Penang the unexpected

January 7 to 15, 2020

We left Hat Yai in Thailand around 7:30am on a train and crossed the border to Malaysia one hour later. We then took another train an hour later towards Georgetown on the island of Penang.

Our plan was to take a plane to Yogyakarta on the island of Java in Indonesia 2 days later. Tickets were less expensive from Penang than from Krabi where we finished our journey in Thailand, and it was easier than going back to Bangkok (which was a 12-hour drive).

But here, we faced a wall… We tried to book our tickets with a low-cost company (City Link) but they didn’t accept any foreign credit cards and there had no offices in town. We tried with Air Asia but to get the same price, it would mean that we had to go to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore (and cross the whole peninsula in a few days).

Meanwhile, we spent our first night in our hostel in Georgetown, located in Little India. We walked around, saw the coast and ate in a very nice Indian vegetarian restaurant.

That night, we started to think that our travel should not be about getting things complicated or running against the clock, but really to take time to travel across countries. And maybe what we were looking for in Indonesia might already be here, right in front of us. Plus, the city was really nice, not that big, with a great atmosphere. So, we just started to look at what we could do and where in Malaysia and found some places that looked promising, like the Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata), the old city of Melaka and… Penang where we were already. On top of that, the weather forecast was better during this season in Malaysia than in Indonesia in the middle of the wet season (Jakarta was flooded just 2 weeks before).

That night, we started to think that our travel should not be about getting things complicated or running against the clock, but really to take time to travel across countries. And maybe what we were looking for in Indonesia might already be here, right in front of us. Plus, the city was really nice, not that big, with a great atmosphere. So, we just started to look at what we could do and where in Malaysia and found some places that looked promising, like the Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata), the old city of Melaka and… Penang where we were already. On top of that, the weather forecast was better during this season in Malaysia than in Indonesia in the middle of the wet season (Jakarta was flooded just 2 weeks before).

Our planned itinerary in Malaysia: from Georgetown (Penang) to Singapore

So, we decided to spend 3 weeks in Malaysia and to travel to Singapore, where we would eventually take a plane to Bali (we decided to skip Java this time). At that time, we didn’t know how long we would stay in Penang, nor in the other cities, we would just wing it.

That evening, we also learned through Instagram that our friends Amelle and Mehdi – we had met a month before while crossing the Lao-Thailand border – were also in town. We would meet them the next day.

We had lunch together in a nice pizzeria and walked around the city which turned out to be very enjoyable with its British colonial architecture, its melting pot of Malay, Chinese and Indian influences and its famous street art.

Amelle and Mehdi showed us their guesthouse a few blocks from ours in a more central neighborhood. They had a large family room available and the coffee place on the first floor convinced us to book 2 nights there.

Not so local but it felt so good

The following days, we literally fell in love with the town. So much that we would stay 8 days in total. For its atmosphere, architecture, artsy feeling and amazing food. We kind of felt home over there for a week.

History bubble:

Penang island is located in the Melaka straits and has always been an important center for trade.

Since the 1st century, Indian merchants would come to the Malay peninsula to collect merchandise such as herbs, spices and gold. They brought their own religion and culture with them; this is how Buddhism and Hinduism were introduced to Penang. Around the 9th century, Muslim merchants from India and the Middle East set ashore Penang and the rest of the Malay peninsula. They were also mainly there for the trade with Southeast Asia. Unlike the Indians (Buddhists and Hinduists) and Chinese, the Muslims spent a lot of time in spreading the Islamic religion.

In the 15th century, the Chinese discovered Penang. They were interested in goods and material. In exchange, the Chinese brought their own goods and techniques to Penang and the rest of the peninsula.

Around the same time, Europeans set foot in Penang. The first ones were Portuguese. By keeping the maps secret, the Portuguese had a monopoly in Southeast Asia. It was not till 1595 that the Dutch (VOC) arrived in Southeast Asia, not long after that the English arrived.

In 1786, Georgetown was founded by a British royal navy captain, Francis Light, in the name of the British East India company when he took control of the island. He named the new capital city after King George III.

Source: Wikipedia and http://www.wonderfulmalaysia.com/history-penang-island-malaysia.htm

This heritage is what makes Penang and Georgetown culturally rich. It is a true melting pot. Malay, Indian and Chinese communities live together in an English colonial décor.

In fact, the street Jl Masjid Kapitan Keling, renamed "Harmony Street" features four major religious buildings: The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy Temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple, the Kapitan Keling Mosque, and St George’s Church.

The city has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, which allows to preserve its patrimony.

Our pace in Penang was very relaxed – mornings in the guesthouse were dedicated to homeschooling or catching up with our blog, then we were walking around the city in the afternoon/evening. Afternoons were really hot and the sun harsh plus nothing was really far from home, so we were able to come back during the hottest hours before going out again for dinner.

Street Art

There is so many that showing or seeing everything is impossible. The tourist information and guesthouses provide maps and guides that list the most famous ones.

We found an alley full of mural paintings. We met there a young American, from Colorado, who was working on a new one. He told us that the café nearby (The China House) provides the space and supplies the paint to the artists willing to paint in the alley, provided they present their project beforehand.

Tropical Spice Garden

Located about 1h away by bus, this garden is a little gem. We learned a lot about the local spices and herbs (cardamome, cilantro, curry, cloves, lemongrass, curry leaves, etc), recognizing them in the wild, but also their role in the history of the region and their use in cuisine or in medicine.

Food

Since the beginning of our travel, Georgetown is maybe the city that impressed us the most, maybe due to its diversity. Again, the tourist information center provided a guide that shows all typical local food and explained where they come from and what they are about. This guide also showed the best places to go (at a reasonable price). There were plenty of choices, inspired by Chinese, Indian, Arab or Malay cuisines.

We were lucky to have a nice street food area very close to our guesthouse, we would go almost every night for dinner.

Our favorite: the Laksa, a delicious fish soup with noodles. The girls’ favorite was falafel sandwich, not very local but so good ;-)

Here are some pictures. Unfortunately, we can’t share the smell and tastes…

But we highly recommend you visit and you won’t be disappointed!

Talking about food, we found a French bakery, owned by a Chinese-malay lady in her late 30s, who studied one year at the Cordon Bleu in France and worked at the Shangri-La in Paris. She is amazing, her cakes and croissants are just stunning! We came back 3 times…

Clan jetties or floating villages

Located on the pier, these floating villages date from the 19th century when Chinese immigrants would come to Malaysia. To enlarge their chances, clans were established, so together they could survive in their new environment.

Nearby, a big food court where we could find any Asian food we liked (Thai, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Vietnamese). I indulged myself with some Vietnamese bun thit (sort of noodle salad with bbq meat) that I had missed since we left Vietnam.

Penang House of Music

Located in a mall, this little museum didn’t look like much but turned out to be amazing. Thanks to its diversity, Penang has always had a vibrant musical scene and multiple styles: Boria came from North India, Dondang sayang and ronggeng are Baba-Nyonya (Chinese migrants to Malaysia), or Bangsawan which add western influences and instruments to the previous ones.

Naema, Lana and I spent a very instructive moment there with a private guide. We were able to see and play some traditional instruments like the Chinese guzheng.

The museum is hands-on so you can actually touch or play most of the instruments. The girls and I were able to play with the puppet theatre, try some percussion instruments or play with a radio console, or (and this is the best part) play with some guitars, lap steel guitar, drums, piano, xylophone or harmonium (small keyboard a bit similar to an accordion).

https://www.penanghouseofmusic.com

Probably one of our favorites since the beginning of our trip, Penang was ironically the place we planned the less, not even planned at all to be more accurate. We came here for 2 days and actually spent 8 wonderful days, extending our stay on a day-to-day basis (and sending messages every day to the owner of the guesthouse to check if the room was available).

We would leave from there, well rested and ready to hike in the Cameron Highlands jungle.

Salah