Penang, Malaysia: It Had Its Moments

IT wasn't all doom and gloom in Penang. Actually, it wasn't too bad at all - just not what were were after.

It didn't help that the guesthouse we stayed in backed on to a mosque which, every morning at around 5am, called for prayer through a loudspeaker that seemed to go on forever.

Malaysia is, of course, known for it's great food and we got to enjoy some tasty hawker centre meals and, in Georgetown, some fine curries. But Malaysians like their meat and veggie options for us were sometimes limited. Battling through Georgetown traffic in the mid-day heat to find a parking spot that didn't seem to exist in order to eat at a reputed vegetarian restaurant was a challenge we didn't want every day.

There is a superb - and massive - Tesco store that sells produce for even cheaper than you can find in the outdoor markets! And we loved the young Thai coconuts, though we noticed how much the price for them fluctuated from restaurant to restaurant and in the stores. We discovered a nice vegetarian in Batu Ferringhi (called Olive in Eden Parade) that we would recommend. 

For children it was great in Batu Ferringhi. We visited an excellent indoor play centre at the Golden Sands resort (£4 entry for Zenchai) and he ran around for hours. Kobra got in for free and also loved it - as did Jamie.

Also at the Golden Sands is a Segway circuit. You get to ride for 15 minutes for £5. Zenchai was itching to have a go. 

When we arrived, they said Zenchai was tall enough, but feared he didn't have the bodyweight to manouvre the Segway In the end they relented and let Zenchai try. And within minutes he got the hang of it. 

As a family, we went to the tropical fruit farm (not cheap). Included in the price, though, is a buffet. It's a pity for us, though, that some of our favourite fruits, like rambutan, were out of season. We did stop on the way home and eat some fresh - and sweet - durian from the roadside. Delicious!

 

Comments

[Bill M]

Ask for the Brahman vegetarian restaurants. Long ago there was one not far from Chulia Street; it was named "Sri Krishna Villas," which is not an uncommon name for that type of restaurant (I know of another of the same name off of Serangoon Road in Singapore). One enters, washes only one's right hand in the sink, sits on one's left, and eats only with one's right. Lefties do the opposite; that's understood these days. They will offer utensils if needed (novices find it hard to eat neatly with their fingers).