Penang, Malaysia: Missing The X-Factor

WE have been to destinations with high expectations and come away disappointed. Conversely, we've visited some places with no intention of lingering and been pleasantly surprised. The trick, I think, is to keep expectations low. Like going to the movies to watch a film everyone is raving about - your hopes tend to get inflated. Best not to read too many reviews and go with an open mind. 

Penang, an island off the coast of Malaysia (though a part of Malaysia), has long been on our list of places to visit and explore. We know people who live here and love it (ie good reviews). And we wanted to test it out for ourselves. 

You can read and research destinations as much as you like, but you can't ever be sure of the X-factor - the only way is to make a visit in person.

I knew, though, from the moment I stepped out at Penang airport it wasn't for me. Don't ask me how I knew. I just felt it energetically. But I didn't say anything (immediately) to Jamie or the kids. 

We headed to Batu Ferringhi, a beach area in the north, to set up base. Our intention was to lodge at a guesthouse for a few nights and, as best we could, search for an apartment rental with a view to staying for several months.

But I didn't have the urge to stay and neither, really, did Jamie. But we thought we'd still try. Sometimes locations can grow on you.

The trouble for us in Penang was two-fold: (1) finding an apartment wasn't straightforward and landlords wanted tenants for a year (2) Batu Ferringhi, while touristy, is remote and spread out and we needed a car to get around. Public transport isn't like in Kuala Lumpur.

There are very few real estate agents like you find, for instance, in the UK. You can't visit a neighbourhood, step into the office of a letting agent, look at his list of accommodations and ask to view them. It just doesn't work that way in Penang. To find accommodation you answer local adverts, find a reliable agent by phone or internet or visit condos or areas you like and then ask around. Hardly anyone ever responds to emails either. It's seriously time-consuming and, with kids in tow, hard work - not to mention really boring for the youngsters.

As for transport, hiring a car long-term was beyond our budget. We did so for a short period and drove around, but still were not moved to make Penang our home, even for a short period. It didn't tick our boxes. 

The beaches were, to be blunt, fairly average. They weren't clean and after getting stung by a jellyfish within seconds of entering the water, I wasn't too enthralled with the idea of encouraging Zenchai and Kobra to take a dip, even if the ocean temperature was beautiful. It's a pity.

Without a hire car, we would have been at the mercy of the local (and erractic) bus service. With a car, though, we got to see a fair chunk of the island. We explored other areas as a potential base, but nothing suited us. 

After some discussion, Jamie and I opted to move on, using the theory that making a decision is better than taking no decision. The idea is to keep moving forwards - somewhere - regardless of the outcome. It all works out in the end.

I referred to a message Jamie received on Facebook, where a friend of hers asked if she was following her 'list' rather than her 'bliss' and it was a fair point.

We quickly opted to head by bus (four-and-a-half hours) to Kuala Lumpur, where we'd been previously and enjoyed, to try our luck there. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Colin Burns]

Hi Claude,

I absolutely agree with you, what is paradise to one person may not be paradise to the next.

I am a firm believer that a particular location only plays a small part in choosing where to stop for a while. The experience you have in that particular place far outweighs the place specifically.

When we first stopped in Penang we met a wonderful local family that now lives just down the road, we regularly have new travelling families come and visit so we always have new people to meet and for the kids to spend time with.

Had we not met that local family initially it may have been a very different experience for us as well.

I hope you're having a great time in KL.

Cheers,
Colin

[Claude]

Hi Colin. It was great catching up with you guys. I agree that the people you meet can make the place more attractive. Also, we (travellers) all have different motives for taking long journeys, be it to experience cultures, food, be by the beach or in a city. No one way suits everyone, as our Penang experience confirmed. Sometimes you have to experience many places you don't want to be before you discover somewhere you DO want to call home. And it's often those experiences that don't work out that help you to better shape your idea of what you are looking for. Hopefully, we'll meet again somewhere.

[long island real estate]

Good one..I like the information you provided..It is nice..Nice babies in the poster,they are so cute..