다니엘: Penang, Part One

So I went on a trip to Penang Island with a bunch of uni mates after submission of my Honours project thesis. It has been almost 7-8 years since I last visited Penang with my aunt and family. I must say Penang has changed a lot since then. But nevertheless, the food is still as good and reasonably priced! Thanks much to Warren, another uni mate, who's a local Penangite and spent two days with us to introduce us to good street food session. Although I've been to Penang several times in the past, most of those trips were for swimming competitions and therefore, I have never really "visited" Penang properly. So yea, it's sort of my virgin trip to explore Penang and mainly historic city of Georgetown. It's good to see how the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) has done a good job in maintaining Penang a clean and safe (or at least, safer than where I come from) city, as well as a friendly, tourist hot spot. The best part of Penang would definitely be its rich heritage and historical backdrop, which has earned the city of Georgetown a spot in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unlike many other states in Malaysia, which have gone through major identity changes post-independence, Penang has retained most of its colonial influences, including street names and buildings. I personally believe this is what every state in Malaysia should have done; to preserve as much of its rich history, without impeding the development and urbanization of the nation. Nevertheless, Penangites are definitely proud of their historical culture and would do their best to preserve their identity.

On our first day in Penang, we had a late lunch at Line Clear Nasi Kandar, located along Penang Road. This place, although located on a small lane between shop lots, has top-notch nasi biryanni and the servers did an excellent job in mixing and infusing the different types of gravies to give their customers a true nasi kandar experience. Normally I can't finish an entire serving of rice at Indian restaurants because their servings are in huge portion. However, the nasi biryanni here was so excellent that I successfully finished my portion. You have definitely got to try it out for yourself if you're headed to Penang Island.

Yours truly at Nasi Kandar Line Clear

With the driver Mr. Steven Aw

The budak of the group, Ms. Mei-Jean

You can see how large the portions are! Madness, yet delicious!

Nasi Kandar Line Clear

177 Penang Road

10000 Georgetown

After lunch, we checked in to our hotel, 1926 Heritage Hotel at Jalan Burma. Took a quick nap before meeting up with Mr. Warren for dinner. He took us to New Lane Hawker Center. Boy do I miss Penang food! The oh-chien (fried oyster omelette in rice batter) is a must try! Unlike those sold in KL, the oysters here are really huge and succulent. Other foods to look out for would be chee cheong fun, char kuay teow, and asam laksa. After dinner, we headed to 1st Avenue shopping mall to catch the new Spiderman movie. I think the new leads are so much more attractive than the previous leads. Personal preferences. The movie is good, but a bit creepy especially because of the lizard-villain.