The government has just announced another round of CMCO (Conditional Movement Control Order), me being deprived from travelling locally and overseas has been making me a little depressed. Gladfully, there’s still a good spot in Penang to chill myself off these crazy time.
Sipping of icy cold beer and chomping on crunchy pizza, while the sun sats faraway into the beautiful horizon has reminded me Penang has a beautiful beach; Bora-Bora Batu Ferringhi is not an uncommon name and they has been around for quite a long time.
While cafe hopping was a fun thing to do and kill times, I find that the beach is equally good, or even better. I like the salty wind hitting on my face, the laughter of children building sand castle and the beach vibe playlist from Bora-Bora made my Saturday evening really great. Perhaps it’s the lack of patron that amplified the entire chill time, though I do still hope that business to be back to usual as soon as possible.
A quick shout out to the food, the Hawaiian Pizza was sweet and crunchy enough to made us a good dinner meal.
Officially known as Sia Boey Urban Archaeological Park, this miniature city park is located in the heart of George Town, yes, literary in the centre of this city, just like the iconic Central Park in New York City, except that it’s just a small fraction size of the real one.
Sia Boey – I remembered this was the place where I went with dad to buy firecrackers for Chinese New Year when I was little. Later, this place was not heard of as it was barricaded, at first heard that they were redeveloping this area, and later the local government announced to turn it into a city park. It took them really long to realise this project, and finally it was opened in November 2019.
I checked out the park late, like just recently but it’s fascinating. It was controversial at first as some social media postings show that the once dirty Prangin Canal that run through the park has been thoroughly cleaned, so clean that it has Koi fish swimming in the canal. However, the planner did a great job diverted the canal and created a ‘pond’ through the existing Prangin Canal and breed Koi fish in it. The Koi fish is the main attraction of this park actually.
Day it would be a little too hot to spend time in the park, but the pond and shades do attract park goers. Night time would be very busy, with children running and playing at the play ground, filling the atmosphere with laughter; there’s even a upbeat cha-cha dance activity going on at the market hall space.
Let’s hope more public parks will sprout out in Penang. It’s just wonderful to bring harmony into the community.
Kampung Agong, a very interesting place located near to Kepala Batas, about 45 minutes drive from George Town. It has Bali-inspired swing-tie-to-coconut-tree and picturesque bird nest spot. Instead of having a Balinese green terrace backdrop, Kampung Agong however has its own charm – the green paddy field.
Instagram-fans must visit this place as it could easily took up a couple hours there just to take good shot. Best of all, entry fee is RM5 for Malaysian only. For local, it’s worth taking the trip to here, but if you are traveling to Penang for the first time, consider this only when you have finish touring the beautiful George Town, and it’s not easy to get here unless you drive.
There’s a stall selling fresh coconut, do not expect pandan-ish sweet coconut, but it’s refreshing enough as you can catch real action of plucking coconut.
Note: Remember to clear your pocket, or zip your bag well when you are on the swing. Why? One of us dropped our iPhone into the muddy paddy field while on the swing, luckily it didn’t gone far and iPhone 11 has a good IP rating!
841, Bakar Kapur, Kampung Bakar Kapor, 13100 Penaga, Penang
It’s no more secret anymore as the name on Google maps shows ‘Secret Avatar Garden’ as many people has been flocking into this little north east corner of Penang where the historical Tua Pek Kong shrine is located at. Tanjung Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple is the commonly known name which has been around for century and the small seafood cafe still standing strong after decades and business gets rocketed with this ‘Secret Avatar Garden’.
Pearl Garden Seafood Cafe, looking simple, but it’s amazingly local.
Total damage of the night – RM153.
Satay was OK, so I did not take any photo of it.
Checking out the century old shrine before heading to the hilly slope to see the installation.
View tower on the beach lights up with cool neon light.
So what’s this secretive all about? A man-made light installation on the tree top that resembles the magical look of the famous James Cameron’s flick – Avatar. This is not Jiuzhaigou hilly forest, but I am confident the the light installation will amaze you.
There’s a old bunker by the seaside and it looks extremely amazing with this neon colour.
How about some Chinese Chess?
A visit to this place would be nice during evening before sunset to catch a glimpse of the beautiful straits and enjoy a little simple seafood meal. Nothing fancy, just grilled crab, steamed prawn, fried noodles and coconut juice, it makes a simple meal great though. As night falls, the light installation turns on and you can slowly make your way to the hilly slope at the back of the seafood place.
It’s crowded, even during weekdays, and it’s no doubt became the new attraction of Penang. Have fun!
Here are some tips:
Just drive your car all the way to the beach, there’s car park attendant collecting payment and they will help you to look for a good parking spot. Parking @ RM3.
Weekday visit would be good, weekend would be crowded, on the road.
Seafood is reasonable, so have a feast first before checking out the area.
Going over by Grab/Uber? Just key in – Thai Pak Koong Temple Tanjung Tokong.
It’d been a while since I’ve really stroll or run along the Gurney Drive promenade. There’s a major sea reclamation work going on along this famous seafront and a fence was built to hide the ugly sight partially. Until the new Gurney Wharf is built, the Gurney Drive would not be as fun to walk on as before. I bet there’s still a few years to go till proper completion of a new walkway along the new extended coast line.
Although the speed of reclamation work is at a fast pace, it’s still slower than the Chinese doing the work at the Johor’s straits. And, upon finishing the reclamation work, there still plenty of planning work to do before a new promenade is built. So, it’s gonna be a long wait. For now, I’m just gonna continue to jog along the Gurney Drive, behind the fence.
The entire stretch of Gurney Drive is about 1.7km, so a return run would be a 3.4km and it took me a little while to get used to it as I’ve not been running on the road for quite some times. Lazy is the keyword. Haha, but it was a good run with lovely blue sky and good breeze. At the same time, indulge myself into the beauty of my neighbourhood.
Well, if you happens to be around, just put on your shoes and run along the promenade, it’s still lovely with all the work going around.
See the blackened super condo unit, there’s a fire from short circuit two weeks back. And this condo is about 10,000sf in size per unit!
Little shore at the end of Gurney Drive still looking good.
Behind the fence.
Reclamation work going on round the clock, even on a Sunday.
Newest condo skyscraper along the Gurney Drive. Eventually, there would be another building in front on the reclaimed land. Don’t know to be happy, or not?
77 Curry Fish Head Restaurant, still standing strong after more than 20 years of business.
Favourite food place during high school, surprised to see a good crowds dining there. Will pay a visit soon.
The Gurney Wharf in making.
Unfortunately, traffic congestion is one sad thing and makes running felt bad.
The new Starbucks Coffee often seen empty inside, wonder how’s business going on at there? I miss McDonald’s actually.
Although the McDonald’s is now gone, the classic signage is still standing high.
They are making a new walkway + bicycle lane and I am looking forward to ride safely all the way to Queensbay Mall, up to Batu Maung soon!
The newly upgraded and opened Chowrasta Market is very cool! Had a quick pass through this century old market today while having my car parked in its new multi-storeys carpark, it’s delighted to see a beautiful addition into this gorgeous George Town.
Unfortunately, elevator is not working, yet.
Unfortunately, most of the vendors are still having their stalls by the road instead of moving in, but I am pretty sure the government will work out a plan to filled up the empty stalls in the wet market.
A harmonious blend of old and new, with a touch of unique culture.
If you are in Penang during this Chinese New Year season, you have to visit the Chowrasta Market and the surroundings to experience the happenings festive shoppings. It’s the most crowded time of all years and you will be amazed by the items sold and cheering atmosphere.
Monkey Beach & Muka Head Light House Are Penang’s Hidden Treasures – Located at the far North West end of Penang island where the country’s smallest national park is – Taman Negara Teluk Bahang, there lies a few trekking routes in this mini rainforest. I’ve trekked the Pantai Kerachut route before and this time was to Monkey Beach which further leads up to the Muka Head Lighthouse.
Didn’t knowing about the difficulty of the trek, we just embarked on a walk in the rainforest with route lies by the seaside. It was a nice morning, joining explorers from different places. Though, I realised that the crowds had increased compare to years ago where it was still a quiet national park.
Upon registering yourself at the national park, the trek to Monkey Beach took an hour for us and we were welcomed by a pristine ivory sandy beach, but without the crystal clear water. Stalls trying to make some money out of the hot weather with cold drinks and light food were aligned on the beach with boat operator touting visitors to take their boat to another side or back to the port.
Not many people was in the water due to the presence of jelly fish, but the beach was not overly crowded like Batu Ferringhi, but happenings.
The real trek started from Monkey Beach to Muka Head with 45 minutes of full ascending route which exhausted my energy pretty much upon reaching the top. It’s difficult, for a person without much regular exercises. BUT, the top was definitely not disappointing with a very good breeze and a beautiful peaceful view of another side of Penang that one doesn’t see usually.
Spent half an hour up there for a short rest before leaving back to the beach and hired one of the boat (RM40/boat) to take 6 of us back to the entrance.
Registering before heading into the national park is compulsory for all.
This is Monkey Beach. How could you resist the relaxing side of Penang? However, no monkey was sighted here!
A dead huge jelly fish that looked like plastic bag washed up shore. Not surprise to see floating jelly fish on the water surface, just don’t get close to them.
The stall does fried rice too!
It’s lovely place to camp too!
The lighthouse built by the British in 1883. One of the few colonial lighthouses left in Malaysia. It tough getting up here!
The inside of the lighthouse.
The view from the top of the lighthouse, overlooking the Andaman Sea.
Short (Night) While At Hin Bus Depot – Brought a couple of friends to visit the former bus depot turned art gallery in downtown George Town to check out the place and found some interesting installation at site. Realised that shots from a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 are quite good!
Evening Walk Along Gurney Drive – Back to Penang finally! I have been spending my time here accompanying my family, catching up with mates, indulging with all the delicious street food and just going around here and there randomly, there’s nothing much to do, it’s just rest and relax.
Well, Gurney Drive is getting to be my favourite place recently as I’ve been going there to for evening jog/walk lately. It’s a very nice place for this short jog on a 2km stretch of seaside pavement with chilling sea breeze and enjoy seeing different types of people spending their time there. Funny that you can see people having picnic there, eating durian, and foreign labours holding hands (seriously, but I didn’t get photos of them, I scared I will get beaten)! HAHA.
Anyway, I armed myself with my camera, and went for a walk yesterday evening. I was just too lazy to jog and don’t want to stop myself from my workout routine, so thought of photo-walking as an exercise. XD
Being Tour Guide: Chew Jetty, China House, Penang Bridge, Street Arts, Straits Quay – Some times, when friends of other place come to Penang, I always wonder where to bring them. Eat! But then we can’t eat all the time, the stomach will get full and at that time, it’s time for a little walk and exploration, but where to?
Penang is a small town, there’s actually many thing to explore, but some times I don’t know where to start. Last week, an Indonesian friend – Arvin came to Penang and here’s some places that I brought him to:
Chew Jetty
Straits Quay
Jelutong’s Nautilus Bay to check out Penang Bridge
Snake Temple
China House (Heritage-style restaurant)
Street Arts
Hard Rock Hotel & Batu Ferringhi
Actually there’s still more to do like:
Penang Hill (I didn’t go because my friend is foreigner and has to pay more for the tram)
Cycling in Balik Pulau
Cycling in George Town
Jungle trekking to Pantai Kerachut
Kek Lok Si Temple
What else?
Anyway, I think I did good as being a tour guide bringing him around some of the must-see/must-do places in Penang. =D
CHEW JETTY
Chew Jetty is a must-bring because it’s a living heritage of Penang.
And it has a good view across Penang’s Straits too.
CHINA HOUSE
Since I parked my car quite near to China House, so it became one of the attraction as it has a very cool interior design and nice arts collection.
Nice food too but we didn’t stop by for the food.
Art decor in China House.
STRAITS QUAY
I brought my friend to Straits Quay to check out the modern side of Penang. It has a good view of Gurney Drive where all the tall condos are.
Tree.
STREET ARTS
Evening, we went to the street arts by Ernest since it’s not hot. (Me, Alvin, Wanyi and Arvin the friend from Indonesia)
Street arts have became a very famous attractions in Penang. Cool!
KOMTAR.
Some filming going on in the heart of George Town.
NAUTILUS BAY, JELUTONG
I believe most people won’t bring their guest here, but I do because here you can take a good view of Penang Bridge.
Here is the Penang Bridge.
UNDER THE PENANG BRIDGE
On random place I brought my friend was this place under the Penang Bridge where you can get a close view on the Penang Bridge. =D
I still wonder how people go to the columns there. By boat?
Under the bridge.
SNAKE TEMPLE
Last stop, the snake temple.
How about you? Where will you bring your friend to? Or any suggestion for other places/activities?
