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Pulau Pinang or Penang, the Pearl of the Orient, really needs no introduction. Its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, interesting and unique street arts, and most importantly, its food offerings which made Lonely Planet to recognise Penang as the world's top culinary spot for 2014, have elevated Penang further as one of the main tourist destinations in Malaysia and the region. For this instalment of “Top Things to Do and See in…” with a local perspective, Ramble and Wander has invited Julia Mahir of Mummy to the Busy Bees, a Malaysian travel blogger who now calls Penang as her home, to share her list of things to do when visiting Penang.
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Breakfast at Astaka Taman Tun Sardon
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| Photo © bubblesgoestravel.com |
Breakfast like a
king, they say. If you’re going to spend your day exploring the beautiful
city of George Town or going on a picnic in the evening at Batu Ferringhi Beach, you
might need a heavy breakfast to fuel up for the day. There’s a
food court at Taman Tun Sardon, Gelugor that offers a variety of local food for
breakfast. Here you can find all the delicious stuff, from the most popular serabai in Penang, to the finger-licking
chapati with kuah daging and, if you fancy
having rice for breakfast, nasi lemuni.
Besides these, there are also other Malay kuihs,
roti canai, sandwiches and of course,
nasi lemak too.
Address: Astaka Taman Tun Sardon, Taman Tun Sardon, Gelugor, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.3693518,100.3060375
Address: Astaka Taman Tun Sardon, Taman Tun Sardon, Gelugor, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.3693518,100.3060375
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Photo © bubblesgoestravel.com
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Chowrasta Market,
which is located at Chowrasta Road facing Penang Road, is the jeruk buah (pickled fruits) heaven of
the Pearl Island! You can find all kinds of pickled fruits - mango, cermai,
kedondong, salak and nutmeg among others – here apart from dried and other local food. Trying, or even bagging, a packet or two of these is a must!
Address: Chowrasta Market, Penang Road, George Town, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.418137, 100.331477
Address: Chowrasta Market, Penang Road, George Town, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.418137, 100.331477
A Taste of Street Food (or Drink!)
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| Photo © bubblesgoestravel.com |
After buying some jeruk buah for yourself, friends and family, you might want to continue going on a street food hunt around the area. Just take a stroll along Penang Road and you'll find a few cendol, rojak and chestnut stalls around Chowrasta Market. One of the must try drinks around the city is sharbat, also known as ais tingkap. Sharbat is a very refreshing drink that is prepared using coconut water, syrup and some other secret ingredients. It's a must on a hot sunny day and a perfect way to wash down those pickled fruits you have just had.
Address: Ais Tingkap (Sharbat), Lebuh Tamil, George Town, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.417934, 100.331311
Nasi Kandar Tajuddin Hussein
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| Photo © bubblesgoestravel.com |
When you think of Penang, of course one of the first things that comes to your mind might be nasi kandar. Nasi kandar, a local traditional Indian-Muslim food, is basically a meal of rice with dishes like curry. Tourists who come to Penang would most likely go to try Nasi Kandar Line Clear or Nasi Kandar Beratur, both of which have become popular after appearing in most local newspapers and online travel sites. One of the best nasi kandar that is famous among the locals however is Nasi Kandar Tajuddin Hussein. Located in Little India, Nasi Kandar Tajuddin Hussein is well known for its dishes like Ayam Ros and Kambing Cincang (minced lamb) and also for its South Indian soup, Rasam.
Address: Nasi Kandar Tajuddin Hussein, No. 45 Lebuh Queen, George Town, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.417613, 100.338905
P. Ramlee's House
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| Photo © bubblesgoestravel.com |
P. Ramlee was a film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer and producer back in late 1940s through to early 1970s. He won at least an award at 7 different Asian Film Festivals for his acting, musical score and films, making him an icon to the industry especially in Malaysia. Rumah Kelahiran P. Ramlee – the house where P. Ramlee was born – has been rebuilt using the wood from the original house which was demolished to give way to new government quarters. There are lots of P. Ramlee stuffs on exhibition, such as his birth certificate, school report cards, identity card, favourite clothes and violin, and a collection of his photos with lots of people, from fans to friends, to wives and Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister.
Address: Rumah Kelahiran P. Ramlee, Lintang P. Ramlee, off Jalan P. Ramlee, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.410046, 100.313662
Address: Rumah Kelahiran P. Ramlee, Lintang P. Ramlee, off Jalan P. Ramlee, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.410046, 100.313662
Pasar Malam Batu Ferringhi (Ferringhi Night Market)
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| Photo © bubblesgoestravel.com |
What’s
more fun to do in Malaysia than going to a pasar
malam (night market)? Malaysia is famous for its pasar malam, which can be
found almost everywhere. Penang also has its fair share of pasar malam, one of which is in Batu Ferringhi. This pasar malam starts every day at around 6.30 p.m. until around midnight. You can
find almost everything you need for everyone in the family and more. From accessories
to home decorations, and from t-shirts to toys. You can also find beautiful
handicrafts and batik sarongs which you can buy as souvenirs. Just remember to
bargain hard before you decide to buy and pay for anything (other than food).
If you’re
lucky, you could get them at half the price they were originally quoted at!
Address: Ferringhi Night Market, Along Jalan Batu Ferrighi, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.474130, 100.248328
Address: Ferringhi Night Market, Along Jalan Batu Ferrighi, Penang | GPS Coordinates: 5.474130, 100.248328
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Have you been to Penang? What did you like most about the place? What are your top things to do and see there?
If you are going there, do check out these hotels in Penang.
If you are going there, do check out these hotels in Penang.
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Julia Mahir is a Malaysian travel blogger who loves Penang so much even long before she decided to marry a Penangite and moved to the Pearl of the Orient. Apart from travelling and blogging, she is in the midst of completing her studies at a local university in, surprise, surprise, Penang. ;)
Mummy to the Busy Bees | Instagram |
In conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014, Ramble and Wander would be inviting fellow Malaysian travel blogger friends to share their knowledge and insider info, through a guest post, about places and things they would personally bring their guests to see, do and try in their local area. This is the fourth of such guest post. For other blog entries on Malaysia, click here. For other travel blog series on "Top Things to Do and See in...", click here. |
i been there 3 times since i back to Malaysia last years august but still want to go there again and again :D
ReplyDeletelovely place.. food heaven.. historical places.. huhuuu
3 times?? That's pure madness! Haha! But yeah, there's always something new to be found in Penang, I guess. Let's check it out again maybe together someday? :)
Deletehave you been try all the thing above yet? if not lets plan and we go together hehe, that curry look very nice,and penang well known as curry lover right hehe.
ReplyDeletehttp://akumohdfakhrulislam.blogspot.com/
No, I haven't. Only been to Chowrasta Market once before. Was more on the hunt for street arts the last time I was there. :) Jom!
DeleteApart from Chowrasta and Batu Feringhi, surprise...surprise... I haven't been to the others! Hahaha
ReplyDeleteSame case with me! And that's what I like about a guest post like this. We get to learn about places we've never heard of before from a local's perspective. I really should pay Penang another visit soon! :)
DeleteJom nak follow bulan November ni? InsyaAllah gonna run the Penang Bridge run again, but instead of crazy 24 hours trip mcm last year, this time around, everything booked. So dia jadi event lari+backpacking around Penang. ;D
DeleteNovember? Punya la advanced planning, heh!
DeleteKena awal takut jadi mcm tahun lepas. 24 hour trip for a 21km run X_X
DeleteI was in Penang for a couple of weeks last year and I loved it, but I wish I had these insider tips then. I didn't know about any of those markets and they sound awesome.Something for the next trip.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wish I had known about these too when I went to Penang last year. Out of the list, I've only been to Chowrasta Market so far. Oh well! Next trip, I hope! :)
DeleteThat's an interesting posting on Penang. Maybe the title should have been 'Things to do and eat in Penang' as it would be more appropriate. Great stuff by the way :)
ReplyDelete3 years in Penang and I only visited 2 places in the list..I guess more places to visit then..
ReplyDeleteI've only been to Batu Feringghi and sadly that was like eons ago. And lately I read quite a few blogs writing about Penang. Maybe I should visit Penang this year and do my own exploring..
ReplyDeleteWent there with my family about 8 years back and Penang was superb! The Indian street was well maintained and very clean. Enjoyed our visit there albeit short visit on our way back from Kedah.
ReplyDeletezhbhijrah.my
Never been to Malaysia, but we're planning to visit this year. Your blog is very helpful.. Thanks a lot..
ReplyDeleteNice collection of things to do in penang, as a traveler i found really good information from your post. thanks for it.
ReplyDeleteGreat list of things to do in malaysia, as a traveler I found an really useful information here. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete