Penang (Malaysia)

Penang: 

Penang is Malaysia’s second-largest island, and it is a truly unique.  Many travel types even claim it’s the undisputed “Pearl of Malaysia.”  It’s so historically significant that the folks over at UNESCO declared its inner city, Georgetown, a World Heritage site back in 2008.

Penang is a vast, melting pot of cultures, but let’s be honest—it is best known for its mouthwatering street food.  It is universally regarded as the ultimate food paradise of Malaysia, and I am happy to report that Penang delivered big time.

The local cuisine is a wild blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian specialties served up at the ubiquitous outdoor hawker centers and street food stalls.  You can find these massive food-stall hubs on just about every single street.  It is wildly apparent that the locals simply love to chow down at all hours of the day.

I did find it a bit bizarre seeing so many locals happily slurping down steaming bowls of soup in the middle of the day.  Now, I am a big soup guy, but I just could not bring myself to down a bowl of boiling hot broth midday in these scorching temperatures.  But hey, if you love to try mind-blowing new food on a budget, Georgetown is the absolute center of the universe.

When you aren’t eating, you can spend hours walking around the city, visiting temples, and taking in the cool colonial architecture and colorful street art.  We elected to stay right in the inner core of Georgetown, Penang’s capital.  The absolute best way to explore this culturally rich area is on foot—and that is precisely what Barbie, my old 1996 round-the-world travel buddy E. Stein, and I did.

Georgetown’s seaside location and walkable streets make for a fantastic break from the frantic, chaotic hustle of Kuala Lumpur.  It’s the kind of city where you actually want to get lost.  Simply pick any random alleyway within the core and it will be full of architectural surprises and vibrant street art.  The only real letdown in Georgetown?  Not one single spotting of Georgetown basketball legends John Thompson or Patrick Ewing.

Moving Beyond the Core to Southeast Asia’s Largest Temple

We did venture outside of the immediate Georgetown area to visit the Kek Lok Si Temple.  This mammoth complex holds the reputation of being the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. We walked the massive grounds, Barbie spearheaded a prayer for us, and we proceeded to sweat our absolute butts off.

While Georgetown holds an incredible amount of charm, eventually, that relentless equatorial heat will begin to break your ass down.  Look, I used to live in Las Vegas and I’ve taken plenty of walks down the Strip in 110-degree heat, but this humidity-soaked Penang weather took “Holy Shit Hot” to a completely different level.

Rainforest Hikes and the Sad Reality of Monkey Beach

To keep the active flashpacker lifestyle moving, Eric, Barbie, and I hit up Penang National Park for a one-and-a-half-hour, super-sweaty hike through the jungle.  This place is officially Malaysia’s smallest national park by size, but it’s a popular destination for anyone looking to experience a raw Asian rainforest and spot some wildlife.

The carrot at the end of the stick was supposed to be Monkey Beach, where we planned to take a refreshing, post-hike swim in the ocean.

Unfortunately, upon arrival at the shore, there wasn’t a single monkey in sight.  And despite a really pretty tropical backdrop, we discovered the ocean water was heavily polluted.

I knew going into Penang that it isn’t the kind of island you visit for pristine beaches.  However, it still irritates the heck out of me to see a growing number of beaches in Southeast Asia completely spoiled.  I would attribute this directly to a combination of absurd overdevelopment and certain people not giving a second thought about tossing garbage and assorted crap right into the sea.  It’s a real shame.

I left completely unimpressed by Penang’s most popular beach spots, but the island’s true attraction doesn’t lie in the sand—it’s found in the culture, the history, and most importantly, the legendary cuisine.

The Penang Food Tracker

We ate like absolute kings on this leg of the trip. If you find yourself in Georgetown, bypass the tourist cafes and hit these spots:

• Hameediyah Restaurant: Legendary Nasi Kandar. The flavors here will blow your mind.

• Teksen: Spectacular, old-school Chinese home-style cooking. The double-cooked pork belly is mandatory.

• Karaikudi Restaurant & Monaliza’s: Rich Indian dishes that hit the spot.

• Red Garden Hawker & New World Park Hawker: Massive outdoor hubs where you can sample twenty different local stalls in one sitting.

• Tai Tong: Bustling dim sum where they still roll the carts right to your table.

• Safe House: A great little spot to cool down and rehydrate after walking the hot pavement.

LOOSE STOOLS INDEX

• Rating: 9 / 10

An absolute masterpiece of a score.  The index is sitting pretty at a near-perfect 9.  To put it elegantly: I ate like a king, and I shit like a king.  The local culinary spice blend is perfectly aligned with my digestive tract right now.

Thru the Binocs

Barbie and I thoroughly enjoyed having some extra company in Penang and spending quality time with my old travel partner, E. Stein.  It’s always wild to reconnect with people who knew you back during your early global wandering days.

With the departure of E. Stein today, Barbie and I are officially back on our own, ready to continue on the path of this Southeast Asian journey as a duo.

Our bags are packed and our stomachs are full.  Next stop on the itinerary: the island of Langkawi. Let’s see how the Malaysian roads treat us.