A crash course in how to get lost, but always end up at your final destination - Malaysia part 2 - July 2014

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Pretty much as the title indicates it felt like every time we drove to a new town we were lost as can be, but eventually managed to find our way to our destination. PENANG island - felt like it took days and days to get there (in reality it was probably more like 8 hours). It was a beautiful drive from the park though so not complaining too much. We were pretty excited about Penang hence the decision to stay two days (a major victory for Nikkie). We arrived pretty late at night (probably around 8:30 at night). We were amazed by the street food stalls and activity as we drove through GEORGETOWN. Our hotel for the night was the STRAITS COLLECTION HOTEL. The reason we booked this is that the rooms consist of old houses from back in the day that was recreated and done in typical Penang style. Well we managed to find the address, but... no check-in. There were some instructions on where to go which we did and yet no answer. Crap - what now? Well - things always have a way of working out in life (and we are very firm believers in this). Just one of those facts of life. I walked into the Jawi House (a restaurant right next to the rooms) and asked if they have any clue what to do. The owner was awesome. He started calling the number listed (once again we have no cell phone that work here). We got wifi and found some other numbers. He finally got a hold of someone and just went off on them. Something to the tune of... you have customers standing here trying to find their room for the night... is this any way to treat customers... get over here right now...etc. Wow. We were starving too so we sat down and had a mango smoothie, Jawi Balmieh - boneless lamb, stewed in tomatoes and Peranakan herbs, served with okras and crusty Benggali bread. What an awesome meal. He just wanted to make sure Nikkie and I was ok and taken care of. We finally got our room. Yeah. I loved it. Redone house - old school. 2 story house and the bathroom is pretty much open air so if it rains you could just sit in the tub and catch the rain. It was a good night's rest after a long day. I would highly recommend this, but beware of the fact that it is cash only.

The next day we were up and about pretty early. We walked and explored while getting fresh fruit on the streets (there is fresh fruit everywhere). We kept walking down to the water and wandered around the stilt houses. Just houses or shops right over the water. Most of the time you just look straight into someone's kitchen or living room. This is also where we took the plunge and had our first taste of durian fruit - the feared stinky fruit... well we had it indirectly. We had some durian fruit cream puffs. Yeah it tasted horrendous. It is like a sweaty, dirty sock and the taste just won't go away. Nikkie did not think it was that terrible, but I really did not care for it. This is a fruit that is straight-up banned from rental cars. You put a durian in the car you pay a hefty fine, because these things just stink. Next time we'll give the actual fruit a try.

EAT IN GEORGETOWN ON THE STREETS is on the list so on the way back we stopped at one of the HAWKER CENTERS for some CHAR KWAY TEOW (NOODLE STIR FRY WITH SOY SAUCE). Awesome stuff as always. You generally order, pick a table, and they will swing by when the food is done and you settle up. We kept walking around and wandering and eventually made our way to CHINATOWN and LITTLE INDIA. Fascinating stores, nooks and crannies to discover. Throw in all the ARCHITECTURE IN GEORGETOWN, the wall art (full-blown drawings on the side-walls of buildings - always look up) or strategically placed paintings of people combined with objects that make for some incredible pictures (think actual old motorbike leaning against a wall, with a boy painted against the wall as if he is riding the bike), or some of the most amazing iron art work against the walls. Just really a truly amazing town with an incredible amount of art. Always look around (especially here), because you may just miss your favorite cartoon character painted on a fire-hydrant or high up against some building.

We even sat down for coffee just to take it all in while not moving around. In the afternoon we made our way to the KEK LOK SI TEMPLE which is a little ways away. The cool part again was driving, being surrounded by little bikes at every traffic light and just seeing locals going about their daily lives. Especially interesting is that you can have a TEMPLE, a church and a mosque all straight across from each other on the street and yet they all life in peace - a great lesson for all of us. We passed many food stalls (my mouth was watering) and finally made it to the temple. Lots of incense, lots of gold, lots of stairs and a lot of incredible buildings and a massive complex. We finally made it to the top after taking a little funicular to the top where there was a 120-foot solid bronze statue with some ponds and really neat architecture. The views stretch for miles. On the way down we stopped at several buddha stations and watched some of the monks do their prayers and offerings.

Our drive pretty much took us around the entire island - up and down, left and right, winding, winding, winding roads. Ramadan was in full force and it was that time of day. We stopped in one of the first little villages we saw and I grabbed some chicken on a stick. After driving further into town we saw that there was a really happening food market so we stopped and started to explore. One of the stands was making a crepe type concoction with a curry and beef filling which is then folded into a square like a burrito and further grilled. All of this takes place on top of what looks like an old oil drum. The "chef" was all too happy for the attention and was smiling away while the paparazzi was snapping pictures. It was really good. For desert we picked up some waffles with coconut sauce. Man was I in my happy place. The island is filled with FISHING VILLAGES so we kept exploring and it was fascinating to see how people live and make a living. All over the place all you would see was the catch of the day hanging from ceilings or some type of fish being dried out in the sun. We were pretty deep into some of these villages exploring the back streets. As the sun was going down we slowly made our way back to Georgetown along the beaches on the east side of Penang. There was one beach that just looked gorgeous so we pulled over and we were the only ones there. The water was warm, the sun was making a perfect reflection in the water and it was quiet as can be. One of those moments we will always remember.

Our hotel for the night was the CHEONG FATT TZE (BLUE MANSION) - highly recommended. We stayed in that night and just sat on the couch outside our room with a couple drinks (the mosquitoes finally chased us inside). Breakfast the next morning consisted of smoked salmon w/ scrambled eggs, tomato and sauteed mushrooms and a Malaysian eggs set w/ bread and kaya (coconut jam). We took a TRISHAW RIDE THROUGH OLD PENANG. Some of these guys are old and this is their living. It's a tough job, but they are out there smiling making a buck. These trishaw's are tiny and we barely fit. It was pretty awesome being able to sit back and just watch the buildings go by and admiring the architecture and the art on the buildings. Our destination was the KOO KONGSI CLAN HOUSE - one of the oldest and most prominent Chinese clan houses in Malaysia. It was beautiful, filled with information, architecture and lots of history.

It was finally time to leave (with heavy hearts, because this was an awesome place). Next up - KUALA LUMPUR. The drive there was tough and we definitely got lost, took a couple wrong roads, and made some u-turns, but at the end of the day we got there. Crazy traffic (meaning people drive fine, but it is just congested). Our hotel for the night was the Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur. A nice hotel at a reasonable rate. First up was finding JALAN ALOR STREET FOR FOOD to experience the quintessential FEASTING ON KL'S STREETS. It took us a while to finally find the street and man was it sensory overload as all you could see was STREETSIDE HAWKER STALLS. Looking up the street you get this perfect reflection of smoke, chairs, restaurants, an overload of people, smells, sounds, and everything lit-up with bright lights. We walked up and down a couple times - it's confusing and there is so much. The saying "I want to try one of each" definitely came to mind a couple times. First of all we had to stop and EAT SATAY STICKS - especially SPICEY THAI GRILLED PORK SKEWERS. I mean there is no shortage of skewers here. If you can think it - it is most likely on a skewer here. Vegetables, fish meat... grilled or raw. You name it. We probably had about 10 skewers of all kinds of different things. We finally found a restaurant (pretty sure we just got to a point where we said "we're sitting at the next restaurant". Some Tiger beer was the perfect answer for a very hot and steamy night. We've seen so many frogs getting killed so we figured we had to try the frog w/ chili sauce (really good). Nikkie also went for a little bit of a reach with her IKAN BAKAR (STINGRAY WITH CHILI SAUCE GRILLED ON A BANANA LEAVE). The stingray had a very stringy texture, but was really good. An awesome meal finished with some Turkish ice cream (not my favorite as it is a little too "stretchy" and almost reminds me of a cold more stretchy taffy). Since we were going to be in KL for pretty much about exactly 24 hours (yeah a whirlwind of a stay) we figured we'll get the PETRONAS TOWERS out of the way as well. Well... I guess they close at 9 (we got there around 9:10). What a bummer so we stayed and took our pictures and took in the sight (what an awesome building) and then took a walk back to our hotel. Kind of reminded us of New York. Hustle and bustle even late at night, shops open late, people all around, night-clubs, and ... well we also passed by what definitely looked like the red-light district so that was interesting.

The next morning we were up pretty early for some good old Starbucks. We used the train and made our way over to PETALING STREET where you can pretty much find anything your heart desires. This is in the middle of Chinatown and we were really here to EAT AT CHINATOWN IN KUALA LUMPUR. There was not much life on the street anyway so we went about finding the early morning market. Again we were in food heaven walking around watching chickens being butchered right in front of us, fruit and vegetables that look foreign and great, fish, meat, etc. All the smells and sounds as people go about stocking up on produce for the day for their restaurants. So we went to MADRAS LANE FOR A BREAKFAST OF NOODLES and STUFFED TOFU. Now I have to say - this was as legit as it gets from a local perspective. We were the only foreigners there and when I say only I mean only. This was locals only. Not sure why but that's how it was. I stared in amazement as people stood there making hundreds and hundreds of a dish rolling things, stuffing things, deep frying, baking, grilling... I got in line. So how do I do this? Well I mean I know how to do this, but they move at a fast pace, no English and I am a foot taller than anyone else there. I would have managed like I always do, but... there was a friendly local behind me who spoke English and just got me through the process. You get a little basket and throw in everything you want, pay, and they fry it up for you and bring it over. I asked her about what some of the things were before choosing. She walked over to another stall and bought us a bowl of steaming noodles (on her). As I did many times on this trip I also got a nice hot cup of coffee with condensed milk. The noodles were awesome. The bowl of goodies - well it was an interesting mix. Lots of fried tofu (not my favorite, but I still ate away), dumplings and other fried items in a broth. It was an experience to say the least. For me one of those moments in life I will always remember. We travel to find those places where we are surrounded by the locals with no tourists around. This was as pure as it will get.

We made our way through Petaling street again - this time with a lot more activity. Lots of low-value/ low-budget items. T-shirts, toys, handbags, etc. Fun to walk through. We also walked through the CENTRAL MARKET which looked a lot more upscale and definitely very touristy geared. We did find a small shop with the "doctor fish". Take your shoes off, pop your feet into the pool and wait for hundreds and thousands of little fish to start picking the dead-skin off of your feet. Nikkie was a little squeamish, but I loved it.

I love to sample any kind of food I can lay my hands on so we also got some caramel-banana tarts at one of the little corner stores/ bakeries. SRI MAHAMARIAMMAN TEMPLE was on the list so we removed our shoes at the door and wandered around (another temple). MERDEKA SQUARE is a huge square with a cricket ground in the middle of the city and some awesome views of the skyline.

And that was our 24 hours in Kuala Lumpur - crazy as we are we really wish we could have spent some more time. You just can't do this justice in 24 hours. Next up - MELAKA. Not your typical tourist destination, but I was lured by the prospects of food since we would have ended up being there on a Friday night which meant JONKER'S WALK NIGHT MARKET IN CHINATOWN ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. We will get to the good part. We got there - not a bad drive, but same story again where we just could not find the right way but yet again after a couple detours, turn-arounds, etc we made it. We stayed at the HEEREN HOUSE for the night. Basic accommodation, but right smack in the middle of all the action. At around 5 in the afternoon we made our way outside for what can only be called a MALAYSIAN MELTING POT and on top of that the excessive celebration of RAMADAN MARKETS IN AUGUST. Oh yeah. On Jonker's Walk the market was already in full swing. The whole street (it's a long street) is lined with food vendors. I mean it is overwhelming. Heaven!!!! Nikkie loves henna so that was the first order of business we got out of the way. Well this was one of those times we actually just went for it and I was hungry. I started with some POPIAH (JICIMA STUFFED SPRING ROLLS) followed by some fish balls. In between we tried the juices (many, many varieties) including a sweet sour lime-plum juice - sounds weird but pretty good. We got into the good stuff and ate SATAR (SKEWERED BANANA-LEAVE PACKS OF SEAFOOD PASTE) - fascinating dish that definitely blew me away. A little fish paste (oily) wrapped in a banana-leave. One of the outstanding items for the night was a rice triangle cooked in a banana leave with a filling in the middle of the rice - delicious. This is a very hot time of year so coconut water w/ honey was also tried to keep hydrated. The sausages looked delicious and was. I was really looking forward to CHICKEN W/ RICE BALLS because it's kind of well-known in this part. Well I honestly was expecting something totally different, because it turned out to be exactly what it says - it's a piece of chicken with rice in the form of a ball. The most basic dish we tried and pretty plain - definitely a little bit of a letdown. I was pretty much done at this point, but made room for some madeleines and frozen juice popsicles. That was enough food for one night. We took a stroll alongside the MELAKA RIVER. Awesome evening stroll, passing time, watching people and all the lights reflecting in the river. A good ending to a great night.

The next morning we were treated to breakfast at the CAFE AT HEEREN HOUSE. Pretty simple - fruit, juices, coffee, sausage, hash browns, eggs, baked beans. I guess in general throughout our trip we were almost always served an American breakfast or what we consider an American breakfast. Not sure if there is not a typical Malaysian breakfast (fried tofu) or if the hotels just serve it to accommodate the tourists. We did a quick stroll across the river and checked out the STADTHUYS and after that it was time to go. Right before Johor Bahru we were asked to pay a toll. Not only did we have to pay a toll - we had to buy a prepaid card loaded with a bunch of money. A card we were never gonna use again. What a waste of money. It did take us forever to find the car rental agency - again. This time we were a little more versed in taking the bus back across the border so it was fairly smooth. And that was it. What an experience. What an adventure.

Likes

- we loved the street food
- we loved Penang (one of our favorite places)

Dislikes
- it felt like every single street in every town/ city was a one-way street (really annoying)
- the breakfast thing was not our favorite. We love to try the local food and we felt that every single breakfast was sort of American
- the traffic lights takes forever and ever to change. At times a couple minutes at a time for each side. You can literally sit at a light for 5 - 6 minutes at a time.

Advice
- the car rental troubles was definitely something to consider
- having cash in this country is a must. There is a lot of transactions in cash and not that many in credit cards

And that concludes our trip to Malaysia and closes the chapter on our first travels to Asia. An adventure we will never forget. Crossed off 4 things this time including Penang, a Malaysian melting pot, Feasting on KL's streets, and Melaka. So 282 down and 5,499 to go.

Til' next time from "gottta give ourselves more time"

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Photos

Kuala Lumpur
Love this guy

Penang
One of the many cool doors we saw in Penang. This was actually the front door to our hotel room.

Penang
Oh yeah - could not have said it any better myself.

Penang
Eating durian dessert - the closest we got to the stuff

Penang
The street art was pretty special

Penang
It came in all shapes, forms and sizes

Penang
Even found Bruce and his cat in the middle of a fight

Penang
And just had to get in on the action ourselves

Penang
Low blows

Penang
Marge and I!

Penang
Save me!!

Penang
Watch out!

Penang
Not sure he likes having her on his bike.

Penang
Hey?!

Penang
Minions

Penang
Almost there little guy!

Penang
Artwork everywhere

Kek Lok si temple
Impressive pink buddha

Kek Lok si temple
Lots of inscriptions

Kek Lok si temple
Hundreds of these little statues all over the place

Kek Lok si temple
Even the door handles are pretty cool

Comments

[RENanDREW]

Malaysia
I loved this blog post - I'm amazed at how many things you saw, did and ate in your time there :) Penang is a huge favourite of ours and we can't wait to go back!