I finally travelled to a place in Malaysia other than Kuala Lumpur 🙊
Let me share with you my not-so-recent, two day trip to Penang!
This post is not so much a guide, just the experience that I had when I went over in January!
I am not ashamed to admit that food will be the main feature of this post, because… what’s not love about food? Anyways, I only had time to visit a few tourist hotspots and landmarks because my main reason for travelling to Penang was to visit family. Most of these
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed eating at the hawker stalls 😁
Super Tanker Hawker Food Centre
Just called ‘Super Tanker’ for short, is located in the southern part of the island closer to the airport near Bayan Lepas. Eating at hawker food stalls, let alone a hawker food court, was on my Penang to-do list, and what better than to have the opportunity to tick it off the list first.
Specialties I had at hawker stalls include Roti Canai, Lobak, Oh Chien, Penang Rojak, Apam Balik, Bee Hoon, Teh Tarik and Chicken Rice
Address: Lengkok Nipah 2 , Penang , 11600
Coffee Island
After only having my grandmother’s Bak Ku Teh, this was Bak Ku Teh opened my eyes up to the world. Coffee Island’s Bak Ku Teh was aromatic and flavourful without being too heavy. You’ll know what I mean when you try it! Accompanied with yam rice and other dishes, my heart was content.
Address: 77, Persiaran Gurney, George Town, 10250 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Air Itam
Despite sitting at an outdoor hawker stall, in the humid 35 degree heat, on the side of a busy market street, my first experience of eating Assam Laksa (Penang’s specialty) was pretty good.
The Air Itam market was located close to Air Itam Dam. It was a long winding road to the top of the dam, but the view was amazing. It’s also a nice change of scenery from Penang’s sprawl of built form. Plus, you might have a chance to see Water Monitors swimming or laying on the edge of the shore, which was maybe not a good thing? But… wildlife 😁
Kek Lok Si
Kek Lok Si is a Buddhist Temple also located in Air Itam, and is just a short drive from the dam. It’s possible to catch a cable car up to see the Kuan Yin, in which the entrance to that is show in the first image. Another amazing view from Air Itam. Getting motion sickness and nausea on the trip up in the car was worth it.
Georgetown
The next day we travelled to the infamous Georgetown street art, mural and wall paintings cultural precinct, amidst the clear blue skies and 36 degree heat. I was able to purchase a lot of tourist souvenirs and post cards in the area, as well as ask the shop owners where some of the artworks were located, in which they were able to provide me a map of the area with exact sites.
After walking around a few streets of Georgetown, we were on our way to the Lorong Selamat Food Stalls, when we stumbled upon the Hin Bus Depot Art Centre. The area was barren with tourists, so it was a great opportunity to take our time to admire the murals and artworks of international and local artists as well as take a heap of pictures for potential Instagram posts or Facebook dps.
Lorong Selamat Food Stalls
I had to try the World No. 1 Char Kway Teow, and admittedly, it is the best one I have ever had. Just a warning though, it contains a bit of spice, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying it. Just cool it down with an Ice Kacang 😁 I also, had more Oh Chien, Lobak, and another dish I have forgotten, from neighbouring hawker stalls.
Location:
Batu Kawan
On my last dinner of the trip, I went across to the Butterworth side of Penang across the bridge, to Batu Kawan, to dine at Yen Seafood. It’s located far out from any populated commercial or built areas in Penang, so a car or motorcycle is required to get there. Despite the non-photogenic nature of the food in the pictures, the seafood was really fresh, and everything tasted really good.
Location:
Till next time Penang ! 😁
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