scared by my loud voice. :D
Also, my boyfriend likes to bai pose. I don't. So, he posed, and I took his pictures. Win-win situation.
Our guided tour for the Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion) was so worth the RM17 ticket. The house was not as well maintained as the Peranakan Mansion, but we learned much more about the house because we had a dedicated tour guide.
I am always skeptical about guided tours because I have met some lazy and not well-informed tour guides. But this tour guide (I forgot her name! Grr) was truly one of the best. She really knew her stuff and she was incredibly animated. There wasn't a boring moment. Everything she told us was interesting, relevant and presented in such a natural way. You know how some tour guides macam rehearse and memorise their lines one? This one really just whack and it was a brilliant whack.
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| Blue Mansion |
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| Blue Mansion |
The Peranakan Mansion was much more majestic but guided tours were only available during the weekends, so... RM20 like a bit expensive.
At least we saw a couple shooting their wedding photos there!
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| Peranakan Mansion |
We only visited one cafe in Penang - Wheeler's Coffee - and it was a lovely place. Love Lane has A LOT of cafes (must be because a lot of hostels and tourists lah) so it's quite difficult to decide on one. I saw the bunny on the bicycle outside the shop and decided to settle for this cafe. Great choice because the drinks were good and the fruit salad was super delicious.
How can fruits be super delicious you ask?
Try eating garbage (like fatty, oily, carbs-laden meals) for a couple of days. Then after that, eat some freshly-cut fruits.
Your tastebuds will be dancing with joy okay!
I wanted to order sandwiches but decided on a fruit salad because we really needed some dietary fibre in our digestive system. Normally, I won't even order fruits in Singapore cafes (so expensive!!), but in Penang, JUST ORDER. Some more the exchange rate so good!
We went to the Chew Clan Jetty and it was so different from the metropolitan Penang. Quieter, calmer and more laid-back. Sadly, we only spent 10-15 minutes here because we wanted to catch the bus to Penang Hill!
To get to Penang Hill, you can take Rapid Bus 204 from the Terminal (near Chew Clan Jetty), or you can board the bus from KOMTAR's bus stop.
The bus will take you to Bukit Bendera where you can buy tram tickets for Penang Hill. The bus journey took around 50-60 minutes one-way. If you want to go to Kek Lok Si Temple, you can also take Rapid Bus 204.
We spent so much time travelling to Penang Hill and we were finally there, we were greeted with the view of the entire Penang covered in haze.
WHY LIKE THIS ONE AIYOHHHH. Really super fail HAHA. We walked around for 20 minutes and decided it's time to go back and eat. :P
I drank quite a lot of kopi peng in Penang and they were all very potent. Not even kopi peng gao, just simple kopi peng!
If you buy kopi peng to-go, they would pack as much ice as they could into the plastic bag and that was a brilliant move. The ice didn't melt as fast and when you're done with you kopi, you could use it as ice pack and dab, dab, dab around your neck and back area. Super shiok especially when the heat could kill.
Food photos.
Don't judge hor. I'm exercising all the food away now. Heehee. But ya, we like a bit extreme.
I don't really remember the restaurant names but I think the tip is to just follow the crowd. Got queue, then you also queue up. Same as Singapore lah. Geographically, Penang is quite near Singapore, so same mentality can be applied.
My favourite dish was this plate of CHAR KWAY TEOW.
The wok-hei was so intense. I love it so much!
Ending this post with our Pulau Tikus Hawker Centre adventure...
So, Kengyang and I decided to go to Pulau Tikus Hawker Centre for dinner on our second night. It was around 35-40 minutes of walking away, so we agreed to walk there, and then take a taxi back to the hotel. Walking there was fine and dandy, but when we reached Pulau Tikus Hawker Centre, we quickly realised that there were no taxis to be found. What to do? Walk back lor.
Problem is the sky was already quite dark when we reached, so that meant that we would have to walk pass some really creepy unlit areas on the way back. I got really paranoid (I have anxiety issues lah) and I kept turning around to ensure that no one was following us.
Of course, we made it back safe and sound, but in a record time of 28 minutes. Really cheong like crazy.
After that, both of us couldn't feel our feet anymore. A quick Health app check revealed that each of us walked at least 30,000 steps that day. Very li hai hor?
Till our next adventure together! :)
