Penang - Short Getaway Must-Dos

Two years later, I am back at Penang! This time I am the impromptu tour guide, bringing my parents around. Based on my experiences from my two trips, here's a short list of the must-dos in Penang.

Confession
I've recently added Danbo to my family... so you will see Danbo almost everywhere in the pictures that follow. :P Be warned ... Cuteness ahead... :P

What to see?

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

My personal choice of the must-see destination in Penang would be Pinang Peranakan Mansion. In fact, it's a hotspot for wedding shoots as well. On the two visits I made to the mansion, there were couples doing their wedding shoot, in their gowns and suits. It is also the location where Mediacorp's "小娘惹 The Little Nonya" was shot.

TIP

Do not worry about their no photography and videography note posted on their official website. When I bought the tickets, they specifically told us we can take photographs. And everyone is doing so, as well.

A well preserved mansion that acts like an museum for Peranakan artefacts, it recently added an annex. This annex is air-conditioned and offers more services, such as a Peranakan restaurant, souvenir shops, and even a jewellery counter that sells pre-loved antique Peranakan jewellery. There were more displays of Peranakan jewellery and accessories.



Remember to take off your shoes before you take the stairs to the second storey of the mansion.









Street Art



In conjunction with the George Town Festival, George Town was revitalised with guerilla street art.

I didn't manage to find all street art... too many!

Here're the ones I located:



Notice the two very similar ones, which I labelled "2012" and "2014"? They touched up the paint and added a "half bicycle" permanently to that art installation.

The tourism board of Penang even produced pamplets on George Town's street art. You can grab one at the airport!

Sleeping Buddha - Wat Chayamangkalaram Temple

Wat Chayamangkalaram Temple houses a 180-foot long Sleeping Buddha.


It is currently undergoing some renovation. Colours are being revitalised:

TIP
Remember to take off your shoes before entering the temple's premises.

Next to Wat Chayamangkalaram Temple is the Burmese Buddhist Temple.



Find out where other gigantic Buddha statues are located:

• Taizhong (Taiwan)
• Enoshima (Japan)

What to eat?

Char Kway Teow - Penang Style

This is my favourite hawker haunt in Penang - Gurney Drive Hawker Centre, also known as Anjung Gurney. If you stay at G Hotel. This food paradise is just a few steps away. Facing G Hotel, on the right is Gurney Plaza, and then next, on the right is Gurney Drive Hawker Centre.



It's an open-air hawker centre, with loads and loads of local cuisine options.

And I highly recommend you to try Stall 71 Char Koay Teow. (It's spelt differently from our version: Char Kway Teow) RM6 per plate. I think they increased their prices, but they also increased their manpower, so it's now more efficient, though the queue is still as long.



This is how it was in 2012:


Now there is another auntie who is frying Char Koay Teow, and more helpers to keep track of orders, payments and washing.

Penang's char kway teow is different from Singapore's. You have to try it. And this stall's chay koay teow is very well-fried, ingredients are fresh too. Prawns are big and fresh~


Stir-fried Bittergourd with eggs 苦瓜炒蛋- Song River Cafe Style

Yes! Bittergourd. Nope, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. You must be wondering why am I recommending bittergourd dishes to you, instead of what Song River Cafe is famous for - their Bak Kut Teh.

TIP
Song River Cafe 松花江餐室 is featured in several travel guides on Penang.

Mmm.. actually I think their Bak Kut Teh was just so-so.

But their stir-fried bittergourd with eggs is heavenly! The best bittergourd dish I have ever tasted. Yeah.. even better than Okinawa's, and Okinawa is the place that is famous for their bittergourds!

Bittergourd doesn't taste bitter anymore.. somehow.. I wonder well. But it blended very nicely with the eggs. Note it's 蛋花, and not the usual fully cooked eggs we often see at our foodcourts.



It seems easy to make.. since ingredients are simple and easy to source - eggs, bittergourd and soya sauce. But... I can't achieve Song River Cafe 松花江餐室's delicate balance.

Location:
65，Persiaran Gurney, 10250, George Town, Pulau Penang



Where to shop?

Again, if you stay at G Hotel, shopping malls are very near you. Besides the just-next-door neighbour, Gurney Plaza. There is now a new mall called Gurney Paragon Mall, just on the left of G Hotel, a few more steps away.

Gurney Plaza is huge and has almost everything. Branded shops like Coach, Chanel, Armani Exchange and so on... And it has late night entertainment options like cinema theatres (Golden Screen), KTV (RedBox) and even the gym (Jatomi Fitness). Of course, not forgetting all the dining options and pubs and coffee joints (You have both Starbucks and Coffee Bean just opposite each other).

TIP
A&W is no longer located in Gurney Plaza. *Weep* A loss of another Singaporean favourite. (To understand the irrational craving for root beer float and curly fries - there are no A&W outlets in Singapore, after they moved out in 2003.)

Location:
Gurney Plaza, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.



Now, more about the new cousin in the neighbourhood, Gurney Paragon Mall. The biggest draw... it has H&M and Kate Spade! And of course, it's new. Very new. Likely just opened within these two years, as when I was visiting Penang 2 years back, the mall was still in the midst of construction. Since it's the new kid on the block, not all shops are filled. Maybe about 90% is filled.

Location:
163-D, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.



Where to take a break from all that walking and shopping?

Coffee Elements

Since we are on the topic of shopping, let me introduce you to Coffee Elements.

We had Cafe Latte, Energy Refresh, (I was told by the staff it's like a lemon-grass drink. But it's more than that! I loved my drink. 有甘甜的 aftertaste.) Red Velvet Cake and Carrot Cake.

Somehow.. the carrot cake was a hit between my parents. You can try ordering this for your seniors next time you are nearby.



Location:
3rd floor of Gurney Paragon Mall

Cozy in the Rocket

If you were exploring downtown at George Town, then do not miss "Cozy in the Rocket". Tucked in Lebuh Armenian area.

A quick observation... perhaps due to the boom of street art in George Town, there are now a lot more tourists, especially around Lebuh Armenian area. They are more popup stalls catering to tourists too.

Actually I was on the search for "Amelie Cafe", which I visited with Huishan 2 years back. At that time, "Amelie Cafe" was featured in Straits Times!

A quaint little cafe with style of its own- "Amelie Cafe" back in 2012:


I could not remember the exact location... but vaguely remembered it should be around Lebuh Armenian or thereabouts. Then I stumpled upon "Cozy in the Rocket", also a cafe, which emits similar vibes as "Amelie Cafe", but not quite her, as "Cozy in the Rocket" was way bigger, and it is air-conditioned! It's like an oasis to us, as it was a really hot and sweaty afternoon exploring George Town on foot.

And... it's only now.. when I am back, that I found out that "Cozy in the Rocket" is actually the upgraded version of "Amelie Cafe"! Not only it is air-conditioned, twice its size, brighter... the toilet facilities are way better and cleaner as well! By the way, Amelie Cafe is now defunct, as "Cozy in the Rocket" replaces it.

Now... the layout in "Cozy in the Rocket":


They served drinks, coffees, pasta and desserts.

I highly recommend their desserts! Too bad, I only ordered one that day. But it was wonderful! Must try!

Coconut Panna Cotta


Read on to find out my more extensive review of "Cozy in the Rocket".

Location:
262 & 264, Lebuh Pantai, George Town, Penang.



Opening Hours:
11am - 4pm, Closes on Mondays

Where to stay?

For both of my stays, I used G Hotel as my accomodation. Basically because of its location. Just next to the mall, no worries about catching a late-night movie. And it is just a few steps away from the yummy local food paradise, Gurney Drive Hawker Centre.

Other perks:

• Free wifi in room and lobby. Signal is pretty strong.
• Free complimentary welcome ice-cream
• Free bar (drinks in fridge are free)
• Included breakfast buffet (I loved their spread!)

And I managed to get an extra bed without extra charge when they ran out of twin rooms for my superior room reservation. It costs RM1650.10 for 2-nights in a Superior Room (king bed with extra add-on bed) for 3 people. Hence, it costs about SGD110 per person per night.



Comparing with my previous stay, I think their standard of service has improved, too.

It is about 40min away from the airport. From the airport to the hotel, if you booked via the airport taxi counter, it's at the fixed price of RM44.70.



From hotel to airport, it is a fix price of RM40.

I always asked the hotel staff to help me call for cabs. I can also check with them on the prevailing rates. Seems like now taxis don't go by the meter. They still do on my first trip 2 years back.

That's all~ Hope you find this guide useful as you plan your trip in Penang!

Let's have a date at Enoshima

Just an hour away from Tokyo and Yokohama lies the beautiful 湘南 beach, and a lovely island, Enoshima 江ノ島.

With the beach, sunset and onsen, Enoshima has almost all the elements of a dating spot. No wonder it is one of the most popular dating spot in Japan. When I was there, there were lots of young couples and also groups of students enjoying their summer vacation at Enoshima.





Now here's what made me fell in love with Enoshima:


The sunset with Mt Fuji! One can see Mount Fuji where the Sea Candle is. Sea Candle is the lighthouse at Enoshima.

TIP
Besides taking a stroll up from the town to Sea Candle, you can opt for an easier option, which is taking a series of escalators to the top. Buy your tickets at the Enoshima Esuka 江の島エスカー counter. There is also a special packaged deal which includes the escalator ride and entrance to Sea Candle.

While you are at the Sea Candle, do not forget to try one of their speciality snacks, the Tako Senbei タコ煎餅. Only after you have ordered, they will start to make the senbei. Hence queues can be quite long. Be prepared to wait. Using fresh ingredients, they will coat it with flour (not sure what flour it is though), and then pressing a heavy steamy machine against it. There are 3 flavours: octopus, prawn and crab.

TIP
There are two shops selling tako senbei. One at the town (the queue is longer though) and the second one is at foot of the Sea Candle.

After trying the tako senbei, it's time to watch the breathtaking scenary of Enoshima from Sea Candle.

TIP
Besides the observation section, which is enclosed, you can also climb one more flight of winding steps to the top of Sea Candle, which is not enclosed. Be careful though, the winds are very strong. Hold on to your hats and scarves!

The streets are lit up after 6.30pm during summer, as part of the Lantern Festival.



After a long hard day, where shall we go for a recharge? Try Enospa! As a onsen lover, Enospa was the strongest pulling factor for me to make a stop at Enoshima.

Besides having normal onsen pools, they also have infinity pools outdoor at 2nd and 3rd floor. The view of the sea from the infinity pool, accompanied by the sea breeze, is simply magnificent! There are even pools in a man-made cave. Of course, what's a spa, without jaguzzi. Besides, jaguzzi, they have sauna, swimming pools, cafes next to the pools and relaxation rooms (some customers actually take a nap there).

Unfortunately, we can't take pictures in Enospa, hence I am unable to show you the facilities. However, you can take a look at their website and you would understand what draws me there. :)

It costs 2650yen per entry, but you can stay for the whole day. The costs also include a bath set comprising of a bath robe, a bath towel and a netted bag. (These are on loan, and have to be returned after your stay.)

TIP
Remember to bring your swim suit! Besides the onsen area, the other pool areas require us to wear swim suits as these are common areas. Only the onsen area is separated by gender.

Do not forget to visit the Italian restaurant, Island Grill, on the 4th floor, which has the best sea view.




Window seats - but be careful though, it can be really hot along these seats.


Sakura prawn spaghetti topped with lots of ikan bilis

Do remember to try the ikan bilis しらす, that's their speciality at Enoshima.

If you have time, do explore Kamakura 鎌倉, which is an old city minutes away from Enoshima. It houses one of heritage sites, the Great Buddha 大仏 at Tookuin 高徳院. It has more shopping options too, for those who need more souvenir choices.

TIP
The nearest station to get to 高徳院 is Hase 長谷 Station. It is within walking distance from the station.

Jaa, see ya at Enoshima in summer~

台湾的小日本-妖怪村

Drawn by the segment on 小镇风情 Quaint (a travelogue programme by Mediacorp; remember to fast forward to 17:45), I decided to squeeze in a day-trip to Taichung 台中 just to visit 溪头 松林町 妖怪村.

Like a little amusement park, set in the olden streets of Japan, 妖怪村 is shrouded in a cloud of mystical stories. Almost in unison with its theme, on the day of our visit, it was a very misty, foggy day.


Misty road ahead...


The mist adds mystery to these fictitious characters though

I love the witty copywriting for the park and its amenities.

Even the "Beware! Road is slippery warning." is so witty!



And of course all shops and their products follow the theme - 妖怪 (loosely translated as monsters) aptly.


黑心店？！原来是卖竹筒饭的。Phew...

You will often see the below sign mentioning "枯麻 kuma". What is 枯麻? Actually 枯麻 is referring to kuma, which means 熊 in Japanese. Bears. Beware of bears. This is because this village is near the mountainous areas and is often frequented by bears in the past. Since the village is set up by the Japanese, hence the direct "katanization" of the Japanese nouns by the Taiwanese to retain the Japanese flavour.



What to do?

There are lots to do: shop, eat, watch 3D movies, watch the daily show by the mascots, enjoy the live music performance of pop music...


Live band performing in the middle of the square


Make a wish


Post a postcard

What to eat?
Try the 竹筒饭 (glutinous rice in bamboo) sold by the 黑心店. There are 3 flavours:

• Charcoal
• Vegetarian
• Standard

I love the normal one the most.

Oh ya, like all Japanese towns, there is always a speciality food or flavour in the region. For 妖怪村, the speciality flavour is charcoal. So, there is charcoal flavoured 竹筒饭, ice cream etc. I didn't try ice-cream though, as it was quite chilly that day. But it is definitely a hot favourite amongst the locals.

Next, you probably can't miss this super long queue outside the bakery 久保田.

Once their pastries are ready, they will start selling outside the bakery.


Chao Shao Pastry 叉烧酥. Very yummy! The crust is very tasty. Must try!

My brother loved the egg tarts. He ate 2 and even asked me to buy a third one. Unfortunately, it was sold out so I only managed to buy the 叉烧酥. Hence, I think you have to try the egg tart if you have the chance!

But for their bread, they only have fixed hours to sell from: 10.30am and 2.30pm.

Especially for their speciality, 咬人猫面包, each customer can only buy the maximum of 2.


Joining the queue for 1hr, and this is my queue number. Note that if you lose the card, you wouldn't get to buy any :(

Mmm.. so what's my verdict after the 1hr queue? I didn't think the 咬人猫面包 (creamy bacon and corn filling) was very special though. But I liked their 咬人猫 Madeleine. It has this special fruity taste. Very special, very delicious.



Oh, and btw, though we are number 23 in the queue, the Milk Toast 牛奶土司 is also sold out! So maybe you can try that too, and let me know how it taste.

Here's a video segment covered by a Taiwanese programme. They tried the restaurant too which we didn't:


Btw, the restaurant which was shown in the above video is a eat-all-you-can buffet restaurant. Prices are a bit steep for our family of 4, so we skipped it :P We munched on street food instead.

How to get there?

1. Get to Taichung 台中 HSR Station (bullet train)
2. Catch the 台湾好行 tour coach 溪头 line
3. Buy tickets at Exit 5
4. Take the coach bus all the way to the last stop

Coach schedule and prices are also noted in the given website above.

And so that concludes my one-day trip in Taichung 溪头 松林町 妖怪村.  妖怪村 brings back great memories from Japan :) Bye bye, Little Japan!

高雄-走透透

As my third visit to Taiwan, this time, I would like to try somewhere different, besides Taipei, where everyone is so familiar of. This time, along with my family (first time in Taiwan!), we explored 高雄 Kaohsiung, the city located in the South of Taiwan.

How to get there?
I must say, it is really very convenient to travel around Taiwan. To get from one end of Taiwan (North of Taiwan = Taipei 台北 Station) to the other end (South of Taiwan = Zuoying 左營 Station) via the bullet train 台灣高鐵 HSR, it is only 90 minutes! Wow... 0_0!



It definitely takes much longer to reach one end of Japan to the other :P

TIP
Do not confuse 台灣高鐵 Taiwan High Speed Rail HSR （高鐵 for short) with 台灣鐵路 Taiwan Railway TRA (台鐵 for short). Taiwan High Speed Rail is a bullet train service, while Taiwan Railway is the normal railway. Hence HSR is much much faster, and also costs more. Eg. for my trip from Zuoying to Taichung my TRA trip costs 45% of my HSR trip, but takes thrice as long to get to my destination (3.5hr vs 1hr).

Both the bullet trains and the railway trains of Taiwan and Japan are very similar too! I even wonder if the bullet trains are from the same manufacturer :P

TIP
Like Japan's bullet train system, there are 3 types of tickets on sale:

• Standard- Reserved

• Standard- Free Seating

• Business Class

In Japan, the business class seats will equate to the green car seats.
We tried both the reserved and free seating. The prices differ about 5% for my Taichung-Zuoying trip. Not sure if the discount is better with longer trips. You can check out the fares first here.

Unlike Japan, where we can buy all 3 types from the ticketing machines. To buy reserved seating tickets, we have to buy at the counter. The ticketing machines only sell non-reserved seats.

And there are less free seating carriages compared to Japan's. Japan has about 5 carriages for free seating,while Taiwan has only 3 carriages.


The top ticket is for a reserved seat, the bottom one is for free seating.

What to see?
Lucky us, when we travel in Kaoshiung, accessibility was further aided with the opening of the new MRT line in 2008. And two of the stations have been crowned 2nd and 4th in world's top 15 beautiful subway stations in 2012 by BootsnAll.

And even luckier, we stayed near one of them (Central Park Station 中央公園站, which won 4th) and we visited Formosa Boulevard station 美麗島站 (which won 2nd).

My personal favourite is 美麗島站! The Dome of Light is really spectacular! It is the world's largest public art installation using glass pieces.


Best shot of the Dome of the Light ...


as aided by this :P

It is located just at the station control, so there is no way you can miss it. I would recommend you to visit it on a weekday afternoon/ morning when the commuting crowd has not set in yet.

We visited another recommended spot Heart of the Love River 爱河之心. But were quite disappointed though. Maybe we visited during an afternoon, so lights were not up, and the view was not as nice. But doubt we will visit it again.



Where to eat?
My original plan was to bring my family to Liuhe Night Market 六合夜市, but was persuaded by the hotel staff to visit Rueifong Night Market 瑞豐夜市. This night market is more frequented by the locals.





I would strongly recommend you to try this dish - deep fried octopus at this stall:



You won't miss this stall, as the street where the stall is located is packed. Very very very packed. It's a normal Friday night, yet I feel like I am in Chinatown on a Chinese New Year eve countdown.

The way to order is quite different from the other stalls too:

1. Take a number.
2. Once number is called, tell the stall keeper your order, and pay in cash.
3. Wait for your number to be called again. This time to collect your order.

How to get to Rueifong Night Market 瑞豐夜市:
Exit from Arena MRT station 巨蛋站, Exit 1. It is a short stroll of about 5 minutes to the night market.

Where to shop?
With a full tummy, the next is to shop to one's content~

For all shopaholics, if the stalls along the night markets are unable to satisfy your shopping desire, then this 12-storey shopping centre, Dream Mall, should be able to fulfill your shopping dreams.

The main catch of this mall is actually the Hello Kitty & Sanrio Friends Ferris Wheel. Mmm.. but it is more of a kiddy ride to me. I actually prefer the one in Miramar in Taipei.

There are tons of shops here. We spent a day there. No kidding~

How to get there?
Catch the free shuttle bus (actually it is more of a van :P) from the Kaisyuan MRT Station 凱旋站 Exit 3.



Where to stay?
Finally, the highlight of my Kaohsiung trip. My hotel stay! I simply love Mirador Hotel. I'll definitely return if I am going Kaohsiung for a visit again. Highly recommending to you, too!







I first came across this hotel via TripAdvisor. Seeing that the reviews were not bad, except that the comments about their breakfast (quantity too little).

But when we reached, the breakfast spread has improved a lot, along with its presentation!


This photo of Mirador Hotel Kaosiung is courtesy of TripAdvisor.
Breakfast set (what it used to be) from TripAdvisor, photos shared by fellow travellers.


Breakfast now- Better spread with better presentation.

And the rooms are locked using digital locks. Not a key. Free wifi at the lobby and within the hotel rooms, too. High tech!


My brother showing us how to open our room.


Welcome pack includes the lock number, the wifi password and breakfast vouchers.

They have rooms for 2, 3 or 4.

Here's our family room for 4 :)


I tried to tidy a bit for the photoshoot, as we were too excited about the room and totally forgot to take a picture before plonking ourselves and our stuff on our bed :P


I love the details of the room. The hotel's theme is flowers, and all furniture carries the same theme as well. They must be custom-made.


Amenities for guests. Besides the usual stuff, they included facial wash, too!

And finally, the rooftop garden where we can have breakfast at. Or you can of course choose to start the day in the comfort of the air-con restaurant, located next to the garden.



How to get there?
The nearest MRT station is Central Park Station 中央公園站. Exit from exit 2, and stroll for about 10+ minutes.

How much does it cost?
For our 2-night stay over the Friday and Saturday nights (the peak season), it costs about NT$6000, which is approximately S$300. For a family of 4, that's actually quite economical!

To find out how much the other rooms (for 2 or 3) cost, check out their reservation website. You can also check the availability of the room online immediately.

Payment can be made via credit card or bank transfer. Only deposit (half of the total cost) is paid prior your stay. You can choose to pay the other half in cash on your day of arrival.

And so... that concluded my short 3-day-2-night (though, in actual terms, only 2-day-2-nights, as we spent 1-day in Taichung).

I will miss the R&R atmosphere in Kaohsiung, where residents dressed casually (like Singaporeans, in T-shirts, jeans, berms, slippers, etc), their wide roads (4-lane roads are so common), lots of scooters and how they scoot pass me all the time so swiftly without warning, and the long crossing-the-junction time.

Do you know?
For the same stretch of road, the traffic light in Taipei takes 40s while the traffic light in Kaohsiung blinks for 60s!

Miss ya, Kaohsiung. Next time, I'll explore more in-depth~


Signing off with the cool biker terrier in Kaohsiung, which travelled with its master on the scooter just like that. Cool~