Captain Sir Francis Light from Suffolk wasn’t travelling with a camera when he acquired Pulau Penang from the Sultan of Kedah in 1786. A statue of Sir Francis stands in Fort Cornwallis, George Town, where he stepped ashore for the first time and is still celebrated as the founding father. George Town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Today there are 6 clan jetties remaining in George Town, dating back to the late 19th century. The jetties are basically a small village, houses on stilts, joined by wooden walkways which Chinese immigrants built. The jetties were named after the families that lived on them, all with the same surname. Chew Jetty is the most visitor friendly, with tourists teeming down there everyday. I chose to stay in a homestay on Chew, 59A, where there was a picture proudly on the wall of Anthony Bourdain, the Amercian TV chef has also visited.
59A is a true home stay, you got exactly what was described and live like the locals do. Mr Chew didn’t speak any English, but couldn’t have looked after his guests better, a wonderful host. My favourite spot was sitting on the veranda and getting my photo taken my hundreds of tourists! I don’t think they could quite believe it when they saw a western face staying there. There are lots of little shops for food, drink or clothes on the jetty too. The only down side which was in the description, was the odour that arose when the tide was out! However, I’m really pleased to have stayed with the Chew’s to get a feel for local life. The sunrises were amazing.
Bus travel on the ‘Penang Rapid’ around the island is very efficient, cheap and runs regularly. So you can get everywhere easily.
Penang Hill station or Bukit Bendera is oldest hill station in Malaysia. The funicular railway was developed in 1897. There are amazing walks and views of the island. Arrive early to avoid the queues when visiting. It was lovely to be on the summit before dawn and watch the light come up over the mountains. From here you can either walk down, use the train or get a 4 wheel drive vehicle to take you down the other side of the hill to the beautifully landscaped botanical gardens which cover 72 acres. The gardens were started in 1884 and are covered in rainforest with a waterfall and river running through.
I spent Christmas day in Penang and had heard of Batu Ferringhi beach over the years. Sadly I was disappointed with the beach which was rather unkempt. So I moved on to visit the Tropical Spice Gardens which was very interesting. There is a very well done audio to learn more about the 500 species of tropical fauna and flora. A rather large monitor lizard wandered past too! Tip – wear long trousers and shirt as the mosquitoes bit me alive!
Then it was another jump onto the Penang Rapid down to Teluk Bahang, a fishing village next to the National Park where you can see the magnificent sea eagles soaring on the thermals over the rainforest canopy. Here I stopped for Christmas lunch at Shah’s Kedai Kopi, bee hoon goring, chicken noodles for £1.20 and admired Shah throwing his roti canai flatbreads. They were very yummy and a great dessert! Thank you Shah.
You can walk in the National Park, however, make sure you register your entry in case you don’t reappear. I took a trip round to Monkey Beach by boat which was beautiful and my Christmas treat was zipping around on a jet ski . Or, you can walk through the park which takes about 1.5 hours.
George Town itself is a great city. It is all walkable or there is a ‘CAT’ bus that you can tootle around on for free. The street art is worth taking a look at, click here to read my separate blog, and there are many beautiful and interesting temples, mosques, and building architecture to visit. You can pick up a leaflet and follow the Penang heritage trail.
Take a look around Little India where you will see some fascinating colours and the smell of food is devine. I spotted the Krsna Restaurant with sight and smell – you can’t beat your curry served on a banana leaf and eaten in the traditional way – what else were your hands made for? I was looked after like a queen and visited another twice it was that good! Thank you guys.
The hawker stalls are good to eat in and very clean. You can get malay, chinese, thai and indian food and dinner can cost as little as £1!
I must say a big thank you to Khuan and Ang, two lovely ladies that I met on the plane to Penang and I am still in touch with. We had a lovely chat and lots of laughs. I was taught some Malay and given loads of useful information about the area. Terima kasih.
I loved Penang and wish I could have stayed a few more days to explore more of the island – one day, I will be back.
I wish everyone peace, love, happiness and health for a great 2017. I will leave you will my favourite motto, ‘carpe diem’, ‘seize the day’.
