Last 2011 Christmas we decided to make a trip to Penang Island, Malaysia. Penang, often referred to as the Pearl of the Orient, is one of the most picturesque and romantic cities in all of Asia. This tropical island lies in the Indian Ocean, just off the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Penang received its name from the Pinang, or Betel Nut tree, once commonly found on the island. Established as the first British trading post in the Far East in 1776, Penang today is a bustling metropolis reflecting a uniquely exotic blend of East and West. It is a mash-up of cultures, religions, foods, and architectures.
There is a wide range of different styles and types of architecture to be found in Penang. The British Museum was built in 1986 and has been restored to pristine condition. The Queen Victoria Clock Tower is another example of the British influence on the local architecture. Another architectural theme is expressed in the many mosques that can be found in Penang – perhaps most famous of which is the Floating Mosque. There are also many Hindu temples. Perhaps the most pervasive architectural statement is made by the hundreds of store shops with second floor residences that can be found in Chinatown.
Getting Around Penang:
Getting around Penang we found two basic transportation options for getting around Penang – taxi and bus (Rapid Penang). Each taxi had a notice to potential customers painted on the side of each taxi indicating it was against the law to “haggle” over taxi fares. This gave us hope that the taxi drivers would only use their meters to charge us – wrong!
We quickly learned that very few taxi drivers would use their meters to charge tourists to Penang. This is a big problem because how can you haggle over the cost to your destination if your not sure how far it is? We tried haggling twice and wound up paying three or four times what we thought was a fare price.
The buses in Penang are clean, comfortable and very cost-effective. The buses travel just about everywhere we needed to go and cost about a tenth as much as a taxi. The only problem we had with the bus drivers was getting them to let us when we had arrived at our destination. You need to carefully investigate the route your bus will take and figure out for yourself when to get off.
The Beaches:
We found the beaches in Penang to be as beautiful as any in Asia. They were clean and rarely crowded. We found a nice combination of fine sand and large rock formations.
There were several signs warning about jellyfish and we read a story in the local paper about some packs of dogs running on the beaches. We did notice some stray dogs on the beaches, but they seemed friendly enough.
Shopping:
Gurney Plaza is a modern, beautiful and clean shopping mall at which we found a wide variety of goods and reasonable prices. In addition to shopping, Gurney has a wide range of dining and snack options.
Penang has a number of open-air markets or “sidewalk bazaars” where one can find a little bit of everything that could generally be described as “souvenirs.” Some of the items on offer are of reasonable quality, but most are close to “junk” status. Be prepared to haggle a reasonable price at these markets. We would always start by offering no more than 50% of the merchant’s “asking price” and then go from there.
We were so lucky to find the Copthorne Hotel. It was quite a bit less expensive than the other hotels in the immediate area, but it several ways was much better. The hotel itself was beautiful and the staff was extremely helpful and courteous.
The hotel had a nice pool that was particularly enticing in the evenings and several different beach options. There is a grassy, landscaped area with umbrellas as well as a large beach with clean sand for taking long walks.
