Walking down gravelly side roads and past street vendors, it’s hard to ignore the overwhelming sights and smells around you. Surrounding you are the old buildings long forgotten, tree roots clinging to their old brick facades, paint peeling off their grand pillars, ghosts of aristocrats and old money bemoaning their demise. The Chinese stall holder nearby raises his cleaver and hacks his way through a piece of chicken, before arranging it over a perfectly rounded mound of rice; the little boy sitting at the table nearby stops talking to the street cats as his chicken rice arrives, and digs in with his soup spoon.
Amongst all of this new and exciting terrain is you: school-leaver and first-time traveller. Congratulations! You’ve chosen a fantastic place to visit.
Penang Island (Pulau Pinang) sits off the coast of mainland Malaysia, and is a fascinating tropical island brimming with culture, religion, and architecture.
The three main nationalities that call Penang home are Malays, Indians, and Chinese, and over the last three hundred years the island state has become home to many expatriates and travellers.
It’s because of this eclectic mix of races that Penang boasts several state languages. The most commonly spoken languages are Malay and English, so while knowing how to say thank you (terima kasih) or one flat bread please (roti canai satu) won’t go astray, you don’t have to be fluent in the language to get the full Penang experience.
Penang trades in the Malaysian ringgit (RM), where RM3 is equivalent to $1 AUD, so making your way across the island will not only be culturally enriching, but also very wallet-friendly for your first overseas adventure. So get ready, because pretty soon you’ll be ready to pray, explore, and eat your way through the pearl of the orient: Penang.
Pray
It would be crazy to travel to one of the most faith-rich countries in the world and not explore some places of worship. Perhaps the most important stop on your first trip to Penang is to Kek Lok Si, South East Asia’s largest Buddhist temple.
With a towering pagoda made in the Thai, Burmese, and Chinese styles, Kek Lok Si is one of Penang’s most important temples. There are two main modes of transport to get to Kek Lok Si, which is at the Air Itam Mountain: you can bus it, or cab it. The Penang Rapid bus takes about twenty minutes to reach Kek Lok Si from the heart of George Town, and costs RM2 (which is around 70¢ AUD). Alternately, a taxi ride will take you slightly less time, but cost around RM25. Most locals take buses around town, and doing this will help avoid the tourist trap of being overcharged by taxi drivers because you are a foreigner.
Arriving at Kek Lok Si, you will come to a long, gradually climbing stair case that is covered by a series of rooves. As they say, the only way is up, and Kek Lok Si makes no exception to that rule.
On your walk up to the pagoda you will pass vendors lining the stair case selling all kinds of trinkets and souvenirs. In particular, you will notice orange string being sold by most of the stall holders – this is the same orange that Buddhist monks wear, and is considered to be sacred.
When you emerge from the stair case, you will most likely hear a splash or two – before you is Liberation Pond, full of snapping turtles. Passing this spectacular mass of turtles, you will find yourself at the entrance to the pagoda.
There is a RM2 fee to enter the pagoda, but this small fee grants you access to South East Asia’s largest Buddhist temple. You will be able to explore the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, filled with ceramic and bronze Buddhas, and feast your eyes on the 99ft tall statue of Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy and compassion.
Kek Lok Si allows any one person to connect on a spiritual level to their surrounds, and as a first-time traveller this will undoubtedly be the spot where you realise that you are part of something bigger.
Explore
The next must-do in Penang is a visit to the new George Town UNESCO Heritage Site, which boasts some of the world’s best street art. Starting in Armenian Street (which is also called Lebuh Armenian), you can make your way through the streets of this world-class heritage site, taking in the street art that is splayed across all manner of walls, power poles, and manholes.
The quintessential stop on this leg of your journey is Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic’s mural Little Children on a Bicycle. This clever combination of a bicycle statue and two children painted atop it has become synonymous with the George Town Heritage Site, and can be seen printed across t-shirts, postcards, and key chains all across town.
The best ways to see this world-class street art is either by foot or by bike. You can rent a bicycle for 24 hours from Metro Bike for RM20 – this sets you up with not only a bike, but a helmet, safety jacket, a bike lock, and insurance.
However, if luxury is more your style, you can stop in at The Blue Mansion.
Situated on Leith Street (Lebuh Leith), The Blue Mansion was built by Cheong Fatt Tze, who moved to South East Asia in 1856 as a penniless 16 year old. He went on to become one of the wealthiest men in the region, owning mansions across several countries; however, it is rumoured that The Blue Mansion was always his favourite.
This palatial building is ranked by Lonely Planet as the second greatest mansion in the world, and for good reason – it boasts 38 rooms and 220 windows, through which you can hear the water of the channel and see the awe-inspiring size of Penang Hill.
Luxury does come with a price, though, and The Blue Mansion is no different – a guided tour will set you back RM16 (or around $5.50 AUD).
Eat
The must-have soup in George Town is the mutton soup from Restoran Sup Hameed. All soups served at the Penang Road (Jalan Penang) restaurant come with a side of the softest bread this side of Paris, known to locals as Bengali roti (Bengalese bread), and will set you back around RM6 (about $2 AUD).
Just a short walk down the same road will land you in dessert heaven: the world-famous Penang Road ais kacang and cendol. There are two competing stalls in this narrow jalan, however the one opposite the café with the orange bowls is considered by locals to be the best.
Ais kacang (translating literally to ‘iced beans’) is a dessert made of shaved ice, sugar syrups, palm seeds, kidney beans, sago, grass jelly, a scoop of ice cream, and crushed peanuts. While it may not sound like your typical cup of tea (or bowl of dessert) it is the absolute pride of Penang, and after one bowl you will be yearning for your next trip down Penang Road. A bowl of this refreshing crowd favourite will cost you RM2 (which is equivalent to a Rapid Penang bus ticket).
Along any road side you will be able to find small cafes that specialise in selling roti canai, which is a buttery, chewy, delectable Indian flatbread. Served with a curry or dhal sauce, this is your cheapest option for a delicious fast meal, at a usual price point of one ringgit. You can also treat yourself to authentic banana leaf in Little India’s Restoran Sri Ananda Bahwan. While this restaurant will set you back a few more dollars than any humble roti canai cafe, it does boast complete air conditioning and a full vegetarian menu, including chicken and pork curries made with special mock meats.
From the food stalls lining every jalan, to the street art of George Town, to the towering heights of the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia, Penang has a huge range of activities that will not only ignite the passion for travel, but also be friendly for a first-time traveller’s budget. There’s no better time to get out and start travelling through Penang than now.
