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Published: March 31st 2016
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Penang, March 14-19, 2016
The bus from Melaka took a bit longer than expected. It arrived into the new bus terminal in the island late afternoon, and from there I jumped on a city bus (102) headed toward my hotel, which took another hour. After settling in, I walked the nearby beach where I was staying and ate at the food stall market in front of the hotel.
The first full day on the island I headed toward the Penang National Park early in the morning. Two buses—the 101 and 102—make stops there, which make the park really convenient to visit. The forest/jungle is beautiful. There are several trails that head toward different types of attractions within the park. I decided to take the trail that headed toward the Muka Head Lighthouse. It is just over 4.6 km according to the park’s maps to get to the lighthouse from the park’s entrance. The trail is awesome. There lots of different types of animals that you encounter as you make your way to the lighthouse. In addition, there are beaches—most of them tiny—that you can take a quick respite. It was really hot and humid on
the trail and by the time I reached Monkey Beach, I just wanted to stay and relax. However, I pushed on and the hike up the hill/mountain to the top of the lighthouse was worth it. Exhausted, I headed back to Monkey Beach and took rest at the first hut I saw to get drinks and escape the midday sun. After catching my breath, I decided to take a quick dip in the waters. The two days I visited the beach, the waters were warm and clean. The sand was soft and white, and it was clean. The only thing that annoyed me was the numerous jet skis that people were riding; despite signs at the park entrance that stated they weren’t allowed (the rules weren’t enforced). Exhausted, I hiked the 4.6 km back to the entrance of the park in the mid-afternoon. I spent the rest of the evening trying delicious local foods—the highlight being noodles with duck (duck koay teow th/ng).
The following day I decided to walk Georgetown, the biggest city on the island. The city is well laid out and has a really cool charm and feel. The architecture is cool, and shops
and cafes spill out onto the street. I started at the fort and crisscrossed the streets of the city. Near the Blue Mansion, I stopped at a local watering hole which I really enjoyed, Gala House on the corner of Leith Street and Jalan Muntri. It was small, but the two beers I drank hit the spot after walking a few hours in the scorching heat. By mid-afternoon, I took another rest at the Long Bar on Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenian). The place was empty, but the prices were great and the waitress was welcoming. After a couple more hours of walking the city I went back to Armenian Street and enjoyed dinner at Jawi House Café Gallery.
Early next morning, I jumped on a bus to see Kek Lok Si in Air Itam. It two took buses (101 and 203) from my hotel, but the long journey was not only cheap, but worth the time because of the route the buses took. I got to see so much of the city just sitting down on the bus. The temple itself is quite impressive. It is huge. It has numerous buildings, and it feels like a maze
to both get up there and walking around the complex. But the highlight is the massive statue of Guanyin at the top of the hill/mountain. The whole complex is worth a visit. Give yourself a couple of hours to enjoy walking around the grounds and to experience the sights the hillside provides. Another cool thing to do in the temple is walk up the pagoda, which not only gives great views of the island, but of all of the temple buildings as well. After walking around the temple, I headed down to Air Itam and walk the market area in search of some good food. I found a nice hawker market. I had some of the local Penang Laksa, washed down with coconut water, as well as some chicken rice.
On my last full day I headed back to Monkey Beach. Again I decided to do the trail and not rent a boat available at the entrance to the park. I spent all morning and early afternoon enjoying the beach and the warm waters. I went back to the same hut that I had visited a few days before. The lady that runs it is really nice.
For lunch, she made me a delicious stir-fry with chicken. If I ever do go back to Penang, I will opt for camping at Monkey beach for a couple of days and enjoy the wonderful scenery. It was four or five in the afternoon by the time I got back to the entrance to the park, and I was feeling hungry. In front of one of the bus stops to head back into town, there is a Chinese restaurant. I decided to sit down to eat and to enjoy a cold beer. I ordered a massive fried fish. It was delicious.
On my last day, I headed back to the bus terminal to jump on a bus to Kuala Lumpur where I would be spending my last two days of the trip. Penang was amazing. The food was delicious and diverse. The National Park on the island is beautiful, and I greatly enjoyed my time relaxing and swimming on Monkey Beach. Georgetown was a really cool city. I had an amazing time during my stay.
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