For this trip, we planned everything by ourselves - from the flights to the hotels to the transport to the attractions. So, it was a very hands-on trip, where the planning was concerned.
Anyway, we each bought a backpack - one of 50L capacity; and that we got at a bargain price of RM185 each at a timely warehouse sale just a few days before our departure; We would pack light and travel light for convenience's sake, and of course to save cost. In the end, my luggage weighed 5.5 kg on my travelling day - within the 7kg limit for hand-carry bags. Wearing t-shirts and shorts, and with our backpacks, we were often thought to be students from Singapore. Lol!
Our flight at 9.30 a.m. was right on schedule and we reached Penang 15 minutes ahead actually. We decided to take the public bus from the airport to our hotel - Hotel Sentral Georgetown. The thing was the bus driver was extremely helpful - and he told us to get down at the stop after Komtar - the bus hub.
When we reached Komtar, we wanted to alight because we decided to go buy ferry tickets for our trip to Langkawi. We didn' know where to buy them, of course. We were going to search and ask around. The driver, instead, sat us down and told us that the ticketing offices were far .... and he in fact, gave us a personal tour of Georgetown in his bus and dropped us right in front of the ticketing offices near the jetty. Goodness, it was so nice of him. I'm pretty sure he made a slight detour of his usual route for our sakes, bless his soul!
We bought our ferry tickets from a lady, an agent named Diana - and she was again extremely friendly and helpful; and after a few clarifications, our tickets were bought at RM70 per journey per pax! Our trip has barely started, and we have already met 2 very nice Penangites!
The Jubilee Clock Tower
Also known as the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, this clock tower was built in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee; the clock tower was 60 feet tall, each foot represents a year in the Queen's reign.
The ferry ticketing agents were located right here at the Jubilee Clock Tower; in fact, the bus driver told us to wait for a bus back to Komtar from here. Wait in front of the State Assembly Building located at Lebuh Light, he said. But we sort of got lost .... and walked along Lebuh Pantai instead.
We stopped at the very first food court that we came across - Sri Weld Food Court, situated amongst banks and offices. We joined the office crowd for lunch ....
Teh C Peng , RM1.80
Hokkien Char ; RM5.00
Char Hor Fun - dry version ; RM5.00
Penang is a food haven - we wanted to try the hawker food; of these 2 plates of noodles, we both preferred the dry version which was tastier - more aromatic and smokier in flavour. Lunch done, we continued walking ...
And we found the Pinang Peranakan Mansion located at Lebuh Gereja. We were interested, and decided to drop by; entrance fee was RM21.20 including GST.
A Christmas tree! Lol!
Walking towards the museum ....
The main entrance of the museum, painted in a distinctive green
This mansion belonged to Kapitan Chung Keng Quee, and his wealth is really reflected in the opulence of this residence. I did not have to be an expert in architecture to appreciate the intricate carvings, the elegant tiles, the elaborate furniture, vintage porcelain, cutlery, jewellery. Everything was well-preserved. Some of the rooms looked familiar to me, as this was the film set for the famous Singaporean drama, The Little Nyonya.
Some pictures inside the mansion ....
A Christmas tree! Lol!
Fine silverware encased in an antique display case
The kitchen tools
Beautiful vintage jewellery
As we walked towards our hotel, we did come across a few fascinating street art - indeed, these were what we had wanted see. We did not start out to search for them, but as we walked along the streets, we saw groups of people crowding around, and we joined in to find some artistic depictions on the walls ....
Old Motorcycle
Kids on Motorcycle
Cute eh ...
Not sure what this one is called ....
Some of the art pieces were more popular than the rest, with tourists waiting their turns to take photographs with the quirky installations. These street art are the works of Lithuanian-born artist Ernest Zacharevic who has taken up temporary residency in Penang.
We passed by the Khoo Kongsi ....
This temple was completed in 1906, and featured fine Chinese architecture and craftsmanship
And we took a peek to the entrance of Cheah Kongsi
We did not go inside both the temples. Our backpacks were but 5.5kg ... but they were getting heavy. We needed to check-in and rest a bit. Of course, the whole area was very touristy ... and all along the way were stalls selling souvenirs, drinks .... and we each ate an ice-ball to quench our thirst. Basically, it's just a ball of shaved ice, drenched in flavoured syrup.
At Lebuh Carnarvon, we again encountered a Good Samaritan; we were figuring out which way to walk when this man enquired how he could be help to us. Then he painstakingly told us the directions to our hotel.
A good 20 minutes later, we finally reached Hotel Sentral Georgetown. Check-in was easy; the room had been booked and paid for via Agoda. I was charged a deposit of RM50 for the room key card.
The room
Basic, clean and comfortable - only RM130 per night; free wi-fi available :))
Our hotel was just located off Macalister Road, and there in the evening are hawker stalls set up selling many kinds of yummy Penang street food ....
ABC, RM4.50
Oyster omelete, RM10.00
Char Kway Teow, RM7.00
Popiah, RM3.00
And hopped into the free shuttle bus - the Penang City Hop On Free Central Area Transit (CAT) Shuttle. We got off Lebuh Light and walked towards ....
The Town Hall
City Hall
Both amazing buildings - the Town Hall dated back to the 1880s while the City Hall was built in 1903. We then strolled down the esplanade .....
View from the esplanade ....
And took a peek into Fort Cornwallis; we did not go inside as there was a function there that night. Also by this time, it had started drizzling .....
We then headed to search for the nearest bus stop at the State Assembly Buildings to catch a free shuttle back to Komtar. Guess what we saw? There was a monitor lizard camouflaged near a lamp post, and I had almost stepped on it!! Luckily, S saw it and pulled me away .... can't imagine what would happen had I stepped on it. Lol!
To end our day, we had a bowl of dessert soup, again at the Macalister Road Hawker Stalls ....
To end our day, we had a bowl of dessert soup, again at the Macalister Road Hawker Stalls ....
Lotus seed in sweet syrup .... I liked this :))
To sum up, I felt that our trip started on the right note - we've had a great impression of the kindly and helpful people here and am looking forward to explore more of the sights and attractions in town! :))
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