from the lense of a penangnite

Chinese Chicken Rice

2008-05-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite food.oh yumm~
there are several stalls i like...the best would be Fatty Loh Chicken Rice
read review here and
here
they offer roasted or steamed chicken. besides that they have stewed pork,chicken legs and other side dishes to suit your palates! so i promise you, its not just plain chicken and rice. btw, did you know that the rice is cooked with chicken/pork oil which makes it heavenly delicious yet sinful at the same time? hehehe.you get it.
next stall, my favourite would be at goodall (this serves for lunch only) and try to be there early...i think they finish selling at 2pm or so. besides chicken, they have roasted pork belly and also cha siu(sweetened pork)
some stalls also offer roasted duck.so if you are a fan of duck, you can ask them for it.* warning- the duck here is kinda rubbery and hard. so if you feel adventurous, do pop by these two stalls today!

Curry Mee

2008-05-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry people for the lack of updates,i was battling in a warfield (metaphorically) as i had four papers to sit and april was hell month for me literally. Back to the list, my number two must try item...Curry mee.Curry Mee is a combination of yellow noodles eaten together with beehoon(white in colour) and has cockles,prawns,cuttlefish,mungbeans, and for the more adventurous- coagulated pork blood(i must confess, i have never eaten this before as the very sight of blood make my knees wobble) which is cooked in a mixture of cocunut milk and curry broth.
these are the typical ingredients in curry mee (no typo here, its not curried mee, but curry mee) but sometimes certain hawkers might add fishballs, and even one stall i tried has curry chicken and long beans in it! well, i find it rather odd...guess i'm a non conformist when it comes to my curry mee! :)
so the best curry mee in penang is *drumroll*(do i get anything when i promote this?hehe)is at chulia street.its located near a huge dunlopillo sign...and they only sell during the night.Before i go on, might i add that there is a lot of budget hotels there and also pubs..usually catering for those budget travellers type.so if your short of cash, they provide bearable boarding for the night (i'm not sure which is the best budget hotel, as i've not stayed in any before...) anyway, back to this curry mee stall..this is the stall that gives you a huge fishball...so if you see patron's bowls with fish ball, you hit the jackpot!!!!
btw, pls be reminded that the stall is located in a shoddy area and it might be unhygienic..so make sure you got a strong stomach...and dont try it when you have an important meeting the next day!! hehe. well, you can control the amount of chili spicyness though...because they will set aside for you..usually in the spoon..so the red maroon thingy is the chili.
the next best stall selling this noodles is...well most of them are really the same actually, but one good one would be at goodall cafe, opposite peng hua chinese girls high school.they sell for dinner only. this would be nearer for tourist that stays near the batu feringghi stretch.the one in chulia street is downtown.that's all for now.will update on this later.do drop me a line if you have any enquiries!

Time to choose your leaders!

2008-03-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

the general elections are here! this time around, penang island will be very colourful as posters from various parties are hung practically anywhere and everywhere from lamp posts, to all sort of wires, banners, flags, etc are just everywhere. reminds me of a carnival atmosphere ;p nice, but sometimes i wonder what kind of benefits it brings to us? more trees are cut down for those posters, hence, contributing to the already huge issue of global warming...not only that, taxpayer's good money used to print this stuff..did you like, ask me permission first? save all these, give us students the money!! abolish loans. or make penang a nicer, cleaner,safer and more condusive place to stay! so we can attract more tourist like you people! ay? yes... the predominant colours you will see is dark blue, light blue, white and green...anyway in my honest opinion, this thing is a visitor attraction too...you can see how people campaign, turn into clowns with empty promises, attend talks and see all those ads..gosh i do not care. everyone is the same "vote for me.i promise you heaven.streets made of gold and whatnot" i do not care for words. words are used,abuse here. i do not support any parties, i only elect those that are CAPABLE. i do not care if ur black,white,yellow, or whatnot...i just want a better lifestyle. i want a chance to be heard. provide me that, and i'll vote for u? realistic isnt it? so if ur here this time around, you can see how the streets will be lined up with colourful posters and talks by future assemblymen everywhere! well, much as i want to vote, unfortunately, i was too late in registering,hence din get to vote.wells, better luck next time i guess!(i sense a huge swing of votes to the opposition this round ;p maybe its just me)
Anyway, Remember that "Every vote counts.YOU can make a difference".

char koay teow-the ultimate favourite!

2008-02-28T09:53:00.000-08:00

as i write this, books are waiting to be read...for my assignment which is due in a couple of days, but then i guess i better write a post before i have no readers left.hehe.penang has the best kick a** char koay teow, and might i daresay, in the world!! oh yeah!!! there's two version, one, the dry one (which is usually available in 99 percent CKT stalls you see, and the wet version,which sad to say, to this day, i havent tried) and i would think it will be wierd, anyways, i havent got a photo available here to show you,you can google it up, but then let me describe to you, what it taste like...hmm its oily(which is a nono for health freaks) but the oilyness is not that oily till you feel yucky...its just perfect(in case you havent notice, malaysians are never stingy with oil here, be it in curries,mamak food or fried stuff) lol. and the blend of those bean sprouts (that's mung bean to some of you) and flat rice noodle just blend in superbly..and some stalls reeeally do put in some effort to really fry the prawn til it taste juicy..oh my, saying this, it makes me salivate already! drools! anyway, one good shop you shud really go to is at penang road, which is located in a corner coffeeshop between kampung malabar and penang road...it sells for lunch and dinner but better be early...cos they might leave after lunch time is over to rest and prepare for dinner! i cant really recall the name of the coffeeshop, but it is the coffeeshop opposite kayu nasi kandar restaurant. Kayu is huge, so no one will miss it. Do try their fried rice too, which is also nice, and i always have the fried rice most of the time.another stall which is good would be at gurney drive hawker centre, one of the stalls nearer to gurney plaza, which has the signboard that reads "cantonment road ckt" or something like this.Sadly, the standard for the gurney ckt has dropped slightly as the guy frying it is old..and so, he lost his touch...the best char koay teow in penang is located in fettes park (and before you condemn me for not saying this earlier,hear me out first) however, after the western food stall shifted, i did not see his stall anymore.Argh! i really wanted to cry cos his ckt is the best handsdown! still looking for him...i hope he is somewhere around and if i do know, i will tell you where he is..that is all for now.sorry no pics yet...back to my mountain of assgmnt,have a nice day! :)

Happy New Year 08' !!

2008-01-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

firstly sorry for the lack of updates! happy new year to all my readers,hopefully u had a smashing new year's =) mine was not too bad, but i guess it could have been better! well, let's not continue about this, as this is not a personal blog, but a travel blog.hehehe.
as promised, i will tell you about our sinfully heavenly street food.but let me categorise it for you to make things easier for you =)
(this list is constructed based on my honest honest opinion,pls google for more info)

CHINESE(must tries!)
1)Char koay teow(fried flat rice noodles)
2)Curry mee
3)Chinese Chicken rice
4)Wantan mee and sui kow.
5)Gu bak koay teow (beef noodles)
6)Bah kut teh (esp if ur in klang area)
7) lok lok (something like kebab)

Chinese sweet stuff(dessert)
1)Ice Kacang
2)Cendol
3)lek tau terng (green bean)
4)nyonya kuihs
5)tong sooi

Indian(Top 3 must tries)
1)Nasi kandar(uhm...rice wit lots of different kinds of curry)
2)tandoori chicken
3)murtabak(chicken or beef)
4)Roti canai
5)Roti tisu

Malay(top 3 must tries)
1)Nasi melayu
2)ikan bakar(grill fish)
3)Sate(satay)

*tip~usually, chinese tend to put bits of pork meat and pork lard into the food i mentioned above(desserts not included)so if you are muslim, i would think its not advisable to eat what i have listed earlier..as for indian foods, they consume pork but not beef..because cows are considered sacred...however, muslims here consume beef but not pork..so you figure it out yourself.lol.Anyway that all the list i can think of for now..will update this list when i can think of any other to list down..you can goolgle for information,(try www.google.com.my) or please don't hestitate to leave me a note if you have something to ask...list on where to get all those heavenly food...in my next post.hehehe.so stay tune!! ;)

just an update on my previous post on transportation

2007-12-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

i had to go to the airport today cause my brother came back for 3 weeks from the States. I was quite impress with the effort of the tourism board of Malaysia in setting up a huge booth with colourful banners and shelves that contain a few brochures for any tourist's perusal.also, there are 2 workers to assist you with any questions that you have (tho i cannot tell their level of proficiency of the language) but i guess they can speak moderately well, enough to understand and communicate with you i guess.Even though you cant be understood, there are a few brochures that perhaps might answer any of your questions, you can also ask me! hehe. i'm here to assist you in whatever way possible,but note that since i am not a trained tour guide, and run this blog for a non profit, what i tell you might be different from those prescribed from brochures or travelogues. what i say to you is from my perspective as a local, how i see my country and my beloved island.

I would also like to add that arriving here by flight, you have no problems in finding a cab, literally it is just in front of you the minute you walk out the airport! serious! hehe.well, yeah, the cabs are located in the first lanes, and is nearest to the exit so you dont have to walk far to get one.If you want to rent a car, you just have to walk to your right and there are several booths offering different cars with different prices(not sure how much they charge or which is better,sorry) if you feel hungry, there is a cafe on your left the minute you leave the arrival hall, but i would think that it is expensive and not as yummy as the food you can get elsewhere.if you crave for something western, i suggest you go to the top floor(same floor as the departure hall) as they have coffee bean and tea leaf cafe there and also nando's peri peri chicken.

Well that's all i have to say.(yes the Penang international airport is small)
tip* oh yes, note that if you use any toilets here(or elsewhere in penang or malaysia) please bring your own tissues because many dont provide them.also there's is no such thing as toilet seat covers, so please be forewarn and bring more tissues incase you want to wipe the toilet bowls.some toilets dont offer a place to hang your bags, so its advisable not to bring any into the toilet.also, you might have to pay for using toilets (yes,such a rip off!!) but usually it cost around 20 cents per entry, and there's no such thing as kids getting it free or stuff like that! oh yes, another crucial thing! some of our toilets dont have toilet bowls, but just a hole,er (tiled hole) for you to pee in (applies to both men and women) so be prepared to squat.hehe! however,rest assured that all toilets have doors (unlike china).
So my tip to you is to use toilets in malls and hotels.most of those toilets have toilet bowls, so you need not squat =)

oh yes, i forget to add that you can fly cheaply with our domestic cum international flights, provided by air asia and fireflyz(under Malaysian Airlines) so if you book reeeeeeeal early, you can get super cheap rates! some tix are like a dollar (minus airport taxes and etc) so it's pretty cool.do check these two airline carriers yeah.i cant provide you much info as i've yet fly to on board via airasia or firflyz.

Also not forgetting the new line of buses i mentioned earlier,rapid penang, i had my first ride on board their buses just a few days ago and i am quite impressed with their cleanliness.the buses are quite new but sad to say, they dont stick on schedule(so please allocate 25-30 mins beforehand) different routes cost differently, so please bring along exact change before boadring
tip* i suggest you change alot of one dollar notes and shillings if you wish to travel by our public buses. i am not quite sure of the rates, however you can always ask the conductor when you board certain buses!

tune in for my next post; i'll be touching on our local heavenly street food,and provide you tips and how to go about getting the best(seriously you wont find this in brochures)!you wont want to miss this! =)

Christmas!

2007-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

since christmas is round the corner, i'll post about the christmas celebration in penang.okay in penang, christmas is not a real big deal, unlike european countries.that's cos we are a muslim country,following the majority.but before you think that christmas dont mean a thing here, please wait for me to explain.though we are a muslim country, but then our government still declare christmas as a public holiday, and christmas is still celebrated!(Amen for that)
we do have our fair share of celebration here.if you so happen to be in penang this time around and need the christmas-sy feel, head over to our malls; gurney plaza and queensbay mall.some of the christmas decor can be quite impressive, however there is still room for improvement.

here's the christmas decor for this year at the main door of one of the malls i mentioned earlier,gurney plaza.

the inverted christmas tree in another mall, queensbay. cool huh?

another tree form queensbay.

if you want to celebrate christmas on a small scale with friends or family and dont know what to do cause ur in a foreign land, i suggest u head to cold storage supermarket in gurney plaza if you need a turkey.they have some nice roasted ones and you can even choose the sauce(or issit the stuffing?) they have turkey,ham,sausages and assorted foodstuff to make your christmas celebration,well more christmasy! hehe. anyway, some churches will have plays/musicals/skits/choir and etc so do look out for them! penang christian centre( under the assemblies of god) and fga nearly has something on yearly.
now they are trying to incorporate christmas open house every year, where food will be served to the public, whilst churches from various denominations gather together to perform skits,sing and dance.this event is really something grand cause churches from ALL denominations, AOG,Catholic,Baptist,Methodist and so on, come together to hold this event, as a form of giving something back to society and they expect 10 000people! wow indeed. usually this event is held in Esplanade (Fort Cornwallis,which is also one of the tourist attraction)

However, if you are a party animal, i suggest you head to the upper penang road( near saint xavier's institution, or to be more specific, near the blue historic mansion a.k.a cheong fatt zi mansion). they have some pretty nice clubs there and usually during occasion like these, there are bound to be some gifts when you enter those pubs, however, some clubs might charge you an entry fee(usually about RM25)

Personally, i would go to the open house at the Esplanade, and maybe attend some of the churches's events..really lets you feel the christmasy mood.
Most of the restaurants/hawkers(street food) will open during christmas cause its not a big a deal here compared to chinese new year or hari raya or deepavali.so dont worry!

Getting About the Island

2007-12-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

Before you get here, i suggest you go online and check the hotel room rates. diff hotels offer different rates, and also the rates differ at diff times of the year( peak and off peak)
usually peak would be nov-dec (when we have our school holidays, or this is equivalent to summer holidays here( we have summer all year round, so naming it "Summer holidays" just don't work)

next would be changing enough cash for your holiday (if you plan to stay here long, i suggest you draw just enough for hotel + food and etc for 3 days, then try to locate the nearest bank that you can get some cash from) we have Citibank,HSBC,Standard Chartered and so on(you can google out the location of those banks)
oh ya! you can change money the moment you touch down, i think they have a licensed money changer somewhere in the airport grounds(dont worry, the Penang International Airport is a small airport compared to the likes of SFO(San Francisco Airport) or LAX (Los Angeles Airport)
i am not sure whether the rate is higher there compared to outside, but its definetly safer if you changed your money there.some hotels might have money changers too, so do find out before you fly here.
the "Penang" mentioned in context is "Penang Island" and when you touch down( if assumingly, you fly) you will land in penang island.usually we associate penang with the island and mainland with,well, the rest of Penang that is not the island! hehe.

From the airport, the only mode of transportation would be taxi.No public buses ply that route. Anyway, do look out for taxis with "meters" so that you wont be swindled. And try to bargain with the taxi drivers(if you feel that their fee is to expensive).Tell them that you did not exchange much local currency and that you will be here for a few days only.
tip*(dont hestitate to bargain,it might save you alot)
once your here, other modes of transportation would be,besides taxis; buses, trishaws and ferries.other options would be renting a car(if ur up for adventure)

tip*but i warn you, driving in penang island is not a breeze and is not for the faint hearted. some drivers might be reckless and are somehow or other rushing for time.they can be rude and uncurteos as well, so if you want a relaxing holiday, dont rent a car.(renting a car can be done in the airport grounds itself) depend on where you want to go, different transportation takes you to different places. i suggest you sit on a trishaw if your in town, and normally thrishaws or available near cititel penang hotel. it is relaxing but be warned: it might be time consuming as it is literally a slow bicycle ride.
tip* its better if you ride on a trishaw at night..cos the heat is unberable in the afternoon.

As for buses, i suggest our new few month old buses,
rapid penang
as for their punctuality, i've heard that's it's sticks to its schedule much better compared to the other bus service providers.However, please do not take this for granted.allocate at least 20 minutes incase of unforseen circumstances such as tyre punctures, break downs and the most common of all, bus drivers that takes long breaks whenever they like and thus, cant stick to their schedule.

Going back to renting a car, here's some
contacts that offer this service.You can google up the map anytime. Do try to avoid Green lane/Scotland Road/Gottlieb road. area at 7-9am and 5-7pm cos that's the rush hour and there will be a massive jam there.
If your afraid of getting lost, never fear.Penangnites can be easily approached for directions.As it is a tiny island, many people know the areas in the island quite well, so you dont have to worry bout that!

As for ferries, i suggest you take a ride on it.Esp at night to view the lights from the Penang Bridge,one of the longest bridges in the world,which spans about 13.5 km or 8.4 miles.prefably go about dinner time to about 9 or so.when you reach the other side,or better known as butterworth, there's nothing much there for you to see as most of the places of attractions lies in the island itself.
tip* if you do want to hop onto the ferry,please be on the lookout and avoid wearing jewelleries and carry handbags(for women).make sure you keep your important documents one side and your cash one side because snatch theft is very rampant these days.avoid bringing large sums of cash if possible, and try not to go alone if you are a women.

motorcycles are another mode of transportation, however, its not so popular.if you want to rent a bike(motorcycle) please make sure that you dont put any valuables in the basket(money,visa,passport, important documents) as it can be easily snatched by another motorist.Always be on the alert and try to put important docs in one place, and cash in another.Times are hard and there cud be many desperados around!

That's all i have on the transportation list.

Introduction.

2007-12-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

Ever felt like what you see is not what you get?Frustrated cause you do not get to experience a certain place even though you've payed thousands? well, read on.Before i begin, do click Here . It will provide you with some information of this place i call home.

now that you've read that article, you might ask,why penang?i mean there's other more beautiful places to visit right? well, compared to other places, penang has a few places/things of attractions to offer too.just that sometimes its not offered in brochures that you get from travel agents.bare with me as i unveil to you how we view this little island, it's secrets and travel tips on how to travel,just like a local, as like the title above, from the lense of a penangnite. I am painting to you the realistic picture of this island of mine that i've called home for the past 21 years.Forget brochures.Forget the travel agents. Wouldnt you rather take advise from a true Penangnite?

top five reasons(i can think of) to visit penang.
1)food.
2)yes seriously.FOOD!! again!!
3)cheap imitation stuff!(ranging from computer programmes to dvds)
4)rich in historical culture
5)old world charm