penang.malaysia

we were in penang this mid 2012!
so unpredictable but happy tho :)

fancy mirror airport

we really wanna travel more and more..just like every people in the world. pack your bags and go!as simple as that...

we are happy enough to found the best fare to go to penang but all the routes were busy and confusing a bit because we have to go to singapore also. so those time were jakarta - kuala lumpur - penang - kuala lumpur - singapore - jakarta! omg!

it was 5 flights in 4 days!

i did contacted my friend, might be i can call him my big brother ( actually not so old tho hahaa ), he's a penangnese ( can i call him that :P ), he lives in George Town. he suggested many good places, i clearly told him that i wanna see many architectural and cultural sites in his hometown. so random, i saw those hotel websites to compare everything, my option is to stay in the hotel which have a swimming pool, even though i never go swim then *sigh, the fact is i just too tired after hang out and walked around the city that day. then i had choosed tanjong bungah area, about 10 minutes to batu ferringhi area and quite far from goerge town. 

btw kuala lumpur to penang approx. 45 minutes by flight, then from airport to tanjong bungah area approx.30 minutes by car.

lucky we took few maps and any information about what was happening in penang..because if you're a tourist somehow you will get lost and difficult to talk with local people, they don't bother you and not becoming very helpful. i was feeling like we did an amazing race game, we had to read our own maps and took local transportation and just stopped anywhere because the bus driver not even tried to let us know and we just walked ,and walked..randomly..thanks to the map!

i love george town very much. not really impressed with tanjong bungah or batu ferringhi. i do put attention to their heritage architecture, spread out every where, somehow you could find mcdonalds in the 30's classic building :) 

The architecture of Penang is a durable testament of her history – a culmination of over a century and a half of British presence, as well as the confluence of immigrants and the culture they brought with them. Fort Cornwallis at the Esplanade was the first structure the British built in Penang.^[126][127] Outstanding examples of colonial period buildings include the Municipal Council and Town Hall buildings, the buildings in the old commercial district, the Penang Museum, the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, and St George's Anglican Church – all of which are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Suffolk House, the former residence of Penang's British governors, on the banks of the Air Itam river is an example of the Anglo-Indian garden house.^[128] The stately Seri Mutiara (formerly known as the Residency), completed in 1890 as the residence of Penang's British Resident Councillors, is today the official residence of the Governor.^[129] Chinese influence is visible at the many ornate clan houses, temples, pre-war shophouses, and mansions such as the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. The Clan Jetties are a collection of water villages at Weld Quay. The Indian community built many elaborate temples such as the Mahamariamman temple, while Muslim influence can be seen at the Kapitan Keling Mosque, the Acheh Mosque, and the Penang Islamic Museum. The P. Ramlee Museum is an excellent example of traditional Malay stilt houses. Siamese and Burmese architecture can be appreciated at the Sleeping Buddha and Dharmikarama temples. Modern structures and skyscrapers also abound in Penang, sometimes side by side with heritage buildings. Notable examples include the KOMTAR tower, the UMNO tower and the Mutiara Mesiniaga building.^[130]

for all the photos you can see from:http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151243936354017.420671.746209016&type=3

in george town we can find many templess, mansion, baba houses,  many fancy shops or resto. over all i just love to be in penang. so the tour was:

day 1 : walked around the tanjong bungah area, we went to the beach, it was very quiet..lets say peaceful (?!) we met only 2 groups of people there, i think the beach is not very convinient to swim in, then you will see many information about 'be careful with jelly fish' -___-
we also went to the local kopitiam, i like the penang local food, mostly tasty like indonesian food but the ingredient is a bit different. in the afternoon, our hotel has provided the city tour to batu ferringhi area, we were thinking why not go there?!, even though we are not really wanna see the night market.

but luckily,we found a very nice italian restaurant :) mario ristorante, the architecture is nice and the atmosphere is warm. but we got interested because of their concierge is super nice,he wanna know where are we came from and suggested few good places in penang. 

the chef!

day 2 : in the morning, we went to the beach (this is always our main reason to travel everywhere). we just enjoyed to laid-back and got sun-tanned for few hours. we swam with only few people (i'm sure there are tourist like us), quite calm and what a sunny happy day hahaaa but so sudden, yep i've got the painful sting of the shitty jelly fish! and made me enough to go in to the water again -___-

we continued our journey to go to george town by local bus, and we were confident because the tourist map was in our hand :P

after walked for 5 hours around and impressed with george town, we decided to grab some food and wifi connection :D 

my friend suggested to go to one of the fancy cafe in his hometown.

this is pik nik! and i superrr love it!

at nagore road 15.

piknik word in my language (indonesian) is we do hang out in the garden or the togetherness in a place and in the end of it, you know if it will be a fun journey.
the atmosphere is relaxing and warm, convenient for every youngsters or early 30's customer hahaa(i think so!), the food and the drinks are delicious that comes in fair price :)
what i love from this cafe is the owner has concerned about design, not only the interior but they've done graphics and other fancy and catchy design too, looks fresh and interesting that will make you want to stay longer..
he owns the famous Ownly Penang;the visual design collection in penang, you guys just check it out! http://www.facebook.com/ownlypenang

how gorgeous it is?

the pendant idea ? clever!

wall's graphic

color of benetton

bill matters

their logo is just right! love it!

welcome pepz!

few hours left, we decided to go to another place in different part of penang, it was late afternoon, but we still had big spirit to cheer our day's up!! we took a bus from the bus stop near nagore st, i forgot the bus number but i asked few peoples for direction. the bus fare in penang is quite cheap, and a convenient transportation for tourist. anyway it only took almost 30 minutes to reach pulau tikus area from george town.

i think if you're traveling, it is best to know the local delicacies, so you probably can realize their cultural background or you will get another surprise thing about your trip.
we went to gurney drive, the place to eat everything local, from chinese to malay, from indian to adopted western. the price is ok, somehow it is very cheap, but the place is crowded and we are a bit struggling to find a table. but worth to try!

what a hectic place to hang out :D

we stayed and enjoyed gurney drive food for just an hour then we continued to straits quay, where they said this is the singapore of penang..

At the time, we got lost trying to find the bus stop, we thought for a while how to go to different parts of penang again without wrong direction. 

we wanna see the 'new place' of this city, might be a bit standard feeling but we need a coffee, it's already midnight tho :)

straits quay is located besides the harbour (can i say like this? it's quite small place but..), you can find different style of bar and the view is group of yachts parked beautifully there. 

our pick was an irish bar, it was an amazing place!

the entrance

the last is our proud activities at batu ferringhi.enjoy!

what a beautiful day!

very berry big sands !!

calming relaxing moment

he is ready to jump around

funny tourists

their famous lone pine, a boutique hotel in batu ferringhi area

all beaches have their own beautiful sunset, but this is quite touching

love love the color!

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast ofPeninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the eighth most populous. It is composed of two parts – Penang Island, where the seat of government is, and Seberang Perai (formerly, and occasionally Province Wellesley) on the Malay Peninsula. Highly urbanised and industrialised Penang is one of the most developed and economically important states in the country, as well as a thriving tourist destination.^[4][5][6] Its heterogeneous population is highly diverse in ethnicity, culture, language, and confessions. A resident of Penang is colloquially known as a Penangite.