Penang, Malaysia is a well known “foodie’ capital. Worldwide chefs travel from near and far to devour the eclectic ethnic mix of food that this city is known for. They refer to Penang as the ” Pearl of the Orient”. My hubby , being a self proclaimed foodie, and world traveler, sought out this destination , determined to make it a stop on our Malaysian/ Indonesian trip. I will also proclaim myself a “world traveler foodie” because who doesn’t like trying new things (meaning food)? I really think food is one of the best ways to really experience a culture.
At this point in this trip, we had already visited Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Indonesia ( see previous posts). We were headed back to Malaysia, for one more stop- Penang. Our flight from Indonesia, was non eventful and we arrived eager and hungry!
Arriving to our hotel we noted the cute, quaint town, that appeared rather quiet. We were staying in the historical Georgetown of Penang. At check in we inquired on where to eat of course! The front desk staff was not very helpful, only giving us a few suggestions. No fear, John had his handy trip advisor and google so we were all set and ready to explore this food famous town!
After dropping off our bags and freshening up, we headed out. It was raining- but the hotel had complimentary over large umbrellas. We soon found out why they were so large!
We set out to find a good spot for dinner. Hiking through the rainy streets, we found most things were closed. This was odd, as it was 6pm on a weekend evening. NOTHING was open! We found multiple destinations recommending online, only to find they were closed. It was quite frustrating ! We finally found a place and had a pretty good meal. We could not enjoy a beer or wine with our meal, since it was a Malaysian restaurant with traditional Islam beliefs (meaning no alcohol).
After our meal and walking thru the rainy streets we set to bed to rest for a full day of touring!
The next day we had a fabulous brunch at the hotel with fresh roti made to order.
This is a roti tower. If you haven’t tried it- you haven’t lived!
We then set out to explore Georgetown.
We walked all along the city- along the water side, downtown and even visited some ancient historical houses.
Thank goodness we were able to get a lot in before more rain! And more rain! It rained and rained and rained! And again, most food places were closed! We luckily found some good food after miles of searching (not kidding- miles).
Another super rainy, gloomy night, there was nothing to see or do, so we set back to the hotel.What a lovely hotel it was! They had a beautiful rooftop with complimentary happy hour ( free wine- yes!), complimentary ice cream and a movie on the rooftop! We enjoyed this, and it sort of distracted us from the rain!
The next day we enjoyed Penang hill- a must see if you visit Penang!
The views were just incredible and we got to see the famous dust leaf monkey! They were the cutest! Penang hill entry wait took about 30 – 45 minutes. Once you retrieve a ticket you have to wait in the cable car line, which can be quite long. Uber was readily accessible in Penang, and we were able to get one quickly back to our hotel leaving Penang hill.
Two days in Penang was plenty. I am glad we went , and glad to see more of Malaysia, however due to the heavy rain and most foodie places being closed, it isn’t on our list as a “must see” in Asia. Sorry Penang – you do not get our vote for the “pearl of the orient” nor the foodie capital. Speaking of foodie capitals- hubby and I think these Asian cities rule (in order thus far)
- Tokyo, Japan
- Saigon, Vietnam
- Bangkok, Thailand ties with Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Luang Prabang, Laos
- Beijing, China ( even though every meal we prayed we wouldn’t get sick)
- Singapore (hawkers)
- Hoi An, Vietnam
- Kyoto, Japan
- Bali, Indonesia
- Kuala Lumpor, Malaysia
Keep posted on where we will travel next- Europe? Asia? Africa? South America? Stay tuned!! And feel free to message me with any travel questions or inquires!
<3,
King
Keeping up with Kinz 