Blogs from Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia, Asia - page 3

After an ok nights sleep (air-con always makes the throat and mouth dry as hell) I headed downstairs for breakfast with my slightly less club like foot. Breakfast as ever was toast, toast, toast or noodles so toast it was! Aruna had suggested hiring scooters for the day rather than getting the bus to the closest beach at Batu Ferringhi, a forty-five minute ride away. So we spoke to the guy that hired out twist-and-go scooters at the front of the guest house and he agreed to do us a deal for two scooters. He looked a bit like Jackie Chan, with long hair so I found it hard not to laugh as he was going through the operation of the scooter with me. I had to grab fuel before we went anywhere as mine, unlike ... read more

First of all, sorry for showing our geeky sci-finess by doing a Star Trek title for the blog, we just couldn’t resist it! It was only a short (air conned!) bus ride to Batu Ferringhi, a beach resort town on the north coast of Penang. Because of the heat Neil had insisted that his Cadbury’s chocolate be packed very carefully into our backpacks, to provide the most protection from melting in the heat! We managed to find the right place to get off the bus and walked away from the big resort hotels down a side street which lead to the beach and the budget accommodation; although the word ‘budget’ to describe the rooms is definitely not the one we would use! Cue a hot and sweaty hour or so walking around the few guesthouses asking ... read more

Good afternoon everyone this is your Captain speaking, we will shortly be descending on the land of all things western, many things fake, lots that’s cultural and where the temperature is a sweaty 32 degrees C with 80% humidity and all this some distance away from a tuk tuk driver or a local washing his prize cow! Welcome to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. A brisk walk alongside the tarmac, a speedy customs check and forex change and we were out of the door and on a bus headed for the city. It’s difficult not to notice the marks of a truly capitalist nation when the first things you see are the Mc Donalds and Starbucks illuminated insignia jutting out of every second building! This aside we were decidedly excited at what Malaysia had to hold and not ... read more

Mum, Dad and I got dropped off at our hotel in Batu Ferringhi, Penang. Having unpacked (well Mum and Dad did I made a token gesture at unpacking) we went and had some lunch before briefly exploring the local area. After awhile we decided to return to the hostel whereby I went to investigate the swimming pool... Thursday morning and I had already decided that I was going to do nothing for the day. It was time for me to do some washing and so after collecting my washing and what Mum and Dad decided they wanted doing we headed across the road from the hotel to the tailors that also offered cheap laundry. Washing dropped off and agreed to be collected that night we went for a wander. On returning past the hotel I ducked ... read more

And again we find ourselves ready to eat…you guys must think I’m a glutton of sorts. Anywhoozits, we visited a delightful under-a-canopy food area a little walks away from the night markets at Batu Ferringhi. Hunger was setting in and I was ready for another round of Malaysian food delights - Penang stylez. The place we ate at was called Cafe Long Beach - imagine a Kopi Tiam, but ALOT bigger… and outside…and under a tent. So let’s get on with the foodage - appetizers first! Spring Roll cl... read more