Penang Island Break

Three days two nights (Oct. 4 - 6) holiday at Hard Rock Penang here we come! We traveled by air as everyone knows the highways will be choked up with traffic as Monday was a public holiday.

We boarded the 10.20 am flight on Firefly in Subang (Sultan SAAS Airport/SZB). The plane's approach upon landing was rather 'bumpy' as it was raining on the island. Next we hopped onto the hired mpv and onto our first stop - Ah Leng Char Koay Teow. I was the only person in our gang that had yet to savor this delicacy. It was superb - way, way tastier than the moody aunty in Lorong Selamat. The large prawns were cooked to perfection. It had that 'bounce' as you chewed on it. RM11.50 for a plate of koay teow (rice cake strip noodles) with big prawns, mantiss prawns, cockles and duck egg may seem steep but it is totally worth it. (Sorry no pics as we 'attacked' immediately - you can Google and there are lotsa pics online).

Satisfied we headed to the hotel in Batu Ferringhi. Check -in was 3.00 pm. After unpacking we planned for the next meal. Fast forward - we decided to have dinner at an old favorite, Happy Garden Restaurant. It's a quaint old house run by a Hainanese family.

Day Two (Sunday) - we decided to rent bicycles and visit the George Town (recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site  on 7 July 2008). We had planned to find the shop that rented the four-wheeled Town Car bicycles. We asked the chap at Chin Seng Leong bicycle shop (Lebuh Armenian) about it and he was so gracious to point us to the location. Many other person would have been less inclined to do the same. Naturally we stuck with him and proceeded to collect our rides. Nicole has yet to learn to ride so we got her a cute little tricycle (see video). The rain had by now become heavier but it did not dampen our spirits.

We'll definitely do this again on our next visit. It was a blast! It is now 'food-hunt time'!

Time to return the bikes

We chanced upon this coffee shop in the Moulmein area in Pulau Tikus. Nothing spectacular but we were hungry and most of the famous joints were closed by now. I don't recall the shop's name but it had a wall dedicated to Malaysian national bowler Adrian Ang. I'm guessing his family owns the joint.

For dinner we ordered takeaway from Happy Garden - same dishes same tastiness. The Fab Family then surprised me with an early birthday cake. Thanks guys. You got me!

Day Three (Monday) - our final day in Penang. We checked out at 3pm and took the scenic route across the hilly terrain of Teluk Bahang. The ride made me car-sick.

Our final food-stop was the New Lane Hawker area in Georgetown. We ordered BBQ chicken wings, pig innards porridge, kangkung sotong, char koay teow, fried oysters ... food-dizzy now. Fabulous! You cannot ever get enough of this. Having just enjoyed our meal we were already planning our return. Yes. We shall return in six weeks time.