Penang, Malaysia Day 1
Destination unknown, Our 2019 Christmas holiday travels started in Okinawa, then to Singapore and then on to Angkor Wat but due to some VISA issues we decided to take the next flight where ever it was going… We arrived in George Town on a Jetstar flight from Singapore, just a short hop of around 1 hour 20 mins, we quickly booked a hotel in George Town which was about a 30 min taxi ride from the airport. The hotel “G Hotel Kelawai” was amazing and we got really lucky, on arrival I was upgraded to VIP status and was granted access to use the sky lounge during our 4 night stay which had a Happy Hour and appetizers daily from 5-7pm. We basically had dinner and drinks there every night and a swam at the roof-top pool to cool off. The rooms were spacious and fully stocked, front desk / house keeping were friendly and very helpful. They had 2 breakfast lounges and a great gym, everything that you could possibly need. I think this is an excellent hotel and highly recommend it for couples and families. I could have spent the whole trip in the hotel it was so nice, I will definitely stay there again.
On both sides of the hotel they have 2 massive shopping centers with all the name brands and everything to satisfy your shopping desires. The night market and temples are in walking distance from the hotel but downtown George town is a bit of a hike so we borrowed bicycles from the hotel which were brand new mountain bikes.
Without having any plan, we consulted with the hotel concierge and she made us a touristy itinerary for the next 3 days with all the hotspots. She even organize a car hire for the last day that would keep our luggage in the trunk after we checked out, show us some additional sites and drop us at the airport for around $55 US dollars. Great service and she was a great negotiator with the car service to get us the best price! If I ever get kidnapped, I want her to talk with my captures!!
As we flew in late the night before, we woke up early, had a huge breakfast and hit the pool. It was so hot and humid (34.7 C , 94 F at 7am) seemed alot hotter than Singapore. Your feet would burn on the deck at the pool and it was even hard to breathe it was so hot and muggy. We lasted about an hour pool side and then headed out with our itinerary in hand.
Our first stop was Wat Chaiyamangalaram founded in 1845, a Thai-style Buddhist temple which is located just outside George Town's historic heritage zone and is 10 min walk from our hotel. Across the road is the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple making it convenient to visit both temples in a single trip. Its interesting to see the differences between the Burmese and Thai architectures.
Wat Chai’s most famous feature is a 33 meter long (108 feet) Reclining Buddha located inside the shrine, like all reclining Buddha statues, this one depicts Buddha on his death bed, lying on his right side with a blissful expression on his face as he prepares to enter Nirvana.
After the temple we walked to the shopping center for some air conditioning and some well deserved mango ice cream in the food court. Then back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool and to hit the 5pm Happy Hour, of course!
After a few Gin Tonics, it was off for a 10 min walk to the famous Gurney Drive Hawker Night Market which is home to the largest variety of street foods in Penang, it’s the best place to sample some of the local cuisine. The char koay kak (RM7, 175 JPY, $1.64 USD), soft white radish stir fried with crunchy bean sprouts, chillies, egg and pork lard, which is simply delicious but I ended up at the fire pit (chicken, lamb, beef on a skewer) which will please even the most finicky eater. I left the rest for the locals and went in search of another drink.
Seating is a bit of a challenge and is really cramped, so the first thing to do is to find seats before ordering your food and have someone guard your table – the best way to get a table is to stand behind someone that looks like they are getting ready to leave. That’s what the locals do it.. I’m not really a big fan of the night markets but since its so cheap, its great just to try a different things.. its a hit and miss for me but its fun. Also just grabbing a beer, watching the crowds and enjoying the different smells is all part of the experience.
After the night market, we hit the pool again to cool down, it was still hot even after the sun went down. Please check out Day 2 below!
