Before going to Kuala Lumpur, it was my plan to go to Penang. Not necessarily because I had special feelings for it, but because Shanghai had a direct flight and I had never been there. And who minds a tropical island anyway ;). So after I got my passport back, I thought the time was right. I decided to take the bus (6 hours) to Penang from Kuala Lumpur. At the cost of only 40 Ringgit (10 USD), I was set and we took off at 3:40 PM from KL Sentral.
The bus ride was smooth until the end. But this time, after getting out and waving the bus off, I realized I left my suitcase in the compartment. After a period of despair, I went to the train station help desk. There, a not-too-friendly person was first scolding me for how I could forget the suitcase. “Were you sleeping?” he said. I said, “Yes, I was.” Then he had that look on his face like, “There we have one again.” Reluctantly, he did help me contact the Aerocity Bus 24 hours hotline, but to no avail. I decided to go to my hotel and try the next day.
Back to the 1990s in the Park Royal Penang
Waking up the next day in the ParkRoyal hotel, I was greeted by a group of rather large monkeys having a picnic on my balcony. I got hold of the Aerocity help desk and was able to pick up my luggage at 12 pm from the station. After getting my suitcase back and tipping the bus driver, a Russian woman walked up to me out of nowhere, telling me that Malaysians can be trusted to return belongings. She said it was a beautiful story. I agreed. My Penang holiday was set to start.
The ParkRoyal is a hotel brand I know from Singapore, where they have a fine and unique hotel on Pickering Street. The one in Penang is a bit different. It is the kind of place that was probably built 30 years ago, and since then they have maintained things but never really upgraded or replaced anything. Walking through the hotel felt like stepping into the 1990s. The mostly elderly British guests did not seem to mind, so I decided to blend in and have a nice afternoon at the pool.
The 1990s were not so bad.
Feringghi
Ferringhi, where the ParkRoyal is located, is a small beach resort. It has some nice cafés (including a very nice Starbucks with great ocean views). I also went to Bora Bora beach club, which had good vibes and a great sunset.
The town and beach area start to feel alive around 6:30 pm, as Penang is very hot and humid until early evening. That heat also determined my next day’s sightseeing. I decided to visit Penang Hill, a place set up by British colonialists in the 1800s as a refuge from the intense heat.
Cooling off on Penang Hill
The next day, after buying a ticket, we entered the train that takes you up the hill. It was entertaining, with nice views, and within no time I found myself at 800-meters, with cooler temperatures (about 4 degrees less).
As for the touristic sights, I did think Penang Hill was a bit disappointing. Overly commercial, and we could not enter a single old colonial building, only look at them from a distance. The best the tour guide could do was let me touch a postal box from Queen Victoria’s time. So that was at least something.
Luckily, the environment was nice, and so were the views. If I visit Penang Hill again, I would probably hike up and down, as it looked beautiful with well-kept walkways. It’s only a few hours, you just have to start early I guess.
Georgetown
After Penang Hill, I decided to check out Georgetown, where I would stay for two days. After a slightly stressful taxi ride, where the driver warned me not to spill a single drop of water from the paper Starbucks cup I was carrying, we arrived.
Georgetown center is the main city on Penang island, and the old center consists of British-built houses and buildings from the 1800s. After enjoying Malacca so much, I had high expectations, which maybe did not help.
On paper Georgetown has a lot of elements, but I felt no vibe; it was maybe too spread out. And despite having some cool cafés and restaurants, the buildings and streets felt neglected, run-down, and chaotic. On top of that, the place was not very walkable. Just like on Penang Hill, I think they could do a much better job preserving the historic sights for tourists.
The Pinang Peranakan Mansion is worth a visit (although I liked the one in the more polished Malacca much more), as well as the Penang History Gallery, which recreates complete scenes from Georgetown in the 1900s, making it feel immersive and real.
Online, many people seem to rave about Georgetown, but it was not for me.
Reunited with my suitcase and passport, it was time to return to Shanghai.
