Goodbye Penang

The time has come for us to pack our bags and leave Penang.  I can’t say that I am sorry to be leaving, aside from KL, it’s been my least favourite island so far.  To be fair, we haven’t really seen or done very much but that is probably my fault because I picked the hotel. The area we are staying in is Batu Ferringhi but on re-visiting the guide book, the place where it really happens is Penang is in Butterworth or Georgetown.  BF is okay if you want a beach scene but having just having down the beach thing in Langkawi I think we should have stayed closer to the centre.   This way we could have seen some of the heritage sites and also had the bars and restaurants within walking distance.  Never mind, too late now and hindsight as they say is a very valuable commodity.

As we arrived at dusk at the Copthorne, we didn’t feel inclined to go out exploring.  All we did was dump our bags and head down to the bar to grab a cold beer and make use of the free Internet.  We ended up eating and almost immediately wished we hadn’t.  The restaurant menu was limited, I had a western dish which was nothing to write home about and Phil had a Mali noodle dish which was a mish-mash of Asian foods, overcooked with not much taste.  Both the beer and the food were not cheap, the staff were pleasant enough though and I suppose, as we didn’t feel like venturing out on our first night, it served a purpose.

Saturday was a fairly quiet day.  We tried the buffet breakfast and at 30 ringgits a head it wasn’t cheap.  Unfortunately it was also crap, possibly one of the worst breakfast buffets we have tasted.  After breakfast we chilled in the room for a bit then went out to find a place for laundry.  Luckily there was one just across the road offering a 24 hour service.  We carried on walking downtown but there wasn’t much to see, just some 5 star hotels and not much else.  After an hour we turned around and walked back along the beach and then when we got to the Copthorne we carried on and then crossed the road when we spotted a few shops and restaurants.  Phil saw a German bar and we ate lunch there.  It was good food and reasonably priced. 

The sun had come out by this time and I did wonder whether to relax by the pool but in the end I decided to go up to our room with Phil who wanted to work on his book.  At teatime we got showered and changed and ordered a taxi to take us to a shopping complex called Straits Quay which was about 3kms from the hotel.  The barman at the German restaurant told us if we went here we would be sure to be able to watch the Grand Prix qualifying at Finnegans the Irish bar.  Straits Quay was a huge modern shopping complex with lots of bars and restaurants.  The Irish bar put on the sports channel and Phil was at least able to watch the qualifying but it wasn’t the best night.  Drinks were expensive and the food was terrible, poor imitation of supposedly Irish food which was simply microwaved and not hot in the middle.  We struggled to find a taxi back and ended up half walking and we ended up crossing a busy dual carriageway in order to hail a taxi going in the direction of our hotel. 

Strait Quays

Strait Quays

On Sunday we woke up to dark skies and persistent rain.  Our plan was to eat breakfast at a bakery near to the German bar but the rain showed no signs of stopping so we opted for the crap breakfast in the hotel.   Unfortunately it rained all morning; Phil got stuck into writing and I popped out to collect the laundry and then wasted a couple of hours doing Internet stuff in the poolside bar.  Thankfully it stopped raining after lunch and mid-afternoon we were hoping to catch the 101 bus into Georgetown but one didn’t show so we hailed a taxi or rather another taxi driver hailed a taxi on our behalf. We weren’t really sure what there was to see but Fernando our driver thought the Soho bar would be a good place to start. 

Unfortunately Soho in Georgetown was dark and seedy and typical of many Irish pubs, full of ex-pats and down-and-outs.  I knew that Phil was checking it out for a place to watch the GP race but even he decided after a pint that it wasn’t suitable and we left.  It was drizzling still so we jumped in a rickshaw and asked the driver to take us to Little India which was only a five minute ride.  We must have looked comical, big Phil and me beside him, crushed into a little basket on wheels being driven by a man on a cycle.  It can’t have been easy for our driver, poor man but we tipped him generously.  Little India was a craziness of shacks and smells and it was all a little crazy.  Because of the rain it wasn’t possible to really see and delve into the restaurants and stalls, instead we ducked into an Indian restaurant that had proper doors that closed because by this time it was raining hard.

Our meal was good, not the best Indian food that we’ve had, but then again, with all the spent we’ve spent in Goa, we have been rather spoilt.  They didn’t really cater for non-veggies but they did manage to rustle up some mutton dishes and a can of cold tiger beer.  The food was home cooked though, plus it was cheap and more importantly, filled our empty stomachs.   Unfortunately it was still raining but we decided to explore Georgetown on foot and ended up getting horribly lost.  We saw some fabulous heritage buildings as we paved the streets but we also saw quite a few modern sky blocks amidst the old British Colonial buildings which rather spoilt it.  I think in retrospect, what we should have done, is paid a driver to take on a proper tour rather than take a chance.  It didn’t help that I forgot to bring the guide book out with us.  In the end we got a taxi back to our hotel, had a shower and then went to watch the Italian Grand Prix in a little shack across the road.  That was okay, the programme was in English and we had sound and at least the beer was cheap.

Yesterday thankfully we awoke to a dry morning.  It had been raining hard overnight, visibility was still poor and the skies were grey but at least none of the wet stuff.  Phil was feeling a little fuzzy in his head after drinking beer and hitting the G&T’s after the GP so we took it easy.  I went over to the shop and brought cornflakes and milk which we had in our room and then Phil worked on his book which I watched a movie.  The rest of the day was pretty unexciting; went walked across the road and went for a meal at the Rooftop Kafe.  The name suggests a luxurious venue but actually its just a shack by the side of the road.  But I have to say we had a feast of Chinese dishes and it was, without a doubt, the best chinese I've ever had. The ambience may have been lacking but it was as cheap as chips.  A must if you ever come to Penang www.rooftopkafe.com.  Last night because of an early start we had meant to have an early night but it didn't pan out that way. However, no time to talk about that now because I'm short on time and also I need Phil's camera.

This morning, we will be leaving Penang shortly, catching a taxi to the airport and flying to Borneo.  We have a budget hotel booked for 3 nights and hope to plan a trip to see the orangutan's. And from then, I’m not too sure, I guess maybe another island or maybe if the rain persists we shall make our way back to Kuala Lumpar.  Right now, at this moment in time, I need to pack the bags and get on the road again.  

See you in Borneo!