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Leisure trip at a glance
Country: Malaysia
Period: 20 Nov to 22 Nov 2009
Flight timings:
20 Nov: 3K 673, SIN–PEN, ETD 0725 ETA 0845
22 Nov: 3K 676, PEN–SIN, ETD 1705 ETA 1815
Air tickets: Return tickets at SGD 164 (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodations: Tune Hotel @ Downtown Penang
Currency exchange rate: MYR 100 = SGD 41.07 (Nov '09 period)
Day One
Took a taxi from home to Changi Airport Terminal One and picked up my friend along the way. Since we reached the airport at about 6.30 am and I didn't take any breakfast, I started to get hungry after custom clearance. Found this Toast-Box (left photo below) outlet inside the transit area, thus decided to have a standard set with a cup of Teh-C, two half-boiled eggs and Kaya-butter toasted bread at SGD 4.10 (right photo below). Taste was typically the same as other outlets, but was disappointed with the Teh-C which tasted rather sweet.
Boarded Jet Star flight 3K 673 about 30-mins before departure (left photo below). As I was seated earlier at the back of the plane, I could see many passengers moving into the cabin slowly (right photo below). Eventually all the seats were occupied. Didn't know that there were so many people traveling to Penang on a Friday morning. While waiting for the flight to take-off, the pilot apologetically announced that a 15-mins wait was required due to some technical documents had not been delivered to him. This wait took about another 30-mins until the documents finally reached the pilot. As a result, the flight reached Penang International Airport approximately 40-mins late from the estimated arrival time because the pilot did not increase the flight speed to catch up on the time difference.
After custom clearance, we then walked toward the Taxi / Limousine service counter (left photo below) outside the arrival hall to get a taxi to Queensbay Mall. Taxi fare is fixed at this counter based on distance zone. Cost of the taxi fare was MYR 29 and a printed receipt was given (right photo below). Taxi taken at the airport is definitely pricey as the journey was less than 15-mins.
Race Expo of PBIM
The purpose of planning Queensbay Mall as the first itinerary was to collect the race pack from the organizers of PBIM (left photo below) located infront of the mall. But we realized the race pack collection only available an hour later at 11 am, because we reached there rather early and most shops in this mall had not opened. Thus, went to a Coffeebean outlet to wait and have a drink at the same time. When the time had reached, we went over to the organizer's booth and collected the race pack without much hassle (right photo below). After that, we explored the Race Expo but didn't get anything there, though tempted to get some power gels. These power gels weren't much cheaper compared to those sold in Singapore after the currency conversion.
Queensbay Mall
Next did some window-shopping at the Queensbay Mall (left photo below). Claimed to be the largest mall in Penang Island, this is a huge mall with 3 storeys and 2 basements filled with more than 500 retail outlets (right photo below).
T. bowl Concept Restaurant
Saw an interesting banner of this restaurant inside the mall, and therefore decided to have lunch at this T. bowl Concept Restaurant (left photo below). It is located on the 3rd floor, in the South Zone near Arcade & Cinema area of Queensbay Mall. This kind of concept is nothing new since many similar restaurants already opened in Taiwan and Hong Kong. But it still can be fascinating for someone entering as first time customer like me.
All patrons have to seat on the cover of the toilet bowl and the table was incorporated with a wash basin (right photo below). The menu was also decorated with a toothbrush to integrate into the overall concept in this restaurant (bottom left photo). Ordered an Origin Drumstick Ramen at MYR 10.90 and a Sour-Sop Mango drink at MYR 5.50 (bottom right photo). Taste of the drumstick was good but the taste of soup and ramen was average.
Tune Hotel @ Downtown Penang
Tried negotiating with the taxi driver outside the mall but failed; eventually settled at a price of MYR 30 to reach Tune Hotel from Queensbay Mall. Taxis in Penang, in fact whole of Malaysia, do not run on meters; price has to be negotiated with the driver first.
The Tune hotel (left photo below) has strict policy that allows guests to check-in only after 1400 hrs; therefore we had to wait at the hotel lobby for about 30-mins before collecting our cardkey from the counter (right photo below).
Although the room was very compact, comparable to the size of most Hong Kong budget hotels, the well-lit room was clean and modern in design with floral prints on its walls (left photo below). No television was installed in the room but necessary amenities such as toilet paper and floor towel were provided. The cardkey had to be inserted into the electronic panel to activate all the electronic supplies in the room (right photo below). By default, only one cardkey is issued, however additional cardkey could be obtained from the counter with a deposit of MYR 5. Also luggage deposit service is provided at a cost of MYR 2 per piece per day.
Total cost paid for 2 nights of the twin room was MYR 158.46 that included 24 hours of air-con (with additional purchase). We didn't pay for the bath towels or hairdryer usage as these services had to be paid separately.
Penang Toy Museum
Quoted for MYR 20 to the Toy Museum by a private limousine car driver at the hotel carpark. Initially hesitated but agreed since there was no other taxi available at that time near the hotel.
Claimed to be the World's Largest Toy Museum, it is located along Jalan Tanjung Bungah, in front of Copthorne Orchid hotel (left photo below). Bought the admission ticket at MYR 20 per person, which I felt was rather pricey. Most travel brochures still printed with admission fee at MYR 10 and I'm curious why there was a sudden increase of 100% in ticket charge. Complimentary pamphlets (right photo below) were available to every visitor that gave a brief introduction of its collection. The man featured in the pamphlet posing with different life-size figures is the museum owner.
The toys are displayed in four layers of shelves covered by transparent plastics (left photo below). Interior of the museum looked rather rundown as there were several layers of wooden planks on the floor (right photo below), layers of dust on the display shelves and many fallen toys were observed.
Taken quite a lot of photos on the toys displays and here's my tabulated clip (video below):
Besides the toys displayed, do visit the toilet as it is decorated with Egyptian theme and painted gold in color (photos below). This really left me wondering if the previous occupant of this museum building was a pub as I highly doubt the museum would spend extravagantly on restrooms.
Frankly speaking the museum does have wide varieties of toys from different movies, cartoons, comics, computer games etc; however it is not the full collection from each theme. Nevertheless, the museum is still a great place for children and young-at-heart adults to spend about an hour there. At least for me I had some nostalgic moments in the museum recalling my childhood times. Opening hours of the museum is 0900 hours till 2100 hours daily.
Saw the same limousine car driver waiting outside the toy museum and he pestered us to take his car to Batu Ferringhi for MYR 20 the moment he saw us. Probably desperate to get there, we took his car again.
Penang Hard Rock Hotel
Penang Hard Rock Hotel is the latest addition to the hard rock global hotel chain located along Batu Ferringhi. Formerly Casuarina Hotel, Hard Rock converted the building into a modern theme filled with many musical elements. Interestingly the entrance has this logo formed by millions of optical fibers (left photo below) and the lobby is adorned with mosaic patterns, attire, guitars, painting of the Beatles (right photo below), and other famous stars.
No effort spared with the unique design at the entrance to Hard Rock Café (left photo below). One is greeted by Michael Jackson sitting on his 'throne' (right photo below), which resembles very much to Abraham Lincoln statue in Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D.C.
Batu Ferringhi Beach
Batu Ferringhi is a strip of beaches on the northern coast of Penang Island, where many large hotels and restaurants are located. The beaches are also filled with many sea-sports activities during sunny days. However when we were there, dark clouds was spotted and it seemed to rain anytime (photos below). True enough, it started to drizzle and our immediate reaction was to run towards the nearest building: Hard Rock Café.
Dinner at HRC PenangSince trapped inside the Hard Rock building due to the rain, we decided to settle our dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Furnishing of this café is similar to other Hard Rock cafés around the world. Ordered a Grilled Hawaiian chicken for myself at MYR 32 (left photo below) and my friend got a Herb Grilled chicken at MYR 28. Didn't realize that I had a drum stick earlier during lunch, and with this during dinner, they formed a pair and hopefully able to provide me with the protein & energy to keep me running during the half-marathon. Adding to the extra "carbo" loading was this Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae at MYR 26 (right photo below), highly recommended by one of the waiters there. Indeed the brownie tasted best compared to the chicken I had which tasted slightly saltish with the sauce.
Waiters and Waitresses there were friendly and attentive. Decided to use this dinner as a treat to my friend as he already over-spent his budget on the first day. Do note that the final bill would include additional 5% Government Tax and 10% Service Charge.
Batu Ferringhi Sidewalk Bazaar
Here's where Batu Ferringhi really comes alive during the night! Despite the narrow road of Batu Ferringhi, local sellers diligently set up their makeshift stalls along its walkway everyday (left photo below). The whole stretch of the bazaars starts from Hard Rock Hotel all the way to Rasa Sayang Resort, covering a distance of more than 1 km. These stalls operate right after sunset as early as 6pm till past midnight. Many seafood restaurants were located along this street (right photo below) offering a different dinning experience.
Although a wide assortment of 'Penang handicrafts' can be found there, there's a even bigger selection of imitation goods ranging from designers' apparel, leather bags, watches to latest CDs, VCDs, DVDs and computer games (photos below).
Initially wanted to take their local bus no. 101 back to the hotel but we couldn't even find a bus stop along Batu Ferringhi. Fortunately managed to find a taxi center along the road, and negotiated with the driver at a price of MYR 30 to take us back to the hotel.
Day Two
Kopi Tiam G-town
Left the hotel early at about 8 am to look for our breakfast. Saw this coffeeshop 'Kopi Tiam G-town' just 3-mins walk from hotel along Burmah Road (left photo below), hence we walked into the shop to try out their local Penang food. Ordered a bowl of Hokkien Prawn Mee at MYR 2.50 and a cup of milk tea at MYR 1 (right photo below). Taste was excellent especially the soup of the Hokkien Mee; so good that I almost wanted to have a second bowl. Price was very affordable at this coffeeshop; I couldn't imagine a cup of tea cost only SGD 0.40 and it was served in porcelain cups instead of plastic; something that is uncommon now in Singapore (except in those franchise "Kaya-Coffee" outlets).
Flagged a taxi along the road and was quoted MYR 20 to Kek Lok Si temple. We boarded the taxi immediately because this price was cheaper by MYR 5 than the one quoted at the car rental service of Tune hotel.
Kek Lok Si temple (极乐寺)
Kek Lok Si (left photo below) is a Buddhist temple situated at Air Itam, near Penang Hill, and is one of the best known temples in the island. Seems like there are many "Air Itams" in Malaysia, as most Singaporeans are more familiar to the one in Johor. Construction of the temple began in 1890 and since then many buildings and other features have been added. Adding to the artistic ambiance are the Chinese poems and auspicious words engraved on the rock along the sheltered walkway towards the pagoda (right photo below).
Temple architecture and artwork
- Stone carvings are another amazing skill of work that could also be found on the walls of main temple halls, including this one with local elements in it (left photo below). How to tell it has local elements? Notice the coconut trees at the background? Even the signage is creatively decorated with this pair of tiny shoes (right photo below).
Ban Po Thar Pagoda (萬佛塔)
- The earliest image I had on Penang probably was this pagoda (left photo below). Ban Po Thar Pagoda is also known as Pagoda of 10,000 Buddha. Built in 1930, this seven storey pagoda of 30-metre high, combined a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design and a Burmese crown (right photo below).
Inside the pagoda, images of Buddha are found on the walls (left photo below) and even the windows are exquisitely constructed (right photo below). Do note that a small token (if I remember correctly about MYR 4) was required to enter this pagoda.
Aerial view of surrounding areas
- A magnificent view of George Town could be seen at the top of the pagoda (left photo below) as well as the other temple structures (right photo below).
Statue of Guanyin
- Another attraction in temple is the bronze statue of the Guan Yin. The statue of Guan Yin is located uphill (left photo below) and could be reached via a vehicle road from the main entrance. Alternatively, pilgrims or visitors could choose to use the inclined lift directly from the main temple. Tickets can be bought from a counter at the end of a souvenir shop (right photo below) at MYR 2 per trip or MYR 4 for both ways. The lift is about 2 x 3 meters wide (bottom left photo) and its rail is only less than 150-meters (bottom right photo).
Completed in 2002, the bronze statue of Guan Yin (Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara) is impressive at a height of 30.2-meters tall. Details such as the decorative patterns on her dress could be seen even from afar (photos below). Now, a 60.9-meters tall 3-tier octagon pavilion is being built over it. Supported by 16 pillars, the pavilion is targeted to have its grand opening on 06 Dec 2009.
An interesting observation was the plaque on pavilion wrote "圣观自在" instead of commonly known "圣观世音". For readers who are unfamiliar with the debate on the sagely name, "观自在" is the correct translation from ancient Indian script (Sanskrit). But due to conventional practice thousands of years, the name "观世音" is still widely used.
In front of the Guan Yin statue are two Warrior Guardians, namely Nārāyaṇa (那羅延金剛) (left photo below) and Guhyapāda (密迹金剛) (right photo below). These wrestler-like guardians are often standing at the entrance of many Buddhist temples. They are also known as Niō (仁王) or General Heng and General Ha (哼哈二将).
Air Itam Market
Since there is no public transport from the temple, we had to walk down to the town from the temple which took us about 15-mins. Air Itam is sometimes referred as Chinatown in Penang Island and there are many hawker stalls selling local food and snacks (left photo below). Decided to have our lunch at a coffeeshop near a corner of the street, and ordered Char Kuey Teow from this stall (right photo below).
While waiting for the food, I noticed that this coffeeshop had the appearance of the early 80s in Singapore (left photo below). The Char Kuey Teow cost MYR 4 and sugarcane drink cost MYR 1.60 (right photo below); taste of the fried noodles was good and the drink was refreshing, especially after a tiring walk.
Air Itam Assam Laksa
Assam Laksa, also known as Penang Laksa, is definitely unique to Penang. The dish is served with thick white rice noodles with the distinctive thick sour soup consisting of minced fish and a ground mixture of onions, kunyit (turmeric), belacan (fermented prawn paste) and chili which has been cooked in an assam (tamarind) water and flavored with lemon grass. Often a large spoonful of black gooey hey ko (prawn paste) is added to enhance its taste.
To taste the best Assam Laksa, most tourist brochures or Penang locals would recommend this stall at Pasar Air Itam (left photo below). Despite the fact that the stall was set up besides a drain and opposite a smelly wet market, many customers still visit and choose to eat there (right photo below). From the amount of noodles and ingredients prepared, it is not hard to imagine how good the business was (bottom left photo).
I used to dislike Assam Laksa when I visited Penang last year (refer to my earlier post here), but after tasted the Assam Laksa from this stall (left photo below), I began to like it. I even got used to the "fishy" smell coming out from the laksa. At a glance the gravy of this Laksa (right photo below) is less thick compared to others but the taste is great. Each bowl cost only MYR 2.70.
Penang Public Transport
Saw Public Bus No. 203 waiting along Air Itam road and noticed that Komtar was in its bus route, thus decided to give it a try. Boarded the bus and paid only MYR 2 for the fare. In return, a bus ticket was given (left photo below). The interior of the bus looked similar to those SBS buses in Singapore (right photo below). However the whole journey took about an hour due to some traffic congestions along the way. Click here for more information on various Penang Public Bus services.
Penang Road Chendol
This famous Chendol is located at Penang Road. So famous that even Phua Chu Kang (left photo below) also tried it before! This stall is located at Lebuh Keng Kwee (off Penang Road) outside Joo Hooi Coffeeshop and it is just walking distance from the iconic 5-branch overhead pedestrian bridge. The ingredients used were fresh (right photo below) and I highly recommend every visitor to try it out. Each bowl of Chendol cost only MYR 1.70. As there are no seats available beside the stall, most customers eat while standing. However do note if you choose to eat inside the coffeeshop, then a surcharge of MYR 0.50 per bowl would be required.
Central Area Transit (CAT)
Central Area Transit – CAT (left photo below) is a public service that provides visitors a FREE bus ride within George Town, the route ply between Komtar and Weld Quay Jetty on a 15-mins interval. Operating hours from 0600 hours to 0000 hours (midnight).
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George Town, together with Malacca, both Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca, has been listed as World Heritage Site in 2008 by UNESCO. |
Penang Peranakan Mansion
One of the CAT bus-stops is along Penang Road, within 1-min walk from the Chendol stall. We boarded this CAT bus, alighted at Weld Quay Jetty Terminal and walked for about 6-mins towards the Peranakan Mansion.
Penang Peranakan Mansion (left photo below) is located at No. 29 Church Street. It is an old mansion that showcases over 1,000 antiques and collectibles depicting the life of the Straits Chinese (Peranakan). For readers who are new to Peranakan culture, male Peranakans are called 'Baba' while female Peranakans are called 'Nyonya'.
Admission fee was MYR 10 and do note that the opening hours has been changed to 0930 hours till 1700 hours daily (including public holidays unless notified by management), instead of the old timing stated in most tourist brochures. An admission ticket (right photo below) and a small sticker (for identification purposes) would be given to every visitor at the ticket counter. In addition, narrated tours are given complimentarily by professional and humorous guides at this mansion.
If you find the mansion looked familiar and have seen it somewhere, then you are right. It was one of the filming sites by Mediacorp's "The Little Nyonya" as 'Chen's Family Residence'. Posters from this show and other movies could be seen hanging outside the main entrance (left photo below). Couldn't recall the exact scene? Here's another photo (right below) that should be able help you remember if you have watched the show.
Or perhaps the following clip should be able to refresh your memory on this show (video below):
Besides looking at the various filming sites, there are also huge varieties of antiques collected by the museum owner. Peranakan kitchen wares, made of enamel porcelain, are unique in design; combining the auspicious Chinese patterns and the bright colors loved by the ethnic Malays (photos below). Some of these kitchen wares were even made during the reign of Emperor Guangxu.
After the "The Little Nyonya" show, everyone now knows that these types of jars are called "Kam Cheng" (photos below).
Exquisitely decorated wedding crowns worn by bridal Nyonya (photos below).
Embroidery works of using facetted glass beads were on display to illustrate the patience and meticulous nature of Nyonya (photos below).
Ornamental jewelries once worn by the rich Peranakans (photos below) were also displayed.
Kopi Tiam G-town
Took the CAT service back to Penang Road and went back to Kopi Tiam G-town for dinner at about 5 pm. Reason for having dinner so early was because we were preparing for the next day's run at 0330 hours therefore had to get enough of rest before the race.
Ordered Char Kuey Teow at MYR 3 (left photo below), iced Mike tea at MYR 1.20 and a plate of Chicken Rice at MYR 4 (right photo below). The Char Kuey Teow wasn't that nice compared to the one I had earlier at Air Itam market, and worst the rice was hard and the chicken meat tasteless.
Day Three
Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM)
Although had an early rest at about 7 pm, I couldn't sleep at all probably due to my biological clock already used to my sleeping routine. Left the hotel at about 11 pm and boarded a taxi to Queensbay Mall at MYR 25 because we heard that most taxis were aware of the running event and therefore would charge an outrageous amount after midnight.
Reached the race venue of Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) at about 11.30 pm and waited for about 4 hours before my race category flagged off at 0330 hours. Logistic supports were good in this race; comparable to any big race events in Singapore. After the race, we walked for about 10-mins to look for a cab but still couldn't find one as most roads leading to Queensbay Mall were closed for the run. However managed to locate one behind Eastin hotel (official start point for PBIM fun run) as runners dropped-off there to join their run at 0730 hours. The taxi driver was willing to drive us back to Tune hotel for MYR 20, which I think was very reasonable though we didn't even bargain. As I didn't bring my camera to the race so no photo was taken at the event. However here're the race route (left photo below) and an image taken from their PBIM website (right photo below) to illustrate how long and how steep the bridge was.
May Loong Café
Managed to catch some sleep for about 2 hours before we checked-out the hotel at 10 am. Deposited our luggage at the hotel and went over to Penang Road to search for our breakfast. Found this coffeeshop 'May Loong' was opened (left photo below). Ordered a plate of Wanton Mee at MYR 3 and a cup of tea at MYR 1 (right photo below). Probably was too hungry, I felt that the noodles was good and the tea rather quenching.
Shops along Penang Road
While walking back towards the 5-branch overhead pedestrian bridge after breakfast, I noticed many shops selling local Penang food products, such as nutmeg oil, preserved fruits, Satay fish, including the famous Penang Tau Sar Pneah (photos below). These shops are located just behind the CAT bus-stop along Penang Road. Besides those shops facing the road, there are more shops behind selling wide varieties of preserved fruits. For me I managed to get some Tau Sar Pneah after some bargains with the shop owner.
George Town White Coffee
After gotten the food souvenirs, we then walked towards Komtar Concourse to look for a café to sit down. Komtar is a building complex consisting of a office tower (left photo below), a 17-storey hotel, a 4-storey shopping podium and a bus interchange.
Saw this George Town White Coffee outlet (right photo below) located on the ground floor of Komtar Concourse. The café seemed rather empty probably due to the early hours (bottom left photo). Browsed through the menu and saw this interesting drink Soya Cendol with Gula Melaka (bottom right photo), thus decided to give it a try. This drink cost MYR 4.80 (excluding 5% service charge). Strong soya could be tasted together with some faint sweetness of Gula Melaka, which matched my expectation. Possibly due to the tiring run, we sat inside this café for about 2 hours before moving to another eatery for lunch.
Penang Road Famous TeoChew Chendul eatery
This eatery (left photo below) is located diagonally opposite the white coffee café, near to the overhead pedestrian bridge. Maybe I couldn't forget the taste of Assam Laksa, I ordered another one at this eatery (right photo below) for MYR 4.50 together a cup of iced lemon tea at MYR 2.50. The taste of this Assam Laksa was equally good with more spiciness due to the cut chilies.
New World Park
New World Park is one of the latest shopping complexes located besides the Tune hotel. Thus explored this mall as our last itinerary before leaving for the airport. Retail shops and push-carts were covered by huge overhead canopies and roof-tops, adding to its unique building structure (left photo below). There is also a food court (right photo below) that has over 28 stalls selling lots of Penang local street foods.
Penang International Airport
Took the Shuttle Bus to the airport which we pre-booked at our hotel car rental service counter. Couldn't remember the exact cost per person but if I could remember correctly was about MYR 17.
The airport has this refreshing design as aquarium-like terminal. For readers who are departing from this airport for the first time, do note that all check-in luggage have to go through the security check (left photo below) where each luggage will be tagged with a security sticker after going through those X-rays machines. After which, the luggage shall be collected and brought to respective airline counters (right photo below) for passenger check-in.
There are more shops inside the transit area after custom clearance. It can be crowded at times because this transit area is used as both arrival and departure halls (left photo below). For last minute shoppers, there are plenty of shops selling from chocolates to Penang pastries such as Tau Sar Pneah (right photo below).
Jet Star flight 3K 676 departed from Penang and arrived at Changi Airport on time. With this, my 3-day short break ended here.
Items bought from Penang
Bought only some food souvenirs back (left photo below): Him Heang Beh The Saw (马蹄酥) for MYR 8, Tong Thye Hin Tau Sar Pneah (淡汶饼) for MYR 8 and Seng Heang Pandan flavored Tau Sar Pneah (香草淡汶饼) for MYR 13. The first two items were bought at the shops along Penang Road while the last item was bought in transit area of Penang Airport.
Besides food, I also bought two facial washes (right photo below) which I realized they were selling at a much lower price compared in Singapore. The bottled Icy face wash cost MYR 15.88 while the tube face wash cost MYR 9.88 during a promotion at Penang Guardian outlet. However back in Singapore, these two products can cost SGD 9.95 and SGD 7.50, respectively. That's a real bargain to be able to get them in Penang so much cheaper.
