Penang
My last trip to Penang was more than a decade ago, in which I was brought there by work. The island left a good impression on me, even though my colleague and I only had the after-work hours to ourselves.
Hence I welcomed the suggestion when some friends suggested a trip there some months back. With much anticipation, the 2-night trip finally arrived last Thursday. Not the best timing considering I was nursing a slight flu and sore throat that week, I was nonetheless glad to break away from the routine everyday life. Plus, the cheery group of friends I was with would only do me good.
Penang was somewhat how I remembered it - laid-back, art-sy, with a predominantly chinese community. In fact I feel the same with Malacca, except Malacca is probably much smaller in land area.
What I had forgotten about Penang, was the weather. It was scorching hot outdoors! Anyhow, we had a rough itinerary which included visits to Penang Hill, Clan Jetties, Gurney Drive, the famous Wall Murals/Street Art, and Cafe-hopping. We relied on taxis on the first day which weren't exactly an easy find on the streets. One would be better off calling for cabs. It made sense to hire a driver to ferry the 8 of us hence we did that on the 2nd day. Penang is known for its great food so it was a must to try out their famous Chendol and Penang char kway-tiao. We had a few rounds of dim-sum, seafood for dinner, and various stop-over eats & drinks. The guys also treated themselves to a generous helping of durians while I looked on. Durians ain't my thing unfortunately.
Given the punishing weather, it was physically tiring to explore the city on foot, even though we did stop at cafes for breathers. But the wall murals were worth the walk and the company of friends was what held it all together. It was fun hanging out with the guys, talking rot, posing for photos, etc. It was exhausting for us all but it was fun. It was 3am by the time we retired to bed on the first night, hence I gave myself an early one on the 2nd.
And so, armed with packs of penang coffee, cookies and warm memories, the time then came for us to check out of the very homely airbnb accomodation. It was a short but good trip, and I do look forward to travelling with the guys again.
