Penang

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It wasn’t love at first sight.

Neither the honking traffic jams, nor the congestion or the sequence of KFC’s and multinational corporations lived up to my mental picture of a tropical island. In fact, it felt like after these five hours in a bus I hadn’t really left the polluted capital of Kuala Lumpur at all.

There is a beach, alright. But honesty forces me to tell you that it’s unsuitable for swimming. Contamination got out of hand to such a degree that the trash directly released into the ocean now attracts poisonous jellyfish, their stings haunting you for days.

Something they obviously told me after I went in for a dirty dive [Batu Ferringhi]

So if it wasn’t going to be an enviable sequence of bikini-insta-selfies on a blissful piece of beach, then what made me stay a full 1,5 weeks on this ample islet after all? Why MUST you go?

Culture

Colonial history is in most cases far from beautiful and marked by the spread of greed and misery, no matter the group of Europeans that made the journey overseas to enrich themselves at the cost of the locals... BUT both the Spanish, Portuguese and British colonialists have one strong feature in common: They know how to put together attractive urban environments. Georgetown might be frantically preserved to efficiently lure all tourists into Penang, but it beats the hell out of the modern conglomeration that makes up for at least 60% of the rest of the province.

Imagine swirling alleyways that simply invite to delightfully get lost... The smell of seasoned delicacies like Bak Kut Teh and Nasi Lemak ascending out of street corners, fighting for attention with the alluring aroma of fresh grounded coffee beans in the many trendy cafes sprouting from the ground like mushrooms... Georgetown is worth the detour!

Street art

Getting lost will soon get the shape of a treasure hunt... Every single turn, every unplanned run-around rewards you with another sublime piece of street art! Yes, graffiti, spray paint! As long as you take the spray cans out of the hands of reckless teenagers and entrust them to highly gifted artists only good stuff will happen. It changed the face of the already remarkable city of Georgetown, Penang’s open-air museum and artistic hub attracting tourism crowds from all over the world.

Museums

Culture vultures with the big C have to schedule in weeks instead of days if attempting to check all museums off the list. The Wonderfood Museum, Teddybear Museum, 3D Trick Art Museum, Camera Museum, Ghost Museum, Upside Down Museum, Glow in the Dark Museum, Chocolate and Coffee Museum... You name it, if a phenomenon exists some commercial mind in Penang has already made a museum out of it in order to attract those sought after tourist-dollars. However, if you want to separate quantity from quality, I recommend to make a clear distinction by defining what is actually authentic to the destination you decided was worth travelling to. Which museum gives a sense of place?

One answer to that is the Pinang Peranak Mansion (entrance fee). The Peranakans, also known as the Babas and Nyonyas, represented a prominent community of Chinese high society immigrants only present in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Melaka (Malacca) and Singapore. What is unique about this population group is the distinct lifestyle they created by blending Malay, British as well as their own Chinese customs and traditions, resulting in a novel culture influencing dress, design, language and cuisine. The Pinang Peranak Mansion shows what that life looked like (if you brought in some big dough).

Temples

If there’s one thing Penang certainly isn’t lacking, then it’s the abundant supply in temples. Chinese or Hindu, with spitting dragons or green-blue krishnas, with dangling lampions or fierce red towers... it’s hard not to be impressed by the wide variety of pagodas and shrines coming in all shapes, themes and sizes. The most famous ones are the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani (that’s right), the Kek Lok Si and Khoo Kongsi Temple, but the one that attracted my immediate attention is the Snake Temple (free).

I mean, an open temple full of uncaged venomous pit vipers, what’s not to like... right?

The house or prayer was built in 1850 in the memory of Chor Soo Kong, a spiritual healer known to give shelter to the snakes of the jungle. Once the temple was constructed, legend has it that snakes started showing up by themselves... and until the day of today, they never left. Alongside the shrine you can now find a snake farm (with locked up animals – nope!) and an open breeding ground to sustain the viper population.

Although I must confess, the best part of all was buying a plastic souvenir snake and leaving it on the bathroom floor... 5 ringgit can easily convert into priceless!

Food

Besides the earlier mentioned Babas and Nyonyas, there’s one other element of Penang that strongly reminds me of the town of Melaka further south... a delicious element: Food, glorious food! Everywhere you look, sniff or saunter, the mouth-watering fragrances of a blend of the world’s best kitchens (Malay – Chinese – Indian - Japanese) will take you hostage and invite you to eat it ALL. I have to warn you, putting on some pounds is unavoidable in Malaysia’s Food Capital. A pain easily softened by all these irresistible flavours begging to be savoured...

Not-to-miss-dishes (also available in vegan versions):

- Bak Kut Teh: Pork rib dish cooked in broth, also available with soy/tofu. Bonus: It sounds very funny in Dutch.
- Lobak: Deep-fried pork rolls wrapped in beancurd sheets, also available with soy.
- Chee Cheong Fun: Cantonese rice noodle rolls.

- Rojak: Fruit- and vegetable salad. Vegans should check that the dressing doesn’t contain shrimp paste.
- Pasembur: Salad with sweet spicy nut sauce, can contain seafood.
- Fried Sesame Pau: Stuffed fried sesame bread.
- Michi: Sticky dough filled with black sesame.
- Banana Leaf: Indian rice, curry and roti served on a banana leaf.
- Fresh fruits: Try it all! Dragon fruit, mangosteen, rambutan, langsat, cempedak, guava, rose apples, sapodillas, jackfruit and papaya... and if you’re very brave: Durian!

- Butterfly Pea Flower Drink: Herbal tea made of the leaves of the Clitoria Ternatea (yup – the plant does look like a clitoris).

For a more extensive list: check out the free Budget Fact Sheet [beginning of article].

Good to know: This place is vegan paradise! You will start eating when you enter Penang and only stop the moment you leave. I even celebrated my birthday here with a full-vegan banana-walnut cake!

I simply couldn’t contain myself so I took it to the next level: A healthy cooking class at the Wonder Wilder Farm to take all this yummy knowledge home with me. Kitchen princess Alicia taught me how to turn the freshest organic ingredients, immediately picked out of the community garden, into a piping hot plate of fragrant curry, with sides of steamed lady fingers, blue rice and fresh spring rolls.

* Scroll to the end of the blog for the recipes!

Pssssht... You want to add Moringa to your diet. It’s rich in antioxidants, vitamin A/B2/B6/C/E, iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and protein, it reduces cholesterol and protects against arsenic toxicity, cell and liver damage and inflammation... and man, is it delicious! The rich of the west buy the moringa leaves in powdered or capsule form as a dietary supplement, but in Malaysia it grows fresh from the trees.

Free alternative: Search the web for yummie recipes and cooking videos of the Malay cuisine and do it yourself! You can find all fresh ingredients in Penang!

Nature

What all that eating from dusk till dawn you might want to do some more-than-usual activity to somehow keep in shape... Luckily, the island sprawls with opportunity! You’ll have to defeat the typical Penang weather, marked by sweat-squeezing-heat and wet-blanket-humidity, so expect your energy to be drained about twice as fast. That said, you’ll be rewarded with a richness of greenery and wildlife unique in this world. Some suggestions to keep you going:

Penang National Park (free)

With its 2300 hectares it’s Malaysia’s smallest national park, although big in jungle trekking. The abundant tourism masses definitely know how to find their way to this reserve, but luckily most of them are either very unfit or have that very human sheep-tendency to always follow others on the beaten paths. Ergo: if you go left where others go right, human presence suddenly vanishes and you’ll feel alone in the jungle. Because you are, except of the monkeys.

I’m not going to lie, if you decide to do the full loop (instead of simply going up and down to Turtle Beach or Monkey Beach) you’re in for a challenge, and if you have the slightest doubt about your own physical condition, or have the tendency to overestimate yourself: Don’t do it! I remember swearing a lot. However, if you do, you’ll understand why it’s worth it anyway.

Warning: You most likely will be told certain trails aren’t available... this is NOT true, but merely a way to push you into paying for a boat (to Monkey Beach), or filter out the unfit (some trails are covered in fallen trees and demand some extra fitness and dedication, but are by no means inaccessible). Swimming isn’t allowed at any of the beaches due to poisonous jellyfish.

Penang Hill (free)

If you’re the kind of person that already gets tired when hearing the word ‘hiking’: Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera) is your place! A cheap citybus brings you at the entrance of the Funicular Railway, and a little tourist-train (paid) brings you to the top (you can walk up for free too).

Once there, you can opt for a leisurely stroll, a dinner-with-view or any of the other expensive activities such as the Earthquake & Typhoon Pavilion and The Habitat... or you can swiftly break away from the crowds and follow the well-paved paths to silence in order to spot some unique wildlife!

The adorable and calm Dusky Leaf Monkeys and Big Giant Squirrels (indeed – they’re twice a cat) are easy to spot for lucky strollers!

Other hikes on Penang Island: Bukit Hijau, Bukit Jambul, Chin Farm Waterfall, Teluk Bahang, Gertak Sanggul & Penang Longest Trail.

Countryside

If you like nature, but you’re uncomfortable with being too far out there in the forest all alone, an exploration of the countryside is more your thing! And why not do it on a bike? I signed up for a (cheap!) guided tour via Air BnB experiences and followed local Eddie on the two-wheeler to places I would never have found all alone. The relatively unexplored western side of the island is a true gem for those travellers attracted to less obvious off-the-beaten-track experiences.

An even cheaper alternative is renting a bike or bringing your own and explore by yourself!

Traffic Warning!

Walking is great in the bush-bush and along the coastline, but please do yourself a favour and watch your back when attempting to explore Georgetown / Penang by foot. As a pedestrian you have absolutely zero significance in Penang’s hectic traffic situation. In most situations there aren’t any sidewalks, but when there are, they’re mainly used as a parking spot (cars are holy here) or as an extension of a shop. This will force you onto the streets, but that doesn’t mean cars and motorbikes will give you space. Instead, they will honk and shout, like you have anywhere else to go. Have eyes everywhere!

Alternatively: The bus system is very cheap and easily manageable by apps such as Moovit, but stops change often without notice or sometimes buses just simply stop working. Grab, the local version of (and owned by) Uber offers remarkably cheap rides. Cheaply renting a car will give you full flexibility... and did you know petrol is cheaper than water here?

Selamat jalan!

Recipe Curry: Cut 4 shallots, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 2 chunks of turmeric (yellow-fingers-alert!), 2-3 potatoes, 1 tomato and an eggplant in small cubes. You can add lemon grass, but as I think it turns every delicious meal into soap I didn’t (the Thai kitchen and I have never been friends). Fry all herbs together with some hot chilli and salt in quite some oil on high fire, add the tomatoes, potatoes and then the eggplant. Lower the fire and let simmer. Add the juice of half a lemon and some (vegan) cheese for structure. Taste for adjustments. Blue rice is made by simply cooking it with the edible Butterfly Pea Flower (Clitoria Ternatea).
Recipe Spring Rolls: Slice carrot, basil, camomile and any veggie you like in very thing long stripes. Roll into wet rice paper. Deep-fry or eat raw.
Recipe Moringa: Harvest 4 branches of moringa and take off the leaves. Mash it strongly in a mortar bowl (molcajete). Cut 3-4 cloves of garlic and fry it in a wok with coconut oil. Add the moringa shortly on high fire. Die out of happiness.

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