The Adventure Continues...
13-07-10
We put up a night in Tunes Hotel, located right at the heart of the city, George Town.
Price which can be as low as RM48, the hotel operates with the concept of pay per use, ie air-conditioned, extra towels, wifi, prolonged check-out time, breakfast, etc.
Downside is the rooms are rather small and might only be suitable for light travelers.
Additional info you should know, the Tunes Hotels are operated by the same owner of Air Asia, the world's leading low cost flight carrier.
Click here to save on accommodation at your nearest holiday destination.
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| The authentic and mouth-watering Penang Nasi Kandar. |
Once in Penang, one must try its famous authentic Nasi Kandar. This dish is rice served with curries and dishes meticulously prepared with fish, chicken, squid, prawns, mutton and beef – a hearty meal for those who love aromatic spices.
The word Nasi Kandar, came about from a time when Nasi (rice) hawkers or vendors would balance a Kandar (pole) on their shoulder with two huge containers of rice meals. Now Nasi Kandar is the main dish served in all Mamak (Indian Muslim) food stalls.
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| Poor Nana, got frustrated after she wasn't allowed to try the spicy Nasi Kandar. |
Those who loves Curry should not miss Nasi Kandar at all, especially in Penang where it originated from. The aromatic smell of various spices used to prepare the dish keeps customers coming back for more. Furthermore, it is a balanced diet and a healthier option than fast food.
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| The Mister of Spices. With passion and love comes great food. |
There were many Nasi Kandar shops around George Town and when we weren't sure which one to "makan" at, we chose the one which had more customers. And true enough that has always lead to the right decision.
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| Wat Chayamangkalaram |
As i mentioned early, Penang Island is a blending pot of many cultures, both local and foreign. As a result one can find various places of worship including this Buddhist temple from Thailand. Wat Chayamangkalaram is a Thai Buddhist temple built in 1845 on land granted by Queen Victoria as a gesture of goodwill to Thailand.
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| Chamber of the sleeping Buddha |
The temple has the second largest Reclining Buddha statue in the country, and 3rd largest in Southeast Asia. The statue is completely gold-plated and measures 33 metres in length. You can also appreciate the Siamese craftsmanship in the statues of Devas and other mythical creatures located on the temple grounds. Each has its own stories to tell although i didn't further venture into it. Opening hours: 6.00am – 5.30pm. Tel: 016-410 5115
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| Must be tiring maintaining this cool pose for decades. Not to mention the constant disturbance in sleep. |
Worth mentioning here, the largest Reclining Buddha in Malaysia since 1979 goes to Wat Phothivihan, situated at Tumpat, Kelantan, a border state between Malaysia and Thailand. Its Buddha measures 40 metres in length.
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| Chronic bending and squatting can cause osteoarthritis at old age. |
Next stop, just opposite the street of Lorong Burma, another Buddhist temple called Dharmikarama Burmese Temple, from Myanmar. This temple is at its busiest during festivals such as Wesak Day as well as Thankyan (Water Festival) in April – a celebration similar to Thailand’s Song kran festival, in which devotees splash water at each other and pay respect to elders.. The temple’s serene surroundings feature a Bodhi tree, wishing pond and pagoda.
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| Dharmikarama Burmese Temple |
It features a tall-standing gold-plated standing Buddha too.
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| Hollywood Red Carpet should take a leaf from this. |
One of the optional places of interest to visit on our map was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. We came across this building on our way out of George town. The ‘Blue Mansion’, former home of tycoon
Cheong Fatt Tze, was purchased from Cheong Fatt Tze's descendants in 1989 by a group of local Penang individuals in order to save the edifice from encroaching development and possible demolition.
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| Was Nana starting to get hungry again? |
While it remains until now, a private-residence, this property also operates as a 16 Room Bed & Breakfast-cum-museum as part of the adaptive reuse of an ongoing restoration project which has won awards from Unesco. Guided tours in English are offered daily to central parts of the house.
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| Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion |
The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion has been a shooting location for many films ( eg. the 1993 Oscar-winning French film "Indochine", "The Red Kebaya", and the 2009 critically acclaimed "The Blue Mansion"), TV series, and documentaries by CNN,The History Channel, Discovery Travel & Living.
Who is Cheong Fatt Tze?
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| Watching out for the ghost of the past. Mr. Cheong? |
Afternoon, we back-tracked and travel to Teluk Bahang, where the well-known Penang Butterfly Farm was. This tropical butterfly farm is so famous that it was visited by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife when they came to Penang for a private holiday in 2008.
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| Yay, finally something for me to play~~ |
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| "I heard there's a fish in the sea name Nemo who wears the same colors as we do?" |
The name may seem like a misnomer as there are more than butterflies living here. The farm has over 3000 living specimens from over 50 species of rare and exotic butterflies, amphibians, scorpions, snails and other insects. A live museum with winged beauties fluttering about as well as a breeding research centre, the farm is an eco-tourism gem indeed.
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| "Some1 once said, 'fly like a butterfly sting like a bee'. I think we better safe some for the bees." |
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| "How many names do we have to think of again?" |
So like many of you, i did wonder how much would Nana appreciate all these spectacles at this tender age of 6months? Well Nana is always attracted to new "weird" and foreign things, and certainly towards live colourful flying butterflies. Most of the time she would be staring at them clueless, wondering what was going on. A lot of mind, visual and hearing stimulation going on there.
At timely interval we would humor her with anything from colourful floras to swimming fishes in the aquarium, a pack of butterflies sucking nectar, or a cute duckling wiggling its tail. She would crack a laugh and a smile to affirm that she was enjoying herself. As long as we kept her occupied, she wouldn't get bored and cranky and cut short the trip.
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| House of the dead..butterflies. |
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| "Some1 once sang, it doesn't matter whether you are black or white." |
Since its opening the Penang Butterfly Farm has introduced a few new attractions namely The Tree of Life, Swing of Love, Cave of Mystery, Aqua Fun, Kingdom of Frogs, Biodiver-City Hall and more. Opening hours: 9.00am – 5.00pm (weekdays) / 9.00am – 6.00pm (weekends - last admission at 5.30pm) Tel: 04-885 1253
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| "Bro, don't you feel a bit out of place..i mean, what are we doing here in a butterfly farm?" |
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| Blow me butterfly kisses, and i'll feel butterflies in my stomach. |
Evening, we head back to the city, passing by Batu Feringghi, the most popular beach in Pulau Pinang. Developed into an area of holiday resort, leisure, dining, souvenir-shopping and night life. It faces the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping channel in the world.
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| Batu Feringghi, aka Foreigner's rock. |
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| This beach was once hit by the 2004 Tsunami albeit no mortality reported. |
This beach is a popular hang-out or holiday destinations for foreigners and Expats. The night market and eating place near Hard-Rock Cafe are very happening on weekend nights. A beach holiday wasn't part of our travel itinerary so we were merely passer-by.
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| A place for leisure and family bonding |
So far so good, Nana is still enjoying herself. At 6 months old, she is the most well-traveled infant in Malaysia ( the world?). Thanks to a very adventurous mum and dad. We go wherever our budget brings us and blog with whatever limited photography skills (..and quality time) we have.
So sit back and enjoy ( or bear with us), as we bring you the largest toy museum in the country, and reportedly the largest toy-collection in the world.
