12-07-2010
...And that's what Pulau Pinang is otherwise known as.
Foreigners know it as the Penang Island.
I know it as the foodie's haven. And that's why we are heading there, in search of food, a little bit sight-seeing, maybe some adventure, who knows. It had been so long since we've been there.
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| Tapah rest station, for lunch and fresh fruits. |
Journey from Kuala Lumpur to Penang would usually take 4 hours, nearly 400km. One might find it comfortable to make a stop nearly midway of the journey at the Tapah R&R ( Tapah rest station) next to the North-south highway. This rest area is well-known for its fruit stalls which sells fresh jambu batu and jambu air (A local fruit very rich with vitamin C).
I suspect the cut fruits for sampling were actually soaked in syrup water in order to make it taste sweeter to encourage customers to purchase more. Reason being the jambu that i bought didn't taste as sweet as the samples form the same fruit stall. Nevertheless, these are local fruits worth trying and just be sure to compare the prices before settling for the right deal.
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| Noth-south highway to Penang |
It would take nearly another 2 hours from there to Butterworth, otherwise known as Penang mainland. On the journey we passed by Ipoh, followed by Taiping, Perak. If you have time to spare, you could drop by these places to experience their township, sample some local cultures and food, etc. Otherwise, hit the road for a scenic view on Malaysia's beautiful North-south highway.
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| The Pearl of Orient or Isle of the Betel Nut |
Shame that we didn't take nice pictures on the Penang bridge. Spanning 13.5km, it is still the largest bridge in Northeast Asia. Every year without fail, this bridge will hold its annual international marathon event, making it a spectacular race track for thousands of participants. It was back in the days when i myself took part in the half marathon category, i finished the race amidst cramps on both legs, blame it on the lack of rest from too much sight-seeing the day before.
Fast forward to a not too distant future..we took a left from the Penang bridge and head towards Bayan Lepas (Turn right would be to George Town, the capitol town of Penang). Reason being we wanted to explore the other parts of the island, and decided to round the island clockwise.
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| Nana's 1st visit to Penang |
Our 1st stop was the well-known Penang Snake Temple. Built in 1850, the snake temple, also known as the Temple of Azure Cloud,is dedicated to Chor Soo Kong, a priest who was believed to have extraordinary healing powers. However, according to local folklore, a religious man offered the
venomous pit vipers shelter from danger and since then, they have stayed in safety of the temple.
venomous pit vipers shelter from danger and since then, they have stayed in safety of the temple.
For more infos on attractions, accomodation and maps, visit Penang's official website:
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| The snakes that remains best friend forever. |
This humble temple still remains a place of worship for local people. Bear in mind its not a snake farm so don't expect pythons or cobras or vast exhibit of snakes in any form. And rest assured, these benign snakes hardly moves, let alone bite...from far.
You can visit the few souvenir shops outside the temple but there are more choices at Kek Lok Si Temple and the fleas market.
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| The humble Temple of Snake |
Further heading to the southeast part of Penang, we came to Batu Maung, where the Penang War Museum is. You'll find answers on what life was like in Penang during wartime. Housed in what was once a British fort built during World War II, the museum is the only one of its kind in the country. Opens daily from 9am-6pm.
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| Penang War Musuem, not for the faint-hearted. |
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| View from the British Fort, once a WWII battle scene. |
The Penang War Museum is built on the remnants of an old British fort which defended Penang’s coast from attack, mainly from the "Tora-tora" Japanese invasion. The museum is a memorial to those who died defending the country as well as aims to be an educational centre about life in Penang during World War II. It features old war relics and depicts the lifestyle of soldiers in those times.
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| Anti-aircraft pit |
War museums always bring an uneasy feeling, especially one which is built on where the war once took place. Situated in a quiet jungle on a hill, one could imagine blood spill and dead bodies of war casualties lying around from few decades ago.
This hill was where the British Indian army fought the Japanese onslaught, before being overrun. We came across gun-firing bays, pill box, observation posts, ammunition storage, booby trap zones, tunnels, trench routes, as well as ruined wartime army dormitories .
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| Gallows, where POWs were hanged, considered a more civilized punishment to decapitating. |
In December 1941, Malaya (including Penang) fell swiftly to the Japanese imperial army under the effective command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, who was later sentenced to the gallows in 1946 after fall of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese cruelty and atrocities swept across Malaya like a wild bush fire and remained from 1942-1945.
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| Torturing tools by the Japanese army. |
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| Guillotine : POWs decapitated by Samurai sword. |
Evidence of Japanese inhumane act was portrayed by wartime pictures, various torture devices, gallows and guillotine. Rape and human slaughter took place, even innocent children were not spared. More about how Japanese imperial army managed to conquered Malayan peninsula followed by the "impregnable" Singapore in the short span of 2 months, visit:
Japanese_invasion_of_Malaya
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| Left and found a better place |
Moving on, it was close to evening and we were driving on the west part of the island, heading north. On our way to Balik Pulau, we came across small towns, Malay villages, hilly mountains with winding narrow roads. The hilly arduous trail from Bayan Lepas to Balik Pulau to Batu Feringgi took slightly more than an hour and by the end of it, my head was spinning~ ~ ~.
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| Every dark pages in history books always give way to a better future. |
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| Teluk Bahang Dam |
I had to time-out and catch a shut-eye because i was "mountain-sick". I've rarely even been sea-sick. Karling kept Nana occupied while i tried to recover in the driver seat of my car. It just became night but hey, we conquered more than half the island in less than a day. Now..for more happenings in the heart of the city...
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| In Batu Feringgi, down but not out. |
We headed to Gurney Drive and boy there was a big hawker centre there, made us spoil for choice.
A huge crowd patronising during this peak eating hour, although Malaysian are known to eat round the clock, hence some food stalls open until the wee hours of the morning. Case in point, even Mamak (Indian Muslim) restaurant in Malaysia run 24 hours business for customers who eats at odd-time.
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| Fried Oyster and Lok Bak, Nana is soaking up the atmosphere. |
The culture in Malaysia is that we people like eating. Helped by the fact this Commonwealth multi-racial country is a melting pot of cultures therefore the wide varieties of food and food stalls. And that's not counting the fast-food chains. Being in a Muslim country where alcohols are heavily taxed, Malaysian adopted the favourite pass time of hanging out in eateries over a cup of teh tarik (hot tea mixed with condensed milk) with or without food.
And when the Penangnites are craving for late night supper, nearby there will always be a Chinese hawker center serving yummy street food that Penang is famous for. In my opinion, Char Koay Teow is the most sort after, others are Asam Laksa, Rojak buah, Hokkien Mee, etc. Seeing the buzzing eatery at Gurney Drive, one will come to believe that Penang is indeed a food haven that never sleeps.
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| The stall with the best business |
A foreigner was once craving for Char Koay Teow but couldn't remember the name. He described it as a soft pasta-like dish. That's the closest description for this Chinese dish, fried with black soy sauce, eggs, prawns and cockles. For the health conscious, this is quite an oily dish with high cholesterol ingredients, and very,very hard to resist.
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| A dish with the same name, but Penang's Asam Laksa taste different from Melaka's. |
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| Hawker Centre at Gurney Drive, dwelling place for the insatiable hunger |
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| Nana being spoilt for choice. She didn't cry leaving empty handed. |
That's all for day 1 in Penang. Nana's furthest holiday destination so far and loving every moment of it. We brought along formula milk and Nestum as soft diet, and top it up with a little taste of Penang food here and there, just so that she doesn't feel left out. Very easy to travel with, Nana received our VIP treatment all the way. She seem to take a liking to sight-seeing, smiling and cooing a lot, a joyful travel companion indeed.
Tomorrow, Toy Museum and more...Penang food.
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| Gurney Drive, romantic spot for night crawlers. |
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| The real key to a man's heart - obedient wife & daughter |
