First Light at Penang Hill
Catch the new funicular (installed in 2010) for the 10 minute journey up to the summit of Penang Hill, where you will be able to see the sun rise over George Town and Province Wellesley. The cost is RM30, and the first funicular leaves at 6:30 AM.
Take some time to enjoy the cool mountain air then have tea and scones at David Brown’s, a quaint English teahouse perched near the summit of Penang Hill and with stunning views from the al fresco dining area.
Make sure to check out the Kek Lok Si temple complex near the terminus of the bottom funicular station. This is a rambling temple complex that is constantly being added to and improved, and has a 30M+ bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy. The views over George Town from the complex are nothing short of stunning.
Nearly lunchtime
Beat the lunch hour rush and head over to Lorong Selamat for some street food from one of the best vendors in all of Penang. Look for a stall marked ‘Char Koay Teow’ manned by a lady with a red hair net. If you can deal with her abruptness, you will be rewarded with the best Char Koay Teow (stir fried rice noodles) in Penang. Get there early (i.e. around 11AM) if you don’t fancy a 45 minute wait.
Get some culture
After lunch, wander the streets of UNESCO heritage listed George Town taking in such diverse sights as Cheong Fatt Tze mansion (rated by Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 mansions in the world) and the clan jetties near Swettenham Pier. The clan jetties in Penang are unique Chinese settlements built on top of the water – originally located there to avoid land tax! Each jetty has a name (e.g. Tan Jetty) that corresponds to the last name of its inhabitants, who were originally all from the same village in China.
Note that in order to visit Cheong Fatt Tze mansion you will need to take a guided tour for RM12. The tours leave at 11AM / 1.30PM /3PM sharp. The tours are well worth attending as you will get an interesting background on the building and its owner, helping you appreciate what you are seeing.
The core zone in UNESCO heritage listed George Town is relatively compact, so you will be able to walk from one end to the other in about half an hour. Pictured above is part of the Clan Jetties which are one of Georgetown’s heritage treasures. There is a vibrant Chinese community there living on stilt houses that are perched on top of the sea. They have their own schools, temples, hair salons etc. Why live over the sea? Originally to avoid land tax!
Escape the heat of the midday sun by visiting the many new airconditioned bars and galleries along Armenian Street. It’s great to see new life being breathed into the neglected older parts of George Town.
An afternoon stroll
Recharge your batteries with a late afternoon stroll through the immaculately manicured gardens at the Penang Botanic Gardens, about 8km from George Town. Here you can see wild monkeys and various other exotic fauna and flora like the Cannonball Tree. Admission is free.
The photo above is of the flower from a Cannonball Tree. The fruits actually resemble a cannonball both in size and weight so be careful when approaching these trees!
Night markets
Don’t bother with expensive restaurants, the best food in Penang is to be found at hawker stalls. Visit Chulia Street to try some famous Wan Tan Mee (RM 2.70). It is a dish of thin egg noodles with wontons, sliced barbequed pork and vegetables served in a sauce that consists of soya sauce and sesame oil. It is more colloquially known as ‘tok-tok mee’ from the sound of knocking bamboo sticks made by the vendors in former times to draw attention to their food
Walk off your dinner at the night markets at Batu Ferringhi. Here you can buy souvenirs, clothes, CD’s, DVD’s and other knick knacks. It’s about half an hour drive from George Town.