Malaysia - Penang Travel Guide
About Penang
Penang, the 'Pearl of the Orient' lies on the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Penang comprises of an island of some 285km sq and a narrow strip approximately 760km sq on the mainland known as
Seberang Perai. The Province Wellesley is separated by a channel 3km wide at the closest point which is linked by the Penang
Bridge and a 24-hour ferry service.
Penang is a place where you can find mega-malls, mega-traffic and mega-resorts.
The island offers two destinations in one, the beach of Batu Ferringhi and Georgetown.
Georgetown is the historic business and heritage heartland of Penang with its stilt houses,
colonial architecture and night markets.
Even the ribbon of road running up the coast to the beach strip of Batu Ferringhi
has a slow, sleepy feel to it. Due to trafiic try to avoid roads at 7am, 1pm and 5pm.
Penang chokes with lush eye-soothing green, punctuated everywhere with
magnificent old mansions, some with manicured estates boasts acres of space.
This is where east-meets-west that will have shutterbugs enthralled.
Expect to find terrific food with a real spicy curry zing.
The shopping in Penang is not bad, especially if you consider that mall prices are at least 30 percent cheaper than in Hongkong.
If you are a serious shopper try Plaza Gurney, Penang Plaza and Prangin Mall (Komtar).
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Getting to Penang
Airlines Serving Airport: Adam Air, Air Asia, Air Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines,
China Eastern, China Southern, DHL Air, EVA Air, Fedex, Garuda Indonesia, Jatayu Airlines, KLM, Korean Air,
Lion Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, SIA Cargo, Thai Airways, United Parcel Service, Xiamen Airlines
Departure formalities are quick.
Do your eating beforehand as the food selection airside, especially during the early morning hours, is
limited to curry puffs and cardboard sandwiches.
There are no trolleys available airside (after immigration) so if you shop duty-free you'll need to lug it around
- 12-year-old Chivas is RM99 for one litre, and Johnnie Walker Black, 12 years, RM97 for the same volume.
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Getting around Penang
It is pretty painless arriving in Penang.
From the airpoirt (in the far south of the island), a coupon taxi will cost RM45 for the 45-minute drive
to the northern beach area of Batu Ferringhi (where several of the best five-star resorts are located)
or RM20 or so to get you into Georgetown.
You can hire a taxis to do the 25-minute run from Georgetown to Batu Ferringhi for RM25 alternatively,
if you have a busy day planned, rent a cab for RM20 per hour.
There is a 50 percent surcharge after midnight.
Car rental at Penang International Airport can be arranged via Hertz (tel: [60-4] 643-0208, 7.30am-10pm,
pen@hertz.simenet.com) or via their website. Starting prices are at RM198 per day for a 1.5 litre car.
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Where to stay
[Click here for full hotel listings]
Penang Hotels
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Fast Facts
Time Zone: +8GMT Malaysia is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Currency: ringgit (RM). The exchange rate is around US$1 = RM3.8.
The Malaysian ringgit is often referred to as the Malaysian dollar as well.
Rates listed here are liable to change at short notice and fluctuate in high and low season.
Rates may also be subject to 10 percent service charge and 5 percent government tax.
Language: Malay, Chinese (Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese), Indian (Tamil), Iban, Kadazan-Dusun.
International Dialing Code: 60
Population: 21 million
Religion: Islam, Buddhism/Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity
Electricity: 220V 50Hz
Electrical Outlet: Mostly three-prong sockets similar to United Kingdom. (See details here: http://www.kropla.com/electric.htm)
Driving: On the left side of the road.
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Penang Food
The island's food is often considered as a food paradise among Malaysias and Singaporeans.
The cuisine can be described as Chinese, Nyonya, Malay and Indian ethnic mix with a strong influenced by the cuisine of Thailand.
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Seasons
Penang is typically tropical, hot, sunny and humid with light showers.
In this part of Malaysia a beach holiday can be enjoyed at any time of year.
Expect more rain falls in September and October but even during the rainy season on the
west coast it is still possible to enjoy a week's holiday with little more than the occasional
short tropical downpour.
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Things to do
The beaches in Penang are nothing to write home about. The water usually murky and sullied,
but this remains a family destination that holds considerable appeal.
At Batu Ferringhi beach you can parasail
(RM50 up), jet-ski, thump along on a banana boat, head out for an island cruise, or hop on a pony (RM30).
  
Penang Hill offers some of the best views of the island so take a train up.
Visit the colourful Chinese Kek Lok Si Temple at Air Itam and its signature Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Other places of interest include:
- the 33m reclining Buddha at Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram (bright and fun but artistically unappealing);
- the incense-shrouded Goddess of Mercy Temple;
- the sky-scraping landmark Komtar tower in the heart of Georgetown with its assortment of malls, theatres, and eateries;
- Fort Cornwallis, where Francis Light landed in 1786 to found the British trading post after securing the concession from the Sultan of Kedah;
- the historic Chinese courtyard house Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, where stays are possible;
- the Snake Temple and its assorted dozing reptiles that are prodded awake for the benefit of gawking tourists;
- and the South Indian Sri Mariammam Temple (dating back to 1883) with its jewel-encrusted
statue of Lord Subramaniam.
And for a leisurely browse, walk through the small lanes and alleyways of
Little India and Chinatown. Also head towards the Mutiara and the Tropical Spice Garden where pepper,
cinnamon and cloves sprout aromatically everywhere.
Story has it when Francis Light arrived on the island (originally named Prince of Wales Island) he was confronted by a vast tangle of impenetrable jungle. To convince his unwilling men to clear the land, he filled a canon with gold coins and fired it into the jungle. Off went his merry men, machetes in hand.
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Useful Links
- Discover Penang (http://www.pulaupinang.com)
- Tourism Penang (http://www.exoticpenang.com.my)
- Penang Heritage Trust (http://www.pht.org.my)
- Penang Development Council (http://www.pdc.gov.my)
- Tourism Malaysia (http://www.tourism.gov.my)
- Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com)
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