Penang | Singapore Travel Photo Blog @ travelerfolio.com

Penang “Rojak”

Travelling is not just about visiting sights, indulging in local cuisine, shopping, experiencing different cultures… blah blah… sometimes you get caught in massive jams while on the way to your next destination. And you begin to worry when you see thick smoke rising to the sky…

and then… a fire engine whizzes past and stops ahead and you see firemen quickly get to the water hose…

And the next thing you see: a blazing car.

Firemen trying to put out the fire.

The blazing car was parked at the side of the main road and not obstructing the traffic flow. So why the jam?? Just like any kind of road accident, it must have attracted many curious drivers to slow down and see what’s going on. That’s why!

In Singapore, it’s called Penang Laksa. In Penang, you can’t find Penang Laksa as it’s known as Asam Laksa. @_@ If you are at Balik Pulau, try this famous Asam Laksa stall which claims that it’s Best of the Best Balik Pulau Laksa. They serve three kind of Laksa – Asam Laksa, Siam Laksa (aka Lemak Laksa) and Mix Laksa (Asam + Siam!).

I ordered a bowl of Siam Laksa. If you have tried the original Asam Laksa before, Siam Laksa is sweeter and the soup base is thicker as it’s added with coconut milk. Something new for me and it’s just right for my taste buds.

The Asam Laksa is delectable as well! Those who prefer a lighter version can try this. Love the fish flakes!

Location of Balik Pulau Laksa: The coffee shop can be found directly at the Jalan Tun Sardon intersection into the main road. Shophouse no. 67.

Opening hours: 11 am – 4 pm. Closed on Wednesday.

At one glance, who would think that this coconut does not contain water but jelly? That’s coconut jelly. The coconut water is formed into jelly after food processing. The jelly just tastes like coconut water in jelly form. And there is still soft coconut flesh in the shell. It’s a very refreshing dessert!

On the label, it’s named “Tender Nut Jelly“. Maybe you can get some from: 240 Datuk Kramat 10150 Pulau Pinang.

We like to snack at Oldtown Cafe whenever we are in Penang. That day we ordered some slices of kaya butter toast. They looked good on the outside, though seemed abit too dry and crisp. I thought I didn’t taste any butter so I lifted up the top slice…

and saw two “fries”. So? Nothing. Just wondering why the butter was cut this way.

Word of the day:

Rojak – A fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, just like this post with random photos from Penang. \(-.-)/

I’m going Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah in two days’ time. Come back soon to check out my posts on KK!

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (12)

Beware of the Fangs!

No, it’s not a zoo. The snakes are everywhere and not kept in any enclosures. One glance at the triangular head, you know they are venomous snakes. Those are pit vipers. Wagler’s pit vipers.

So where on earth is this place? You are now on an island, somewhere in Penang, Malaysia… …

You are in a 159 year-old temple with many snakes waiting to be discovered. They may appear docile, but don’t you dare to touch them. Beware of their fangs!

The Snake Temple 蛇庙, aka Temple of Azure Cloud (not exactly, with that grey overcast sky) was originally built in 1850 and is one of the oldest temples in the world. Some say that, perhaps, it’s the only temple of its kind in the world… er…is it because of the many snakes residing within the temple??

The Snake Temple decorated with intricate designs.

The devotees believe that the snakes came to temple on their own accord. However, due to the urbanization of the area that could have disturbed the natural habitat of the snakes, it’s probably why there aren’t many snakes in the temple now and snakes don’t crawl in and out of the temple anymore ’cos the jungle was gone.

The notice states that all are live snakes but visitors are requested not to prod or harm the snakes as THEY may be injured. What? I thought we could be injured instead but it seems to be the other way round. Oh man those vipers have fangs!

These motionless temple vipers are believed to be paralyzed by the smoke of the burning incense in the temple and so far, it’s said that no one has been bitten by any of the snakes before. Some say the poisonous snakes have been de-venomed but the fangs are still intact. However, some say that the snakes are still venomous. So, just be careful while you are standing near these fellows.

Zzzzz… A sleeping viper. I dare you wake it up!

Finally, after the “snake teasers”, you can proceed to drape a snake around you at this booth for photo-taking at a fee. I never try this before and I don’t think I want to do that!

Location of the Snake Temple: Sungai Kluang, Bayan Lepas (near the airport) in Penang, Malaysia.

Opening hours: 6am to 7pm daily. Free admission.

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (22)

Kek Lok Si Air Itam

I wish I could stay on for a few more days to explore Kuala Lumpur since I hadn’t been there for years but we had to drive back to Penang island to catch the flight back to Singapore two days later.

Back in Penang, we continued to indulge in more authentic local eats on a Monday morning at Air Itam market. There were many market-goers around, probably cos it was Malaysia National Day, a public holiday. Or is the market always crowded in the morning?

It was quite unusual for someone who kept snapping away in this local market area. Obviously, I looked like a tourist. No, not all Singapore tourists are so engrossed in taking pics this way, unless… if you are a travel blogger?? So nowadays, whenever I see people taking photos, especially aiming at food before eating, I would think they might have a blog. XD

It’s so convenient. You don’t need to find parking lot and can just buy groceries along the way on a scooter, just like MacDonald’s Drive Thru’. =D

Fresh chicken.

This friendly uncle took out a harmless-looking little snake from the container and posed this shot for me. Well, I guess, those snakes are for consumption. :S Or could it be for “animal liberation”?

A cage of turtles. apparently, are for someone’s dining table. Hey maybe that’s for “animal liberation”. Also, live fish in buckets of water.

We came to Air Itam for the famous “Kio Kar” curry mee! I bet Penangites know about this stall along the roadside manned by the two (or three?) old aunties who cook curry using charcoal stove. All the ingredients and pots are placed on the floor. While sitting on stools, the friendly ladies would prepare the food for the customers. It’s not easy to find seats as there are only a few tables along the busy street.

I was a little surprised when my order came. It wasn’t quite like the curry mee with thick red curry gravy that I know of. The curry has little coconut milk in it so it tastes like soup to me. If you like it more spicy, stir the chilli paste into the gravy. The bowl is topped with cuttle fish and tau pok (fried bean curd).

Old wooden chopsticks, perhaps, older than you!

Perched against a hill slope in Air Itam, Kek Lok Si (极乐寺) is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. The magnificent temple also houses a columbarium with niches to store cremation urns. Those marble niches at the top floor facing the city and the sea are the most expensive: one niche costs up to RM30,ooo (~US$8700).

A panoramic view of Penang from Kek Lok Si Temple. Scroll Left->Right.

We see this beautiful sunset everyday from a room in the house.

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (11)

Hungry Ghost in Penang

If you are a Penangite, I guess you pretty much know about this statue outside Penang Berjaya Times Square. I heard that many people took photos of it. It’s a big European man instructing a muscular Indonesian coolie with big biceps to carry the heavy loads to somewhere. Of cos, you won’t see this kind of scene anymore in modern Malaysia.

The directional signs are pointing to some big cities, indicating the long distances away from where the statue stands. Singapore is only 599km away.

We arrived in Penang a day before the Ramadan month for the Muslims in Malaysia where Islam is the predominant religion of the country. It’s a fasting month for the Muslims and fasting begins from sunrise to sunset. You will see Ramadan bazaars around during the month for the Muslims to buy food after breaking of fasts.

Unfortunately, there are only a few shops operating at Penang Berjaya Times Square, with few visitors in this very big and new mall.

Something that fascinates me whenever I am in Penang: clouds seem to be hovering very low around the hills throughout the day, especially after the rain. Anyway, it was a gloomy day. I thought I brought rain to Penang; it had been raining for several days since we were there.

Just opposite the mall is an old Hindu temple with a rather big compound.

While the fasting month started on 22th August, the Hungry Ghost festival is also widely celebrated for one month since 20 August in this Chinese-majority Penang state. You will see very big lighted joss-sticks decorated with colourful dragon design perched in front of makeshift altars, and stages put up for Chinese operas and other performances that are mainly not for you to watch… (hair raising)

A scene of how the Chinese in Penang worship during the Ghost festival or some non-Chinese prefer to call it the Chinese Halloween. In Singapore now, there are also many altars being set up for worshiping during the seventh lunar month and makeshift stages (in Chinese we called it “ge tai”) for performances. I could hear people singing loudly on some nights from my home and lot of ashes drifting in the air on days when many burn incense papers as offering to the spirits (hungry ghosts!). Read about Hungry Ghost festival in Singapore.

I’m surprised that Sakae Sushi in Malaysia is soooo much cheaper than those Singapore outlets! And the food tastes better. Just to summarize, a green plate costs RM1.90 (in Singapore, I think the cheapest is S$1.90?), a pink plate costs RM3.90 and a red plate costs RM5.90. We never have enough of them.

Moving along Penang Bridge, one of the world’s largest bridges, we were leaving Penang island for a few days to Ipoh, Genting Highlands and Kuala Lumpur.

It takes about 2-hrs to drive from Penang to Ipoh. The weather in Ipoh was better, at least no wet days but it was hotter.

Coming up next… Some good food to recommend in Ipoh.

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (12)

The Old Water Village

At one glance, I thought it was just another old residential area in Georgetown, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Penang, Malaysia. Little did I knew that the moment I stepped on the wooden platform, I was already over the water.

The Chew Jetty is the largest among the other seven waterfront settlements housing different clans in Georgetown built in the mid-19th century. The name of the jetty – “Chew”, is the surname of the clan living in the water village with wooden houses perched above the sea by stilts, a homeland for generations of the Chews whose forefathers came from Fujian Province in China and were mostly fishermen.

chew-jetty-map

Currently, I think there are left with only six clan jetties lining the sea front along Weld Quay, namely Yeoh jetty, Tan jetty, Lim jetty, Lee jetty and Chap Seo Keo jetty (literally means “mixed clans jetty”). Koay jetty and Peng Aun jetty were already demolished by the government for its development plans which have raised controversy questions.

The cluster of jetty houses standing firmly above the sea look just like any houses on land with modern amenities. As Chew jetty is also a favourite tourist spot, you can even find a souvenir shop in it, alongside with a grocery shop. Some of the Chew residents even offer home stay package!

The surviving cluster settlement seemingly locked itself in a time zone that disregards the urbanization taking place around it in Penang.

Walking further down the jetty, we could see a panoramic view of the Straits of Malacca and catch glimpses of the port activities.

Fishing boats parked along the planked walkways with a backdrop of highrise buildings, showing us that traditional lifestyle can juxtapose with modernisation.

These are cages to catch crabs. What do you call that? A crab catcher? A demonstration of how a crab can be trapped after crawling into the cage hole.

A fisherman preparing fishing baits?

This typical wooden house in Chew jetty seems to be vacant as it’s quite empty…

Just located at the entrance of Chew jetty is a small temple where the clan still continues to celebrate the annual worship of the temple Deity and the Jade Emperor (Tee Kong).

How to go to Chew Jetty? You can walk for about 250m south along Pengkalan Weld from Weld Quay Bus Terminal and you will see a signboard that displays “Chew Jetty” on your left.

So what to eat in Georgetown? There are plenty of nice food but I will start with this stall for a quick yet delicious snack. Cross over the road opposite Chew Jetty and walk further down till you see a stall shown below in the picture with a signboard that reads “Prawn Fritters”. The prawn fritters look like little round sinful doughs (deep-fried greasy!) with small prawns and some veggies in them. They are quite crisp on the outside and at one bite, the dough melts in your mouth, releasing the irresistible aroma of prawns. The stall opens everyday but from Monday to Friday, the opening hours are from 8am to 12pm only; on Sat, Sun and holiday, the operating hours are from 8am to 6pm.

I didn’t try the longish ones… Anyway, if you can’t find the stall, try asking the friendly locals around Chew Jetty, I guess they will know the direction to it.

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (14)

Pulau Pinang here I come!

It’s getting cheaper to travel! In the past, when we took a Super VIP coach from Singapore to Penang (aka Pulau Pinang) the cost of a ticket was about S$60. A return Super VIP coach ticket from Penang to Singapore cost about RM80 (~S$33). The 2-way coach travel summed up to be around S$100 without travel insurance.

Since the opening up of air routes to budget airlines between Malaysia and Singapore this year, it’s the first time we travelled by air to Malaysia. We compared a few budget airlines and thought Tigerairways was the cheapest to fly on our scheduled dates. The total cost of a 2-way ticket (including travel insurance plus taxes and admin fee) is only S$80. Though it’s merely S$20 difference, we save a great deal of precious time! You see, it requires an 8-hr journey ride from Singapore up north to Penang but only 1-hr of flight between these 2 destinations.

Photos taken in the Changi Airport’s Budget Terminal. It’s a small terminal but still comprises of an Internet Zone, souvenir shops and an open space cafeteria. I like the Dim Sum stall! The dim sum are tasty and selling at a reasonable price.

I think they just refurbished the boarding gates area with tints of warm colours.

Up up and away! Admiring the cloud formations from the plane and snapped a few aerial pics.

Love the blue tones in the sky with clouds like cottons.

It was past seven in the evening and the setting sun blazed like a diamond above the clouds. If the plane wing was not blocking, we could literally see the reflection of the sunbeams on the cloud surface.