Penang Here We go

    This will be quite a long post but I hope you will feel like you are traveling with me as you read along =)

The plan was to set off for Kuala Lumpur on 23 Dec and then take an ETS train from KL Sentral to Butterworth on the following morning before transferring to the ferry for Penang. Penang is an island state of Peninsular Malaysia famous for its cultural heritages and awesome food! 

Overnight stay at The Melia Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

It was my first time taking this new ETS train and I was really impressed. The train set off on time at 7:50AM and the entire ride was very smooth and fast with the train hitting its top speed at 144km/h. It only took 3.5 hours to travel from KL to Butterworth! For more information on the ETS train schedule and online ticket booking, check out this page where I booked my tickets online.

ETS Train at Butterworth Terminal

Taking a ferry from Butterworth to Penang's Weld Quay was also a first for me. The ferry terminal is around 10-15 minutes walking distance away from the Butterworth ETS Terminal.

Queuing up for coins

Gantry to the ferry

To access the ferry, you would need to prepare RM1.20 (for adult) in coins and insert them into the gantry. If you did not prepare coins, fret not as they have a counter just before the gantry to exchange for coins. 

Walking to the lower deck of the ferry. What a view!

View of Georgetown from the ferry

Once I disembarked at Weld Quay, I quickly headed to the bus terminal which is only a stone's throw away from the jetty. Following the clear instructions given by my Airbnb hosts Peter and Mei, I was able to check in at their place without much trouble. 

Peter & Mei's Airbnb is located strategically at 24 Merican Road and it was my first local Airbnb booking. Both of them were very helpful in providing lots of recommendations about local food and travel tips. Peter even prepared a map for me with handwritten highlights around Georgetown. Check out my full review of Peter & Mei's Airbnb here for a more in-depth sharing of my experience at their Airbnb.

Very elegant interior design of the living room (Photo credits: 24mericanroad.com)

The rooms on the second floor are for guests

Nice common area to hang out at Peter & Mei's. But we normally chit chat with them in the living room.

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Day 1

On my way to KOMTAR

It was already around 3pm and I was starving. As I walked to KOMTAR in search for a local SIM card, I discovered this Penang Fried Laksa shop along Siam Road. According to the owner, they are the first Fried Laksa stall in Penang! It tasted like Asam Laksa but without soup. Very unique and there are options to add on more ingredients too like mushrooms, sliced meat, fish ball and so on. 

Penang's first ever Fried Laksa. Not a bad way to kickstart my food hunting adventure!

The Fried Laksa Stall is located at Yan Yam Cafe along Siam Road

After getting a SIM card I headed to the famous Teo Chew Chendol along Penang Road which is just a few minutes walking distance away from KOMTAR. The queue was long but the waiting time was still alright. There were two chendol stalls opposite each other and I picked the one with the longer queue. 

To be honest, I thought it was not bad but not something that I would crave for in a short time. 

There is a coffee shop behind the stall where you can enjoy your chendol

Now that I am recharged, it is time to check the first tourist destination off my travel itinerary - Batu Ferringhi. From KOMTAR, I took a Rapid Penang Bus 101 and alighted at a Starbucks along Batu Ferringhi as recommended by Peter and Mei. I was told that out of the many beaches along the northern coast of Penang, this is arguably the best one.

Lots of people parasailing here at Batu Ferringhi. Fantastic atmosphere!

Loving this soft sandy beach

They even have horse riding by the beach!

Indeed, the beach was vast, clean and a little bit crowded. The next thing that caught my attention was the bustling watersport activities here including parasailing, banana boat and speed boat rides. The atmosphere was awesome! If you happen to visit Batu Ferringhi in the evening, don't forget to catch the sunset here!

The evening sky here was beautiful with the sun setting between the peaks afar

Isn't it romantic to enjoy the sunset with your loved ones

My food hunting continued after enjoying the beautiful sunset at Batu Ferringhi. I'd highly recommend the New Lane (Lorong Baru) Night Hawker located near to Jalan Dato Keramat. New Lane is one of the local favourite night food hunting ground especially for its Fried Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎).

New Lane Night Hawker

The Fried Oyster Omelette that I tried at New Lane was from Eng Kee

So juicy and yummy!

The oyster was so juicy and the omelette was perfectly fried. Only thing lacking was the amount of chili sauce given (yup you MUST dip the oysters and eggs into the chili sauce to savour it) so be sure to request more chili sauce from the aunty! 

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Day 2

Morning from Georgetown

Day 2 began with an early morning trip to the famous Penang Hill or Bukit Bendera. I took Bus 204 from the bus stop opposite to Peter and Mei's place and rode all the way to Bukit Bendera Terminal (located at the foot of Penang Hill). Along the way, I passed by the busy market of Air Itam and also caught a glimpse of Kek Lok Si Temple. 

RAPID Penang bus ticket. It is actually very convenient to explore Penang by their public buses!

Arrived at the entrance of Penang Hill

I arrived at the foothill at around 9am and it was already very crowded. And there were a few tourist buses parked at the entrance. Yeah it was Christmas so it wasn't a surprise.

Transportation up the hill during the British colonial times

Fortunately now we have this modern funicular train

Regular tickets for locals like me was priced reasonably at RM10 (two-way). There is also a fast lane which sells tickets at 3 times the price of regular tickets.