Pearl of the Orient (Penang)

Member Name: kimm

Product:	Penang
Date:	01/09/01 (323 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice weather, cheap, great food.

Disadvantages: Can be too humid, thieves.

I went on a short trip to Penang this summer and it was absolutley brilliant. I have family over there, so I got to see some places that tourists probably wouldn't know about...as well as some of the more popular sites.

As soon as I got off the plane, I was hit by the heat. Wow, it was hot and very humid. It is advisable to change into shorts before you get off the plane. I travelled from Singapore and the aircon in the airport was at subzero temperatures, so I didn't bother changing.

Penang is very beautiful and has some lovely countryside. I was taken up into the mountains where there are a lot of fruit farms. It's great seeing all the different fruits growing on the trees such as durians and rumbutans. If you're really lucky you may stumble upon a pineapple. You go up quite high and pass some interesting sites such as the damns. If you stop off in a village you will experience some real life here. They people are friendly and you can buy fruits very cheaply and drinks etc.

I also visited the Snake Temple. It is a meeting place of many snakes and you have to be careful where you tread! I had my photo taken with 5 snakes on my head. This would have cost about £6, but I just took my own for £3. I also visited many other temples, and it is very interesting to learn about Buddhism. The main temple is on a slope on Penang Hill. This is where you will find the monks and you can sample some real vegetarian cuisine. You will be amazed at all the statues there are and each one is of a God of something. Entrance is free but you can make a small donation. When you enter the temples you must take your shoes off. I recommend taking a backpack and carrying them with you because there are shoe thieves who like Addidas and Nike etc! They're not interested in the locals' flipflops. Another good temple is the Sleeping Buddha. It costs 50c to get a reading from the Wheel of Fortune and it is eerily accurat
e! Unfortunately, I got a bad reading and had to go back again to improve my luck. Don't forget to ASK for good luck...silly as it seems it's worth a try!

The beaches are mainly clean and sandy. We stayed in an appartment by the sea. It was fairly basic and cost about £12 per night. However we found that we were the only people there because it wasn't really the holiday season. So, I would recommend staying in a tourist area in a hotel near the sea. Where ever you choose, it's going to be cheap and worth it. You can go paddling or try some water sports or just sunbathe. Be careful though as the sun can be very intense.

The night life in Penang is excellent. Gurney Drive is brilliant. There are loads of places to eat and you can have a 3 course meal for about £1.20. The food from the hawkers is fine to eat and it tastes delicious. It's so cheap, you may aswell just try even odd looking things as you'll be pleasantly surprised. In the tourist areas there are lots of stalls where you can barter for goods. You HAVE to barter or they will be offended. It's great fun and you can pick up some great bargains. Beware though, some of the branded stuff isn't real, but it's cheap.

Security in Penang is essential. Don't wear ANY shiny jewellery or anything that is worth much because there are thieves looking out for this type of thing. We went out for a meal with some friends and one of them had her necklace snatched as she crossed the road. She's a local, so it can happen to anyone and is very common...luckily it was only costume jewellery. Always keep hold of your bag and don't leave valuables in the hotel. The economy is very bad over there and opportunism is rife.

Another great place to visit is the Botanical Gardens. You can drink ice cold coconut juice from a coconut while wandering around the gardens. There's loads of orchids, turtles and monkeys. Don'
;t feed the monkeys because it's against the law. Also, be careful because they look cute and friendly but they can run off with your bag and climb up a tree and one by one throw the contents of your bag at you. Funny to watch it happening to someone else, mind you. You'll need to put on loads of insect repellent cos this is the place to be bitten, I'm afraid. There are trails you can follow if you are feeling energetic. Again, be careful not to get mugged.

On my travels, I also went up Penang Hill. However, I did not hike up! It is advisable to pay the £2 and go up on the fenicular (urmm...) railway. It's very steep but you get a good view of the island and you don't have aching legs. At the top of Penang Hill there is a great view, but not much else. You can get a drink or some food in the restaurant and there is a small avery place you can visit for a few dollars.

Overall, I had a great time and would recommend a visit. Everything is cheap there when I went it was about $5.5 = £1. It's probably easier if you take travellers cheques in US dollars as it is easier to exchange. Shopping is good too, the Komtar is worth a visit for some cheap shopping. However, if you venture into town, be careful of the open drains...don't fall in! Hotels are also cheap and plentiful, it's about £20 a night for a twin bedroom. We mainly organised our own accommodation as we had family there who booked it for us. But, there's plenty to choose from even if you just turn up on the day. The water is also safe to drink, at first I asked for drinks in a can, but my mum was drinking the water so I did and it was fine.

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