The Different Faces of George Town

Our next House/Pet sitting assignment was located in George Town, Penang.  The timing was perfect for us as we had always planned on travelling to Penang as we had heard good things about this island off the coast of Malaysia.

The assignment was in an area called Straits Quay so we knew that we were in a newer part of the district.

Old Quarter of George Town

We needed to book a night’s accommodation prior to our assignment starting so opted for a guest house located in the old quarter of George Town.  We stayed at Kim Haus Loft which is a quirky renovated hostel style guest house.

The room was small but suited our needs for a one night stay.  We were on the upper floor above a restaurant and bar (which had live music every night) so our ear plugs came in handy yet again.

The historical core of George Town has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2008 and it is packed full of history and culture.  There were plenty of examples of this as we wandered the streets and could definitely see where the influence came from in Singapore with the Shophouses looking just like we saw when we stayed there.

There was such a variety of buildings, people and culture and we found Chinese temples in Little India and mosques in Chinatown and then Western-style skyscrapers and shopping complexes wedged between buildings resembling the colonial British era architecture.

We got lost in the maze of chaotic streets and narrow lanes, past shrines and fragrant shops selling Indian spices.

There was a break in our house sitting so we came back to the Old Quarter for another 4 nights which gave us a real good opportunity to experience the real ‘old quarter’.  We booked into a 100 year old Shophouse which had been restored and turned into an 8 room guesthouse.  Terry our host along with his mother (the cook) really made our stay.  Our room was basic but came with A/C (essential!) and we had WiFi so those two boxes were ticked.  We paid 130MYR ($42nz) which included a cooked breakfast.

If you are thinking of Georgetown and want the real deal – I would recommend Carnavon House.  We walked in and negotiated a price for 4 nights but he is on Air BnB or his own website.  Note though, it is a shared bathroom which wasn’t a problem for us but you may want to take this into account.

Penang Street Art

The trend goes back to 2010 when the government commissioned artists to create a series of cartoon steel art pieces which detail local customs and heritage with a bit of humour.

As well as these 3D artworks, the government then commissioned another artist from Lithuania in 2012 to do a series of public paintings in central George Town, many of which he chose to combine with objects such as swings, bicycles and motorbikes. 

These artworks have been a hit with the tourists, complete with long queues for selfies and dedicated souvenir stalls.  Images are now also found on shirts, notebooks and other souvenirs – often without the artists permission.

Click on the link below to see the highlights of our trip around Georgetown – Old Quarter.

 

The Newer Side of George Town

Our home for the next couple of weeks was to be in Straits Quay.  This is a stunning new apartment, shopping mall, marina complex, only a 15 minute taxi ride from the Old Quarter – yet you could be a world away.

The lovely apartment overlooked the marina and we had the use of the swimming pool and gym, and we had a number of restaurants right on our doorstep.

Several times a day we walked Max (cavoodle) along the walkways hugging the coastline, looking out towards the mainland of Malaysia.  It was certainly a lovely area to stay and quite a contrast to the rest of George Town.

Sunsets at Batu Ferringhi Beach

Batu Ferringhi is approximately a 20 minute taxi ride further north, following the jagged coastline.

This is the beach resort area of Penang, and consists of a long stretch of white sandy beach.  Tall resorts fill both sides of the main road as this is the second most popular destination after George Town.

If it is the sun, sea, sand and surf you are looking for on your holiday in Penang Island then look no further than the collection of oceanfront hotels.

Tonight our visit wasn’t about the resorts or the famous night markets, we wanted to come and see the spectacular sunset that Batu Ferringhi is known for.

We walked along the sandy beach until we found the Bora Bora Beach Bar and Restaurant.  Located a table right on the beach and sipped away on our drinks until the sun started to turn fiery red as it dropped down onto the distant horizon.

We weren’t disappointed – it was amazing.

Penang Hill

Just a short taxi ride from George Town is Penang Hill.

It stands 2,700 ft high and has ‘funicular’ train (yup, that’s how you spell it!) which has been in operation since 1923.  It travels 2 km up the hill and it is the longest funicular train in SE Asia but it is the steepest tunnel track in the world.

The view from the top of the hill was hazy but you could still make out the city spread out below, the 23 km bridge to the mainland and the peninsula of Malaysia.

We found some great nature walks through the bush, saw some pretty amazing creatures (yukky!) and it was good to get back to nature.  Wandering around for a few hours in 32 degree heat made the 15km walk quite exhausting but we really enjoyed discovering the history of the area as there are over 50 bungalows dotted around the hill which date back to the 1700’s. 

The train ride can get extremely busy, especially with the tour bus groups coming through.  I would advise you to go early morning to try and beat the rush.  It cost us 30MYR ($9.70nz) but you can pay 60MYR ($19.49nz) if you want to go in the ‘fast lane’.   We opted to queue and didn’t have to wait too long.

We caught a Grab Taxi from our lodgings which only cost us 7MYR ($2.20nz) so it wasn’t even worth trying to work out the bus system for that price.

Balik Pulau

We thought that we would travel a little further afield today as we had time on our side.

Located on the Southwest of Penang Island, Balik Pulau is a small village rich in agriculture and heritage.  It’s well known for a number of street food and heritage sites.

We walked around a Heritage Trail and visited historic churches, graveyards, shophouses and learnt about the history of growing and processing nutmeg and cloves.

The village also has the perfect climate for growing Durian and offers a wide variety, each with unique and distinctive tastes.  I have to admit that we haven’t yet tried the pungent fruit (especially after smelling it in a few heat infused markets!!).  Be rest assured that it is on our list of things to do and we will rise to the challenge in due course.

We did however indulge in the local delicacy ‘Siam Laksa’ which I found to be way more palatable than Assam Laksa.  We sat on the side of the road watching the locals coming and going. 

We are really glad that we decided to take this day trip out to the village and enjoyed wandering around learning about the history, but the highlight of the day was the bus trip out there and back.  With a bit of research we figured out what bus we needed to catch, how the payment system worked and different routes there and back.

This meant that we could see a lot of Penang Island for a minimal cost.  The trip to the village took 1.15 hours and cost us a grand total of 8MYR ($2.60nz) for both of us.  We took a different route back which also took just over an hour and cost us 6.80MYR ($2.20nz).  Certainly a good way to go!!

The Tastes of Penang

You all know by now that we are series foodies.

Penang has the reputation of being the Food Capital of Asia which is a huge name to live up to.  From what we have discovered, they do a pretty good job of it.

We have been spoilt for choice, especially in the Old Quarter of Georgetown.  We have tried different Laska’s, the most amazing Indian curry (including our favourite Roti’s), Chinese influenced Tom Yum and Dim Sims and traditional favourites such as Char Kway Teow

Our stay could last for months and we still would not be able to sample all the dishes that are served in this culinary  hotpot.  My palate is getting used to the spicy heat and can tolerate more of the delicious flavours that comes with every mouthful.

This has been a long blog but there has been so much to do and see.  We have been so fortunate to have been accepted for a House/Pet sit in the fabulous area.  Choosing photos from over 500 that we have taken is a testament to what we thought of the area and what we have seen.  We were extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to discover so many sides and can compare the old with the new.

No matter what sort of traveller you are and what ‘spins your wheels’ we believe that you will too will find things to love in this lovely piece of Malaysia.

Click on the video below to see the second half of our stay.