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Penang

This is the page listing all my blog entries on Malaysia.  Will update the pages soon,


Kuala Lumpur

Sipping coffee and admiring the latte foam art at Cofee Amo


Penang

2012 Trip

Settling down in hotel on Day 1.  Following day, having breakfast at Ah Lim Birthday Noodle and visited Dr Sun Yat Sen Memorial.  In the afternoon, a trip up the Penang Hill and strolled in the Monkey Cup Garden.   Back in Penang town, cooling down with Joez Coconut.

Day 3, breakfast and lunch at  Midland Cafe and Spring Chamber @ the Sun.  After filling up my stomach, a visit to the famous Kok Lok Shi (Temple) and tasted the Air Itam Laksa by the foot of the temple.    Back in town, tried the char kuey teow stall at Lorong Selamat and moved into Hotel Chulia Heritage (Read more).    Later, Penang Old Town by night

Cofee Amo (KL): Beautiful latte foam design

Recommended by my cousin, Coffee Amo did a decent cup of latte.  More impressively was the latte foam design.   Located within the Kuala Lumpur Chinatown vicinity, Coffee Amo is a good place to spend a quiet time in the afternoon.

Address:
1st Floor, 54, Jalan Sultan, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Johore Temple Festival 2013: The procession

A huge crowd was gathering outside City Square.  Around 9:30 pm, the lion dance performance started at the VIP area.

Without the VVIP attending the ceremony this year, the procession proper started much earlier than last year.

Johore Temple Festival 2013: Deities leaving the Old Temple

It was the 20th Day of the First Lunar Month, and the Johore Temple Festival entered its final and important phase.  I was last year for the event and therefore I made the trip again this time. Traffice from Singapore to Johore was heavy but I managed to arrive just in time.

A lion dance troupe awaiting for the deities to arrive......

Penang Day 4: Penang Laksa and Chendol

It was fitting that my entry on Penang started with, and ended with food.  Near the massive overhead pedestrian bridge which led into the old town, look for Lebuh Keng Kwee where the well known Chendol stall was located.

Just turned into the alley and you would see the chendol stall.  It was busy during lunch hour.

You could order the food inside the coffee shop and the staff would bring in the chendol for you. 

Did I enjoy it?  Strangely, not really.  Maybe my expectations was very high, so it tasted just ok to me.  The stall used the big red beans which I didn't find it nice. 

Inside the coffee shop, the laksa was good.  Equally impressive with the one at Kok Lok Shi bus stop.

And that ended my trip to Penang.  A pleasant trip.  Next time round, I will try more food stalls and visit more sights.

Penang Day 4: Penang Peranakan Mansion

I was walking back from Fort Cornwallis to the hotel where I passed by the Penang Peranakan Mansion.

The mansion was featured often on travel programmes, and even though I was running short on time, I decided to make a quick visit.

The whole mansion was beautifully restored.  The entrance was already impressive:

This mansion would likely belong to a wealthy Peranakan, also known as Straits Born Chinese, or Baba  or the Nyonya.  The origin of this race was reported to be early Chinese immigrants who settled in Penang, Malacca and Singapore.  They assimilated into the community, married the locals and also incorporated their language and customs accordingly.

The second floor housed a few living rooms, and all had elaborated furniture and antiques.

  The clothes worn by the ancestors were Chinese official clothings.

There were several Western cutleries and decorative items in the cabinet, meaning that the former owner had good relations with the Westerners and entertained them at home.

You could walk in this mansion in a leisurely manner as every room or corner had something to explore, and you were as if visiting a person's home, unlike visiting a museum.


Planned for an hour at the mansion.

Admission is RM10.
For more information:
http://www.pinangperanakanmansion.com.my/

Penang Day 4: Fort Cornwallis and Lighthouse

It was raining heavily in the morning and it distracted my plans somehow.  I had breakfast at a dim sum place off Chulia Street.  Good dim sum, reasonably priced.












Walked towards the sea front and took photos of the City Hall and other government buildings:

Penang Day 3: Penang Old Town at night

Was looking for somewhere to eat but the old town seemed to have limited choices.  I however noticed that the buildings looked pretty great in the evenings, especially when they were well lit. Here are the photos.

Walking back towards the hotel and there were some street stalls along Chulia Street.

This stall serves good wonton noodles.   Good value at RM2.80 per serving.

The stall next to it was doing brisk business too.

Penang Day 3: Char Kuey Teow stalls and Hotel Chulia Heritage

Back from Kok Lok Temple.  The well known char kuey teow (fried noodle) stall at Lorong Selamat was finally opened for business. I decided to try it even though I was pretty full from the laksa earlier.

If you have known from some other sources, the stall was managed by a lady who wore a red hat, and apparently she has a strong character.  And that's the reason I did not dare to take a photo of her.

Taste wise, it was tasty and fragrant and worth the RM8 price tag.

Down the road, there was another char kuey teow stall that I tried on day 2.   If you like your noodle with a little burnt smell, this stall is for you.  I however prefered the other stall.

The stalls selling ngoh hiang (something like meat pate) and ice kacang (shaved ice) were good.

 Note: opposite this stall is the Midland Cafe where dim sum is served in the morning.











Walked past Red Rock Hotel and saw a lot of people gathering outside.  I thought that there was a fire, not knowing that an earthquake just hit Penang.

The taxi driver took a while to locate Hotel Chulia Heritage in the old town.   It seemed that the hotel is a new outfit and the owner was still renovating the place.

The hotel was located in the old town.

The lobby area was nicely done and the ground floor rooms looked nice.  I stayed at the upper floor where toilets were shared and they did not stock up on toilet paper.  The floor also squeaked when you walked, so it may affect occupants downstairs.  Hopefully all these matters could be resolved soon.

On the plus side, the staff were courteous and helpful.

Penang Day 3: Kok Lok Shi & Air Itam Laksa

From Komtar, took bus 201 (RM2) to Kok Lok Shi, of the most famous temple and most visited in Penang.  It was a rather long climb to the temple but still manageable.

Penang Day 3: Midland Cafe & Spring Chamber @The Sun

This morning, dim sum at Midland Cafe (Lorong Selamat, off MacAlister Road).  Good meal, the stall also sold chi char (fried) noddles early in the morning.  After that, no visiting, just checking emails and checked out from the hotel.

Decided to have a western meal at Spring Chamber @ The Sun.  This restaurant was located at the Dr Sun Yat Sen Memorial Centre (see my earlier post).   It was good once in a while to dine in a restaurant with nice decoration and with air conditioning.

Penang Day 2: Joez Coconut (Coconut Jelly)

After returning from Penang Hill, popped into Penang Times Square.  It was not fully operational yet so there was not much to see or shop.  Decided to walk down Jalan Dato Keramat to look for the coconut jelly shop.  You are on the right track if you see this sign.  Continue walking down the road....

till you see this shop front.

Ordered the coconut jelly.  It was soft and delicious!

The coconut juice, on the other hand, was just ordinary. (still prefer the Thai variety).

And apparently, you can now have it in KL.

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Penang Day 2: Monkey Cup Garden, Penang Hill

An interesting attraction at Penang Hill would be the Monkey Cup Garden, 15 minutes walk from the tram station..  It is opened daily from 9 am to 6 pm.  Entrance fee is RM10.

Monkey Cup (猪笼草) got its name as it was observed that wild monkeys drink water from these plants.   The Chinese name (猪笼草) however has a "pig" name in it.  It is also called Nepenthes or Pitcher Plants.  The fascinating thing about Monkey Cup is that its pitchers or cups can lure and trap insects and small animals.

The garden has more than 100 varieties of pitcher plants, set in a welcoming garden. The carnivorous plants is exclusively found in South East Asia and some other areas such as Madagascar, Seychelles, North Australia and South China.

On the day of visit, many monkey cup plants had started to wither. Thankfully, some were still good condition:

Overall, this is an interesting place to visit.  My only complaint was that the garden was a 15 minutes walk from the tram station.  Hopefully, there would be transport arrangements between the cable car tower and the garden in the near future.


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Penang Day 2: Enjoying the tram ride up the Penang Hill

I was waiting quite a while for bus 204 at Komtar bus station to Penang Hill.  A bus map at the station provides a good reference on what bus to take.  A one way ticket costs RM2 to Penang Hill and you alight at the last stop.

Entrance to Tram Station

The tram ride costs RM30 return.  I was informed the current tram system was recently being replaced.

The joy of visiting Penang Hill would be the tram ride up the hill.  This time was no exception.

I last visited Penang Hill probably over 25 years ago, so I was excited to visit again.  I did not have much memory of the place.  The sky was still bright when I arrived at the top of the hill.

There was a lot of construction going on.  It seemed that the authority would be planning several recreational facilities there.

I have no recollection there was an Indian temple and a Mosque during my last trip here.

This is the former Craig Hotel that shared the same owners as Raffles Hotel.   There was not much to see inside the building.

There is a Monkeycup Garden nearby which I visited.  (see separate blog entry)

The sky was getting darker and it was time to descend the hill.

It was still a pleasant trip to Penang Hill, after a lapse of many years.  Hopefully the next visit would see more attractions on the hill.