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.
It’s a very crowded place there in air itam market, reminds me of the market where my aunty use to bring me when i was young in PJ.
I found that most of the curry mee or laksa in Singapore are filled with a lot of coconut milk. It’s very weird indeed for me as a Malaysian when i first came to Singapore and tried the Katong laksa… in my mind, I was thinking why would this kind of taste attracts so many Singaporeans to eat.
Anyway, you should try Sarawak Laksa 🙂 or perhaps u might be interested on trying the very famous and yummy beef noodle or niu chap in Mengatal, Sabah… about 20 minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu town 🙂
@Henry: I think our curry dishes are different from those in Malaysia. In fact, I’m not very used to those curry mee in Malaysia haha. Hey, in Singapore, most of the time, I presume, you are eating Laksa. We don’t have many curry mee stalls around. If it’s Singapore curry mee, the gravy is thick and filled with much coconut milk. As for Singapore laksa, it’s like Nonya laksa. As for that Air Itam curry mee, it tastes like a more “diluted” Singapore Laksa so I find it rather bland and like you, I also wonder why this kind of taste can attract so many Malaysians to eat. 😛 LOL Anyway, I never like Katong Laksa. It’s franchise kind. It has too much coconut milk. 😛 So it’s different taste buds after all.
Hey, try the curry chicken at Parkway basement foodcourt. My favourite!! Try it and tell me how you find it!
The penang island is looking very beautiful place.It is full of nature-beauty and free of hard and fast life-style.The sunset photo is really wonderful.
Wow! They serve some exotic food here.
Been a travel blogger somehow made me feel like a weirdo as people kept staring at me shooting at some places like the markets and etc. Most people mistaken me for foreigner even though I’m in my own hometown or State
eunice : You also change the orange cartoon to this beautiful photo ,the orange cartoon seems like ( 喧宾夺主） ！
When looking at the wooden chopsticks , I only think of they must be a lot of bacteria sitck on it ! Yiak ！
The sunset is beautiful !
@Borneo Falcon: haha they will be proud of you for sharing the beauty of your hometown!
@Bakeling: er, what orange cartoon? you mean Gravatar profile pic? You can also upload your own nice pic and it will appear in those sites using Gravatar. It’s a popular feature supported by many sites.
Actually, those wooden chopsticks seemed clean, at least they are not oily and no food bits sticking on them, unlike those dirty and oily plastic chopsticks commonly used in food stalls! :S
Hello my friend.. 🙂 yeah! to post a comment in my blog is you have to click the title post.. anyway I will make rectification on that problem in my blogs.
Kek Lok Si Air Itam has the same similarity of local province here in Philippines… 🙂
Nice post you got! 🙂 Take Care
I’m here from your ##travelblogger Tweet 🙂
What a great blog you have and this post was interesting and readable with great pics – thanks for sharing!
Btw; Since you fancy travelling: How about visiting Norway at the Oslo Blog Gathering 2010?
@arjaeuse: okie! take care!
@RennyBA’s Terella: Hi! Thx for dropping by! Wow I’d love to visit Norway if I’ve the chance!
Like to have a bowl of Laksa at the area, is a nice one!
Keloksi, a beautiful place for photography!
Have you tried the assam laksa opposite the market at roadside stall before Kek Lok Si? It’s my favourite assam laksa stall in Penang. 🙂