After a much nicer bus ride from Cameron Highlands, we arrived in the historic colonial town, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, George Town on a sunny and humid Tuesday afternoon. We settled into our sauna at Aayu Melayu which was a lovely guesthouse apart from its unwavering desire to make us sweat. First things first, we stopped by a laundromat and scoped the local area while we waited the hour for our clean clothes (because the issue with travelling to such warm places is you can’t re-wear sweaty clothes). 

Once in fresh clothes, we spent the afternoon walking along the vibrant streets of Penang, taking in all the eclectic street art and artisan stores. We had to keep stopping in cool shops to recharge. For dinner, we ventured to Red Garden Food Paradise, a bustling hawker market filled with endless choices of Asian cuisines, live music, and beer. We settled for minced chicken and chilli basil with white rice, which was probably one of the spiciest dishes we’ve ever eaten. We tried to drown the chilli with Tiger beer but the tears just kept coming. After making a rough plan for the next four days, we strolled home past some lively bars and local restaurants, before settling into bed (which we wished was a block of ice).

Armenian Street, the Upside Down Museum, and Malaysian Culture

We started the morning early and headed to Olympic Gym, a basic local gym with everything we needed for a quick weight session (keeping up the trend of trying to stay healthy). Drenched from head-to-toe, we slowly walked the 15 minutes back home to shower and change for a big day of exploring! 

Starting at the famous Lebuh Armenian (Armenian Street), we explored a narrow, vibrant strip full of street art, galleries, shophouses, Chinese clan houses, and cafes. Named after Armenian traders who once settled here, the street today reflects a strong Chinese and Malay influence. We shop-hopped for a while and visited the House of Street Art, where we wished to purchase our Malaysian painting (which ended up being our downfall, given we left Malaysia without a painting…) After, we headed into the Batik Painting Museum, where we were met with the most friendly guide who explained the process and history of batik painting. We also watched an informative video on the step-by-step process of batik, the textile technique of using wax and dye to create beautiful art on fabric. We wandered through the museum, admiring three levels of artworks–mostly Malaysian with a small international section. It was a great insight into a unique part of Malaysian art.

Afterwards, we visited the Upside Down Museum–a touristy novelty, but one we had so much fun with. We laughed and laughed while taking silly photos in upside-down rooms and were pretty impressed with our final results. We stopped for an afternoon coffee and pastry at a local bakery a few doors down from our place, before heading home to shower, change, and recharge.

For dinner, we went to DU-AN (a restaurant recommended by our guesthouse), where we stepped away from street food and tried nasi kandar–an authentic Malaysian dish of rice, curries, gravies, and sides. It was delicious. We finished the night with a walk through George Town, stopping to admire the beautiful Central Fire Station and its mural commemorating fallen firefighters. After being forced to shelter from the rain, we walked home in the steamy humidity at sunset and slept early for an early rise.

Penang Hill, The Habitat, and Kek Lok Si Temple

It was a shock to the system waking at 5:00am to catch a Grab (i.e. Asian Uber) to the base of Penang Hill for the 6:30am funicular. We had a full hour on the summit before sunrise, and it was majestic watching the sun peek over Penang as the city lights shimmered below. Annoyingly, none of the cafes or shops on Penang hill open until 9:00am, so if you take the trip for sunrise, there’s not much to do until mid-morning. In the meantime, we walked around the hill and explored Sri Aruloli Murugan Temple, a beautiful heritage Hindu temple, similar to the one we saw in Brickfields, KL. 

At 9:00am, we entered The Habitat, which leads into the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve. It offers a 1.6km walk through rainforest trails, where we admired flora, monkeys, butterflies, squirrels, lizards, and even snakes. It also has an incredible treetop walk, where you can take in the sweeping views of Penang and even all the way to Langkawi–our next stop. It was such an informative and worthwhile visit, despite the cost for foreigners. We wrapped up our experience at The Habitat cafe with a coffee and light brekky. Yum.

However, words cannot describe how hot George Town was that day. We sweltered every step we took. So, no better decision than to walk the two kilometres in the blazing midday sun to Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia and an important pilgrimage site for Southeast Asian buddhists. As we grew nearer to the temple, we realised it wasn’t going to be an easy journey. Perched on a steep hill with hundreds of steps and multiple levels, reaching Kek Lok Si was a real workout, but absolutely worth it. Each prayer hall, pavilion, and pagoda was filled with grandiose ornate Buddhist statues and beautiful architecture–photos don’t do it justice.

By mid-afternoon, we were hot, buggered, and silent from heat-induced grumpiness. We had a cold shower at home and I crashed for a nap while Pat practised his card tricks (a new hobby, perhaps). Later in the evening, we ventured to Straits Quay, Penang’s seafront marina full of bars, restaurants and retail shops. We settled into an Irish Pub and had the whole big screen to ourselves to watch the footy, with sound! It was nice to have a hearty meal after a huge day. Before heading home, we stopped into a supermarket and grabbed some familiar items for breakfast for the next few days… Weetbix, milk, peanut butter, bread, yoghurt, and Cadbury chocolate. I was missing home a bit this week and was craving some familiarity, which worked out well given Malaysia was proving to be more expensive than we thought (and eating out three times a day was not really feasible). 

Penang National Park and Tina’s Kitchen

On Friday morning, we went back to Olympic Gym again before venturing 45-minutes to Penang National Park. We had heard that the park was home to various trails, lots of nature, and beautiful beaches. Not only was it the most expensive National Park to enter ($17 AUD each), it was one of our most disappointing travel experiences to date. We were expecting to hike several kilometres through the forest terrain, only to have reached a dead-end after 1.5 kilometres with no way across the water to the connecting trail. We tried to scope it out, thinking we may have taken a wrong turn, but nope! We had no choice but to turn back. Pat didn’t realise the park was home to giant Water Monitors, which don’t really pose any threats to humans, but look extremely scary nonetheless. I’d never seen Pat so jumpy. Our walk back was quite funny. Unfortunately, the water surrounding the park was super polluted, making it an even more underwhelming experience. However, the reviews for Penang National Park are actually quite high, so maybe we just had a bad day? In any event, we’re not going back.

Later that evening, we had to wash our clothes (again) after lots of walking, sweating, and gyming. We returned to our trusty laundromat, then settled into Tina’s Kitchen, a tiny but buzzing eatery run by Tina herself. Given the restaurant is so small, Tina cooks all her traditional Penang-Nyonya dishes in a small pot, creating a beautiful home-cooked flavour. We tried a local dish: curry kapitan chicken (an aromatic, rich and delicious chicken curry), together with white rice, cream cheese rangoon (crispy fried dumplings with cream cheese filling), and fried ice cream! Everything was so delicious–it was one of my favourite meals so far. 

Hin Bus Depot and the Famous Eastern & Oriental Hotel

We woke on Rach’s birthday to our last full day in Penang. After frequenting the gym one last time, we explored Hin Market, a Saturday market of over 100 arts, crafts and food stalls, providing a platform for local entrepreneurs and small business owners. It was interesting to browse and see the art of the locals–we wished we had room to bring some things home with us. Instead, we focused on what we could buy: food. Pat and I shared a woodfired pizza with Asian-inspired toppings, together with a matcha coffee and lime-onade. We sat and watched the local band for a while, but it was soooooo hot! So, we eventually left the market, leaving sweat puddles on our seats.

Afterwards, we rested at home, watched some of the Super Saturday footy, and FaceTimed Mum for her birthday. I was so sad to not be there to celebrate… But, I’m counting down the days until we see my family in Spain (and equally not wishing time away). 

We had booked afternoon tea at George Town’s Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O). In 1885, the Armenian Sarkies brothers merged their successful Eastern Hotel with their new Oriental Hotel, becoming the now-famous British colonial-style E&O. Although it has undergone quite large renovations and restorations over the last century, the E&O is heritage-listed, and offers guests luxurious accommodations, restaurants, and waterfront views. So, if a one-night stay at the E&O didn’t quite fit into the budget… Then, we HAD to find another way to visit. What better excuse than afternoon tea? We learnt that the tradition of afternoon tea began with Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, in the 1800s, as a way to bridge the long gap between lunch and dinner. It became a beloved social custom among England’s upper class, eventually spreading to the general public and inspiring tearooms across the country. In keeping up with the tradition, the E&O offers a delicious, classic afternoon tea experience–and it was INCREDIBLE! We shared so many delicious sandwiches, cakes, scones, and bottomless pots of tea. We recommend this experience to anyone visiting Penang. 

Afterwards, we couldn’t miss a visit to the E&O’s historic Farquhar’s Bar, named after the Lieutenant-Governor of Penang in the early 1800s. The bar carries through the colonial-era charm, with wood finishes and vintage touches, and sits right on the boardwalk overlooking the water. We each enjoyed a glass of wine, although Pat’s wasn’t quite up to his standard. Still, it was a beautiful afternoon, and we’re so glad we made the visit.

We tried to walk off our calories on the way home and made a stop at Penang’s Little India to compare it to the one in KL. It was a chaotic and buzzing strip packed with Bollywood music stores, colourful fabric shops, Indian restaurants, and the irresistible smell of spices and incense. We stopped in a restaurant for cold water and roti, and then returned home to pack our bags for our departure.

Penang: A Place to Return To

We had an incredible time in George Town, Penang–it’s my favourite Malaysian stop so far. The city is overflowing with history, culture, food, art, and some of the kindest people we’ve met. Every corner offers a new story or a delicious surprise, making it the kind of place you could wander for days and still not see it all. In just five days, we saw a lot, but definitely not enough. I already can’t wait to return, and I genuinely mean it when I say: you should absolutely add Penang to your bucket list.