So I decided to make a last minute trip to Penang, Malaysia for a long weekend. It's less than a 4 hour flight from Hong Kong and Dragonair (Cathay) now has direct flights daily.
The summer is a hard time to travel in southeast Asia because it is typhoon season and many places have unpredictable weather based on the storm pattern. Malaysia is pretty protected and while I might expect a rain storm, I hear they are relatively quick passing.
So where is Penang?
Per the amazing Wikipedia...
Penang is a state of Malaysia located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Strait of Malacca. It comprises two parts – Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley in English) on the Malay Peninsula.
Highly urbanised and industrialised, Penang is one of the most developed and economically important states in the country, as well as a thriving tourist destination.[4][5][6] George Town, which was founded by the British in 1786, is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
THE HISTORIC CITY OF GEORGE TOWN
On 7th July 2008, George Town was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Founded 200 years ago, the city has an impressive collection of historic buildings representing the cultural heritage of Penang’s various ethnicities: Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Malays, Achehnese, Siamese, Burmese and Europeans.
To me, Penang is fascinating because of the mix of races, cultures and religions in one relatively small area. There are Chinese, Malay, Indian, Indonesia. On one particular street there are 4 different places of worship: a Buddhist temple, a Muslim mosque, a Hindu temple and a Catholic church. To me it was like visiting Epcot where each different neighborhood had a different feel with different food, music, people, dress, architecture, etc.
Buildings in Georgetown area.
I hired a tour guide for the first day. We went to history museum to start so that I could learn the history before starting the days visits. On the second floor of the history museum is a 3D pop/trick art museum.
Clan Jetties. I visited the Chew Clan Jetty. So all the people who live and work on the Jetty have the same surname "Chew". There are many different jetties for different surnames. There are little stores and restaurants on each jetty.
Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in Malaysia. It is also one of the city's major historic attractions. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theater and the late 19th century rowhouses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square.
Street art is super popular in Penang. They are like hidden treasures all around the city. There are actually tourist maps just to find all the different pieces of art.
This is my favorite "Kung Fu Girl."
This is probably the most famous street art image. It is an actual half of bicycle attached to the wall with the image painted of the 2 kids.
Boy reaching for coffee cup.
Here is art of a bicycle driver lounging.... which is funny because...
... across the street was a bunch of drivers mimicking this art.
In addition to paintings, there are these wires sculptures all around the city with funny sayings.
Kek Lok Si is known as "Temple of Supreme Bliss" and is a Buddhist temple situated facing the sea and commanding an impressive view, and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is said to be the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
You are supposed to think about an issue and ring the bell 3 times and your problem will go away.
Me in front of the pagoda.
View from the top of the pagoda.
The tiles on the wall are all painted and have the look of wallpaper. So cool.
FOOD!
So I tried durian. It's a stinky fruit but well known as the best in Malaysia.
Not bad but not my favorite.
A proud signature dish, Penang Assam Laksa is a rich and spicy, fish-based soup noodle broth of tamarind juice, chilli paste, lemongrass, topped with prawn paste and mackerel/sardine flakes. It has a tangy, wholesome flavor from the tamarind which some may find it too overpowering.
Char Koay Teow is a national favorite in Malaysia and Singapore. Of Course, Penang has their fair share of famous char koay teow stalls with their own signature taste.
Curry Mee (my favorite meal). The most basic curry mee however always contains a few main ingredients like a mix of yellow egg noodle and vermicelli, prawns, cockles, cuttle fish, tofu balls and pork blood (which is banned in Singapore by the way), which is all doused in a sea of curry gravy.
Batik Paining Museum... batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap. The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one color, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colours are desired.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Little Penang Street market happens the last Sunday of each month. It was a typical market but I found a really cool jewelry maker. Some of you may have Christmas presents already.
The Eastern Oriental hotel is a super well known and posh hotel. After my long walk around Penang I stopped in for a beverage.
View from the other side of the hotel.
Last night in Penang I found a really cute restaurant/wine bar. One side had a large communal table, the other side had smaller private tables and in the open middle was outdoor seating. They had a large wine cellar where you could pick your own bottle.
Snake Temple
Overall very cool city and I recommend a few days spent exploring this unique area.
The summer is a hard time to travel in southeast Asia because it is typhoon season and many places have unpredictable weather based on the storm pattern. Malaysia is pretty protected and while I might expect a rain storm, I hear they are relatively quick passing.
So where is Penang?
Per the amazing Wikipedia...
Penang is a state of Malaysia located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Strait of Malacca. It comprises two parts – Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley in English) on the Malay Peninsula.
Highly urbanised and industrialised, Penang is one of the most developed and economically important states in the country, as well as a thriving tourist destination.[4][5][6] George Town, which was founded by the British in 1786, is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
THE HISTORIC CITY OF GEORGE TOWN
On 7th July 2008, George Town was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Founded 200 years ago, the city has an impressive collection of historic buildings representing the cultural heritage of Penang’s various ethnicities: Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Malays, Achehnese, Siamese, Burmese and Europeans.
To me, Penang is fascinating because of the mix of races, cultures and religions in one relatively small area. There are Chinese, Malay, Indian, Indonesia. On one particular street there are 4 different places of worship: a Buddhist temple, a Muslim mosque, a Hindu temple and a Catholic church. To me it was like visiting Epcot where each different neighborhood had a different feel with different food, music, people, dress, architecture, etc.
Buildings in Georgetown area.
I hired a tour guide for the first day. We went to history museum to start so that I could learn the history before starting the days visits. On the second floor of the history museum is a 3D pop/trick art museum.
Clan Jetties. I visited the Chew Clan Jetty. So all the people who live and work on the Jetty have the same surname "Chew". There are many different jetties for different surnames. There are little stores and restaurants on each jetty.
Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in Malaysia. It is also one of the city's major historic attractions. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theater and the late 19th century rowhouses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square.
Street art is super popular in Penang. They are like hidden treasures all around the city. There are actually tourist maps just to find all the different pieces of art.
This is my favorite "Kung Fu Girl."
This is probably the most famous street art image. It is an actual half of bicycle attached to the wall with the image painted of the 2 kids.
Boy reaching for coffee cup.
Here is art of a bicycle driver lounging.... which is funny because...
... across the street was a bunch of drivers mimicking this art.
In addition to paintings, there are these wires sculptures all around the city with funny sayings.
Kek Lok Si is known as "Temple of Supreme Bliss" and is a Buddhist temple situated facing the sea and commanding an impressive view, and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is said to be the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
You are supposed to think about an issue and ring the bell 3 times and your problem will go away.
Me in front of the pagoda.
View from the top of the pagoda.
FOOD!
So I tried durian. It's a stinky fruit but well known as the best in Malaysia.
Not bad but not my favorite.
A proud signature dish, Penang Assam Laksa is a rich and spicy, fish-based soup noodle broth of tamarind juice, chilli paste, lemongrass, topped with prawn paste and mackerel/sardine flakes. It has a tangy, wholesome flavor from the tamarind which some may find it too overpowering.
Char Koay Teow is a national favorite in Malaysia and Singapore. Of Course, Penang has their fair share of famous char koay teow stalls with their own signature taste.
Curry Mee (my favorite meal). The most basic curry mee however always contains a few main ingredients like a mix of yellow egg noodle and vermicelli, prawns, cockles, cuttle fish, tofu balls and pork blood (which is banned in Singapore by the way), which is all doused in a sea of curry gravy.
Batik Paining Museum... batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap. The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one color, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colours are desired.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Little Penang Street market happens the last Sunday of each month. It was a typical market but I found a really cool jewelry maker. Some of you may have Christmas presents already.
The Eastern Oriental hotel is a super well known and posh hotel. After my long walk around Penang I stopped in for a beverage.
View from the other side of the hotel.
Last night in Penang I found a really cute restaurant/wine bar. One side had a large communal table, the other side had smaller private tables and in the open middle was outdoor seating. They had a large wine cellar where you could pick your own bottle.
Snake Temple
Overall very cool city and I recommend a few days spent exploring this unique area.
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