timestravelerstales: Malaysia, Boleh!

This is my second trip abroad after Singapore in 2009. Quite long time since my passport was lost and I just processed it back in 2011. It was accidental trip actually. We got promo tickets to Penang. And from many travel forums I found out that Penang had become a tourist attraction in Malaysia. Many backpackers have visited this place. So, I was wondering what was up there? It turned out Penang was famous for its UNESCO heritage site and also the culinary tour. So, here we go.

We visited two cities in Malaysia, Georgetown and Kuala Lumpur. Georgetown is the capital city of Penang. Overall, Penang is a small island. You can just go over the island in one day with bus. The bus goes all over the island, and is very cheap. If you love photography, you will find many heritage buildings here with cool spots to capture. I will admit that in this trip, I did not do much exploration in the historical sites. We just passed by actually. So, I cannot tell you much about that. On the first day we visited Bukit Bendera and also Batu Ferringhi. Bukit Bendera is or is called Penang Hill is a hill with the height of approximately 800 M above sea level. It is pretty high and we can see Malaka strait on top of it. We went up to hill by train. Malaysians will have to show their IC and they just need to pay RM 8. Foreigner is charged for RM 30. The view above the hill is amazing. You can see the whole Penang Island, Malaka strait and also the bridge that connects Penang and KL. We made a lot of photo sessions back there. Batu Ferringhi is coastal area in Penang, it is like Anyer in Indonesia. Many luxurious condos and hotels are located here. The area is pretty quiet. I must say this is the high class area in Penang.

Penang’s main transportation is bus, it is called Rapid Penang. The rate is between RM 2 up to RM 3. There is also free shuttle bus to explore the heritage sites in. The buses are air conditioned and very clean. We spent very much time on the bus to explore the island. People here are mostly Indian and Chinese. Not many Malay race lives here. The city is not a busy one and life is pretty laid back here. We found out that at 10.00 PM, the road was quiet and many shops were closed already.

We did much eating in Penang. And the food is pretty cheap. The prices are ranged between RM 1 – RM 8. These were what I ate: Nasi Tom Yum, Laksa, Tea Tarik, Nasi Kandar, Nasi Lemak, White Coffee, Roti Canai, and also Murtabak I love Malaysian food; therefore I was pretty satisfied with the food experience back there.

Kuala Lumpur trip was not much told. We only spent around 7 hours in KL. We went there by bus and got back to Penang by plane. In KL, the Malay races are more dominating than others because Kingdom rules here. We found out that poor people in Kuala Lumpur are supported by King. Kingdom will find them a housing, monthly fee, free school for kids, and even they will pay for medical expenses. That is the reason why this country is pretty much developed. However, as Malaysia applies federal governmental system, every state has different rules. Not all states are supported by Kingdom. Other states might have to struggle for poverty by themselves. In KL we visited KLCC Twin Tower, Central Market, and Bukit Bintang. We did many shopping here. Backpacker rules slightly failed in KL.

Overall this trip was city sightseeing. Not much natural sites that we visited, because it was less indeed. What I love in this trip is that my friends who are joining this trip are all city lovers. I got the new experience like: we watched Puss in Boots in Georgetown and in the middle of the movie there was someone gasping three times so loud and so annoying. Instead of exploring the heritage sites, we explored malls and found out that it was so difficult asking for direction because Malaysians have various accents. Seriously, it was difficult to understand what they were saying. Even the English was also unclear. The funniest moment was when we would like to buy food for dinner in one of hawker food stall there. People stared at us and we were wondering why. And when we ordered, the seller said “It is all pork”. We all like “Oh I see”. We were quite ashamed, since two of us were wearing veil. And we also laughed when a taxi driver told us that there are three titles for a man. Young man is called “abang”. Middle aged man is called “uncle” (you can identify this by less gray hair). And old man is called “Pakcik”. Very funny indeed. Lastly I must say, a trip with the people you like is always a worthy trip. See you on next trip!

Penang International Airport