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Travel
to Penang Malaysia Pulau Pinang....

travel to Penang, Pulau Pinang

Penang “The island of betel nuts”, 

or Pulau Pinang is the best known tourist destination in Malaysia and plenty of people use flights to Penang every day to have a good time at Georgetown and the Batu Ferringhi Beach, there are also other beaches. Most of the people on Penang island are of Malay, Chinese and Indian origins which guarantees a real exotic environment.

People of different nationalities migrated to Pulau Pinang since British Colonial Times leading to a very interesting mix of culture. On the island are Myriads of hotels, from the cheap accommodations to the very luxury hotels and resorts at Georgetown and the beaches. Travel Penang is usually by flights, bus to Penang, train and ship, the ferry connects the island to mainland Malaysia and Langkawi to the north, the port is also quite significant.

At Georgetown and elsewhere on the island unique food with roots in India, China and the neighboring countries Thailand and Indonesia is available and a Penang accommodation is virtually just around the corner. Numerous festivals are on during the whole year. One of the most famous festival in Malaysia is Thaipusam which is very similar to the vegetarian festival in Phuket Thailand. The Phuket festival seems to be somehow a copy of  Malaysian Thaipusam and that one has its roots in India.

Kuala Lumpur is about four hour driving away and from the border at Sadao Thailand its about 2 hours driving. Many guys from the area do some tours to Sadao and Hat Yai to have some nightlife fun, actually Penang Phuket have a lot of similarities. The toll way starts a bit south of the Malaysian Thailand border and runs all the way down to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur that means travel Penang is easy.

Georgetown Penang is linked to the mainland by the 13,5 km Penang Bridge, the third longest bridge in the world -picture below-. There is also a ferry which actually offer a much smoother ride. Plenty of flights to Penang come in every day on domestic and international routes, plus by a train (the railway station is at Butterworth, opposite Penang island), its about 6 hours travel out of Kuala Lumpur, a bus to Penang is available from most bigger cities in the Region such as Kuala Lumpur and Hat Yai. Over the years the island has mutated into Malaysia's main beach resort destination. Pulau Pinang or the 'Pearl of the Orient" is probably the best known of all Malaysian tourist destination.

The size of  285 sqkm seems quite large but most of the island are steep hills that means the useable area is quite small have a look at the satellite map that tells more. For q quick overview have a look at our Penang map If you want to relax in an exotic environment with plenty of beaches, a partially colonial flair and a old Chinatown at Georgetown, Pulau Pinang is probably the right place. For the first impressive view after your arrival at the island take the elevator at the Komtar Tower and have a look around, the Komtar tower is the highest building on the island and a great view is available from the top floor. Penang hotels are plenty and easily available all over the island in every price

Pulau Pinang Komtar Tower view
Pulau Pinang Komtar Tower viewover the Harbor and Georgetown

range. There are Penang accommodations at the beach sites and at Georgetown and discounted deals on budget hotels, but not only, certain luxury hotels offer also some price deals via online hotel bookings. A good alternative on your travel Penang is to rent a apartment, in particular at Georgetown Malaysia plenty are available. The island is not only for tourists, honeymooners and

Luxury Penang Hotel
E&O at Georgetown
Budget Penang Hotel
Cheap Hotel at Chinatown Georgetown

backpacker, the island is also actively promoted as a retirement destination the promotion is much better organized than retire in Thailand. The island is also a business destination since there are many manufacturing plants near Penang airport producing all kind of electronic goods for export.

Travel to Penang

via the spectacular bridge or the ferry. The bridge and Petronas Towers are the most impressive modern 


travel to Penang Bridge
travel to Penang over Penang Bridge, here are some more Penang photo.

constructions in Malaysia. The construction of the Penang Bridge started in 1982 using a cable-stayed  concrete girder similar to the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge.

Flights to Pulau Pinang are available from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Phuket and various long haul international destinations in particular China and Taiwan.

Since the majority of inhabitants of Pulau Pinang are Chinese cheap flights from different Chinese cities are available. Actually the island is one of the few remaining places in the Chinese world where old architecture is preserved as Penang heritage, this is in contrast to China and in particular Shanghai where almost all old Chinese architecture falls pray to the demolition ball and what for ?

Just to pull up some more skyscrapers without heritage and soul. Communists have no heritage and no soul.

Now the best way to enjoy some real old fashion environ and heritage, enjoy Georgetown, the sooner the better..

The high-rise buildings on Pulau Pinang opening up great panorama views over the Andaman Sea, the Penang bridge and other travel spots. High rise accommodations are excellent vacation spots when you like to stay in Georgetown and do the short ride

flights to Penang
Airport
flights to Penang
Airport lounge
flights to Penang Arrival
Airport Arrival
flights to Penang Departure
Airport Departure
Penang Airport Taxi Limousine Bus
Penang Airport Taxi Limousine Bus
Airport Duty Free
Duty Free

to the beaches with the taxi if you like.

Just click to one of the internet booking services to choose your holiday accommodation according to your preference, hotels are plenty so you won’t have a problem to find the right for you. Since almost every area at Penang Malaysia has a good infrastructure and everything around works quite well (except taxis) good service and the easy access to communication makes a stay on Pulau Pinang a pleasant one.

Penang Nightlife is on until 3 am but its not to the extend of nightlife as in neighboring Thailand, especially Phuket nightlife. Vibrant nightlife at Georgetown Penang and other places such as Batu Ferringhi is the right stuff to relax after a afternoon on the beach. There are clubs and discos, karaoke lounges and hidden parlors with mainly pretty Chinese girls .

Penang Georgetown
Georgetown Chinatown
Georgetown little India
Georgetown little India
Penang Malaysia Night Georgetown
Penang Malaysia Nightlife at Slippery Senoritas Georgetown
Nightclub at Georgetown
Nightclub at Georgetown

from Malaysia and China. The distances are short in particular to the beaches on Pulau Pinang, means it is easy to move around, except at rush hour late afternoon. The only real problem is in Georgetown where most of taxi drivers are out to cheat the passengers, against them Bangkok taxi driver are mostly nice guys. The taxi driver on this island are very similar to their counterpart Tuk-Tuk driver at Phuket, but to be honest the Phuket Tuk-Tuk drivers are even worst.

Penang Beach

Ferringhi Beach
Ferringhi Beach
Penang Beach
Beach
Penang Ferringhi Beach
Ferringhi Beach
Penang Beach
Sandy Beach and Granite Boulder
Penang Local Beach
Penang Malaysia Local Beach
Penang Local Beach Camping
Local Beach with Tent

A Penang hotel is not far away from any beach on the island

and naturally beach resorts, but you can still use the swimming pools, every beach resort has one.

Penang Malaysia is the right destination for beach comber who like to have some infrastructure around, no real secluded

Penang North Beach
North Beach
beaches, if you like to be alone take a boat and explore the coast from a distance or move to Langkawi.

Penang Tour

A Penang tour is very easy to organized, I hired a very knowledgeable Penang tour guide some time ago, he came with his car and we had a great day all around for Ringits 100,- , that’s about $ 30,-.

Rickshaw Tour
Penang travel Malaysia Rickshaw Tours at Georgetown

Fort Cornwallis Georgetown
Penang Tour Fort Cornwallis Georgetown

Penang tour
Penang tour little India

 
Some gigantic mosques,

such as one Mosque picture here show the peoples faith. Actually this mosque is not at Penang Malaysia or Pulau Pinang directly, its on the mainland a couple of km before the turn to the Penang Bridge. The different cultures of this Malaysian island are also visible by the styling of  houses and temples. Plenty of mosques are around and a good amount of them are all new, there is a lot of money from the Arab peninsular flowing into Malaysia since about 30 years and this goes hand in hand with new mosques and a visible Islamization of the country. Malaysia is mainly a Muslim country but until about 30 years ago it was not so much expressed in public as it is now.

Temples & Pagodas

Indian Hindu Temples, various Chinese temples, Churches the colonialists built.

Plus magnificent Buddhist temple and pagodas with Thailand or Siam and Burmese roots enrich the

Malaysian mosque
Malaysian Mosque

architecture and addressing different philosophies. It's really amazing how many different kind of temples are around in such a small place like Georgetown. Virtually there is a Chinese Taoist and / or Buddhist temple or mosque on "every second" corner.

The Siamese or Thai Buddhist temple pictured at the left is a great example of Thai dedication to Buddhism and workmanship.

Buddhist Temple Georgetown Penang
Thai Buddhist Temple, The island of betel nuts, Pulau Pinang, British Colonial Times, China, Indonesia, festivals, Thaipusam, vegetarian festival in Phuket Thailand

 

 
  Chinese Temple
Penang heritage Chinese Temple
Penang heritage
Taoist Temple
Georgetown City Hall
Georgetown City Hall
The Kek Lok Si Temple

on the hill is offering a an inspiring panorama view. In and outside the temple are images of Buddha, carvings, and Buddha Statues. In 1885, a Buddhist monk from Foochow, China, was appointed the abbot of the Kuan Yin Teng Temple. He thought the right place for the temple was at Air Itam village and with the help of some private donors, the Kek Lok Si Temple was constructed.

In 1904, the first phase of the temple complex was completed, among other relics and artifacts, the temple is home to a set of Buddhist sutras given by Emperor Kiang Xi, as well as handwritten scripts presented by Empress Cixi.

The `Pagoda of a Million Buddha’s', one the temple's finest buildings, was built under the Buddhist monk Poon Teong. The construction started in 1915 and was completed 15 years later.

Standing at 100 feet in height, the Rama VI Pagoda, as it is known, is a combination of Chinese, Thai and Myanmar pagoda architectural styles. The Pagoda was named after the Thai King who laid the foundation stone. It is no surprise then that it is the most well-known landmark. The Kek Lok Si Temple is another beautiful Chinese temple of Penang or Pulau Pinang. The octagonal


Chinese House

basement reminds of a Buddhist pagoda, it’s middle part reminds at a Thai pagoda whereas the upper part looks like a Burmese one. Buddha’s statues and images from all over the world have been placed in the temple.

Another well known Chinese temple is the Dragon Mountain Temple. It sometimes looks as if the people of Penang Malaysia were competing who create the most magnificent temple. But it's not only temples and pagodas, in 1818 English built St George's Church here.

Others pray in Captain Kling’s mosque, which bears the nickname of an Indian merchant. Have a look here for the video on temple action. A very popular Taoist temple -picture right-, the

Goddess of Mercy or Kuan Yin Temple
Goddess of Mercy or Kuan Yin Temple

Temple of the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin Temple) Penang's oldest temple, was built about 1800 by early Chinese settlers. The temple serves two Chinese goddesses, Kuan Yin Teng -goddess of mercy- and Ma Chor Poh -patron saint of sea travelers-.

Another Buddhist temple structure is the 30-metre high bronze Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin), situated on the first tier of the hill.

Between this temple and the second one is a turtle pond representing `longevity'. The second temple contains statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, while the third level contains large statues of the Buddha. The Kek Lok Si temple, which is also known as the `Temple of Supreme Bliss', attracts more than a million visitors annually. It offers a grand sight of Air Itam and Georgetown.

By visiting this great Penang temples and have look around it seems that most of this religious roots gave way to the mammon.

Nobody is really after the Buddha anymore its only...pls. make me money, make me win in the lottery, etc. Not much of the real faith is left the materialistic fighting took it all over.

As the tourist does his way up along the steps are plenty stalls offering mementos and the best of Penang homemade snacks. Two glass lifts are there, connecting the Pagoda to the Kuan Yin temple. It covers a distance of 120m in about two minutes. During Chinese New Year this Penang Buddhist temple is adorned by thousands of brightly lit lanterns and colored lights.

The birth of the New Lunar Year goes on for weeks and the visitors are treated to celebrations of dragon and lion dances plus Chinese opera shows. In addition there is the Moon Cake Festival and the birthday celebration of the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin).


Pagoda
The snake temple

is One of the most famous temple at the altar side many poisonous and non poisonous snakes daze around and have a quiet life, they are somehow knocked out be the ever burning incense.Snake at Penang Temple
Snake at Temple
Snake at snake temple Penang
Snake from the snake temple
Snakes at the snake temple
Snakes at the snake temple

Legend tells that a hermit gave refuge to poisonous snakes. After he died, a spiritual cloud took possession, on certain days the temple is overcrowded by snakes.

Snakes are in the snake temple now all the time, the bigger are Burma or Myanmar python, the smaller, I don't know.
 
Snake Temple Nun
Snake Temple Nun

The little problem is with at many places on this planet development cuts away the jungle.

Until a few years ago at the back of the snake temple was still lush tropical jungle and the snakes moved into the snake temple from the back, out of the jungle.

Now this jungle is gone and the snakes wont come in from that side anymore, they bring them in now.

Snake Temple Penang
Snake Temple
Snake Temple Penang 1
Snake Temple
 

Botanical garden

butterfly garden, spice garden and the monkey spot near the Penang botanical garden are places everyone should visit. You want some fun with the monkeys, no problem you can have it, they play with you, buy be careful, they are much faster than you...monkey fast... Don't carry anything around like glasses, bags or anything which can be taken away quickly, the Penang or Pulau Pinang monkey will take it and run, they are like the small kids, monkey want to play and have some toys. Also keep in mind monkeys have parasites on their body, so its better not to touch them, this little jumper insects will easily jump over to you and give you a scratchy time. It's difficult to get rid of it.
Monkey Spot
Monkey Spot near Botanical Garden
Spice Garden
Spice Garden

little India
Busy little India
Penang Shopping in little India
Shopping in little India

 

 


Penang restaurant at Georgetown
Restaurants at Georgetown

with beautiful decoration, such as this Indian Restaurant pictured left. Its just in the center of Georgetown where all the big hotels are, the food is good but as in most Indian restaurants the portions are to small, by this trick they try to encourage to buy more  food.

This is not very wise since if I have to order 5 main dishes to get somehow enough to eat its better to go to the open air Chinese food court nearby and also get great food, 3 times the size. Unfortunately all Indian restaurants try it this way to leave you hungry when you only take about 2 dishes. They don't know, this is not a hit and run business. 

Shopping

you will find plenty of exotic items, like handicraft, colorful dresses for the ladies, exotic items from China and India, interesting books. One of the best shopping places is "little India", actually a visit of Pulau Pinang without a stroll through "little India" means you haven't been in Penang.

Since the island has a long history as a cosmopolitan place it’s the right travel destination for exotic shopping. Antiques from all over Asia and more are on sales in small dark shops. There are Buddha statues in different style from China, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Myanmar and elsewhere, gold plated, pure brass, bronze, carved wood and porcelain.

Shopping is a the great past time in a exotic Asian city, hunting for a great bargain a real exotic purchase. The best shopping destination is Chinatown with great antiques hiding behind the window. There is a great variety of other shopping malls in Penang, shopping centers and hundreds of shops at Georgetown, in addition enjoy exotic dining also around in the area.

There are Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Thailand and other restaurants around plus several food courts. Penang shopping is really exciting, but the real exotic stuff is in the backstreets of Georgetown, that finally is real shopping in Penang.

 


Penang Food

Food is is very diverse, there is Malay food also called Malaysian food, there are variants of Indian food, southern Indian food, northern Indian food and variants in between. All kind of Chinese food is integrated into Penang food, something very special in this direction is Nyonya food. Named after the women who are descendants of Chinese immigrants and indigenous Malayan, they invented several great culinary delights called Nyonya food, could also be called Peranakan food.

Hawker food is another variant of famous food in Penang. Everyone who travel to Penang will sooner or later eat some hawker food, either as street food or in one of the Food Courts.

Penang Food
Penang Food

Another very tasty and exotic food is Penang Laksa as you can see at the photos below.
Laksa with Chicken and Prawn
Famous Penang Laksa with Chicken and Prawn
Laksa
Laksa is made from Chicken Prawn Cucumber Soya Noodles Sambal Fishcake Onion dried Anchovy
Penang food Laksa base is Soya
Laksa base is Soya
Penang food Laksa Soup
Pour Laksa Soup over
Spice up Penang Laksa
Spice up Laksa

Laksa comes from Sanskrit and means 1000 add on. since no one has 1000 add on's everyone uses the ingredients available and creates his own laksa. Laksa is a typical Malaysian dish, has usually a low price and can be seen everywhere in Malaysia, almost every greater region has its own laksa variety, like Penang Laksa, Laksa Kedah, Johor Laksa, Melaka Nonya Laksa, Curry Laksa and so on.

 


 

Street Food Penang Malaysia
Hawker food in Georgetown
 

Pulau Pinang, Penang Bridge, travel to Penang


 
 
   
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