Friday, March 28, 2014

Backpacking to Georgetown, Penang

March was a no action month for me. My newly acquainted travel partner whom I enjoyed hitch hiking to Gua Tempurung last month was busy with her new job and had no time to travel with me anymore. I tried inviting her several times to go on a weekend trip to Penang but was refused everytime.

I got depressed. *lebih-lebih pula. hahaha

Until one fine day....

Georgetown of Penang has many beautiful places to take creative pictures. hehe.

I was wasting my life away behind stacks of work at the office when suddenly my usually very SILENT iPod was pinging loudly (just to show that I'm not a socially person on social media nowadays. haha). Oh my, some-one sent me a message via facebook. Wondering of the sudden ping, I replied.

Translation soon to follow below. hehe
Translation:
Helga : Girl *gives a bouquet of flowers
Me : Yes Hel? What devil on earth has possessed you?
Helga : *laughs* Let's go to Penang next week!

And so I did. It was as if god answered my silent prayer!!! Two days before the following Friday, I bought a transnational bus ticket to Penang from Puduraya. The bus was expected to leave by 5:30pm on Friday which means I had a lot of explaining to my boss so that he'll allow me to leave the office early. :)



Time fast-forwarded.

Arrived at Sg Nibung bus station in Penang around 11:00pm. Took a taxi (biggest mistake ever because the fare was soooo expensive! RM30 per ride!) to get to my pre-booked hostel bed on Lebuh Gereja and settle myself in for the night. It is known to budget travelers everywhere that Chulia Street and its surrounding streets houses the cheapest accommodations ever. You can actually steal a deal of Rm15 per night. So what did we do in Penang for the next two days?

1. Tram Ride Upto Penang Hill

RM8 for visitors who has a local identification card and RM30 for foreigners. We took a Rapid Penang bus from Komtar bus Station to get there. The bus fare is only RM2 one way.
A slightly hazy day up there. 
Penang Hill has various places to go. You could do some nature walks available there, explore the botanical garden, dine with a sweeping view of the island, shop at a souvenir market or check in at the hotel located there.

There is also a museum there.

2. Owl Museum (Art Displays Only)

My friend was disappointed because there were no real life owls in the museum. Haha. And for a student price of RM5 per entry, we both thought that the price was still too expensive.

At least the owls on display looked real.
The museum also holds group activities for students where they can do their own art stuff based on owls like coloring a figurine or painting it. Some of the kids' art are displayed there.

3. Street Art Hunting

Supplied with a map from the airport, Helga led the hunt that warm Saturday day. We opted to walk instead of renting a bicycle and were amused with our findings. Managed to visit around 20 murals before ending our day.

Some murals that we spotted.
Helga was hell-bent in visiting ALL of the murals during his visit to Penang. His determination showed when he marked down all those that we have visited and at times went hunting themselves without me. Hehe.

I was just happy to be there. 

Among my personal favorite, playing swings with some happy kids. 
4. Food Hunting

It's all over the internet! Penang is well known for being a haven for good food! We hunted for the well-known Ice Kacang found on Penang Street and also tasted the Nasi Kandar of Line Clear. Helga was cheated of his mpney when he unknowingly added a large shrimp on his plate which costed him RM29.00 per plate! Mine was only RM8.90. Hahaha! *kesian loh!* He later vowed to never eat Nasi Kandar again because it didn't suit his taste buds. 

The long queue for the famous Ice Kacang at RM2.40 per plastic bowl. Delicious!
We also had the delight of dining at Gurney Street with the help of my friend who lives there. Thanks for taking us there! We had Mee Udang, Mee Laksa and Pasembor there.

5. Trekking in Penang National Park

And last but not least... on my last day in Penang we rode a bus to Penang's National Park from Georgetown. It was good to know that there is no entry free and we could choose two trails to trek once inside. You could also opt for a boat ride back once you reach Kerachut Beach because it takes about an hour of trekking to get there. Oh ya, if you're looking for a cafe at the beach, there are none! But the ranger who works there might sell you some bottles of mineral water that they have. Good luck!

To get back, you have to trek back the same way you entered or pay RM80 per boat.But after much haggling we managed to pay only RM10 per person. THANK GODDD!! :P

After reaching our starting point via boat, we re-entered the park to do the canopy walk which costs us RM5 per person. It was Helga's first time experiencing this while it was maybe the third time for me. 
It means 1.0km not 10km. Please note that. Hehe.
Thus ends my fruitful trip to Penang!! Finally!! Thankyou Helga for letting me join his trip. It makes me wanna explore more places in Malaysia.

So where will be my next weekend trip? *thinking of Langkawi* What's yours?

PS: Overall cost for this Penang trip === RM200 = RM50 (2 nights at a hostel) + RM38 (bus KL-Penang) + RM38 (bus Penang-KL) + food and other stuff. 

7 comments:

Alid Abdul said... [Reply]

noted for all those places excluding owl museum hahaha

glokaladventure said... [Reply]

Nice adventure! Would like to join u, if u dont mind! By the way, i'm nina.... :)

hcvvorld of Travels, Lifestyle and Photography said... [Reply]

As a Penangite, I am sooo glad that you love Penang.

Night Photography at Asakusa Shrine

zonaku said... [Reply]

next time come again, rent a bicycle... :)

Khai said... [Reply]

Hahaha.

Best2!

Dulu ke Penang pun kebetulan jumpa murals ni. Masa tu tak feymes lagi. Or maybe aku yang tak tahu. hahaha

My Daily Workout Progress said... [Reply]

sangat creative sekali memanfaatkan wall yang ada, wah i love chendol :D

Anonymous said... [Reply]

Assalammualaikum Jard miss u-Pia